Nexte

Contents
Issu D Pri
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• Ma r P als
Sola emic
d Ch
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• Ma and
tors
• Mo

November 2016
Vol. 05 | no. 07
iSSn-2454-4426

Tech FoCuS Buyers’ Guide

21 70
Editor : ramesh Chopra
Biotech: Selecting Assembled
Editorial : Editorial Secretary The Healing PCB desktop
CorrESpondEnCE phone: 011-26810601; E-mail: editsec@efy.in effect: Generating Manufacturing
(technical queries: efylab@efy.in) Human Spares equipment

SubSCriptionS & : phone: 011-26810601 or 02 or 03

miSSing iSSuES E-mail: support@efy.in 17 Design 82 EFY Plus DVD
Implementing High-Security Remote Escape Into The Fascinating World Of Control
baCk iSSuES, : kits‘n’Spares, new delhi
bookS, Cds, phone: 011-26371661, 26371662 Control Systems Simulation And Design
pCbs etc. E-mail: info@kitsnspares.com
Biotech 86 eStyle
nEwSStand : ph: 011-40596600
Buyers’ Guide: Choosing Blood Sugar Monitors
diStribution E-mail: efycirc@efy.in
25 Augmented Reality: Revolutionising

Do-It-Yourself
advErtiSEmEntS
Medical Applications
nEw dElhi
(hEad offiCE)
: ph: 011-26810601 or 02 or 03
E-mail: efyenq@efy.in
28 Challenges Faced In Designing
‘Approved’ Medical Devices In India
mumbai : ph: 022-24950047, 24928520
E-mail: efymum@efy.in 34 Wireless
bEngaluru : ph: 080-25260394, 25260023 National Connectivity Via LoRaWAN In Just
E-mail: efyblr@efy.in Eight Months

punE : ph: 08800295610, 09870682995

E-mail: efypune@efy.in
38 Repair & Maintenance 88 Wireless Digital Thermometer For Multiple Sensors
Salvage Techniques For Wet Electronics 94 12V Battery Charger-Cum-Variable Power Supply
gujarat: : ph: 079-61344948 97 Simple Suitcase-Lift Alarm
E-mail: efyahd@efy.in Manufacture 98
99
LM386 Audio Amplifier
Digital Soil Moisture Meter
China : power pioneer group inc.
ph: (86 755) 83729797, (86) 13923802595
42 Analogue ASICs Made Simple 101 IoT Based Smartcamera Using Android
And Raspberry Pi
E-mail: powerpioneer@efy.in 48 Electromagnetic Compatibility: Cable 103 GPS Distance Meter
Selection And Routing (Part 5 of 5) 106 SMS Alert System
japan : tandem inc., ph: 81-3-3541-4166
E-mail: tandem@efy.in
54 Defence Electronics
SingaporE : publicitas Singapore pte ltd Directed Energy Weapons: More On High- eFY Plus DVD
ph: +65-6836 2272 Energy Laser Weapons (Part 8 of 8) PROTEUS For Electronic Design Automation .............I
E-mail: publicitas@efy.in
Gerbv: The Gerber Viewer .....................................IV
taiwan : j.k. media, ph: 886-2-87726780 ext. 10 60 Artificial Intelligence GEZEL: Your Open Source HDL Solution .............. VII
E-mail: jkmedia@efy.in Amazon Echo: Your Personal Assistant
Regulars
unitEd StatES : E & tech media
ph: +1 860 536 6677 61 Test & Measurement 06 Feedback
E-mail: veroniquelamarque@gmail.com Light-Weight Power Supplies Are Not Just 08 Q&A
Benchtop Anymore 10 Useful Websites
12 Tech News
printed, published and owned by ramesh Chopra. printed at international
print-o-pack ltd, C-4 to C-11, hosiery Complex, phase-ii Extension, noida-201305,
gautam budh nagar, uttar pradesh, on the first day of each month and published
64 Embedded 73
80
Make in India: Industry News
New Products
from d-87/1, okhla industrial area, phase-1, new delhi 110020. Copyright 2016. Selecting The Right Microcontroller For
all rights reserved throughout the world. reproduction of any material from Embedded Applications 84 First Look
this magazine in any manner without the written permission of the publisher is 111 Business Pages Ads
prohibited. although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility
whatsoever is taken for any loss due to publishing errors. articles that cannot
be used are returned to the authors if accompanied by a self-addressed and
76 Make In India 125
128
Electronics Mart Ads
Product Categories Index + Attractions During 2016
sufficiently stamped envelope. but no responsibility is taken for any loss or delay in Market Survey: Catching The Pulse Of
returning the material. EfY will not be responsible for any wrong claims made by
Medical Electronics Market 129 Advertisers’ Index
an advertiser. disputes, if any, will be settled in a new delhi court only.

Interview
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4 November 2016 | electroNics For You plus www.eFYmag.com


Thanks!
I have been a fan of EFY for the last
35 years. The magazine has grown
from strength to strength. I thank all
teams for their efforts. Your company
interfaces with subscribers, and acts
with lightning speed.
I have been a visitor to EFY
exhibitions in Mumbai and have one
suggestion. Once someone visits and
you have their details, you should
pre-register that person and send
him/her the badge.
I have never had any problems
with EFY and my copies always
arrive by Indian Post without fail.
Once, EFY Annual Edition was
given free to all pre-registered
visitors in Mumbai and I received
a copy by mail also. Your team
replied the day after I alerted it, and
thanked me. This puts a face behind
the organisation.
Frederick Fernandes
Through email
EFY. Thanks a lot for such a strong
pat on our backs! It has made the
day for our entire team—edit as well
as support.
Thanks for the tip about the
badge! We have started that process
where we send a self-printable badge
to our registrants, which they can
print at home/office and bring along
to the venue. There, we make the
lanyards available, in which they can
put the pre-printed badges and walk
straight in—no queues. We shall be
doing that also at India Electronics
Week 2017 and Open Source India
2017—both in Bengaluru.
UPs Power sUPPly
I request you to publish UPS power
supply circuits with and without
6 november 2016 | electronics For You
Feedback
Your suggestions
From electronicsforu.com
Electronics Projects
In ‘Infrared Sensor Based Power Saver’
circuit published in March issue, can we
use 9V supply for PIR sensor as given
in the circuit, or do we have to use a
7805, 5V regulator for it?
swathi
EFY. 7805 regulator is not required
for the PIR sensor because its power
supply range is 5V -20V.
In ‘Door Opening Alarm Using Hall
Sensor’ circuit published in August
2015 issue, MH183 hall sensor is used.
Where can I find it online?
Joe
EFY. Please check www.rhydolabz.
com/magnetic-rpm-c-137_149/hall-
effect-sensormh183-unipolar-p-391.html
Corrections
In ‘Voice-Controlled Home Automation
System’ published in October issue, collec-
tor and emitter pins of transistor T1 got
interchanged in the component layout of
the PCB.
Samiuddhin
In ‘Face Recoginition Using Raspberry Pi’
DIY article published in October issue, cir-
cuit diagram on page 104, the servo signal
line is connected to GPIO16, whereas in
config.py code in line 8, lock_servo_pin
= 18 (servo signal line) points to GPIO18,
which is wrong. It should be GPIO16.
Arnav Bansal
In ‘Controlling A Robotic Car Through
MATLAB GUI’ circuit published in October
issue, enable pins (EN1 and EN2) should
be connected to 5V instead of 9V.
Manish S.T.
EFY. Thanks for pointing out the mistakes!
a microprocessor for powering
Raspberry Pi. Its microSD card gets
damage easily in case of sudden
power failure.
B. Chatterjee
Kolkata
EFY. You may refer to ‘Mini UPS
System’ DIY circuit at http://
electronicsforu.com/electronics-
projects/mini-ups-system
More arTicles
I have been reading EFY magazine
for the last three years. EFY plus
edition being an upgraded version
should contain more advanced
topics, tutorials, circuit designs and
calculations. Kindly add tutorials
or projects related to the following
topics in upcoming issues, including
RTOS, VLSI, high-power convert-
ers, control-loop designs for con-
verters, motors (analogue/digital)
and protocol implementations in
embedded systems.
Ratish Ganve
Power electronics design engineer
Tata Power SED
EFY. Thanks for the feedback and
suggestions! We will try to cover
these topics in the forthcoming issues.
solar charger
Solar energy systems is a hot topic
these days, so I request you to pub-
lish such topics. Please publish a
simple solar charger circuit.
Labh Singh
Through email
EFY. You may refer to ‘Hybrid Solar
Charger’ DIY circuit at http://elec-
tronicsforu.com/electronics-projects/
hybrid-solar-charger
www.eFYmag.com
Ques. How does a dLP
sPin coLours and wHat
are tHe advantages of
oLed LigHts?
g.s. srikanth
ans. As an image-projection technol-
ogy, digital light processing (DLP) is a
revelation. It projects brighter, sharper
images and has all but replaced film
projectors in movie theatres. It works
by shining a light through a spinning
wheel that has red, blue and green
filters. The wheel spins fast enough
so that each colour is produced 60
times per second.
The light strikes a panel having
up to 1.3 million microscopic mirrors
on the surface of the DLP chip. The
mirrors reflect the light through a
lens to an ordinary projection screen.
Electrodes are connected directly to
an array of video memory bits so that
each electrode can represent a one
or zero.
A colour pixel is turned on when
a bit is written to the video memory.
An electrical charge is sent to the
bus and one of the electrodes. Mir-
rors, functioning as pixels that are
turned on, tilt one way to reflect light
towards a screen. Mirrors tilted in the
opposite direction reflect light to a
surface that absorbs it; these repre-
sent pixels that are turned off.
Finally, hues of colours are cre-
ated by how often the source light
is turned on and off while the three
filters pass in front of it. The colour
wheel and RGB data are synched so
that the amount of time a mirror takes
to reflect any one of the three primary
colours is in proportion to the amount
of time that that colour in the mixture
is perceived by the human eye.
Regarding advantages of OLED
lights, unlike LCDs, OLED displays
require no backlight. This means that
these draw less power. This is a huge
8 november 2016 | electronics For You
Q&A
Things You WanTed To KnoW!
benefit, especially when the display
is powered by a battery. Some of the
illumination in an LED display makes
through pixels that are supposed to be
totally black, hurting an LED display’s
contrast. OLED displays are also thin-
ner and have a wider viewing angle.
OLED displays have been integrat-
ed into tablets and smartphones such
as Samsung Galaxy, because mobile
devices have smaller displays, which
means these cost less to produce than
OLED displays on desktop monitors.
OLED displays are lightweight,
thin and flexible, and we can expect
these to appear in places where other
types of displays are impractical such
as clothing. A t-shirt can change the
pattern or colour of the shirt on a
whim, and it would not be much more
trouble to have it display in a movie
or commercial.
Q2. How do eLectronic
devices caPture LigHt?
deepak negi
a2. Computer scanners and digital
cameras, which can see, store and ma-
nipulate words and images, are the end
product of a technological evolution
that began with a single cell, a photo-
cell, also called a photodiode, photo-
voltaic cell or photo site. The cell is one
of the thousands, often millions, etched
into the surface of a chip of silicon.
The cell is made by joining two
pieces of silicon crystal; only rarely is a
single photodiode used by itself. More
often, the diode is one of many in a
component called a coupled-charge
device. Electrical charges built up by
the light striking the photodiodes are
passed from one diode to the other,
like a bucket brigade.
Charges move from the coupled-
charge device through an amplifier that
converts the charges into an electrical
current of varying voltages that are
an analogue representation of various
intensities of light collected by diodes.
Current passes through an analogue-to-
digital converter; the digital value is in
decimal form. A microchip translates
the undulating voltages into a series
of numbers.
Another microchip uses those
numbers to work with a decimal image
of whatever the coupled-charge device
captured with its thousands of ‘eyes.’
Light-detecting chips built on the
coupled-charge device and CMOS
model turn up in a variety of computer
peripherals, from digital cameras to
scanners, copiers and fax machines to
biometric identification devices that
can visually identify people through
their fingerprints, retina scans and
facial characteristics.
Q3. couLd you PLease Pro-
vide tHe Links or e-books
on interfacing rasPberry
Pi witH MatLab/siMuLink?
Pamarthi kanakaraja
a3. We can make use of MATLAB
to communicate with Raspberry Pi
board and its peripheral devices using
Simulink support package for hardware.
It means that the software code will be
generated from Simulink model, which
will run on Raspberry Pi board. For such
type of projects, you need to first set up
MATLAB support package and Simulink
support package for Raspberry Pi. You
may refer following links or e-books:
http://in.mathworks.com/help/sup-
portpkg/raspberrypiio/?requestedDomai
n=in.mathworks.com
https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/
downloads/pdf/how-to-use-matlab-and-
simulink-with-raspberry-pi.pdf
Answers compiled by EFY senior application engineer,
Nidhi Kathuria. Letters and questions for publication
may be addressed to Editor, Electronics For You,
D-87/1, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase 1, New Delhi
110020 (e-mail: editsec@efy.in) and should include
name and address of the sender
www.eFYmag.com
 UsefUl Websites
This month we have for you a few websites that would help you try your hands on
different types of do-it-yourself projects
instructables.com
Instructables was officially spun
out of Squid Labs in the summer
of 2006, and has gone on to grow
from a modest hundreds of projects
to over 100,000. The community
that now calls the site its home is
an amazing mix of wonders from
around the world. Instructables is a
website specialising in user-created
and uploaded do-it-yourself projects,
which other users can comment on
and rate for quality.
www.instructables.com/tag/type-id/
category-technology/
diy-electronic-projects.com
The website has a good
collection of do-it-yourself
electronics projects. You can
find many electronics projects
on this website, sorted in
several categories. The site as
approximately 300+ projects to
try your hands on.
www.diy-electronic-projects.com/
10 november 2016 | electronics For You
Do-It-Yourself
Compiled by nira j sahay
doityourself.com
DoItYourself.com, founded in
1995, is a leading independent
home improvement and repair
website. It is mainly divided
into three sections: How-Tos,
Forums and Did It Myself. Did
It Myself section has projects
on various topics and includes
a dedicated section called
Electrical & Electronics. You may
freely link to this site, and use it
for non-commercial use, subject
to terms and conditions of use.
Today DoItYourself averages
over five million unique
visitors per month.
www.doityourself.com/did-it-myself/
electrical-and-electronics
builditsolar.com
www.builditsolar.com
fixya.com
This site has solutions for
nearly everything. In 2005, too,
many product manufacturers
were neglecting post-purchase
customer support. Frustrated by
the lack of practical post-purchase
information, entrepreneur Yaniv
Bensadon set out to build a
community resource capable of
providing relevant and up-to-date
troubleshooting data. Today, FixYa
continues to empower individuals
to repair and improve upon their
already-purchased possessions.
From fixing cars to cameras and
iPhones, FixYans are part of a
do-it-yourself revolution that helps
empower techies, tinkerers and
hobbyists across the globe.
www.fixya.com
The site helps you with plans, tools
and information to help you build
renewable energy and conservation
projects. The site has reference to
hundreds of projects, from changing
a light bulb to building a solar home.
The best part is that the website
does not have any thing for sale.
builditsolar.com also features a list of
renewable energy discussion forums,
where you can discuss your project-
related issues.
www.eFYmag.com
 Tech News Technology UpdaTes

China starts operation on world’s largest

single-dish radio telescope
China has finalised the world’s biggest
radio telescope, whose 503m (1650-feet)-
wide dish will scan the heavens for signs
of intelligent alien life, among other tasks.
With a dish the size of 30 football
fields, Five-hundred-meter Aperture
Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) is by
far the largest single-aperture telescope
in the world (though arrays that link up
multiple radio dishes cover more ground).
The previous record holder in the field
is the 300m (1000-feet)-wide Arecibo
Observatory in Puerto Rico.
FAST was built in China’s Guizhou
Province, more than 2000 kilometres
southwest of Beijing. The US$180-million
facility should help scientists learn more
about the Universe’s early days, detect
low-frequency gravitational waves and
FAST will explore the Universe at radio frequencies, detecting emission from hydrogen gas in
the Milky Way and other distant galaxies, finding faint galactic and extragalactic pulsars, and hunt for signals that may have been
searching for potential radio signals from extraterrestrials (Image courtesy: http://fast.bao.ac.cn) produced by distant alien civilisations.

Computer that can solve problems traditional computers cannot

Processing power of standard computers is likely to reach idea is that it opens up a sub-field of research in the area of
its maximum in the next 10 to 25 years. Even at this maxi- non-traditional computing machines.”
mum power, traditional computers would not be able to
handle a particular class of problems that involve combin-
ing variables to come up with many possible answers,
and looking for the best solution. Combining optical and
electronic technology, Stanford researchers have made a
new type of computer that can solve problems that are a
challenge for traditional computers.
This new type of computer, which blends optical and
electrical processing, could get around this impending
processing constraint and solve those problems. If it can
be scaled up, this non-traditional computer could save
costs by finding more optimal solutions to problems that
have an incredibly high number of possible solutions.
Peter McMahon, post-doctoral scholar in applied
Post-doctoral scholar Peter McMahon (left) and visiting researcher Alireza
physics and co-author of the paper, says, “This is a Marandi (right) examine a prototype of the new type of light based computer
machine that is in a sense the first in its class, and the (Image courtesy: http://news.stanford.edu)

12 november 2016 | electronics For You www.eFYmag.com

 Tech News

Ultra-low power transistors that could

function for years without a battery
A newly-developed form of transistor opens up a range of
new electronic applications including wearable or implant-
able devices by drastically reducing the amount of power
used. Devices based on this type of ultra-low power tran-
sistor, developed by engineers at University of Cambridge,
could function for months or even years without a battery,
by scavenging energy from its environment.
Using a principle similar to a computer in sleep mode,
this new transistor harnesses a tiny leakage of electrical
current, known as a near-off-state current, for its operations.
This leak, like water dripping from a faulty tap, is a
characteristic of all transistors. But this is the first time
that it has been effectively captured and used functionally.
The results open up new avenues for system design for the
Internet of Things, in which most things we interact with
every day are connected to the Internet.

Tiny robots roam around the body

Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and Stanford University have developed miniature wearable
robots, Rovables, that can crawl down and around unmodi-
fied garments; you do not need to wear any special garment
to make these crawl on you.

Rovables come with low-power localisation systems that allow these to move
autonomously (Image courtesy: http://rb.ru)

With the help of magnetic gripping wheels on either

side of clothing, Rovables can scale garments. Sensors and
artificial intelligence help these to be partially autonomous.
A little bigger than a ring box, these tiny wearable robots
can house wireless communications, microcontrollers and a
battery that can stay charged for 45 minutes at full capacity
before needing to be charged again. However, researchers
say that battery life should extend for much longer if the
robots are not moving all the time.
These robots can be quite useful. For example, when
there is a new email, these can tap on your body, or roll up
your sleeve if your body temperature increases. Also, these
can form a light on your back during an evening bike ride
or assemble on your arm to create a display and play video.

14 november 2016 | electronics For You www.eFYmag.com

3D-printed acoustic holograms
move objects in midair
A team from Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems,
Germany, has described a new way of easily creating very
high-resolution acoustic holograms that work in air or
water. Rather than relying on a whole bunch of small trans-
ducers, these use just one giant transducer that sits under-
neath a special 3D-printed transmission hologram made out
of finely-contoured
plastic. The single
transducer emits one
type of sound wave,
which means that
you cannot use it to
create a sound field
that will do all that
much for you.
3D-printed plastic blocks can now be turned
The trick is to
into acoustic holograms that generate 3D use a 3D-printed
shapes made of sound, which could function piece of plastic. The
like sonic tractor beams (Image courtesy:
https://1news.in) block is attached to
the transducer, and
when it transduces, the sound wave has to propagate through
the block before it is emitted into Space. Since sound moves
slower through the block than it does through air or water,
by carefully printing the top of the block in a very specific
pattern to vary its thickness, you get the same effect as using
a transducer array made up of individual transducers that are
each as small as the resolution of your 3D printer. This allows
creation of acoustic holograms that are about 100 times as
detailed as anyone has been able to make before.

Advanced imaging technique for

cancer detection
Researchers from University of Cambridge are developing a
new imaging technique with the aim of detecting and char-
acterising early cancerous changes in the gastrointestinal
tract. The technique involves using a standard endoscopy
system with a novel set of camera filters, increasing the
number of colours that can be visualised during endoscopy,
and potentially improving the ability to detect abnormal
cells in the lining of the gut.
Dr Sarah Bohndiek from University of Cambridge,
UK, who is leading the development, explains the new
technique as, “In traditional endoscopy, we use white
light and detectors that replicate our eyes, which detect
light in red, green and blue colour channels. We are now
developing an approach called hyperspectral imaging,
which will increase the number of colour channels that can
be visualised from three to over 50.”

www.eFYmag.com electronics For You | november 2016 15

 Tech News

“Since cell changes associated with the development tion of For and ORPHEUS (a bard in Greek mythology as
of cancer lead to colour changes in tissues, we believe a symbol of human creativity), representing OMRON’s at-
that hyperspectral imaging could help us to improve the titude of bringing out human creativity and possibility.
specificity of lesion identification because we can use these Robot FORPHEUS aims to improve your table tennis
colours to identify abnormal tissues,” adds Dr Bohndiek. skills while having fun at the same time by keeping a rally
going. In addition to the conventional function to control
Bendable battery to power future returning the ball according to the trajectory and strength of
the ball, the third-generation FORPHEUS is equipped with
wearable devices, smartphones new amazing technologies where you and machines grow
Panasonic is developing a new bendable lithium-ion battery together by using artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
that can flex and twist to power wearable devices and one FORPHEUS can learn about characteristics of your
day be used to develop a flexible smartphone. Although it actions and the trajectory of the ball and keep a rally going,
is still in the early stages of development, the battery has which guides you to make more progress. Further, the
already been tested to withstand twists, bends and other degree of harmony between you and the machine has been
deformations while maintaining its ability to hold a charge. made visible through the rally.
In contrast, a regular
lithium-ion battery,
commonly used in
Levitating turntable that can play
smartphones and other records in the air
gadgets, can degrade A Kickstarter campaign has been launched to bring the first
when it is deformed, thus levitating turntable into production, the Vinyl Factory notes.
shortening the device’s Mag-Lev Audio, a Slovenian company, is hoping to raise US$
operating time. 300,000 to manufacture the machines, which are designed
The bendable battery is just 0.55mm
(0.02-inch) thick, and was able to Panasonic’s bendable for people who appreciate high quality sound and innova-
withstand being bent so that the curve of battery uses a newly- tive design.
the battery has a radius of 25mm, and
being twisted up to 25 degrees in tests developed laminated The turntables will use a magnetic platter to suspend
(Image courtesy: www.yahoo.com/tech) outer body and internal the vinyl record during playback. By pushing the frontier
structure that the company
says makes it difficult for the battery to leak or over-heat.
With this new casing and internal wiring, the battery is safer
and more reliable for wearable tech devices.

AI robot teaches humans ping pong

The name FORPHEUS comes from Future Omron Robot-
ics technology for Exploring Possibility of Harmonized
aUtomation with Sinic theoretics. A coined term embodying
OMRON’s robot technologies based on its unique future The turntable includes a cueing mechanism, speed select button, platter
feet and a pre-fitted cartridge and tonearm that lifts at the end of the record
prediction theory—SINIC theoretics. It is also a combina- (Image courtesy: www.kickstarter.com)

of audio technology, the makers were able to integrate the

FORPHEUS was recently named the world’s first robot table tennis tutor by
Guinness World Records. It’s now been updated in order to return balls with
greater accuracy using artificial intelligence (Image courtesy: https://uk.news.
yahoo.com)
uplifting experience of music into the turntable design itself,
bringing the feeling of zero gravity into the living room.
As for making that vinyl float, the Kickstarter page says,
“By using our innovative and patented technology, we were
able to achieve not only magnetic levitation, but we have
also been able to maintain the incredibly precise turning
of the platter with sensor regulating software. Air is the
smoothest medium with the least amount of friction, which
further elevates this project into a truly unique listening
experience.” The design also includes feet to support
the platter in off mode, and a safety system in case of
unexpected power outage.

16 november 2016 | electronics For You www.eFYmag.com

 design
Implementing High-Security
Remote ContRol SyStemS
I
n remote-control operated sys-
tems, security is always a concern.
The system must be designed to
prevent unauthorised access. Special
software and encryption are used to
prevent eavesdropping. This is why
such systems are using encrypted com-
munication. In a perfect scenario, only
the authorised receiving party is able
Cristian Toma is
senior applications to decode and process the information.
engineer, MCU08 With an adequate level of encryption,
Division, Microchip
Technology Inc. such criteria are generally met. Still,
there is the possibility of copying and
re-transmitting a valid data transmis-
sion. Today, different methods are used
to prevent this. However, none of these
are perfect.
This article describes the implemen-
tation of a highly-secure remote control
system that makes the capture and reply
attack useless. The data packet sent over
the air contains time-synchronisation in-
formation, which is valid only for a very
narrow time frame. Any further capture
and reply attack is simply useless. Even
though a captured-and-replied message,
in essence, contains (almost) correct in-
formation, the message is discarded since
it has lost its valid time frame. The fol-
lowing paragraphs describe the proposed
solution and the technical challenges
faced while designing such a system.
The end application rules. General
remote-control designs come in various
implementations and security levels. Of
course, in general, the price also increas-
es along with the security level. How-
ever, with smart firmware and by taking
advantage of the ever-increasing number
of peripherals a modern microcontroller
has onboard, designing a remote-con-
trolled system with very strong security
is more cost-effective, today.
In general, the remote-control level
of security is tied directly with the end
www.efymag.com
application. For example, controlling
a light source or a fan does not really
require encryption. But, when the system
is designed to allow (or not) access to a
valuable property, then there is the need
to add a certain security level. However,
this does not come for free.
Authentication versus privacy
There is a wide range of encryption al-
gorithms that can be used. The choice is
more system-specific. In general, there is a
split between authentication and security.
Authentication is used more when the en-
crypted data does not carry any specific in-
formation by itself such as commands and
messages. It is used more to authenticate
a device. A good example is a manufac-
turer choosing to authenticate replacement
parts, upon installation. The system first
authenticates these, and only if found valid
does it start normal operation. Typically,
such devices include printer cartridges,
toothbrush heads, mobile phone batteries
or even electronic modules.
Algorithms to secure your message.
These devices normally use hash algo-
rithms such as Secure Hash Algorithm-2
(SHA-2) cryptographic hash functions.
These functions calculate a key from a
longer message. For example, MD5 check-
sum is used when downloading large files
from the Internet. MD5 message digest
algorithm will read the entire file and
then generate a key. This computed hash
value is later used to verify the integrity
(or authenticity) of the downloaded file,
without providing any means to recover
the original data. In other words, simply
having the key does not mean you can
backwards generate the original data from
which the key was generated. In general,
in these kinds of applications, authentica-
tion is for securing business rather than
providing privacy.
electronics for you | november 2016 17

A system that uses privacy
will use encryption algorithms
like Extended Tiny Encryption
Algorithm (XTEA) or Advanced
Encryption Standard (AES). These
are industry-standard encryption
algorithms that are being used in a
wide variety of electronic devices
and are being considered secure
enough for a large number of ap-
plications. These algorithms can
be implemented either in hardware
or in software. There are different
opinions (even among specialists)
regarding which implementation,
whether hardware or software, is
the more secure one.
Adding higher encryption
adds to cost
In general, a stronger security level
will result in an increase in the
overall cost of the system. Both
hardware and software implemen-
tation will have an impact. Even
a complete software implementa-
tion will add additional cost; this
is because the firmware also needs
to occupy more memory. The more
memory is required, the bigger is
the additional cost.
As mentioned earlier, some
implementations use a hardware
encryption module, while others use
software implementations. But es-
sentially, both implementations add
additional cost. Software implemen-
tations have bigger requirements on
both program and data memory. On
the other hand, hardware imple-
mentation has bigger requirements
in terms of the size of the silicon
die. There are pros and cons to
both sides. The choice is up to the
system designer.
But even if the designer is us-
ing a very high level of security,
this does not lock out attacks like
capture-and-replay or jamming and
selectively replaying information.
Typical security threats
This section introduces you to some
of the modern threats to secur-
18 november 2016 | electronics for you
design
ing your system and methods to
secure these.
Brute force attack. The brute
force attack is a very basic crypta-
nalytic attack that involves using
all possible combinations until the
correct one is reached. Of course,
this is more a theoretical approach
rather than a real implementation,
and depending on the number of
possible combinations, it can take
a long time to complete. With
modern encryption techniques,
such an attack would take many
years to complete.
Capture and replay. This at-
tack is one in which valid data
is fraudulently captured and
re-transmitted. There are several
countermeasures to avoid such at-
tacks. One such measure is using
session tokens. These tokens are
used as a part of the encryption
system. Each token is valid only
for a particular session; the token
(and the transmissions derived
from that token) cannot be used
in another session. One-time pass-
words are very similar to session
tokens except that these are used
to authenticate individual transac-
tions in a session. However, these
are difficult to be implemented in
one-way systems.
Check the integrity of your
data. The message authentication
code is a short piece of informa-
tion added to a data transaction
and used to authenticate a mes-
sage to provide data integrity. Data
integrity assures the detection of
accidental and intentional mes-
sage changes, while authenticity
assures the message’s origin. This
does not provide the privacy as-
pect but more the authentication.
Note the time. Time-stamping
is another way of preventing
a capture-and-replay attack.
It involves sending periodic
time-stamped messages. At the
receiver end, the time-stamp is
compared to a local estimated
one within a reasonable tolerance
level. This poses some special
design challenges.
A time-keeping source
To overcome some of today’s major
security threats, we propose a
system that features the concept of
limited time valid data packet. In
other words, every data packet that
the transmitter/encoder is sending
over the air has time-limited valid-
ity. Even though, in essence, the
data packet itself is perfectly valid
in terms of proper encryption and
data contained, it is valid only for a
very limited time period. A cap-
ture-and-reply attack would have
very little success in attacking such
a system. This is because such an
attack involves capturing a data
packet and then re-transmitting it
at a later time; but the data packet
is only valid for the time frame for
which it was transmitted.
To implement this, each data
packet needs to include a time-
stamp. Thus, the transmitter needs
to have a time-keeping source.
The easiest way to achieve this
is by using a crystal oscillator.
(A 32.768kHz crystal is a good
choice.) Today’s microcontrollers
feature crystal-driven time-keeping
peripherals that can work even in
low-power states. Thus, the proces-
sor can keep track of time even
in sleep mode. Any other time-
keeping method can be used as
well, provided that it features good
stability over time and temperature.
At the other end. On the de-
coder side, a similar time-keeping
mechanism is used (if not the
same). The first time an encoder
is paired with a decoder, the latter
stores information such as the se-
rial number and its timer value. It
then stores a delta time value that
represents the time difference be-
tween the encoder and the decoder
onboard timers. At this time, the
encoder is synchronised with the
decoder. At a later time, when a
transmission from the encoder is
www.efymag.com

being received, the decoder evalu-
ates the time value that it expects
(based on the decoder’s timer
and from the encoder’s last-saved
time-stamp) with the time-stamp
from the encoder. If the two values
match, the decoder takes appropri-
ate action (that is, opens a door).
However, the receiver/decoder
side needs to support not just
one but many more such encod-
ers. So it needs to have different
time values for all encoders paired
with the decoder. Obviously, the
decoder cannot implement many
such timers.
The solution is to use a single
timer on the decoder side and use
time delta values for each en-
coder. These time delta values for
each encoder need to be saved in
non-volatile memory. When a data
packet arrives from the encoder,
the decoder would read the saved
time delta value for that particu-
lar encoder and use its current
timer value to estimate the timer
value sent by the encoder. The
decoder would, again, compare
the two time values and if these
match (or there are acceptable
small differences), it would take
appropriate action.
Synchronisation
The whole synchronisation mecha-
nism is built around free-running
timers, both on the encoder and
the decoder sides. Ideally, these
timers run synchronously and are
in constant synchronisation. How-
ever, all time-keeping devices have
limited stability and precision. De-
vices that feature high stability and
precision can be very expensive.
So choosing the right time-keeping
mechanism is more a design trade-
off. A typical implementation will
use the same time-keeping circuit
on both encoder and decoder
sides. A cost-effective solution
can be using a crystal oscillator.
However, even if the same crystal
is used at both ends, there will be
20 november 2016 | electronics for you
design
some frequency differences.
Discrepancies in frequency.
First, there is the initial crystal preci-
sion. This is specified by the crystal
manufacturer and it is typically in
the range of 5ppm to 40ppm (parts
per million). The initial crystal
precision is due to the manufactur-
ing process. The crystal frequency
cannot exactly be the specified
value, but a very close one. This is
specific and constant over time for
every crystal.
MCS3142 high-security encoder from Microchip
Technology
Second, crystals are sensitive
to temperature. The oscillating
frequency is specified at 25°C.
Between -20°C and 50°C, frequency
can vary up to an additional 20ppm.
Third, we must also take into
consideration crystal aging. This is
less important, since it happens over
a very large period of time. Taking
into account all the above tolerances
will mean that timers on both the
encoder and the decoder will never
be in perfect synchronisation, except
at first pairing. The decoder will not
be able to calculate an exact match
of the encoder’s real-time value. It
will only be able to calculate an ap-
proximate value.
The decoder can still be synchro-
nised with all encoders by using an
acceptance window. For example,
once synchronised, timer error be-
tween the encoder and the decoder
will be at minimum. As time passes,
time drift between the encoder and
the decoder will increase. It is then
up to the decoder to decide the max-
imum time difference for a packet to
be accepted as a valid packet.
Re-synchronisation
Since the system relies on the fact
that the timers on both ends are
in constant synchronisation, it is
very important that the timer’s
operation is not interrupted. There
are cases when synchronisation
can be lost due to power failure
(like a mains grid incident or
battery replacement).
On the encoder side, this will
typically happen when the battery
gets exhausted and needs replace-
ment. This can be easily resolved
by manually re-synchronising the
encoder. On the decoder side, a loss
of power is more serious, especially
since the decoder needs to keep
track of multiple encoders.
Re-learning all encoders is feasi-
ble only when there is a relatively-
low number of encoders. If the sys-
tem has more than a few encoders,
manually synchronising all encoders
is not a good option. In such cases,
it is recommended that the decoder
has a time-keeping back-up circuit
such as a real-time clock circuit with
a battery backup.
Conclusion
Proper implementation can offer
a very high security level. System
attacks like capture-and-reply and
radio frequency jamming become
basically useless.
Another important advantage is
that such an encoder can be used
with multiple decoders. This is be-
cause the decoder only verifies time
synchronisation and the authentic-
ity of the encoder. Overall, this is
a high-security and cost-effective
security solution.
From the user standpoint, the so-
lution introduces no difference and
allows for ease of use. This technol-
ogy can easily be used in conjunc-
tion with an authentication scheme
so it can also provide a good level of
OEM protection.
The technique described in this paper is
patented by Microchip Technology Inc.
www.efymag.com
 tech focus
Biotech:
The healing effecT:
Generating Human Spares
W
ar veterans return home with all
kinds of injuries—some physical,
others psychological. A missing
limb, an ear blown off, scars of wars can be
seen all over. Advances in technology that
could fill out missing pieces sound good, do
they not?
Researchers at Wake Forest Institute for
Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest Bap-
Saurabh Durgapal
is working as tist Medical Center, USA, have custom-de-
technology signed a 3D printer and successfully printed
journalist at EFY
ear, bone and muscle structures to take care
of just that. The developed structures have
been implanted in animals and matured into
functional tissue, apart from developing a
system of blood vessels. Probably the future
does hold an all-perfect world. Let us take a
look at how they do it.
Printing body parts
In a typical plastic modelling 3D printer,
basics would involve melting down the
material and shaping it back in the form
of the required design. However, biological
tissue would not be suited to a similar setup
and could be easily destroyed. Additionally,
a support system would be required in place
for the biomaterial to hold onto—similar
Fig. 1: A bio-printer
in action
www.efymag.com
to the support system in a traditional
3D printer.
In addition to outputting cells, most
bio-printers also output a dissolvable gel
to support and protect the cells during
printing. Organovo’s bio-printing process
centres around identification of architec-
tural and compositional elements of a
target tissue, and creation of a design that
can be utilised by a bio-printer to generate
that tissue in the laboratory environment.
Once a tissue design is established, the
first step is to develop the bioprocess pro-
tocols required to generate multi-cellular
building blocks from cells that would be
used to build the target tissue.
According to Organovo, the bio-print-
ing process can be tailored to produce tis-
sues in a variety of formats. Ranging from
micro-scale tissues contained in standard
multi-well tissue culture plates to larger
structures suitable for placement onto bio-
reactors for biomechanical conditioning.
Complex organs are difficult to print.
“The simplest organ is skin, which is a flat
structure. As organs move up the ladder of
complexity, from tubular structures such
as blood vessels, hollow organs like the
bladder and stomach, and solid organs like
the kidney and liver, these require multiple
cell types and more oxygen because these
are dense with cells. Being able to meet
the oxygen requirements of solid organs
is a major challenge,” explained the bio-
printing team at Wake Forest Institute for
Regenerative Medicine.
Materials involved in casting
Scaffold materials involved in design-
ing have to be biocompatible, of suitable
strength and have shaping characteristics.
The materials being used currently are
selected either due to their compatibility
with cell growth and function or due to
their cross-linking or extrusion charac-
electronics for you | november 2016 21
 tech focus
teristics. Fibrin hydrogel materi-
als and alginate-like polymers are
mostly being used in printing. Other
naturally-derived polymers include
gelatin, collagen, fibrin, chitosan and
hyaluronic acid.
Some synthetic polymers include
polyethylene glycol, polycaprolactone,
polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid and
poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid. A 3D Fig. 2: Bio-printing, CAD process at POSTECH
extracellular matrix helps in preserv-
ing the native tissue architecture. with clean environment. It works by (CAD) and manufacturing system
The machine that prints hu- depositing the hydrogel that contains for multiple-head 3D printing, and
mans. The typical system, known as cells, along with the scaffold material. have printed heterogeneous tissue
integrated tissue and organ printing The challenge here is to ensure models using two kinds of cell-
system (ITOP), was developed into the life of the tissue structure is long laden hydrogel.
the current 3D bio-printer we have enough for successful integration CATIA V5, a 3D CAD design
today over a period of ten years. The with the human body. This issue is software from Dassault Systemes,
technology used in the development of addressed by a lattice structure of is being used by researchers at
bio-printers is another interesting one. micro-channels that allow nutrients POSTECH in their design process.
The idea to heal the most difficult of and oxygen from the body to pass A paper published by Jin Woo Jung
wounds came from inkjet printers. into the graft until the tissue regener- and Jung-Seob Lee, researchers at
Experts from Wake Forest Insti- ates its own blood vessels. Department of Mechanical Engineer-
tute explain the schematics of the ing, POSTECH, explained the use of
machine. Multiple cartridges are Growth in systems CATIA V5 for designing the exterior
used to deliver and pattern multiple Dispensing based 3D printing has structure of heterogeneous tissues.
cell-laden composite hydrogels, sup- been suggested for direct 3D cell The resulting models had two main
porting thermoplastic polymer and a printing of cell-laden hydrogel con- tissue parts, plus a support part.
sacrificial removable hydrogel. End structs with a larger volume. Al- 3D free-form structures are
of each cartridge is connected to a though this system generally has low printed via vertical stacking of 2D
micro-scale nozzle, and the top is resolution for making a cell pattern, patterns generated from cross-sec-
connected to an air-pressure con- dispensing of hydrogel solution with tions of the designed 3D model. The
troller for precisely controlling the a high flow rate allows more rapid slicing algorithm involves calculat-
dispensing volume. printing of 3D cell-laden hydrogel ing contours of the cross-sections
A heating unit ensures that the constructs. Major developments in of successive planes. Printing path
melted polymer remains easily the ITOP system have been related to for the frame is defined based on
dispensable. A three-axis motorised nozzles and dispensing modules that cross-section contours of the two
stage system enables 3D patterning can print at a higher resolution. cell-laden hydrogel parts.
of multiple cells and bio-absorbable Researchers at Pohang Univer- Scaffold-free printing is here.
materials. sity of Science and Technology Scaffold-free printing is another
The system resides in a humidified (POSTECH) in South Korea have area that is catching up in recent
and temperature-controlled enclosure reported a computer aided design years. Dr Gabor Forgacs, founder
of Organovo and Modern Meadow,
The printing process with his academic partners, lever-
Once you have the required dimensions in order, a virtual frame for the organ is generated in a aged the understanding of mamma-
CAD program. The CAD design is then loaded to the bio-printer head pin, filled with hydrogel to lian cells, to come up with another
generate the organ structure. Then, stem cells come into the picture, depending on the organ. interesting system. They were able
Printing is done layer by layer. First, a layer of hydrogel is printed as a frame, followed by to demonstrate directed assembly
differentiated stem cells. Printing is done from the inside out, to leave cavities of a thickness
of 3D tissues without depend-
ten times lower than human hair.
Blood runs through these cavities bringing organs to life. The process of printing an organ ency on integrated scaffolding or
can be segmented and can take up to ten hours for a right knee cartilage and up to 48 hours biomaterial components.
for an oesophagus. Similar results have been pub-
Printed parts are then kept in a bioreactor where these are fed and cultivated to help their lished in a paper on scaffold-free
cells replicate in dozens of millions.
tubular tissues created by a bio-3D

22 november 2016 | electronics for you www.efymag.com

 tech focus

Real-time damage control

Researchers at Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine are using modified inkjet
technology to build a variety of tissue and organ prototypes. This technology allows multiple
cell types and other tissue components to be arranged in predetermined locations with high
precision. In an early form of the technology, various cell types were placed in the wells of an
actual ink cartridge and a printer was programmed to arrange the cells in a predetermined order.
At present they are using an adapted version of inkjet printing technology to enable on-site
printing of skin for soldiers with life-threatening burns. In this proposed technology, skin cells
would be placed directly into a print cartridge, along with essential materials to support them,
and would be printed directly on the soldier’s wound at the site of the wound.
Researchers used 3D scans of test injuries inflicted on some mice and used this data to
control a bio-print head to spray skin cells, a coagulant and collagen onto the wounds. The
wound showed significantly healing over time.

Injection syringe
Z

HCE cells X
Temperature-controlling system
Y

Gelatin/alginate
Moving system

Collagen Controlling
system

3D model Forming
environment
Microstructure
Refrigeration after crosslinking Printing structure
Computer function

Fig. 3: Bio-printing process

printer, co-authored by K. Nakay- curing bio-ink and 3D-scanning

ama, co-founder Cyfuse Biomedi-
cal. Cyfuse Biomedical K.K. is a
Japanese corporation involved in
development, manufacturing and
sale of 3D bio-printers.
There is always room
for development
Printing a tissue, at present, takes
about two months. Much of the six
to eight weeks required to develop
a tissue or organ is dedicated to
expanding the patient’s cells in the
laboratory. Only a small percentage
of the time is required for the print-
ing process. So a method to speed
up this process would be to print
these directly into the human body.
However, there is still some time
before we reach that stage. Rapid-
technology to detect a wound region
would be a good place to start
though. Additionally, with features to
reverse-engineer medical images to
CAD models, we could very well see
some advances in in-situ printing.
The eventual long-term goal
for bio-printing is to produce full
organs. At present an average-sized
lever takes days to manufacture.
This is a very slow rate when we
look at the number of people on the
transplant list.
How does healing wounds in
real-time sound? Imagine going to
sleep with a battered body but wak-
ing up physically healed. Sounds
like something straight out of Star
Trek, does it not? A bit far-fetched,
may be?

24 november 2016 | electronics for you www.efymag.com

 biotech

Augmented ReAlity:
Revolutionising Medical Applications
V
irtual reality (VR) and
augmented reality (AR)
are regarded as highly-
complex combinations in the area
of computer science, VR hardware
and artistic vision. AR is regarded
as a variation of virtual environ-
ments or VR. It is regarded as
live direct or indirect view of the
Anand Nayyar is
assistant professor physical, real-world environment
in Department of whose elements are augmented
Computer Applications
& IT, KCL Institute by computer-generated sensory
of Management and inputs such as sound, video,
Technology, Jalandhar,
Punjab. He has graphics or GPS data. Fig. 1: Surgeons performing keyhole surgery using a head-mounted
chaired many national By contrast, VR replaces display
and international
conferences, and has the real world with a simulated
published more than one. With the aid of AR like addition of the last 50 years and has brought today’s
250 research papers.
He is life member of computer vision and object recognition, technology to modern landscape technol-
CSI-India, and senior information about the surrounding world ogy. It can be seen in various applica-
member of ACM
becomes more interactive and can be ma- tions in military, industrial, commercial,
nipulated digitally. entertainment and many more. But AR in
Some researchers define AR as a medical technology is growing by leaps
technology that requires the use of head- and bounds, and has revolutionised medi-
mounted displays (HMDs). Any system cal and healthcare industry by significant
can be regarded an AR system, provided it improvements and innovations. This is
has the following three features: not only making patients’ life safer but
1. It combines real and virtual environ- also making doctors more efficient in
ments. early detection of various diseases. It is
2. The system is highly interactive making medical treatment more efficient
Vikram Puri is while operating in real time. and accurate.
member (ACM), 3. It is used in a 3D environment. Let us discuss the various AR tech-
theIRED, International
Association of The main aim of AR is to simplify your nologies revolutionising the medical and
Engineers. He is life by combining virtual information to healthcare industry.
interested in embedded
systems, real-time immediate surroundings with an indirect Keyhole surgery. With the use of AR,
systems, robotics, view of the real-view environment such as various computer scientists have devel-
microcontrollers and
programming in C/C++ live video streaming. It plays a crucial role oped a highly-efficient computer-aided
in enhancing your perceptions and interac- visualisation and navigation system
tions with the real world. for taking care of patients. Using this
Gene Becker of Lightning Laboratories technology, a surgeon can wear an HMD
defines AR as a technology, an area of before starting an operation. With the aid
research, a vision of future computing, an of a screen and display, the surgeon can
emerging commercial industry and a new look inside the patient’s body, layer by
medium for creative expression. layer, looking through skins, muscles and
even bones. This technology can assist
AR in medical applications the surgeon to be more efficient while
AR has continued to develop every day in operating via the HMD, as the surgeon

www.efymag.com electronics for you | november 2016 25

 biotech
patient’s presentation with unprec-
Emergence of augmented reality
edented visual fidelity.
The last 50 years have seen tremendous developments and advancements in the area of The software builds complex
AR, both in terms of technologies as well as applications. cases in minutes using its powerful
1962: Morton Heilig, a cinematographer designs a motorcycle simulator called
visual case building system, drags
Sensorama
1968: Ivan Sutherland creates AR system called The Sword of Damocles and drops events onto the field,
1975: Myron Krueger created Videoplace, the original pioneer of VR and interactive determines the environment, sets
art called AR System up patient data, uses SimX’s power-
1992: Tom Caudell and David Mizell of Boeing’s Computer Services Adaptive Neural ful case-monitoring and feedback
Systems Research and Development Project coin the term Augmented Reality system to see the case from each
1994: Julie Martin creates the first AR theatre production called Dancing in trainee’s perspective, and adjusts
Cyberspace
case parameters on-the-fly.
2001: Reitmayr and Schmalstieg create a mobile, multi-user AR system
2004: Mathias Mohring develops the first system for tracking 3D markers on mobile Technology of medical simula-
phones tion continues to rapidly evolve
2006: Nokia initiates Mobile Augmented Reality Applications (MARA) project with a new announcement from
2008: Mobilizy launches Wikitude World Browser with AR immersive wearable headset manu-
2009: ARToolkit brings AR to Web browsers facturer Meta that says, their new
2013: Volkswagen MARTA app provides detailed information for service technicians. Meta 1 AR glasses have started
Audi AR app uses iPhone camera to provide vehicle features to end users
being used in hospitals.
2016: Various VR and AR headsets are launched till date by IT and electronics tech
giants like Samsung, LG, HTC, Microsoft and Facebook Key features of Meta 1 AR de-
vice are:
True-scale holograms. Allows
can see exactly where the medical young, old, vomiting, missing limbs, you to see the physical and holo-
instruments are going—just like bleeding or expressing any number graphic worlds merge through 3D
having X-ray vision. The system of physical signs or symptoms, SimX stereoscopic display in real size,
shows a 3D picture of the patient’s software allows for reproduction of depth and parallax
inner body. Marker-less surface
EyeDecide AR app. This app is tracking. Lets you look
created by OrcaMD, and it provides around the room and
patient-engagement tools for health- watch as holographs stay
care providers. Using EyeDecide, de- anchored to physical
velopers use the camera to simulate tables, floors and walls,
the vision of a patient affected by a thanks to low-latency,
certain condition. Basic features of 360º tracking
this app are as follows: Natural user interface.
1. Leverage interactive ana- Allows you to grab, pinch
tomical models to enhance patient and touch 3D objects in
understanding the real world, and drive
2. Effectively educate patients a touch based holograph-
by comparing normal and abnormal ic user interface
images and using 3D animation vid- Fig. 2: EyeDecide AR app With SimX on Meta
eos of most common conditions 1, you can practice us-
3. Improve patient and surgical ing real instruments on
retention by helping patients make virtual patients of any
more informed decisions about gender, age or having
the care any medical issue. You
SimX. This is regarded as the can simulate with live
professional-grade AR medical action and in real time.
simulation software that replaces This could include any
physical simulation with a custom- clinical situation such
isable, high-definition, 3D virtual as birth, heart attack or
patient that can be projected onto stroke.
any empty hospital bed. Whether AccuVein. Accu-
the patient is obese, pregnant, Fig. 3: SimX offers AR medical simulations through Meta 1 AR device Vein digitally maps and

26 november 2016 | electronics for you www.efymag.com


Fig. 4: AccuVein device
Fig. 5: Medical care using Google Glass platform
displays the vasculature on the
surface of the patient’s skin in real
time, allowing doctors to verify
vein patency and avoid valves or
bifurcations. AccuVein is a hand-
held scanner that projects over the
skin and shows various veins and
their valves in the patient’s bodies,
which cannot be projected in case
of cosmetic procedures.
Features of vein illumination
with AccuVein device are:
Easy to learn and use. No pre-
use calibration or adjustments are
necessary; it can be used immedi-
ately.
Small size. The device fits
in your hand and weighs only
283.5gm (10-ounces).
Hands-free option. In situa-
tions that require hands-free use,
the device can be placed in a
wheeled hands-free accessory or
one that quickly attaches to a chair
or bedrail.
No patient contact. Because the
device has been designed to be
non-contact, it may not have to be
sterilised after every use.
Works in light or dark. You can
use the device in light or darkly-lit
environments.
www.efymag.com
Rechargeable battery. The
device does not need to be
plugged into an electrical
outlet.
Movement tolerant. Be-
cause the device shows veins
in real time, when operated
properly, it can accommo-
date resident movement.
AccuVein is a break-
through medical imaging
device that is quickly becom-
ing an indispensable tool for
all healthcare professionals
who perform venepuncture
procedures. Small and port-
able, AccuVein allows them
to quickly find a patient’s
vein without undue hassle or
trauma to the patient. This
can be particularly helpful
for those patients who have
difficult venous access.
AR based patient care. AR
is laying a deep foundation for
surgeons to have proper patient
care by getting the right informa-
tion at the right time and place
for effective care. In Boston
(USA), physicians at Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center have
made use of secured Google Glass
to overlay helpful clinical data to
examine patients. The goggles are
triggered by a QR code outside
the patient’s room and can pull in
electronic health record informa-
tion ranging from nurses’ notes to
lab results.
European app maker Droiders
wants to bring AR into operat-
ing rooms with Google Glass
platform called MedicAR. Us-
ing this, surgeons could direct
their goggles at a target on their
patient—typically a small tempo-
rary tattoo—and view a real-time
AR display on their screens.
To their eyes, they would see
the procedure illustrated step-
by-step with CT/MRI images,
notes and diagnostic information
perfectly superimposed over the
patient’s skin.
electronics for you | november 2016 27
 biotech
Challenges Faced In Designing
‘Approved’ MedicAl devices
In India
T
he medical device industry in
India is fairly new. According to
Infosys, around 75 per cent of the
medical equipment is imported. And
the equipment is not always suitable for
Indian requirements.
Why are the medical devices not be-
ing made sufficiently in India? There are
some unique challenges to be addressed
Nitesh Kumar Jangir
is co-founder, Coeo here. Let us take a look.
Labs Pvt Ltd. The
article has been
curated by Ahalya
Challenges involved in medical
Mandana, freelance device design
writer for EFY
The first problem that medical device
designers encounter is that, they need to
have interdisciplinary knowledge to be
able to design good-quality products. It
is not sufficient to have a good medical
background, because every consumer
medical product also has a substantial
electronic component that needs to be
designed. Thus, there needs to be a
collaboration between the doctors and
engineers to ensure that the product
gives a good overall performance. This
collaboration is challenging, because
engineers and doctors are not usually
Benefits of medical device innovation
One of the main advantages of designing a medical device is that returns on
investment are high. Another advantage is that the market is still quite new and,
so, chances of success are quite high, if the product is good. It is also a good
opportunity to help society on a larger scale, with improved medical devices.
Good funding is available
Good funding is available for people interested in designing medical devices.
Indian government is providing a lot of financial support in this area. Some grants
are given to those having just a concept in mind, such as Biotech Ignition Grant,
which is awarded by Department of Biotechnology. There are also certain private
organisations and NGOs that are funding medical device companies such as Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation, Consortium for Affordable Medical Technologies
and Acumen.
28 november 2016 | electronics For You
trained to work together.
The other problem is that, the medical
device market is highly regulated. No hos-
pital would purchase a medical product
unless authorities approve it. Thus, the
product has to meet all requirements of
the regulatory authorities before it can
enter the market.
We do not have a regulation set-up in
India yet for medical regulation bodies.
A bill proposed to solve this is due in the
Parliament for approval. Central Drugs
Standard Control Organization (CDSCO)
is responsible for some level of device
regulation in India.
There is also a new amendment in
discussion with respect to existing rules,
for which a draft has been introduced
for public comments. Known as Medical
Device Rules, 2016, it suggests categorisa-
tion of medical devices into four groups,
depending on the risks associated with
the device.
Dealing with the challenges
While designing a new medical device,
it is important to do some research and
consult with multiple doctors. This is
called the process of concept validation.
Information from doctors is very helpful.
At this stage, they can provide feedback
regarding clinical issues that the concept
may have. The design can be improved to
overcome these issues.
After the doctors approve the concept,
the real design process begins, involving
multiple levels of prototypes that have to
be tested in various labs.
Documentation stage is very important
for medical devices, and has to be done
at every step of design control. One of
these documents is the market require-
ment document. It includes all the results
www.eFYmag.com
 biotech
ACTIVE DEVICES CE refers to European Conformity
standards for products, and MDD
Rule 10 Rule 11
Rule 9 Active device for diagnosis. Active devices to
Rule 12
(Medical Devices Directive) refers to
Active therapeutic devices If intended to supply energy, administer or remove
intended to administer or (for image purpose) monitor
vital physiological
medicines and other
substances to or
All other active
devices standards that are specifically meant
exchange energy processes from the body
for medical products. It deals with
or
IIA
or
IIA IIA I three classes of devices that have
or or

Administer or Intended to When used to

been classified depending on the
Special Rule
exchange
energy in
control and
monitor or
All devices
emitting ionising
monitor vital
processes where
If this is in a
potentially amount of risk that the device poses
potentially influence radiation and variations could hazardous way
hazardous directly a
class
related result in
immediate danger
to the patient.
way monitors in
llB active IIB
IIB
therapeutic
medical
procedure IIB
Class I refers to normal medi-
device

IIB
or cal products that can be disposed
IIB
SPECIAL RULE of, such as surgical dressings and
All devices
emitting ionising
radiation
stethoscopes.
and related
monitors in Class II is divided into two
medical
procedure categories, A and B. Class IIA con-
IIB
sists of medium-risk devices like
Fig. 1: mdd classification chart for active devices tracheal tubes. Class IIB consists of
higher-risk devices that are surgi-
of the initial discussions and research netic compatibility tests are also cally-invasive or implantable like
with doctors. performed at this stage. intraocular lenses.
Then, intellectual property (IP) Along with the design of the Class III devices are the highest-
strategy needs to be decided. And alpha prototype, there are certain risk implantable devices such as st-
if one is planning to branch out to regulatory and clinical considera- ents and radiology equipment. Based
different countries, IP strategy for tions that need to be kept in mind. on the results of the tests conducted
each of those countries needs to be There are 14 such notified devices, during the previous stage, the beta
planned as well. and Drug Controller General of India prototype is created, which is one
Programme plan for the product is (DCGI) needs to be informed about step closer to the market.
also important. The audience should any products related to those devices. The USA has certain Food and
chart out plans for their products Only after approval has been grant- Drug Administration regulations
around three years in advance. ed, clinical trials can be conducted. that involve a similar classification
Some of these devices are intraocular method as CE MDD. It has a cat-
The alpha and beta prototypes lenses, orthopaedic implants, heart egory known as 510(k). This is for
Once all relevant data has been col- valves and cardiac stents. products that have been developed
lected and analysed, prototypes are that are similar to existing devices.
created. The first is the alpha proto- Getting through regulations The products may have different
type. This is meant only for testing, Regulations vary from country engineering designs, but these have
and not for the market. Electromag- to country. In Europe, regarding the same clinical outcomes, so no
netic interference and electromag- medical devices, there is CE MDD. clinical trials and pre-market surveys
are needed.
Indian case studies Essentially, a company needs
There are many Indian companies that are now shipping medical to show that their device is similar
devices abroad such as Consure, Forus and Perfint. One of the to an existing device, along with
author’s first projects was a device that he designed as part of the lab test reports of the exist-
Stanford-India Biodesign Programme. ing product. Regulatory authorities
Funded by Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science Vapcare also provide a detailed framework
and Technology, government of India, the programme was centred (Image courtesy: of rules and regulations, and one
in New Delhi and administered as a collaboration between Stanford www.coeo.in)
University, USA, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, All India Institute should follow the regulations that
of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Queensland University of Technology. Biotechnology are applicable to the product. Clini-
Consortium of India (BCIL) manages the IP from the programme. cal literature is also important.
The product is called Thorashield, and it is designed to remove fluid from the patient’s
lungs. It is targeted at tuberculosis and cancer patients. Other products that he has been Clinical engagement
involved in designing include Vapcare, which is designed to reduce the risk of pneumonia Another important factor that
in patients who are on the ventilator, and Saans, which a neonatal CPAP for resource-
has to be kept in mind is clinical
constrained settings.
engagement. This can be done in

30 november 2016 | electronics For You www.eFYmag.com

 biotech
two ways, either with clinical trials NON-INVANSIVE DEVICES
or with clinical studies. Clinical
trials are large-scale, but in the Rule 3 Rule 4
Rule 1 Rule 2 Modify biological or chemical In contact with
case of clinical studies very few Either do not touch
patient or contact
Channelling or
storing for eventual
composition of blood,
body liquids
injured skin
(mechanical barrier-
people are involved. A clear-cut only intact skin administration other liquids intended
for infusion
absorb exudates)

plan is required for clinical engage-

ment, and the plan needs to be
Class I Class I Class IIB Class I
approved by the DCGI as well as
hospital committees. or or or or
For use with blood, May be connected to Only filtration, Intended for wounds that
Designing in India is different other body fluids,
organs, tissues
an active medical
device
centrifugation or
exchange of gas or heat
breach dermis and heal only
by secondary intent

Ultimately, it is important to keep in

mind that designing medical devices Class IIA Class IIA Class IIA Class IIB

in India is a completely different or

process compared to the rest of Intended to manage micro-

environment of wound
the world. In India, the market is and others

doctor-driven. Even though consum-

ers are the real users of all medi- Class IIA

cal devices, they are not the final

decision makers. Doctors are the
ones who decide which products are
going to be used.
There is also the issue of varying
rules and regulations for each state
in India.
Fig. 2: mdd classification chart for non-invasive devices
Last, the whole system is more ally more than the cost of prevention.
oriented towards treatment rather Hopefully, we will see more
than prevention. This is unfortunate, entrepreneurs taking the road to in-
because the cost of treatment is usu- novate for the medical sector.

32 november 2016 | electronics For You www.eFYmag.com

 wireless
NatioNal CoNNeCtivity Via
loRaWaN In Just Eight Months
G
oogle trends graph shows a rapid
increase in the search for Long Range
Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN)
since April 2015. “Initial challenges have
been in making the common person un-
derstand the use cases. Post that, public
response has been overwhelming,” said
Rishabh Chauhan, global community man-
ager, The Things Network, in an earlier in-
teraction with EFY. It seems to have turned
Saurabh Durgapal
is working as into a global phenomenon ranging over
technology some very interesting applications.
journalist at EFY
We were able to find one use case in
the Indian subcontinent as well. Using
LoRaWAN, engineers solved the problem of
indication for chlorine gas leakage in power
plants. Chauhan says, “A lot of people are
using the technology and trying to evaluate
which use case works for them, and eventu-
ally adopting the network.” Turns out, it
makes a lot of sense to implement LoRA in
real-life problems.
However, Krupa Shukla, CEO, Yups Tech
solutions, highlights some issues, “LoRA
is becoming popular because of its low
cost and low power consumption, but its
communication architecture is still at an
evolving stage.”
Developments in LoRaWAN
Fig. 1: LoRa Using frequencies lower than 2.4GHz or
receiver used in
the chlorination 5.8GHz enables much better coverage, es-
plant project pecially when the
nodes are inside
buildings. Sub-
1GHz frequen-
cies are normally
used; however,
the technology
is frequency ag-
nostic.
LoRa wireless
system makes
use of unlicensed
frequencies avail-
able worldwide.
34 november 2016 | electronics For You
Commonly-used bands include 868MHz
for Europe, 915MHz for North America
and 433MHz band for the Asian subcon-
tinent. However, another classification
could be spread spectrum versus narrow-
band system.
Spread spectrum through the years
The secrets of spread spectrum were not
unknown to the US military. Since spread
spectrum is below noise level, it is neither
decipherable nor it can be jammed, inten-
tionally or unintentionally. Even though
the jamming noise can be introduced, lack
of a key-set does not allow it to spread and
mix with the original signal, thereby jam-
ming it without any effect. It is immune to
major atmospheric conditions as well.
Since World War II the US military
have been deploying spread spectrum for
their torpedoes and missiles to hide them
from deciphering, only at great cost. The
cost has reduced significantly and, in the
recent years, companies have released
hardware compatible with spread spec-
trum signals at a very low cost.
What spread spectrum lacks. In
comparison, Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT)
has advantages of an already mature eco-
system for mobile networks with support
from telecom equipment vendors. “Long
Term Evolution also has an advantage
here, as no time and cost has to be invest-
ed in the infrastructure, comparatively,”
adds Shukla.
NB-IoT technology standardised by
3GPP standards body is a narrow-band
radio technology specially designed for
the IoT. With capabilities like indoor
coverage, low cost, long battery life and
support for a large number of devices,
this technology can be deployed in Global
System for Mobile communication and
Long Term Evolution spectrum. It uses
licensed spectrum to provide secure and
stable services.
www.eFYmag.com
 wireless
LoRaWAN has the lead to the involvement of
advantage of being an open LoRaWAN.
platform to facilitate various
enterprises entering the IoT Nationwide LoRa
application market. “Earlier networks
we had Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Earlier this year, Neth-
and such systems, but we erlands became the first
could not connect every- country to implement
thing non-computer to the LoRaWAN, with the project
system. Here, we have a taking about eight months.
very simple sensor that “Last year we identified
can be attached and then an increasing demand
we can connect the hard- for low-power network
ware to the system,” added Fig. 2: LoRa transmitter used in the chlorination plant project technology for IoT applica-
Chauhan. “Once you get tions. We are responding to
through the initial phase of deploy- transceivers connected on serial this by choosing LoRa, so millions
ment, it gets easier to work with peripheral interface bus, Somnath of devices can be connected to the
the system.” Bera, additional general manager, Internet in a cost-effective man-
NTPC Ltd, solves a problem of ner,” said Joost Farwerck, chief
Interesting implementations indication in chemical plants. operations officer and member of
Some sensors, some connectivity Command files in the software, for the board of management, KPN, in a
and with proper embedded de- example, make working very easy press release.
velopment skills, you could have on LoRaWAN. Bera says, “In less SK Telecom has also announced
your own IoT system. Applications than ten lines one can make these the availability of a nation-wide
include interfaces, connected cars, radios up and running using avail- LoRa network in South Korea this
entertainment, residences and able headers.” year. The firm offers 100MB of data
smarthomes, wearable technology, He explains the problem, “The per month for US$ 1.75.
quantified self, connected health status of chlorination plant chlo- Another South Korean fixed-line
and smartretail. As for LoRaWAN, rine leakage along with chlorine telecom firm, KT, has plans to invest
areas of implementation focus on cylinder temperature was not avail- in NB-IoT network and offer free of
connectivity. IBM long-range signal- able at the control room of the new charge 100,000 modules to develop-
ling and control, or implementation chemical plant, which is situated ers. Might just be for the first year, it
by Tata Communications are just 3.5km away from the chlorination can certainly drive adoption.
the tip of the iceberg. With proper plant.” Since the control room of There are also proof-of-concept
implementation, the possibilities the new chemical plant is situated projects underway, which could
are endless. at some distance, reaching there implement LoRaWAN in the future.
With increased usage, avail- would take some time. Using Wi-Fi Baggage handling, facility services
ability of software is no more a at this range becomes meaning- and systems to monitor rail switches
concern. Software available on the less. Requirement of bi-directional are some real-life examples.
Internet makes life easy in handling transfer of data between the control
LoRa radios. Using HOPE LoRa system and the chlorination plant Security is just one issue
Ryan D’Costa, business development
What LoRaWAN is manager, inventrom, says, “You do
not want your data to fall into the
The IoT deals with connectivity and sensors for the most part. In order to get this
wrong hands.” Shukla says, “Since
connectivity, several networks are being tested. Due to limitations, the common wireless
technologies cannot be used efficiently. However, LoRaWAN is a system that allows range it is an open network, data security
requirements higher than the traditional Wi-Fi system. With LoRaWAN, the range extends is a big question.”
to kilometres. So a good solution to cover a city, maybe? Shukla adds, “It might look
According to Link Labs, “LoRaWAN is a media access control layer protocol designed lucrative with respect to cost and
for large-scale public networks with a single operator.” LoRa alliance, however, intends it power, but industries cannot take
for a much wider range of use. As per the company, “LoRaWAN is a low power wide area the risk of data hacks, so currently
network specification intended for wireless battery-operated things in regional, national
they use LTE based gateways and
or global networks.” LoRaWAN targets key requirements of the IoT, such as secure bi-
directional communication, mobility and localisation services. industrial-IoT (IIoT) solutions.”
Reports have highlighted some

36 november 2016 | electronics For You www.eFYmag.com

of the challenges and issues associ-
ated with LoRaWAN implementa-
tion in a white paper published
recently. Areas demanding special
attention in IoT solutions are secu-
rity, interoperability and manage-
ability of the solution. With such an
open network, security becomes a
relevant factor.
A report from HP brings to light
the state of current systems. It reads,
systems at present allow passwords
as simple as 123456. With upgraded
security in the area, we can pos-
sibly look to a future with open
networks becoming the primary
medium of communication. The
paper also reveals dependence on
out-of-the-box solutions. Twenty
nine per cent of companies look to
IoT Cloud platforms to lead their
development projects.
“It is important to follow good
practices like using secure Internet
protocols like transport layer secu-
www.eFYmag.com
rity, sanitising your inputs, ensuring
the firmware is updated to the latest
version and so on,” says D’Costa.
Present LoRa systems use two static
keys that are stored in the device
and in the gateway. It could be easy
to duplicate the key with a device
that is not under surveillance. Also,
storing keys on a device in a secure
manner is quite complicated. Using
a secure element hardware security
module looks to be an interesting
solution, with an increase in com-
plication and expense. Advanced
encryption standard-cipher based
message authentication code, or
AES-CMAC protocol, which includes
encryption and integrity, is used for
communication between the device
and the gateway.
Where LoRaWAN is headed
Major IoT applications require
only transmitting tiny bits of data
to monitor remote devices. Mobile
systems are not geared for battery
efficiency or moving little bits of
data inexpensively. So a low power
wide area network is required for
such applications. According to
Digitimes research, “LoRA Alliance
in June 2015 released LoRaWAN 1.0
in competition with NB-IoT. As of
end of March 2016, LoRaWAN had
been commercially deployed in 13
countries and trialled in more than
60 other countries.”
In a more regional update,
“Shortly, we are going to deploy
LoRa for some more areas in remote
telemetry, though heavily interfer-
ing atmosphere is a challenge, like
bringing remote cooling tower or
individual cell temperature data to
the control room, remote ash slurry
line temperatures, etc,” says Bera.
He continues, “We will place the
receiver at the height of the boiler,
where it will be in line-of-sight for
all respective senders.”
electronics For You | november 2016 37
 repair & maintenance
Salvage Techniques For
Wet electronics
T
hough we all know that we should
not drop electronic devices in water
but wetting of electronic devices does
happen accidently. Dropping a cellphone or
iPod into a pool, or spilling a glass of water
or coffee on a laptop is a sure way to render
the device useless. It also puts you in a jit-
tery situation about the data stored in such
devices. But not many people know what to
Dr S.S. Verma
is a professor do when this inevitably happens.
at Department Damage due to liquids is unfortunately
of Physics, Sant
Longowal Institute not covered under basic warranties, and
of Engineering and many companies use liquid sensors to
Technology, Sangrur,
Punjab determine if a device has been exposed to
water or other fluids.
Water damage is one of the more com-
mon threats to portable electronics, but
sometimes if we dry these out properly, we
can restore the device. This article presents
some techniques that can be applied to save
such electronic devices.
When liquids come in contact with cir-
cuits, currents can be inadvertently diverted
(shorted) to other system components,
where there can be two possible routes:
burnout or grounding. When a burnout
happens, a higher-current circuit (such as
that from a power-handling circuit) is al-
lowed to go through a more delicate circuit
that was not designed for high currents,
resulting in circuit components over-heating
and melting.
When a grounding short happens, cur-
rent from a circuit is merely diverted through
the liquid to an alternate location that is able
to handle the load, such as the computer
chassis or one of many grounding circuits on
the motherboard and computer components.
Shorts that directly ground a circuit have
less potential for harming the circuit since
grounding components are built to handle
higher current loads. Liquids have a chance
of doing either of these types of shorts, but
often when these penetrate a device, com-
ponents are just grounded instead of being
burned out.
38 november 2016 | electronics For You
So if we are able to dry our system
thoroughly, have a chance of clearing the
shorts and possibly restoring functionality,
especially if the liquid is relatively free of
salts. But salts, even if dried, can form con-
ductive crusts that may continue to short
the circuits.
Technically, it is not water that destroys
electronics, it is the small ions that are
dissolved in water. These particles cause
electricity to go places it is not supposed
to—causing a short and ultimately causing
your device to break down. Not all liquids
are the same, ion-wise. Some have more
ions than others. For instance, distilled wa-
ter has next to no ions, whereas sea water
has a ton of these.
This difference will determine exactly
how much damage the liquid has caused to
the electronic gadget. An electronic device
wet with distilled water will probably work
perfectly fine, but when it is wet with sea
water, there is not much you can do to
rescue it.
Unfortunately, liquids can very quickly
be pulled into tight crevices and small
components of circuit boards, aided by
capillary action. Therefore even if a device
appears to be completely dry, there may
still be a small amount of liquid left over,
and if it shorts even one circuit, the device
may not operate properly.
Water evaporates when it comes in
contact with dry air. So to dry liquids fast,
it is best to have as much of it exposed
to air as possible. Plugs and connections,
and flat surfaces of components that are in
close contact with each other, prevent the
water’s surface area from contacting air,
and thereby retain water between these,
long after the rest of the device is dry.
One way to clear this liquid out is to
open the device and remove major compo-
nents, and dry these off with air or absorp-
tive materials. However, this is not feasible
for many devices, given the complexity in-
www.eFYmag.com

volved in their complete disassembly
and subsequent reassembly. Therefore
the other option for clearing out these
liquids is to accelerate evaporation,
which can be done by both drying
out the air around the device as much
as possible and applying heat and
then waiting.
Tips to save an electronic
device from a water death
The first and most important thing is
to turn off your gadget and, if possi-
ble, remove the battery and any other
parts that can be taken out (SIm card,
memory card, headphones and the
like), along with the phone case and
cover. If the power is off, there will be
no current to short the circuit. This
will improve the chances of recover-
ing the device.
Remove all water. After the
power is switched off, try to remove
as much water as possible from the
device, either by gently shaking it out,
wiping it or removing a few panels or
parts to get these really dry. Grab a
soft cloth (towel or t-shirt) and soak
up all excess moisture. Use a cotton
swab to get around the buttons and
headphone jack.
Use Q-tips and alcohol. If water
is stuck in certain small parts of the
device, dab a Q-tip into some alcohol
(or vodka) and apply it to those parts
of the device. This will work well for
the internal parts of many gadgets that
have circuit boards. Alcohol will help
speed up evaporation, which happens
when the device sits out in open air.
Use desiccants. Unfortunately,
many a time people use methods for
drying wet electronics that are either
ineffective or may damage the device.
For instance, dried grains such as rice
can absorb liquids, so some people
use this as desiccant to dry out a
device. However, rice is relatively in-
effective at absorbing liquid from the
air and may not be of much help.
Additionally, since heat helps
water evaporate, people have at
times baked their devices in ovens or
with hair dryers, resulting in melted
40 november 2016 | electronics For You
repair & maintenance
components and burned circuits
(memory circuits such as ROm and
RAm are fairly susceptible to dam-
age from over-heating).
Other absorbents like silica gel
(kitty litter) and instant couscous are
known to work in some cases, be-
sides the plain old air and sunshine.
However, a new scientific study on
an emergency electronic device res-
cue service released recently shatters
the widespread myth that placing a
wet smartphone in a container of rice
is an effective way to dry it.
The optimal window of oppor-
tunity to restore a wet electronic
device is less than 48 hours, and it
is always best to act as soon as pos-
Thirsty Bag with iPhone (Image courtesy:
eustore.ifixit.com)
sible. The study not only proves that
rice is an ineffective drying agent,
but that it is actually less effective
than simply leaving the device out
in the open to dry naturally on its
own—but neither method will thor-
oughly dry the device.
Thirsty Bag. To help in dry-
ing out small devices like mobile
phones and wrist bands, engineers
have come up with Thirsty Bag,
which is a sealed container that
contains molecular sieve desiccant.
Place a drenched phone, camera or
any other device in it; after a while
the liquid will get absorbed into the
desiccant and leave the device dry.
To help the process, heat the pack-
age a bit using an electric warming
pad or similar device. But do not
use an oven, as it is very easy to
over-heat and damage an otherwise
restorable device.
Thirsty Bag is useful, but is
meant for smaller devices. For dry-
ing out laptops and other items that
will not fit in the bag, you will need
canned or compressed air, heating
pad or other heat source and sealed
bag or airtight plastic container that is
just large enough to hold your device.
With these tools handy, remove
the battery, hard drive and option-
ally RAm. Then, unscrew the bottom
cover and remove it so that the guts
of the system are exposed. Use a few
wads of toilet paper to wedge the
screen open. Blow canned air in and
around the device to rid it of as much
liquid as possible.
After this is done, prepare the
plastic container by placing the desic-
cant in the bottom and covering it
with some paper towels. Place the
laptop and its removed components
in the container, propping these up
so air can flow around as much as
possible. Seal the container to prevent
humid air from entering it.
The last step is to place the
container in a warm place, or on a
heating pad, and let it stay there for
at least a few days. Ensure that the
temperature does not exceed the
recommended storage temperature
for your device (check your device’s
specifications). Depending on the
degree of fluid penetration, you might
need to keep the device in there for
up to a week to ensure it is fully dry.
If the device is still not working
and is not covered by any warranty,
you can rinse the device with pure
distilled water and dry it again. When
liquids like soda or juice dry, these
leave residual salts behind that can
continue to short out a circuit.
Feel free to liberally dunk the
device in copious amounts of pure
distilled water (ensure it is distilled
and not mineral water) so it flows in
and around it, followed by draining
the device, opening it up and placing it
in the desiccant chamber again to dry.
Doing this should clear out residual
salt contaminants left behind from the
initial liquid, and potentially clear any
shorts these may be causing. But do
this as a last resort if an initial drying
does not work, and if the device is not
covered by any warranties.
www.eFYmag.com
 Manufacture

AnAlogue ASICs Made Simple

A
pplication-specific integrated cir- Analogue ASICs, or ‘big A, little D’
cuits, or ASICs, typically conjure ASICs, play a critical role in our lives.
up the notion of massively-complex Without these, none of the portable elec-
logic chips containing tens or hundreds of tronic devices we use in our daily lives
thousands (even millions) of transistors would exist. Imagine a world without
configured to solve a customer’s unique set mobile phones, MP3 players and naviga-
of problems. Unlike multifunction standard tion systems. Building these with standard
product ICs such as a microcontroller that products would make these prohibitively
Bob Frostholm
can find its way into a wide variety of appli- expensive and physically impossible to
is vice president cations, ASICs are designed for one specific carry in our purses or pockets.
of sales and application and generally for one specific Every automobile contains dozens of
marketing at
Analogue ASIC product or product family. ASIC chips for everything from climate
company, JVD Today, most ASIC companies offer some control to airbag deployment, suspension
Inc. (San Jose,
California, USA). degree of analogue functionality as a part of control to entertainment systems. ASICs
He has held their services. In many cases, the analogue also play important roles in applications for
sales, marketing
and chief functions are mimicked with digital design hospital medical equipment, e-meters, home
executive roles at techniques. In others, compromises to the appliances such as washers and dryers,
established and
startup analogue analogue functionality must be made to fa- scuba gear, hearing aids and much more.
semiconductor cilitate the use of standard library cells that The analogue ASIC market is huge. (See
companies for over
40 years are designed to yield well in the fab process- chart given in Table I from Summit Tech-
es developed for high-speed, high-density, nology Consulting Inc.) Summit reports
low-power digital designs. Often, these chips that almost 60 per cent of the nearly US$
are referred to as mixed-signal ASICs or as 42 billion of analogue ICs sold in 2014 were
‘big D, little A’ ASICs, meaning high digital ASICs. Yet very few mixed-signal ASIC
content and minimal analogue content. design houses fully understand the implica-
tions of custom analogue designs and its
applicability to analogue-centric ASICs.
Table I ASICs requiring high analogue content
analogue aSIC markeT should be directed to those fabless semi-
application-specific 2014 forecast Per cent of conductor companies that specialise in
analogue ICs ($m) market analogue circuit designs rather than those
Consumer 1696 6% who simply select analogue IP blocks from
Before ASIC a library. Analogue ASIC companies have
Integration Computer 2145 8%
large staffs of competent, well-experienced
Communications 13,002 50%
analogue engineers with expertise in a
Automotive 6703 26% wide range of analogue functions.
Asssembly Industrial/other 2715 10% Large, standard product analogue IC
Costs After ASIC
Integration Total 26,261 94% companies rarely engage in analogue ASICs
general purpose 2014 forecast Per cent of and, when they do, they set high bars
Assembly analogue ICs ($m) market regarding who can access this capability.
Costs
Amps and comparators 2729 16% They also impose high minimum order re-
quirements. If you have a specific analogue
Amortised Interface 1940 11%
Component Dev. Cost
need, you must rely on one of the many
Voltage regulators and 9831 58%
Costs
references
smaller companies that focus on low- to
Component
Costs medium-volume analogue ASICs. Even if
Data converters 2447 14%
your volumes are high, these smaller com-
Fig. 1: Difference in the total Total 16,947 100% panies will give you more direct attention
system cost before and after
ASIC integration Source: Summit Technology Consulting Inc. and service because you are a more signifi-

42 november 2016 | electronics For You www.eFYmag.com


cant customer to them.
100%
There are many myths
surrounding analogue ASICs
Analogue Specification
that prevent OEMs from
exploring opportunities to
lower costs, reduce size and
Coverage
protect IP. Let us look at
some of these.
Myth #1. It is economical
to integrate analogue func-
tions into an ASIC only if
analogue content is minimal.
FALSE. Actual manufac- Fig. 2: Graph showing typical inherent errors in achieving desired
turing cost of an analogue analogue specification when using standard mixed-signal cells
ASIC chip can provide huge
savings when compared to the col-
lective costs of the ICs it replaces.
However, there are other costs as-
sociated with the ASIC that must be
considered and amortised over the
life of the product.
Non-recurring engineering costs,
based on the complexity of the
design as well as hard tooling costs
such as masks and test hardware,
can add cost to the ASIC chip cost,
depending on complexity and
lifetime volume of the device. Some
analogue ASIC companies offer
rebates to these fixed costs, making
these even more cost effective. Be
sure to ask for a rebate when getting
a quote.
It is as important to know what
to incorporate into the ASIC as it
is to know what should remain a
discrete component.
Most analogue applications use
a collection of passive elements and
discrete transistors in addition to the
ICs involved. Integrating as many of
these components as possible to the
ASIC often comes for free and can
have a dramatic effect in lowering
the end product’s total assembly
cost as well as size and cost. It is
this potential total system cost sav-
ing that bolsters the justification to
develop the analogue ASIC.
Myth #2. Mixed-signal ASIC
means the same thing as analogue
ASIC.
44 november 2016 | electronics For You
Manufacture
Specification
Deficiency Using
Standard Cells
6-9 Months
First
Tape-Out
FALSE. The term mixed-signal
implies a combination of analogue
and digital circuitry on a single chip.
Companies than focus on mixed-
signal typically use cell libraries
for their analogue needs. On the
other hand, companies that make
analogue ASICs do not use cell
libraries. Rather, they handcraft
each design to exactly meet the
required specifications.
There is a distinct difference in
the engineering skill levels required
to combine library cells on a silicon
chip versus actually creating a
handcrafted analogue design that
uniquely satisfies all requirements
of the specification. For some simple
applications, analogue library cells
offer sufficient performance to meet
the system requirements.
However, increased sophistica-
tion of analogue applications neces-
sitates designs that are truly applica-
tion-specific and not a compilation
of general-purpose analogue cell
blocks. When using cell blocks, de-
signers are forced to make compro-
mises by picking the cell (whether
amplifier, reference, PLL, etc) that
most closely meets the application’s
need. Compromises accumulate and
soon the end design is unable to
meet its original specification.
Like the big analogue IC com-
panies, analogue ASIC companies
employ experienced analogue de-
signers who are artisans at analogue
invention. Many of them
have spent decades at the
big analogue companies (like
National, LT, Maxim and TI),
learning from the industry
gurus.
Be careful not to let a
mixed-signal design house
negotiate you away from
your ideal specification.
Re-Spins Close is not good enough;
~10 Months analogue must be exact!
Myth #3. Only ultra-high-
volume applications can
benefit from analogue ASICs.
FALSE. As noted earlier, many
large semiconductor companies fo-
cus their ASIC efforts onto a handful
of very large customers. All full-
service ASIC houses have their own
business criteria regarding minimum
non-recurring engineering (NRE)
costs, tooling and, most importantly,
annual volume. Some ASIC houses
avoid the issue by just offering
design services and leaving the issue
of manufacturing to the customer.
This is a bad choice for you, unless
you have IC manufacturing experts
on your team.
Throughout the world and in
particular in Silicon Valley, Califor-
nia, USA, there are numerous bou-
tique wafer fabs that specialise in
analogue processes and accept lower
volume business. Considered a well-
guarded secret by many, these fabs
welcome low- and moderate-volume
analogue business and offer pricing
quite competitive with the billion-
dollar fabs in Asia.
There is a time and place where
standard analogue cells are more
than adequate. Experienced analogue
ASIC design houses recognise this
and offer full-custom analogue de-
signs only when the need merits it.
Myth #4. Using existing IP from
analogue cell libraries lowers the
chip cost.
FALSE. Using predesigned, func-
tional cells such as amplifiers, con-
www.eFYmag.com

verters and transceivers can
shorten development time
and therefore has a ripple-
through effect of lowering
the chip’s total development
cost. However, even though
design time is reduced, there
can be other tradeoffs that
must be considered. Stand-
ard analogue library cells do
not pack as densely as digital
cells. Using analogue library
cells can result in blocks of Fig. 3: Benefits of handcrafted analogue
unused silicon on the die
that will needlessly lower the num-
ber of potential dies on a wafer.
Additionally, since analogue
circuitry of a mixed-signal ASIC is
likely to be the input or output of
the circuit, or both, these cells must
be oriented closer to the periphery
of the chip to facilitate easy access
to bonding pads.
Handcrafting some or all
analogue functions allows you to
accomplish several things. In a
mixed-signal design, handcrafted
analogue circuits are laid out to fill
voids created when using standard
cells, better optimising overall sili-
con area utilisation.
Moreover, handcrafting the ana-
logue portion allows you to deter-
mine precisely the performance pa-
rameters of the circuit rather than be in critical analogue applications.
restricted to the fixed performances
of a limited number of standard
cells available in the library.
Myth #5. Cell based ASIC de-
signs ensure product differentiation.
FALSE. Designing the analogue
portion of a mixed-signal ASIC us-
ing a cell library is tantamount to
designing a system using standard,
off-the-shelf, analogue ICs, with one
key exception—limited selection.
At the board level, there are tens of
thousands of IC amplifiers, voltage
references, converters and more to
choose from. In a cell library, you
are limited to choosing from a few
dozen amplifiers, voltage references,
converters, etc. Performance com-
46 november 2016 | electronics For You
Manufacture
Transceivers
cell Memory cell Transceivers
Control Logic cell Control Logic
D/A Converters D/A
Converters
cell
Hand-crafted: Much smaller chip
DSP Core
cell
Wasted Die Area
promises may be needed to accom-
modate these limited choices.
Analogue-centric ASIC develop-
ment affords a perfect opportunity
to rise above your competition. As
noted earlier, nearly 60 per cent of
the worldwide analogue IC market is an unlimited set of manufacturing
for ASICs. If you and your competi-
tors are basing your designs around
the same mixed-signal cell libraries,
both of you will have approximately
the same performance specifica-
tions, dictated by the specifications
of the library cells.
True product differentiation
comes from invention. It is derived
by creating uniqueness to a product
not readily available to the competi-
tion. Cell libraries fail to deliver the
necessary uniqueness often needed
Myth #6. Handcrafted analogue
is too expensive, compared to stand-
ard cells.
FALSE. NRE costs are a compila-
tion of several variables. These costs
must be amortised over the num-
ber of chips produced during the
lifetime of the product to determine
their effect on the unit cost of the
ASIC. When executed properly, NRE
costs associated with handcraft-
ing the analogue circuitry return a
disproportionately lower unit cost of
the final chip. The key to success is
analogue design experience resident
at the ASIC semiconductor company
doing the integration.
Handcrafted analogue can
create the differentia-
tion required to break
Memory out of the pack with
a superior-performing
chip and, thus, a supe-
rior end product for the
DSP Core customer. Additionally,
stepping back from the
cell library approach
opens up options for
manufacturing, since
cell libraries are typi-
cally developed for one
process at one fab.
Broader-use libraries are available
that specify a process, for example,
0.35µm CMOS, but have relaxed
specifications such that these can
be instantiated in multiple fabs.
Handcrafted analogue creates
options, especially through the use
of boutique foundries. Many of the
boutique fabs differentiate them-
selves by the variety of services they
offer and their willingness to make
adjustments to their processes to
accommodate optimisation of the
chip’s performance.
Conclusion
The application will always deter-
mine the appropriate combinations
of technologies that are best suited
for the ASIC design. As our depend-
ence on cognitive prosthesis devices
(smartphones, Wii controllers, tablet
PCs, the IoT, etc) increases, cop-
per tethers disappear and analogue
increases its dominance in ASIC de-
signs. MEMS advances have placed
Star Trek style sensors in our daily
lives. Medical imaging, sensing and
monitoring continues to improve
our daily lives. All of these more
increasingly rely upon better, faster,
denser analogue circuits.
When considering a new ASIC
design, carefully consider the role an-
alogue will play in its deployment. To
minimise risk, seek out an analogue
ASIC partner with the right analogue
design skills and experience to match
the application.
www.eFYmag.com
 Manufacture

Part 5 of 5

Electromagnetic Compatibility:
Cable SeleCtion and Routing
I
t is frequently observed, and more stray capacitance formed between the
so with those who design and manu- two cables.
facture electronic control panels, that
the overall system often fails to pass Cable classes
electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) tests In order to properly segregate cables,
(particularly emissions), even though the these can be split into six classes, depend-
manufacturer has meticulously taken all ing upon their application, voltage or
precautions to ensure product compliance, current levels, frequency of signals these
just because they forgot one crucial aspect carry, types of signals these carry (like
Chetan Kathalay is
working as scientist of EMC design—cable routing and selec- analogue or digital), components these
in Electronics Test tion. And as the old saying goes, “All is connect to and so on. These classes are
and Development
Centre, Pune. He well that ends well,” proper cable selec- as follows:
is BE in electronics tion and routing is the last major design Class 1. These are cables that carry
from Nagpur
University consideration to make a system complaint highly-sensitive signals like low-level
to EMC norms. analogue signal (in mV) from transducers,
instrument lines, radio receiver antenna
Cable coupling mechanisms cables, and cables carrying high-frequency
Three mechanisms exist by which EMI digital signals such as Ethernet. Such
can be coupled on to cables. First, field- cables are highly susceptible to noise
to-cable common-mode coupling occurs and interference.
when wires or traces are routed away Class 2. These carry slightly-sensitive
from the ground, forming a loop that signals that are somewhat susceptible
acts as an antenna, causing common- such as ordinary analogue signals un-
mode EMI to be coupled into or out of der 1MHz and of the order of 1-10V and
the system. 4-20mA. These also include low-frequency
Second, field-to-cable differential- digital signals like RS232 or RS485
mode coupling occurs when forward and and digital inputs/outputs (I/Os) like
return wires (or traces) are routed at a those from limit switches, encoders and
large distance from each other, forming a control signals.
loop that acts as an antenna, causing dif- Class 3. These are cables carrying
ferential EMI to be coupled into or out of the noise source that is slightly interfer-
the system. ing such as low-voltage AC distribution
Third, cable-to-cable coupling (cross- less than 1kV or DC power, linear power
talk) is one where high-frequency signals cables, control cables for inductive loads
Fig. 27: on one cable can electrically couple (such as relay coils, motor brakes and
Cable classes
(dimensions in (or talk) to adjacent cable through contactors) where proper transient sup-
millimetres) pression techniques like RC snubbers have
been employed to control transients at
Class 1 150 Class 2 300 Class 3 150 Class 4 150 Class 5 150 Class 6
cables cables cables cables cables cables the load. These also include motor cables
from output of inverter drives but fitted
450
with output filters as per manufacturer’s
450 specifications.
Class 4. These are cables carrying
600 signals from strong noise sources that are
highly interfering. These include output
cables from frequency converters, inputs

48 november 2016 | electronics For You www.eFYmag.com


Ground loop (a)
Fig. 28: Reducing common-mode coupling
(a) (b)
Fig. 29: Reducing differential-mode coupling
to and outputs from adjustable
speed motor drives, inputs to and
outputs from SMPS or DC-DC con-
verters, cables associated with elec-
trical welders or RF equipment (like
induction welders, wood gluers, mi-
crowave equipment and diathermy
apparatus) and cables to DC motors,
to RF transmitting antennae and to
unsuppressed inductive loads.
Classes 5 and 6. Class 5 cables
are those that carry medium voltage,
while class 6 are those that carry
high voltage.
Cable segregation
During their run in a system, cables
of different classes have to be
properly segregated, that is, sepa-
rated by certain minimum distance.
This separation distance not only
depends on class but also on cable
length. Fig. 27 shows recommended
minimum segregation distance for
different classes of cables based
upon a run of 30 metres, and as-
suming that the cables run in close
proximity to the protective earth
conductor that can be a wire, a
metal tray or mounting plate that
forms a local RF reference.
Accordingly, class 1 and class
2 cables must be separated by a
minimum distance of 150mm (ditto
for class 3 and class 4). While class
1 and class 3 and class 2 and class
4 should be separated by at least
450mm, and class 1 and class 4 by
at least 600mm, separation between
class 4 and class 5 and class 5 and
50 november 2016 | electronics For You
Manufacture
class 6 should be 150mm.
Now, these distances
are for a cable run of
less than 30 metres. For
(b)
longer cables, separation
distance is multiplied by
the length and divided
by 30.
When cables run
within a product, these
must be physically
(c) segregated depending
upon their class at all
times, and long parallel
runs should be avoided. If that is not
possible, these should be more than
150mm apart; cable classes—as far
as possible—must not cross. If at all
these have to cross, these should do
so at right angles. And cables should
run as close as possible to their local
RF reference or to cables carrying
return signals. Cables of the same
class, when routed through the same
tray or duct, should not be twisted
around one another.
Reducing common-mode
coupling
When cables are routed away from
the ground plane or earth, a ground
loop is formed as shown in Fig. 28.
This loop acts as an antenna for stray
fields causing common-mode EMI to
be coupled into the system. By the
same token, the loop can also cause
radiated emission.
Coupling or radiation is directly
proportional to the area of the loop.
In order to reduce it, area of the loop
must be reduced. This is done by
routing the cable as close as possible
to the ground reference, which, in
case of control panels, is the mount-
ing plate.
Reducing differential-mode
coupling
This type of coupling occurs when
send and return cables are routed
away from each other. As shown in
Fig. 29(a), a loop is formed between
send and return paths, causing differ-
ential-mode coupling and radiation
proportional to the area of the loop.
This can be reduced by reduc-
ing the area of the loop, that is, by
routing send and return cables close
to each other. Further reduction can
be achieved by twisting the cables
around one another, whereby the
loop area is reduced dramatically.
Cable routing in electronic
control panel
Fig. 30 shows cable trunking for a
control panel used for controlling
a typical machine. All components
should be mounted on an unpainted
mounting plate for proper ground-
ing connections for the modules as
well as their cables. The three-phase
mains comes from a very hostile
environment, which is a characteris-
tic of shop floors, and carries signals
that can be strongly interfering.
Such cables are therefore classified
as class 4.
It is essential that these signals
are filtered immediately after enter-
ing the cabinet, which is normally
achieved by a suitable line filter. The
filtered cable is classified as class 3,
which then goes to the SMPS and
the drive. Output of the SMPS is
again classified as class 4 since it
can carry strong interference. Filter
at PLC I/P converts this into a class
3 cable, which then goes to the
PLC. I/O lines of PLC carry control
signals that can be slightly sensitive
and, hence, are classified as class 2.
Some class 2 lines from PLC go as
control cables to the drive.
As a rule, shielded cables must
be used for such lines with the
shield exposed and bonded to the
mounting plate through 360-degree
saddle clamps. Moreover, proper dis-
tance has to be maintained between
these and nearby class 3 and class
4 cables. In Fig. 30, this distance
is shown as 300mm and 450mm,
respectively; although it may be
less considering small cable lengths
(remember the 300mm distance is
for lines in excess of 30m).
Some I/O cables of the PLC go to
www.eFYmag.com
 Manufacture
the relay and contactor Drive O/P to motor Drive control cable,
section, while some can Class 4 cable which is class 2, must be
also go to MMI usually Cable to MMI on separated from output ca-
Drive control >450mm
door, exiting at
mounted on panel doors. door bonding point ble (class 4) by a distance
These also must be PLC of more than 450mm and

preferably shielded, with
Control cable
the shield bonded to
from PLC
the mounting plate at a Class 2
point nearest to the PLC.
For cables going to MMI,
pigtails can be used for
grounding, although sad-
dle clamps are better.
Three-phase
Such cables should mains cable
be very close to RF refer- Class 4
ence (that is, mounting
plate) as these cross Fig. 30: Cable routing in an electronics cabinet
over to the front-panel
door. This can be achieved only if
the crossover happens along the
bonding point of the panel to the
door, that is, along the bond straps
that connect the panel to the door.
If possible, bond straps should
be mounted along these cables or
additional bond straps should be
provided along these cables. Many a
time, it is observed that these cables
crossover along door hinges, which
is not a good practice, since hinges
cannot be relied upon to provide a
good bond.
Motor drives are the most notori-
ous components as far as generation
of conducted and radiated emission
is concerned, and are the main rea-
sons for non compliances observed
in control panels. Most drive manu-
facturers give fairly-detailed infor-
mation regarding the type of cables
to be used for input mains supply,
drive output cable going to the mo-
tor, frequency input cable and I/O
and control cables. All these cables
Class 2 cable
Line
filter
>450mm
Area for relays,
contactors, pneumatic,
hydraulics and the like
SMPS
Class 3 cable
MCB Line filter
must be invariably shielded.
Drive manuals also discuss
cable routing to be followed, how
cables are installed and how saddle
clamps and pigtails are to be used to
ground the shields. Some even go to
the extent of suggesting how much
tightening torque has to be applied
to the screws for proper bonding.
Machine manufacturers who casu-
ally ignore these guidelines even-
tually face a daunting task while
complying with EMC tests.
Now, output cables of motor
drives can carry strongly-interfering
signals and therefore classified as
class 4. It is imperative that output
and control cables of a drive are
shielded with the shield bonded to
the mounting plate by a 360-degree
connector or saddle clamp at a point
nearest to the drive. The shield must
also be grounded at the motor end,
preferably through a 360-degree
bulkhead connector at the motor
terminal box.
from mains cable (class
Motor
drive 3) by more than 300mm.
The mains cable to the
drive should preferably
be a shielded cable with
>300mm
Line the shield bonded to the
filter
mounting plate by a sad-
Reactor dle clamp, and the power
earth wire of the mains
cable should also be fas-
tened under this clamp.
Analogue and digital sig-
nals must have their own
separate cables; there cannot be a
bigger blunder than running these
as wires through the same cable,
even though these are of the same
class (class 2).
Conclusion
Cable selection and routing is gener-
ally a subject of system-level EMC
design, where a large number of
components are assembled to make
a system. It is generally observed
that assembling all EMC-compliant
components does not automatically
result in a compliant system. This is
because although the components
that make up the system have been
tested individually, their manufac-
turers do not know in what way
their products would be assembled
in a system. It is the final system
assembler who has to ensure correct
assembly of all components to make
a compliant system. Cable selec-
tion and routing plays a vital part in
this endeavor.

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 Defence electronics

Part 8 of 8

DirecteD energy Weapons:

More On High-Energy Laser Weapons

I
n this concluding part of the article, wavelength-sensitive beam combiner such
let us wrap up by learning some more as diffraction grating and prisms. Optical
about high-energy laser weapons. components with wavelength-sensitive
transmission characteristics such as vol-
Beam combination of multiple lasers ume Bragg gratings and dichroic mirrors
Power scale-up to ten to hundreds of can also be used.
kilowatts in a single laser, maintaining the In the case of coherent beam com-
desired beam quality, has many a techno- bining, multiple lasers are combined to
logical challenges to overcome. Develop- generate higher output powers with more
Dr Anil Kumar Maini
is former director, ments in the field of beam-combination or less the same beam quality as that of
Laser Science and techniques have opened new avenues of individual lasers. Coherent combining also
Technology Centre,
a premier laser and building higher-power lasers than could preserves the spectral bandwidth.
optoelectronics be combined in a single laser. Combining In one method of incoherent beam
research and
development laser output from multiple fibre lasers is an combination, multiple laser beams are
laboratory of important area of relevance to high-power combined by overlapping individual laser
Defence Research
and Development directed energy laser weapon systems, as it beams on the target with a beam director
Organisation of allows achieving higher output power from consisting of independently-controlled
Ministry of Defence
relatively low-power individual lasers. steering mirrors. Adaptive optics may be
Direct diode lasers, bulk solid-state la- used to compensate for the distortions
sers and fibre lasers have been experiment- caused by atmospheric turbulence. This
ed with in recent years to generate higher technique is relatively much simpler than
powers by combining outputs of multiple other beam-combining techniques includ-
lasers of a given type. Power enhancement ing spectral and coherent beam combin-
and beam quality issues have been studied ing. It does not require phase locking or
over propagation distances in kilometre polarisation locking of individual lasers
range. Three common laser beam com- and its power can be readily scaled up for
bining techniques include spectral beam directed energy weapon applications.
combining, coherent beam combining and
incoherent beam combining. Representative directed energy
In the case of spectral beam combining, laser weapon systems
multiple laser beams with non-overlapping Presently, a large number of directed en-
optical spectra are combined by using a ergy laser weapon systems are reported to
be under development and upgradation.
Nose- Active
Some of these are experimental, some
Mounted Laser Crew Illuminator High-Energy technology demonstrators, while others
Turrel Ranger Safety Lasers Laser
are being upgraded and ruggedised to be-
come realistic battlefield weapon systems
in the near future.
Some of the more talked about laser
weapon systems include high-energy
Battle
Management laser system developed by Diehl and
Engines 747-400
Beam Deployment Freighter LFK of Germany, general-area defence
Control Storage
Fig. 10: System integrated anti-missile laser system from
Airborne laser TRW, mid infrared chemical laser from

54 november 2016 | electronics For You www.eFYmag.com


Fig. 11: Tactical high-energy laser
TRW, high-energy laser weapon
system from TRW, Boeing’s air-
borne laser and advanced tactical
laser, tactical high-energy laser,
mobile tactical high-energy laser,
Raytheon’s Laser Phalanx and laser
weapon system.
High-energy laser, jointly devel-
oped by two German companies
Diehl and LFK, is a short-range
tracked vehicle-mounted system for
use as an air-defence system against
low-flying, high-performance
aircraft, missiles and attack heli-
copters. The system is configured
around a gas dynamic CO2 laser
emitting at 10.6 microns. It has
associated target-acquisition and
tracking sensors.
Another air-defence laser system
is TRW’s general-area defence
integrated anti-missile laser system.
This system, too, is a short-range
complement to surface-to-air mis-
sile defence designed to engage
discrete ballistic threats at longer
ranges. The system generates a
400kW laser beam, which is de-
livered through a 0.7-metre beam
pointer/tracker.
One of the very early directed
energy laser systems, a technology
demonstrator, is TRW’s mid infra-
red chemical laser. It is a 2.2MW
56 november 2016 | electronics For You
Defence electronics
CW deuterium-fluoride laser with
a maximum lasing duration of 70
seconds. It uses a 1.8-metre Sealite
pointing and tracking device. The
system was reported to carry out
trials against different types of
targets at White Sands Missile
Range in New Mexico. In one of
the tests conducted in 1996, a
small fraction of laser power was
used to destroy a 122mm short-
range artillery rocket in flight. The
laser beam was locked to the target
for 15 seconds. It is also reported
to have been tested against sea-
skimming missiles.
Yet another recent system from
TRW is high-energy laser weapon
system, which is again a chemical
laser using ethylene, hydrogen and
fluorinated nitrogen as the active
medium. The system is based on
their earlier experience gained from
building mid-infrared chemical
laser. The system has an integral
electro-optic tracker.
Another laser based directed
energy weapon system in serious
contention till recent past, particu-
larly for operation from an aerial
platform, is the famous airborne
laser. It uses a 1.2-megawatt chemi-
cal oxy-iodine laser emitting at
1.315 microns, generated by six
chemical oxy-iodine laser modules
of 200 kilowatts each. It is config-
ured on Boeing 747-400 freighter
aircraft (Fig. 10).
Airborne laser is capable of de-
stroying a ballistic missile in boost
phase. In operation, the aircraft
patrols friendly air space. After an
enemy missile launch is detected by
a variety of sensors, this information
is relayed to the aircraft configured
as high-power laser system for fur-
ther action.
Advance tactical laser uses 80kW
chemical oxy-iodine laser and is
mounted on a modified Boeing
C-130H Hercules aircraft, with the
most obvious visual difference being
a rotating turret protruding from
the aircraft’s underside through a
hole. This chemical laser is similar
to the one developed for Airborne
Laser programme with much lower
output power.
Advance tactical laser is envi-
sioned to offer mobility of a small
aircraft, high-resolution imagery for
target identification and the abil-
ity to localise damage to a small
area of less than 30.5cm (1-foot) in
diameter from a range of eight to
ten kilometres.
Another well-known laser based
DEW system is Northrop Grum-
man’s tactical high-energy laser. The
laser is built in two configurations:
baseline static high-energy laser and
relocateable mobile version mobile
tactical high-energy laser.
Tactical high-energy laser
systems (Fig. 11) are point defence
weapon systems designed to en-
gage and destroy artillery rockets,
artillery shells, mortar rounds and
low-flying aircraft. The system uses
a deuterium fluoride laser operat-
ing at 3.8µm. Tactical high-energy
laser demonstrator was successfully
tested repeatedly between 2000
and 2004, destroying a number
of 122mm and 160mm Katyusha
rockets, multiple artillery shells and
mortar rounds, including a salvo at-
tack by mortar.
www.eFYmag.com

Space based laser is the ul-
timate objective of US-directed
energy laser programme. It
is proposed to be configured
around 20MW hydrogen fluo-
ride laser operating at 2.7µm.
It is being designed to intercept
intercontinental ballistic mis-
siles and other strategic and
tactical missiles. It is proposed
to deploy the system in 800km
to 1300km orbit. The expected
target engagement range is
4000km to 12,000km. Fig. 12: Laser Phalanx
Several directed energy
laser systems based on solid-
state and fibre lasers are being
developed and tested for
tactical mission needs ranging
from ordnance neutralisation
to anti-missile and anti-RAM
applications.
Raytheon has developed
and successfully tested a
directed energy laser system
called Laser Phalanx (Fig. 12)
employing a 20kW industrial
fibre laser. The system has Fig. 13: Laser weapon system
been successfully demonstrated
against a static mortar from a dis-
tance of 0.5 kilometres.
Raytheon has also successfully
tested a ship-mounted solid-state
laser weapon system (Fig. 13) to
shoot four drones.
Laser-induced plasma
channel weapons
A laser-induced plasma channel
weapon is conceptually different
from conventional high-energy laser
weapons. It makes use of an ultra-
short laser pulse to create a highly-
conducting plasma channel between
the laser and the intended target. It
is designed to take out targets that
conduct electricity better than air or
ground surrounding these.
This conducting plasma follows
the path of the laser and therefore
can be directed to different targets
by steering the laser beam. When
the plasma comes in contact with
a high-voltage source, a high-
58 november 2016 | electronics For You
Defence electronics
voltage current discharge travels
down the plasma channel and
then through the target to ground,
thereby causing severe damage to
the target—similar to what would
have been caused had there been a
lightning strike.
The concept behind formation
of plasma channel is as follows: A
pulsed laser of even a modest ener-
gy producing ultra-short laser pulses
is capable of generating gigantic
peak power of the order of tens of
gigawatts. The electromagnetic field
produced due to the intense laser
beam rips off electrons from the air
molecules, thereby ionising the sur-
rounding air and creating plasma.
For high-intensity laser pulses, air
can act like a lens. The laser focuses
on itself in air, confining light to a
small-diameter filament.
Laser-induced plasma channel
weapons behave like a lightning
strike that always tries to follow
the path of least resistance
while travelling from cloud
to ground. Plasma channel
conducts electricity much
better than un-ionised air. If
the plasma channel comes
near a high-voltage source,
electrical energy travels down
the ionised conduit. When a
laser-induced plasma channel
weapon is used on a target
such as a vehicular platform, a
person or unexploded ord-
nance, high-voltage current
discharges through the path
of least resistance to ground,
potentially disabling the ve-
hicle or person, and initiating
ordnance detonation.
Laser-induced plasma chan-
nel weapon hardware mainly
comprises a laser capable of
generating ultra-short pulses of
the order of a few picoseconds
and a power source to drive
both laser and high-voltage
discharge. But there are many
technological challenges to be
overcome. These include syn-
chronising the laser with the high
voltage, ruggedising the device to
survive under extreme environmen-
tal conditions of an operational en-
vironment, and powering the system
for extended periods of time.
Laser-induced plasma chan-
nel devices can have a variety of
applications. These can be used to
kill or incapacitate human targets
through electric shock. These can
also damage, disable and destroy
electronic devices.
Laser-induced plasma channels
may also be used for a variety of ex-
periments, including study of light-
ning discharges, forcing lightning
discharges to occur at safe time and
place during thunderstorms, induc-
ing thunderheads that deliver a pre-
cise lightning strike on to a ground
target triggered by an airborne laser,
and harvesting lightning energy for
power generation by directing it to a
terrestrial collection station.
www.eFYmag.com
 artificial intelligence

AmAzon Echo: Your Personal Assistant

W
henever we come across the a button, or remotely by uttering its wake-up
word personal assistant, the first command. Its voice recognition works on
thing that comes to mind is Siri. Amazon Web Services and Amazon common
Like Siri, Amazon Echo is a great innova- voice platform, and hence it requires an Inter-
tion in artificial intelligence (AI). It is a new net connection to connect to its server.
personal assistant that comes in the form of
a cylindrical speaker and an always-listening Echo versus Siri
assistant, Alexa. Till date Siri was considered to be the best
Amazon Echo is a speaker with an inbuilt virtual personal assistant, but here are some
Sachin Soni is an microphone, which is always listening. You features that make Echo better than Siri.
electronics hobbyist
interested in DIY can turn off this microphone with the help of Faster than Siri. Echo is faster at re-
projects and the a button. You can ask it about the weather, sponding as compared to Siri, which takes
Internet of Things
check news headlines, set an alarm, play some time in understanding the command.
your favourite singer’s song, shuffle your Echo does it all in a fraction of seconds. This
phone’s playlist, control home appliances, makes us feel like we are interacting with a
ask general questions and a lot more. Just live personal assistant.
say ‘Alexa,’ followed by your command. (Al- Incredibly accurate. Siri frequently misun-
exa is the wake-word used for Amazon Echo. derstands what you are trying to tell. Voice rec-
You can change this wake word to Amazon ognition on Amazon Echo is pretty accurate.
or Echo if you want.) Distance. With Siri you have to be close
Amazon Echo works on Texas Instruments to the device to interact with it—just a few
DM3725 ARM Cortex A8 processor, Samsung centimetres away. While with Echo, due to
LPDDR1 256MB RAM and storage space of the presence of a seven-array microphone,
4GB. It has two connectivity options—Wi-Fi you can interact with it from far; you can
802.11/a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0. even be one room away!
In terms of multimedia, Echo consists of Improvements. Echo is added with a new
a woofer and a tweeter. For voice capturing, skill every Friday, and users get notifications
it has a seven-microphone array (six mics via emails about each new skill added that
arranged in a symmetrical manner on the week. It already has 500+ skills like check-
perimeter and one in the centre). There is a ing your bank balance, checking fuel in your
volume-control wheel on the top surrounded car and so on. While, in case of Siri, its fea-
with a blue LED ring. It also has a mute but- tures also get updated frequently but most
ton in case you do not want Echo to listen. users are unaware of the many features.
Amazon Echo runs on Amazon Web Ser-
vices. It can be manually woken up by pressing Amazon Echo series
Amazon Echo has three different products,
Light ring namely, Amazon Echo, Amazon Tap and Ama-
Volume ring
zon Echo Dot. Amazon Tap can be regarded as
Reflex port a handy version of Echo. It is a great product
Action button
enhances the woofer’s for people on-the-go as it is a portable device
output for deeper sounds
without distortion that can conserve up to nine hours of battery,
23.5cm while still providing access to Alexa.
7-microphone array
6.4cm (9.25-inch) Echo Dot is a sleeker and compact ver-
(2.5-inch) woofer Microphone off button
delivers deep bass response sion of Echo. Its dimensions are equal to the
5.1cm
size of a burger. It does not have the amaz-
Power adaptor
(2-inch) tweeter ing speaker of Echo; instead it comes with a
crisply hits the high notes
basic speaker at half the price of Echo. It has
Echo also includes a remote with a built-in microphone the option of connecting with an external
and music playback and volume controls.
8.3cm (3.27-inch) speaker via a cable or Bluetooth.

60 november 2016 | electronics For You www.eFYmag.com

 test & measurement
Light-Weight PoWer SuPPLieS
Are Not Just Benchtop Anymore
I
n case of power supplies, the move
from a wall outlet to a benchtop might
not be a significant development when
we have scientists working on wireless
transmission of electricity. However, the
move to portable power supplies has seen
some interesting trends of its own. A lot
of focus is being laid on the supplies to be
operable in constant current, constant volt-
Saurabh Durgapal
is working as age, constant resistance, constant power
technology and constant impedance modes.
journalist at EFY
Advances have also been in the fields
of current measurement with nano-amp
resolution, variable rise and fall times,
digital input-output, multiple PC inter-
faces, battery-simulating capabilities and
kilovolt outputs.
Raghunath Rao K., manager applica-
tion team, Tektronix India Pvt Ltd, says his
company is focusing on minimising power
consumption to increase battery life for
battery simulators. He explains, “You need
a source measure unit with low current-
measurement sensitivity to evaluate and
qualify these devices for your design.” The
source measurement unit can test a device
over the voltage range of the battery.
Sumit Sharma, marketing manager,
Good Will Instrument Co. India, says,
“One particular requirement of power
consumption for portable wireless commu-
nications devices is pulse current.” Pulse
Fig. 1: A precision current measurement indicates transient
measurement current consumption, which helps in al-
DC supply
www.efymag.com
location of the power supply system for
a product’s preliminary design, that is,
power supply circuits and battery selec-
tion for client’s product analysis.
Today, the power supply industry
is at the beginning of a major focus
shift that puts efficiency improvements
across the entire load range at the
forefront of customers’ performance
requirements. “Newer supplies offer
resolutions as low as 1mA and 1mV,”
adds Praveen Kumar Gupta, director,
Avante Global Services Pvt Ltd. “Power
supplies with the ability to measure
very low currents,” says Rao, when
asked about development areas.
PPH-1503 from GW Instek provides
0.1mA (equivalent to 4⅘ digits) current
resolution under 5A setting. “It is capable
of rise-time of 0.15 minutes and fall-time
of 0.65 minutes,” says Sharma.
Multiple channel output. A common
trend has been to increase the number
of output channels. Though the most
common type of supply remains the two-
channel, we also have multiple channels
coming in. MDL series from B&K Preci-
sion is one such example. The series
offers support for up to four modules or
eight channels, with the number increas-
ing to up to eight modules or 16 channels
with mainframe extension.
Similar trends are seen in other
cases as well. The 382270 quad-output
DC power supply from Extech has two
0 - 30V at 0 - 5A outputs plus two fixed
auxiliary outputs of 3V - 6.5V at 3A and
15V at 1A, taking the technical output
count to six channels.
Global Specialties has launched the
1415 dual-output DC power supply.
It features up to 30V at 3A with dual
independent outputs, wherein one fixed
output produces 5V at 3A. Load condi-
tion changes with automatic crossover
between constant current and constant
electronics for you | november 2016 61

voltage modes. Separate three-digit
displays for voltage and current,
with individual control of voltage
and current, are some interesting
features in 1415.
Programmable supply with
USB connectivity. May be due to
the Internet of Things (IoT) com-
ing into the picture, or some other
reason, everybody wants to control
these devices from their computers.
The programmable feature allows
remote control of their operation
through an analogue input or digi-
tal interface. “The latest versions
have various interfaces like LAN
and RS232,” says Gupta. Applica-
tions include automated equipment
testing, crystal growth monitoring,
semiconductor fabrication and
X-ray generation. 1350 DC power
supply from Global Specialties
features programmable control via
USB interface and microprocessor-
controlled circuits.
National Instruments PXI-4110 is
a programmable, triple-output pre-
cision DC power supply in a single
slot with three analogue channels
in PXI module. It has 16-bit resolu-
tion for programming the voltage
set point and current limit.
In case of the Z+ series from
TDK Lambda, connectivity op-
tions include built-in USB, RS232
and RS485 interfaces, along with
LAN, GPIB and isolated analogue
interfaces. Z+ is light as well; you
can move the power supply around
without hitting the gym.
Not a feather but still light.
Benchtop equipment are generally
heavier than other types, which re-
Fig. 2: A system sourcemeter
62 november 2016 | electronics for you
test & measurement
Trends at a glance
 Newer supplies offer resolution as low as 1mA and 1mV
 Simulate a battery so that performance can be verified
 Adjustable internal resistance, slew rate and inrush current
 Multiple interfaces like LAN and RS232
 Analogue control makes these useful for automated test setups as well
 Higher-end supplies can source as well as sink current
quires moving the test setup to the
supply every time. However, Gupta
says, “The devices are becoming
smaller and more energy-efficient.”
REOLINE range of portable power
supplies provides an adjustable
low-loss output voltage, in addition
to being lightweight. The light-
weight equipment are certainly
more portable. These might not be
as portable as handheld equipment
but the move has certainly begun.
A case in point would be the
benchtop PSU 130 from Jameco
Electronics. This single-channel
supply is a compact little device
weighing about 500gm. With two
digital four-digit displays, it meas-
ures less than 15.2cm (6-inch).
It also features short-circuit and
overload protection.
Safety in equipment. One of the
sure-fire ways to damage a power
supply is to overload it. Excess
current heats up the components,
which eventually fail. Components
ranging from transistors and diodes
to resistors and capacitors could
easily burn out on overload. This
calls for some safety features to be
built into the device.
Among the various power sup-
plies in power supplies released
recently would be REOLINE range
of portable power
supplies from
REO UK Ltd. It
features step-
less adjustment
of voltage from
absolute zero
to maximum
output. Safety
features include
operation under
high inrush currents as well as abil-
ity to withstand sustained overloads,
without a detrimental impact on
overall performance. “Research labs
and test departments simply cannot
operate effectively without variable
voltage,” says Steve Hughes, manag-
ing director, REO UK.
Safety features in Genesys series
from TDK Lambda include a safe
start, which returns the power
supply to its last setting configu-
ration post power interruption.
Other features include over-voltage
protection, under-voltage limit,
fold-back protection and over-
temperature protection.
Supplying the required power.
“Power supplies are going to stay
as tools for product design, testing,
QA, production as well as service
applications,” says Gupta. If recent
advances are any indication, it
seems all uphill from here.
Rao says, “In the future, users
will require multiple-channel ver-
sions of these supplies to address
banks of batteries.” He adds, “Bat-
tery simulators will incorporate
more sophisticated models to simu-
late battery performance.”
With computer connectivity
through LAN and RS232, these
power supplies have made operation
easier as these save time and hassle.
According to Siglent, USB, LAN and
other interfaces will become stand-
ard functions in power supplies.
The circuit design of power supplies
should be optimised to achieve bet-
ter dynamic performance.
If innovations keep happening
at this pace, we will probably have
some more interesting features in
the near future.
www.efymag.com
 IntervIew

Telecommunication:

They Can Sell Only If It

Benoit Derat
PhD, chief executive officer
Complies With SaR TeST
anD PresiDent, art-fi
RequiRemenTS
Telecommunication Engineering Centre and Department of Telecommunications
have strict rules on SAR measurements, and it is mandatory for any mobile phone
imported to India to be tested for SAR. Benoit Derat, PhD, chief executive officer and
president, ART-Fi, and Rahul Gautam, head - market development, electromagnetic
compatibility, Rohde & Schwarz, speaks with Sneha Ambastha, Electronics Bazaar,
to share their views about the market requirement for SAR testing and its benefits
rahul Gautam
heaD - market DeveloPment,
electromaGnetic comPatiBility,
rohDe & schwarz
take around four to five weeks, but electronically. These apply calcula-
with the machine we developed, it tion algorithms in a fast computer to
could be finished in one week. get the result delivered in seconds.
Q. what is sar?
A. Specific absorption rate (SAR) Q. how do newer sar testing Q. what is the international
is basically the amount of electro- devices work? situation on sar testing?
magnetic field produced by mobile A. Probes here are totally com- A. In Europe, people more or
phones. It is very important that we puterised and fixed, enclosed inside less ignore it, although there are
control it. Mobile manufacturers have the head or body of the mannequins obligations for displaying it. World
to measure and show this value on on the machine. The device itself Health Organization supports the
their device in compliance with expo- does not move but is placed against fact that there are some limits estab-
sure limits to human body. They can the mannequin to simulate various lished by some expert committees
only sell devices that comply with conditions of mobile phone usage. that should not exceed in order to
SAR test requirements. The device is fixed in one position make sure that human health and
and probes inside the mannequin are safety is not at risk. That is why it
Q. what is the difference between activated electronically to perform is very important that we continue
emc/emi testing and sar testing? a complete scan below the surface monitoring these types of values
A. Basic electromagnetic com- of the device. The scan captures the through equipment that can make
patibility (EMC) or electromagnetic energy that is transferred from the those measurements.
interference (EMI) testing is per- device into the biological tissue-sim-
formed for interference between ulating material. Then, algorithms Q. what is the critical sar value?
two machines. This is to ensure that are applied to obtain the field every- A. Compliance limit varies
radiation emitted by one machine where you wish to have it. across regions. India has chosen to
does not disturb other machines. But align to the USA limit, which is one
SAR testing only looks at the effect of Q. what are the specialties of this gram average SAR. This means SAR
radiation on human beings. new sar machine? average on one gram of tissue is lim-
A. The former technology would ited to 1.6W/kg. In other countries,
Q. how has sar testing evolved? measure only the magnitude of the limits are defined differently. For
A. Development of wireless electric field, but the new one meas- example, in Europe, ten grams SAR
technology using traditional and slow ures both magnitude and phase. You averaging is applied and the limit
methods has become difficult. This is can apply algorithms based on physi- is 2W/kg.
because, with development of tech- cal science to reconstruct the field in Scientists want to take a cautious
nologies like Long Term Evolution a complete volume from only a few approach by putting a very low limit
(LTE), the number of tests per device points using equations. This is not to make sure that we never get too
in order to perform SAR compliance possible with traditional systems. close to the edge of the cliff. As of
is extremely large. Traditional compli- Test time is also reduced due to now, the limits prove to be safe by a
ance testing of a smartphone would multiple probes that are connected large margin.

www.efymag.com electronics for you | november 2016 63

 embedded

Selecting The
Right MicRocontRolleR
For eMbedded ApplicAtions

T
his article discusses the criteria for synchronous (PMSM) motor. Motor speed
selecting the right microcontroller is varied and controlled as per your input
(MCU) for different embedded appli- from the front-panel keypad.
cations. It also discusses the design chal- The MCU uses either internal or
lenges and system limitations of MCUs in external serial EEPROM (I2C/SPI based)
embedded applications. to store old data. It uses a real-time clock
for displaying accurate time. Temperature
Application in home appliance measurement is done using an onboard
industry resistance temperature detector, thermis-
Ronak Desai
is system The home appliance industry uses 8/16/32- tor or thermocouple based temperature-
engineering bit MCU based circuitry for motor control sensing device.
manager
at Cypress and TRIAC/LED/LCD drive applications. The MCU uses an external analogue-
Semiconductor, The MCU controls and manages all func- to-digital converter (ADC) and amplifiers
Bengaluru
tions and features of the home appliances. for different analogue inputs from sensors,
When you press Start button, inputs go to temperature sensors and battery. It uses
the MCU from the front-panel keyboard and external signal conditioning, comparators
the MCU starts the three-phase brushless and gate-driver circuitry for driving and
Fig. 1: Microcontrollers
in home appliance DC (BLDC) motor or the permanent magnet controlling the three-phase BLDC/PMSM
applications motor. The MCU receives remote
control inputs through an infrared
receiver (at 38kHz input).
Backlight LCD The MCU uses external buffer-
driver circuitry to drive 7-segment
Mechanical LED/LCD/graphical display. Typi-
Keypad
cally, a 7-segment LED/LCD/graphi-
Buffer
Optional cal display with backlight is used
EEPROM for showing the temperature, battery
Temperature
Sensor voltage, speed and error/warning
messages. The MCU also interfaces
Powers Supply IR Receiver with onboard peripherals like I2C/SPI
Input
and external peripherals like UART/
Analogue
Sensors
Buzzer USB for communication.
Amplifier +
ADC
Microcontroller
Signal Conditioning
Inputs Application in automotive
Signal Conditioning
and Comparators
industry
UART / The current automotive industry uses
USB
Gate Drivers
16- to 32-bit MCU based circuitry for
e-bikes. The circuitry controls and
Steam/
manages all functions and features
Motor
Suerheater
Control
Motor Power
of the automobiles. Once you use the
Relay/ TRIAC/
LED Controls
ignition key to start the automobile,
Fan
Control inputs go to the MCU. This starts the
three-phase brushless automotive mo-

64 november 2016 | electronics For You www.eFYmag.com

 Temperature Reading
Speedometer
Backlight LCD Battery Status
Fuel Status
Distance
Mechanical
Keypad

Optional
EEPROM
Temperature
Sensor

Hall Effect Horn

Relay Drivers Brakelight/Headlight
Obstacle Directionals
Sensor

Amplifier + Signal Conditioning

Throttle Microcontroller Inputs
Inputs ADC
Signal Conditioning
Pedal and Comparators
Rotation Amplifier +
Inputs ADC Gate
Drivers

Fuel sensor
Motor Power
(From Battery)
Battery Input
Brake Input

DC/DC Battery Fuel Gauge Battery

Converter Charger Protection

Temperature
Sensor
Battery Management

Fig. 2: Microcontrollers in automotive e-bike applications

tor. The MCU receives vehicle input
signal and the vehicle starts moving.
The MCU uses driver circuitry to drive
the three-phase brushless automotive
motor as per speed required by the
user. Speed of the motor varies and is
controlled as per acceleration brake
sensor input from the user.
The MCU uses either internal or
external serial EEPROM (I2C/SPI
based) for storing data like distance
readings. It uses RTC for displaying
accurate time on the display. Temper-
ature measurement is done by using
an onboard RTD or thermistor based
temperature-sensing device.
The e-bike solution in the au-
tomotive industry uses an obstacle
sensor to get information about
nearby vehicles while parking, a fuel
sensor to get information regard-
ing the amount of fuel in the tank,
while an MCU monitors battery
voltage and shows it on the LCD
display. The MCU uses relay-driver
circuitry for switching brakelight/
headlight on or off and for blinking
directional lights.
The power supply section uses
rechargeable lead-acid/lithium
battery as the power source. It also
has provision for a battery charger.
Battery input is down-converted
to DC voltage to power the MCU
and other circuitry. Ignition key
of the e-bike enables and disables
onboard regulators.
The power supply section incor-
porates protection features for bat-
tery, over-current, over-heating and
start-up fail, which are controlled by
the MCU. It also enables charging of
external devices like mobile phones.
Application in mobile phones
and tablets
Current mobile phone and tablet
designs use 8/16/32-bit MCUs as

www.eFYmag.com electronics For You | november 2016 65


USB
Power Supply and
Charging Controller
LCD
Controller
Baseband and Application
Memory Flash,
RAM, External
GSM/
CDMA
CapSense Touchscreen
Controller Controller
Fig. 3: Mobile phone block diagram
a co-processor for different func-
tions. The MCU receives signals
from analogue sensors (temperature
sensors like thermistors, resistance
temperature detectors and humidity
sensors that receive analogue inputs
and provide digital voltage, which
is applied to the MCU), 2/3-axis
accelerometers (that measure 2/3-
axis movements and convert it to
digital voltage, which is applied to
the MCU) and ambient light sensors
(ALSes) interface.
Ambient light sensor enables
automatic control of display back-
light brightness over a wide range of
illumination conditions, from a dark
environment to direct sunlight. With
ALS input, an MCU or baseband
processor increases or decreases
display brightness, depending on
the environment. The MCU also
receives magnetic sensor inputs
through external ADCs and buffer
circuitry. Besides, it uses the acceler-
ometer and mechanical joystick for
running gaming applications.
The MCU uses proximity sensors
for face detection and hand-move-
ment (grip detection) in mobile
phones. When you move the phone
near your face, the MCU switches
off the keypad, and when you move
your hand near the keypad, it acti-
vates/switches on the keypad. The
MCU uses host interrupt feature to
66 november 2016 | electronics For You
embedded
driver circuitry to drive LCD or
Sensors,
Accelerometer, graphical displays. Typically, an LCD
Audio
Magnetic, ALS
CODECs or a graphical display with backlight
Interface Controller Proximity
Sensor for
is used in low-end mobile phone
Face Detection applications. The MCU also controls
the backlight of LCD and graphical
3G/4G displays. It uses touchscreen control-
Modem lers for the touchscreen interface in
high-end mobile phone applications.
Processors
GPS The MCU uses a mechanical
keypad for your inputs in low-
end mobile phone applications.
Bluetooth
It uses CapSense/touchscreen
based keypads in high-end mobile
Camera Interface
Wi-Fi phone applications.
Controller
The MCU monitors lithium-ion
battery voltage and is also used for
battery-charging application. It is
activate broadband and application also used for fault detection and data
processor for face detection. recovery in mobile phones.
The MCU enables face detection The MCU uses haptics (tactile
by detecting proximity of your face, feedback technology) in mobile
ear or head to eliminate false touches phones for replacing mechanical but-
of the touchscreen. This reduces tons that interface with you through
talktime power by powering down the sense of touch by applying force,
the touchscreen. It is implemented vibration or motion.
by using infrared proximity sensors. The MCU interfaces with broad-
The MCU uses a proximity sensor band and application processor and
for specific absorption rate (SAR) other onboard peripherals (like cam-
regulation in tablet applications. era interface controller) through I2C
SAR is the rate at which energy is and SPI interfaces. It interfaces with
absorbed by the human body when broadband and application proces-
exposed to radio-frequency elec- sor in host (master) and slave mode
tromagnetic waves. The proximity for data transfer. Broadband and
sensor dynamically regulates radio application processor use onboard
transmissions near human beings. USB 2.0/3.0 controller to transfer
The MCU uses external buffer- data externally.
Sensors,
Accelerometer,
Magnetic, ALS
Audio
USB CODECs
Power Supply and Interface Controller Proximity
Charging Controller Sensor for
SAR Regulation
LCD
Controller 3G/4G
Modem
Baseband and Application
Memory Flash,
Processors
RAM, External GPS
GSM/
CDMA Bluetooth
CapSense Touchscreen Camera Interface
Controller
Wi-Fi
Controller Controller
Fig. 4: Tablet block diagram
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 Sensor Input, Analogue
Position Sensor, Input Audio
Audio Input Amplifier

ADC and
Comparator
DAC

Buzzer
SDA

EEPROM SCL
Buffer LCD/Graphical
Display

Wireless/
Mechanical Microcontroller Bluetooth
Keypad Interface

UART/
I2C/
Battery Inputs SPI

Power Supply MOSFT M

Section Drive
DC Motor
LED1 LED2 LED3 Control

Low Battery Charging User

LED LED LED

Fig. 5: Microcontrollers in toy applications

Application in electronic toys in high-end applications.

Current electronic toys use 8/16-bit
MCUs for motor control, LED/LCD/
graphical display drives, different
input and output interfaces, battery
sensing and audio output. An MCU
in chip-scale package (CSP) is most
commonly used in electronic toys.
The MCU receives signals from
analogue sensors (that receive
analogue input and provide digital
voltage, which is applied to the
MCU) and 2/3-axis accelerometer
(that measure 2/3-axis movement
and convert it to digital voltage,
which is applied to the MCU). It
also uses the accelerometer and me-
chanical joystick for running gaming
applications.
The MCU uses external buffer-
driver circuitry to drive LED, LCD
or graphical displays. Typically,
LCD or graphical displays with
backlight are used in low-end ap-
plications. The MCU also controls
the backlight of LCD and graphical
displays. It uses a touchscreen con-
troller for the touchscreen interface
The MCU uses a mechanical
keypad for inputs in low-end ap-
plications. It uses CapSense/touch-
screen based keypads in high-end
applications. The MCU interfaces
with other onboard peripherals (like
camera interface controller) through
I2C, SPI and UART interfaces.
Toy applications use coin-cell or
lithium-ion batteries for operation.
The MCU monitors the coin-cell
or lithium-ion battery voltage, and
even battery-charging. It is also used
for fault-detection and data-recovery
applications.
The MCU used in proprietary
2.4GHz technology is targeted for
remote-controlled toy. Gaming con-
trollers and remote-controlled toys
are also witnessing customers shift-
ing from infrared to radio frequency.
System limitations and
use of PSoC
A programmable system on chip
(PSoC) is a combination of an MCU
with programmable logic and high-

www.eFYmag.com electronics For You | november 2016 67


performance analogue-to-digital
converters and commonly-used
fixed-function peripherals. The PSoC
family is made up of 8-bit (PSoC1
and PSoC3) and 32-bit MCUs
(PSoC4 and PSoC5). These have
flash memories up to 256kB, SRAM
up to 64kB and internal EEPROM
up to 2kB. (Flash can be used to
emulate EEPROM.) PSoC works in
ultra-low power mode. In this mode,
it consumes less than 1µA current,
which is useful for operating in
standby mode.
Using PSoC Creator IDE tool, all
interface and logic can be designed.
This tool is a readily-available com-
ponent block for designing interface
and logic like SARADC and PGA for
analogue sensors and other inputs.
PWM, CLK, MUX and comparator
components are used for motor-drive
applications. Character LCD and seg-
ment LCD components directly (do
not require external buffers) drive
LCD/graphical LCDs.
68 november 2016 | electronics For You
embedded
The tool also has a real-time
clock component for real-time
measurement. It has an internal
system clock and so does not require
external clock/oscillator circuitry. Its
other components include a timer,
buzzer, infrared and fan controller.
PSoC Creator IDE tool enables
you to make use of an entire tools
ecosystem with integrated compiler
tool chains, RTOS solutions and
production programmers. With this
tool, you can create and share user-
defined custom peripherals using
hierarchical schematic designs. You
can automatically place and route
chosen components and integrate
simple glue logic, normally located
in discrete devices.
A PSoC supports CapSense
technology, which replaces mechani-
cal buttons with a CapSense based
keypad. This reduces failure due to
mechanical buttons and provides
better product reliability. PSoC
Creator IDE tool supports CapSense
SmartSense component, which auto-
tunes the sensitivity of CapSense
buttons and slider (does not require
manual tuning).
A PSoC supports the waterproof-
ing application. It also supports
proximity function for the front key-
pad; the front keypad gets activated
when you place your hand near
the keypad.
A PSoC can directly drive LED
and LCD displays (segment LCDs,
graphic LCDs and character LCD
displays) for displaying channel and
volume information. It has an operat-
ing range of 1.71V to 5.5V, so it can
be easily interfaced with external
peripherals for other applications.
A PSoC works in ultra-low
power mode. In this mode it con-
sumes less than 1µA current, which
is useful for low-power-battery
based applications.
A PSoC has internal PGA, com-
parators and configurable delta-sigma
ADC with 8- to 20-bit resolution,
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with sample rates up to 192ksps. It
is used to measure different ana-
logue and battery inputs.
Implementation of touchscreen
based design on the front panel
instead of an LCD display and key-
pad provides better user interface
and flexibility.
External devices. PSoC can
communicate with external devices
like iPod and iPhone through UART
and USB protocol. You can control
such devices.
PSoC4 supports code security
for home appliance solutions due
to programmable architecture.
A PSoC can connect to devices
like Bluetooth controllers, so that
you can create a network of
automated devices.
In the world of cortex proces-
sors, operating range is up to 3.3V.
PSoC4 supports an operating range
of 1.71V to 5.5V.
Failure analysis and returned
materials. Increasing the number of
internal and external interfaces on
the board will increase the number
of ways that an intruder can create
havoc on the system. This is one of
the single-largest limitations of this
embedded system, which can be
solved by a single-chip solution.
A PSoC has an internal RTC com-
ponent for real-time measurement.
It does not require external clock/
oscillator circuitry.
It supports USB 2.0 interface,
allowing you to interface external
memory (hard disk) through USB
2.0. It also supports SD card inter-
face. A PSoC has an internal 8-bit
digital-to-analogue converter (DAC),
which can be used for controlling
speaker volume and for muting
the speaker.
Design challenges
An MCU with one-time programma-
ble feature prevents reverse engi-
neering of the firmware by competi-
tors and hackers. Implementing pro-
tection against voltage fluctuations,
waterproofing and water-tolerance
www.eFYmag.com
is a design challenge for the system
designer. The solution involves
electromechanical construction and
designing a compact and cost-effec-
tive electromechanical solution.
Certifying this electromechanical
design with EMI/EMC standards is
another challenge for the designer.
Using flexible printed circuits inter-
face for displays, touch panels and
buttons is also a design challenge.
A PSoC supports CapSense
technology. Using PSoC in the
design, CapSense based button,
slider and proximity can be im-
plemented for front-panel design.
Meeting CapSense performance
(signal-to-noise ratio) with nearby
LEDs (PWM based) on the front
panel is also a challenge for the
system designer.
Implementing auto-tuning with
variation in trace capacitance, vari-
ation in CapSense button and slider
sizes and shape are other design
challenges, along with implementing
CapSense sensing with thicker glass
material (display glass) and meeting
CapSense sensitivity with that type
of materials.
Fault detection and recovery
mechanism is required in most ap-
plication. Power supply design with
battery protection, over-current,
over-heating, start-up fail condition
is required for home appliance ap-
plications. Implementing self-diag-
nostics in home appliance applica-
tions is another design challenge for
the system designer.
Last, but not the least, as final
solution is expected to work 24/7
continuously, component selection
and reliability is a challenge.
Conclusion
A PSoC is a combination of an
MCU and ASIC. It provides ease-
of-use environment. Using PSoC in
above-discussed applications helps
reduce product cost (by reducing
bills of materials cost) and project
cost (with PSoC Creator and PSoC
Designer implementation).
electronics For You | november 2016 69
 buyers’ guide
Selecting Assembled PCB Desktop
ManufaCturing EquiPMEnt
T
his buyers’ guide explains how desk-
top manufacturing equipment can be
used for full product realisation and to
understand how production considerations
inevitably impact the design process. When
designing a product the most important fac-
tor is defining a product’s success. However,
with advancements in desktop manufactur-
ing, most parts can now be produced in-
Nidhi Kathuria
is a senior house, which saves a lot of time.
application Presented in this article are the differ-
engineer at EFY
Labs, New Delhi ent technologies and buying tips for the
most popular types of desktop manufactur-
ing equipment. For a new product, the first
thing is the product realisation process,
which encompasses the entire cycle of
production and mechanical design so that
all components including assembled printed
circuit boards (PCBs), are designed to fit
into the mechanical design.
Then, if everything is okay, PCB designs
are verified and finalised and their Gerber
files are sent for production of the PCBs to
the PCB manufacturer. Sometimes, manu-
facturers may revise these files before they
proceed further. Also, they may provide
turn-key solutions, where they make PCBs,
source components, make stencils and as-
semble PCBs, all at one place to save time,
in order to meet the pace of the market.
Key factors involved in
PCB manufacture
Basic equipment for PCB production on the
basis of the board as input are the screen
Fig. 1: Desktop
stencil printer
70 november 2016 | electronics For You
or stencil printer, pick-and-place machine,
reflow oven, board DE-fluxing machine,
stencil cleaning machine and automated
optical inspection system. Steps involved
in producing a PCB are:
1. The screen printer applies solder
paste to the PCB on pad locations.
2. The pick-and-place machine picks
up, inspects and puts surface-mount tech-
nology (SMT) components in a particular
position on programmed locations.
3. Board DE-fluxing and stencil clean-
ing machines are used for cleaning the
PCB and stencil, respectively.
4. Automated inspection equipment are
used for inspection of the assembled PCBs
for detection of any wrong placement or
missing components.
Electronics manufacturing using SMT is
a method in which electronic components
are assembled with automated machines
that place components on the surface of
a board. The process involves making the
PCB and assembling the components on
that PCB.
After checking availability of various
types of desktop manufacturing equip-
ment, you should consider the various
types available and be familiar with the
associated pros and cons. All PCB proto-
typing work can be done in-house and
time-to-market can be reduced.
Selection criteria
Stencil printers. The first stage of auto-
mated assembling of PCBs is stencil print-
ing. For this we require stencil, solder
paste and printer. Components are either
leaded or SMT soldered to the board and
exposed areas of the board are tinned
or plated with solder. Stencil printers
are available in three configurations, as
given below:
Manual. Simple printing devices are
suitable where high-precision alignment
of a stencil-PCB is not critical. These are
www.eFYmag.com
suitable for low volumes of up to 150
boards per day.
Semi-automatic. Loading and
unloading of PCBs is done manually
in this case. These as suitable for
professional electronics products with
medium volumes of up to 500 boards
per day.
Fully-automatic. These are used
for precision and in-line high-volume
production of more than 500 boards
per day.
Nearly 85 per cent of the defects
produced in an SMT production
line result primarily from the print-
ing process. Careful selection of the
printer is therefore imperative. Major
considerations for selection of stencil
printers are explained below:
Maximum size. Maximum size
of the PCB the printer can handle;
length and breadth expressed in
millimetres
Minimum size. Minimum size
of the PCB the printer can handle;
length and breadth expressed in
millimetres
PCB thickness. Lower and
higher limits of the PCB; specified
in millimetres
Stencil size. Maximum and mini-
mum size of the stencil; length and
breadth specified in millimetres
Printing accuracy. Specified in
millimetres and Sigma limits
Cycle time. Standard printing time
under optimum condition specified
in seconds
Printing mode. Single- or double-
side printing
Cleaning system. Dry/wet/
vacuum
Operation system. For the integral
computer
Automated SMD pick-and-place
machines. SMT component place-
ment systems, commonly called
pick-and-place machines, are used
for placing surface-mount devices
(SMDs) onto a PCB. These are also
capable of placing of a broad range of
electronic components like capaci-
tors, resistors and integrated circuits
onto the PCBs from tapes and trays
www.eFYmag.com
Fig. 2: Benchtop model of pick-and-place machine
Fig. 3: Automatic desktop pick-and-place machine
Fig. 4: SMT reflow oven
at a high speed with a high degree
of precision.
Benchtop pick-and-place models
offer low-cost solutions for low- to
medium-volume SMT placement
applications. Selection of the
machine is normally based on the
following parameters:
Placement rate. Capacity of plac-
ing a number of components in one
hour; specified as components per
hour (CPH)
Placement accuracy. Accuracy of
placing components at designated
place on the PCB; specified in µm
and Sigma limits
Component size. Dimensions of
length and breadth specified in
millimetres
Minimum. Minimum size of
component that can be handled
Maximum. Maximum permissi-
ble size of components the machine
can pick and place
Minimum component lead pitch.
Distance between two adjacent
leads; specified in millimetres
Range of components. Capability
of placing a variety of components
such as LEDs, ball-grid arrays, quad-
flat packages and SMT connectors
Picking modes. Capability of
picking parts from tapes, tubes or
trays and loose components
Software. Windows based, user-
friendly
Reflow ovens. Reflow solder-
ing is a process in which solder
paste, which holds components
temporarily to their contact pads
on the PCB, melts and reflows
when subjected to controlled heat,
thereby permanently connecting
the components to pads. There are
two types of reflow ovens: infrared
(IR) and convection.
In IR reflow ovens, heating is
achieved by using IR ceramic heat-
ing elements. When assemblies are
moved in a specified direction con-
stantly into the conveyors, radiating
elements heat the components and
heat is moved to the solder paste.
In convection reflow ovens, the
PCB is transported through a con-
veyor system. It has multiple zones,
which can be individually controlled
for temperature.
Selection criteria for a desk-
top model of the reflow oven are
given below:
Welding requirement. Able to
satisfy all welding specifications of
0201 resistance and capacitance,
fine spacing QFP, SOP, PLCC, BGA
and CSP.
Size of oven. Able to consistently
reflow product at required speed to
meet production needs
Maximum board width. Maxi-
mum size of PCB the machine
can handle
Heating supply. IR ray or hot-air
convection
Temperature-control segments.
Maximum number of segments
that can be set and controlled for
temperature; control can be manual
or using a PC
electronics For You | november 2016 71
 buyers’ guide
General selection criteria for each desktop manufacturing equipment is that the apparatus
must be able to produce real parts from real production materials. For example, a desktop
CNC mill must be able to machine materials such as brass and aluminium, as well as wax.
Also, plastics production machinery can be used to fabricate parts large enough to be
used for a number of applications. Those who are familiar with computerised numerical
cutting know how great it can be for creating customised equipment and parts, hence,
making it ideal for home offices.
Component. Position, condition,
wrong polarity, alignment skewed,
leads bent or lifted and wrong value
Solder. Bridging, open, insuffi-
cient or short solder balls
Algorithms. Should be able to
scan components based on colour
and barcode
Programming skill level. Engi-
neer, technician or operator
Operating system. Of integral
computer
Assembled desktop 3D printer.
Fig. 5: Desktop AOI machine One area that remains largely
unexplored is the use of additive
Welding time. Time taken for manufacturing for electronics. Due
completion of welding of one board; to the complexity involved, develop-
expressed in minutes ment of 3D printers in the electron-
Compatibility. Lead and lead-free ics industry is still in its infancy.
reflow applications Once convergence of electronics and
Automatic or automated optical 3D printing matures, it will have
inspection, or AOI. This is an essen- staggering implications on PCBs and
tial tool in an integrated electronics rapid prototyping.
test strategy. It helps in fast and ac- While it is unlikely that 3D print-
curate inspection of PCBs to ensure ers for electronics will replace all
that the PCBs leaving the production traditional processes for in-house
line have been assembled correctly development of high-performance
and without manufacturing faults. electronic device applications,
The AOI machine is normally placed these will be particularly useful in
into the production line just after rapid prototyping.
the soldering process, so that the
defective card is removed from the Buying tips
assembly line at an early stage. The Facilities offered by a machine need
machine should be able to detect to be carefully analysed by matching
soldering and component defects. these against costs to ensure that
Specifications for evaluation and the choice made is correct for the
selection of an AOI are given below: particular production environment.
Throughput. Area scanning General selection criteria and buying
capability per second; number of tips for selection, which are applica-
components scanned per hour ble to all equipment and processes,
Maximum board size. Maximum are as under:
dimension that can be scanned; Nature of business. Whether
specified in length x breadth you want to be an original equip-
in millimetres ment manufacturer or contract/cus-
False calls. Percentage of false tom manufacturer, or both.
detection (<0.05% typical) Profile of the product. Relates
72 november 2016 | electronics For You
to parameters of the board includ-
ing size, complexity, components
density and range of components
to be mounted on the board; setup
for manufacturing of a motherboard
vastly differs from that of the con-
trol card of an AC.
Volume of production. Manual-
ly-operated machines are unsuitable
for high-volume production. On the
other side, fully-automated ones are
expensive in terms of initial as well
as running costs.
Quality of product. Machine and
process should make the product
meet industry or military standards.
Reliability. Once setup is
placed into service, it is critical
that it remains operational. Equip-
ment in the setup therefore should
withstand the rigors of production.
Maintenance downtime should
not be overlooked. Maintenance
requirements should be com-
pared carefully before selecting
the equipment.
Life cycle. Machine should pro-
vide seven to ten years of service.
Vendor credibility. Credibility of
manufacturer or vendor is of utmost
importance. Their experience, stand-
ing in the market, provision of train-
ing facilities, clause of maintenance
support, location of service centres,
provision of field service and avail-
ability of spares are some aspects
that must be considered.
Conclusion
Manufacturing setups for assem-
bling PCBs are very expensive in
terms of initial and running costs.
These are available from highly-
integrated as one setup to an
ensemble of stand-alone machines.
Once established, the facility must
remain operative for all times
except when under maintenance.
It is therefore imperative that
evaluation of machines is done on
the basis of the nature of busi-
ness, volume of production, profile
of product and dependability of
the vendor.
www.eFYmag.com
 Industry News
Electronic products policy to now On The Move
focus on exports Cognizant appoints Rajeev Mehta
NITI Aayog, the government of
India’s premier policy institute, has
dumped its ‘Make in India Strategy
for Electronic Products’ and has
floated another policy, which is
more export-oriented and favours
developing coastal economic zones.
The previous policy paper faced op-
position from Ministry of Electronics
& Information Technology, earlier
Department of Electronics and IT
(DeiTy), as well as reservations from
other stakeholders mainly because
of its domestic focus and emphasis
on semiconductors.
India’s domestic consumption
of electronics hardware was US$
63.6 billion in 2014-15, with imports
Worldwide semiconductor capital spending to decline
0.3 per cent in 2016
Worldwide semiconductor capital
spending is projected to decline 0.3
per cent in 2016, to US$ 64.6 billion,
according to Gartner Inc. This is up
slightly from the estimated 0.7 per
cent decline in Gartner’s previous
quarterly forecast. The market is
expected to return to growth in 2017,
increasing 7.4 per cent.
David Christensen, senior research
analyst at Gartner, has said, “Out-
look for equipment has improved
significantly as logic manufacturers
Solar installations in India cross 8.6GW
Cumulative solar installations in
India have reached 8643MW as of
September 2016. Mercom is forecast-
ing solar installations to reach ap-
proximately 4.8GW for calendar year
2016. So far, installations in calendar
year 2016 have reached 3.8GW.
www.efymag.com
Make in india
accounting for 58 per cent of the
total. NITI Aayog had initially come
out with a draft policy that sought to
attract global electronics manufactur-
ers to set up units in India and give
a push to Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s ‘Make in India’ project. The
draft policy suggested a ten-year tax
holiday for companies investing over
US$ 1 billion in electronics manufac-
turing or creating 20,000 jobs in India.
The same has now been junked
in favour of the proposal to set up
coastal economic zones for labour-
intensive sectors in the country,
much along the lines of China, to
enable manufacturers to tap overseas
markets without much difficulty.
focus their spending on ramping fabs
for the introduction of high-volume
ten-nanometre production in 2017 and
memory producers are focusing on
the move to 3D NAND flash.”
China remains something of a
wild card, after the announcement
of multiple fab projects that will aid
overall growth through the end of the
decade, while a stronger US dollar
in 2016 will remain a key factor in
determining revenue growth of semi-
conductor manufacturers.
Approximately 500MW of
solar has been installed in about a
month since Mercom last reported
installation figures for India. Four
states have crossed the 1GW solar
installation mark. Out of the 8.6GW
installed so far, Tamil Nadu,
as president
IT major Cognizant has appointed
company veteran Rajeev Mehta as its new
president. He replaces Gordon Coburn,
who has resigned from the company.
Mehta joined Cognizant in 1997.
Lt Gen Chandele appointed as
president of IETE
Lt Gen (Dr) AKS Chandele, PVSM,
AVSM, (Retd) has been appointed as
president, Institution of Electronics and
Telecommunication Engineers, India.
Established in 1953, the organisation
is devoted to the advancement of
electronics, telecommunications,
computers, information technology and
other related disciplines. The government
of India has recognised it as Scientific and
Industrial Research Organisation (SIRO)
and has also notified it as an Educational
Institution of National Eminence.
Cyient announces SVP, semiconductor
business unit head
Cyient, a global provider of engineering,
manufacturing, networks and operations
services and analytics solutions, has
announced the appointment of Suman
Narayan as senior vice president and
head for semiconductor business unit.
Narayan has over two decades of
experience in the semiconductor industry.
First woman director takes charge
at BEL
Anandi Ramalingam has taken charge as
director (marketing), at Navratna Defence
PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL). She
was general manager heading Military
Communication Strategic Business Unit
at BEL’s Bengaluru Complex prior to her
elevation.
Vinod Sawhny steps down as CEO,
Reliance Communications
Reliance Communication chief executive
officer (CEO) Vinod Sawhny has stepped
down from the post, citing personal
reasons. The company has mentioned
that William (Bill) Barney and Gurdeep
Singh will now function as acting co-
chief executives of the company with
immediate effect.
electronics for you | november 2016 73

Calendar of Forthcoming Electronics
Fairs/Exhibitions/Seminars/Events
Name, Date and Venue
CEF Shanghai 2016
November 8-10, 2016
Shanghai New International Expo
Centre (SNIEC), China
Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2016
November 15-18, 2016
Goa, India
World Robot Olympiad India 2016
November 25-27, 2016
New Delhi
Mechatronika 2016
December 7-9, 2016
Prague, Czech Republic
CeBIT India 2016
December 8-10, 2016
BIEC, Bengaluru
Mobile Broadband India 2016
December 14, 2016
Courtyard Marriott, Mumbai
IEEE International Conference
on Power Electronics, Drives
and Energy Systems
December 14-17, 2016
Trivandrum, India
Technovanza 2016
December 23-25, 2016
VJTI Campus, Pune
CES 2017
January 5-8, 2017
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
India Electronics Week
March 2-4, 2017
Bangalore International Exhibition
Centre, Bengaluru
Embedded World 2017
March 14-16, 2017
Nuremberg, Germany
IoT Summit 2017
March 16-17, 2017
Convention Center, Santa Clara,
California, USA
China Coil Winding and
Electronic Transformer Expo
2017
May 18-20, 2017
Shenzhen Convention and
Exhibition Center, China
Since this information is subject to change, all those interested are advised
to ascertain the details from the organisers before making any commitment.
Rajasthan, Gujarat and Andhra
Pradesh have had significant activ-
ity and account for 59 per cent of
total installations.
India currently has 14GW of
solar projects in various stages of
development and another 7GW
waiting to be auctioned. Solar instal-
lations are continuing to grow, even
with a slowdown in power demand,
a decline in capacity utilisation
74 november 2016 | electronics for you
Industry news
Home automation to drive
next phase of growth for
connected devices in India
Topics Contact address for details
Reos, a consumer hardware and
Topics include electronics and electrical, The Organizing Committee of China
consumer electronics and information and Electronics Fair software brand from Cube26, has
communications, technology Website: www.chinaexhibition.com released a survey on ‘The IoT In India
Helps identify and explore technology and Gartner Events
- What The Consumer Knows and
service providers to address specific needs Website: www.gartner.com Wants.’ The findings reveal that India
is currently at an early adoption stage
Event for science, technology and education WRO India
that brings together young people from all Website: www.wroboto.org and there is a need to create aware-
over the world to develop their creativity and
problem-solving skills through challenging and
ness. As per the survey, merely 22.5
educational robotics competitions per cent of the consumers surveyed
Topics include ICT, power electronics, sensors, Department of Air Defence Systems are familiar with the concept of the
EMC, actuators, modelling and simulation, Website: http://mechatronika.fel.cvut.cz/
robots, industrial applications, military Internet of Things (IoT), with maxi-
technologies, measurement and diagnostics,
bio-mechatronics, among others mum awareness seen in the 36–55 age
Innovation expo, powered by technology, CeBIT India
group. This shows that there is a huge
with focus on five hot trends Websit: www.cebit-india.com opportunity for increased adoption.
With advancement of Internet
Conference for telecoms to learn how to drive Bharat Exhibitions
Indian economy and bridge the digital divide Website: www.bharatexhibitions.com penetration, 65 per cent of smart-
phone users are connected 24/7 of
The conference provides a platform for Government Engineering College Thrissur
discussions, networking and publication of Website: www.pedes2016.org which 97.2 per cent access the Inter-
the benefits of power electronics and its allied net from home. The survey highlights
technologies
that currently only 21 per cent own
A techno-management event Technovanza IoT/connected devices that include
Website: http://technovanza.org/ 12 per cent wearables and nine per
cent home automation, while 51 per
Gathering place for those who thrive on the Consumer Technology Association
business of consumer technologies Website: www.ces.tech cent are inclined to experience con-
nected devices in the future majorly
An exhibition for the global electronics EFY Enterprises Pvt Ltd
industry showcasing concurrently seven Phone: +91-11-40596605 in the home automation segment.
events: Electronics For You Expo, DIY Expo, Website: www.indiaelectronicsweek.com
Electronics Rocks, T&M India, LED Asia,
Raksha India and IoT Show New initiative to boost
Fair with the focus exclusively on embedded Embedded World 2016
Digital India programme
technologies, it reflects the trends in the sector Website: www.embedded-world.de/en
Ministry of Electronics and IT (Me-
Forum to present and highlight the latest trends, Iot Summit 2017 itY) plans to deploy a chief informa-
products, applications, development and Website: www.iot-summit.org
business opportunities in the IoT tion technology officer (CITO) in the
various departments that come under
Professional exhibition for small motor, Wise Exhibition (Guangdong) Co. Ltd the ministries.
magnetic material, electronic transformer, coil Website: www.motor-expo.cn/En/
winding and insulation material As per MeitY’s ruling, a CITO will
be appointed in 34 departments and
ministries. The officer will be an-
swerable to the current IT secretary,
Aruna Sundararajan.
Further, to boost the govern-
among thermal projects, and avail- ment’s Digital India programme, the
ability of cheap power on power ministry has proposed to set up a na-
exchanges across the country. tional e-governance academy. A fund
According to Raj Prabhu, chief of US$ 74 million (` 5 billion) will be
executive officer of Mercom Capital set aside for this purpose.
Group, “The challenge will come To promote e-governance on a
next year when approximately 9GW national scale, the ministry has pro-
of solar power is forecast to be posed launching a mobile app called
installed. Unless the must-run status Umang. This app will function as a
for solar projects is strictly enforced, common platform across India for all
we will see some challenges.” government-related services.
www.efymag.com
 Snippets
Winners of the
ELCINA-EFY Awards 2015-16
Rajasthan gets 500,000 LED streetlights Exports
Rajasthan has become the first state to adopt the Large scale
centre’s Street Lighting National Programme in all First prize : SFO Technologies Pvt Ltd, Cochin
its urban local bodies. Almost 500,000 conventional Second prize : EPCOS India Pvt Ltd, Kalyani (WB)
Certificate of Merit : Cosmo Ferrites Ltd, Solan (HP)
streetlights have been replaced with LED streetlights
Medium scale
across the state. The project has been funded by
First prize : Sahasra Electronics Pvt Ltd, Noida
Energy Efficiency Services Ltd at no cost to the state. Second prize : Globe Capacitors Ltd, Faridabad
Certificate of Merit : Qmax Test Equipments Pvt Ltd, Chennai
ESDM space to get ` 2000 billion investment
Investments up to ` 2000 billion are expected in India in
Quality
the electronic system design and manufacturing (ESDM) Large scale
First prize : Salcomp Manufacturing India Pvt Ltd, Sriperumbudur (TN)
space within the next four years, says industry body India Second prize : SFO Technologies Pvt Ltd, Cochin
Electronics and Semiconductor Association. Its president Certificate of Merit : Astra Microwave Products Ltd, Hyderabad
M.N. Vidyashankar has said that applications cleared SME
at the central and state levels over the last two-and- First prize : Cubix Control Systems Pvt Ltd, Noida
half years are worth about ` 1500 billion, under various Second prize : SGS Tekniks Manufacturing Pvt Ltd, Gurgaon
programmes in the ESDM space. Research and development
Coal India to set up solar plants in four states First prize : Electronics Corp. of India Ltd, Hyderabad
Second prize : RenewSys India Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru
Coal India Ltd has signed an agreement with Solar Certificate of Merit : Matrix Comsec Pvt Ltd, Vadodara
Energy Corp. of India to set up power plants totalling a Certificate of Merit : Sattva Etech India Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru
capacity of 1GW, at various parts of the country.
In its annual report, Coal India has stated that in the
Excellence in innovation
first phase, it will set up two 100MW solar power plants First prize : Deepti Electronics & Electro-Optics Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru
Second prize : ELCOM International Pvt Ltd, Kolhapur
in Madhya Pradesh. In the second phase, it will develop
a capacity of 600MW in the solar parks of Madhya Environment management
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Maharashtra.
Large scale
HP to acquire Samsung printers First prize
Second prize
: Salcomp Manufacturing India Pvt Ltd, Sriperumbudur (TN)
: EPCOS India Pvt Ltd, Kalyani (WB)
HP Inc. has agreed to buy Samsung Electronics Co.’s Certificate of Merit : Astra Microwave Products Ltd, Hyderabad
printer business for US$ 1.05 billion, a deal designed SME
to help the Silicon Valley company expand into high- First prize : Elin Appliances Pvt Ltd, Solan (HP)
volume devices that handle printing and copying for
office work groups.
Business excellence
The transaction, which is subject to regulatory First prize : Sasmos HET Technologies Ltd, Bengaluru
Second prize : BlackPepper Technologies Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru
approval, is expected to close within 12 months. After it
Certificate of Merit : MyBox Technologies Pvt Ltd, New Delhi
is completed, Samsung has agreed to make an equity Special Certificate of Appreciation : SFO Technologies Pvt Ltd, Cochin
investment of US$ 100 million to US$ 300 million in HP
through open-market stock purchases. Entrepreneurial excellence
Panasonic aims for robust growth in India First prize (from an existing company) : N. Jahangir, vice chairman and managing director,
SFO Technologies Pvt Ltd, Cochin
Home appliances and consumer electronics major First prize (new company) : V.P. Sajeevan, founder and CEO,
Panasonic India has said it is aiming for 40 per cent ESY Tech Resources India Pvt Ltd, Gurgaon
Special recognition for innovative : Rahul Jain, director
growth in the current year, riding on the growing 4G approach to entrepreneurship FIEM Industries Ltd, Sonepat
handset market and the upcoming festive season.
Panasonic India president and chief executive,
Manish Sharma, has said that the company is aiming Special Jury Awards
at 20 per cent growth for consumer durables in 2016
Electronics Man of The Year:
compared to last year’s business of ` 40 billion, while Josh Foulger, managing director, FIH (India) – Foxconn, Sriperumbudur (TN)
the firm’s mobile phones division is expected to do a Exemplary contribution to defence technologies and electronics:
turnover of ` 25 billion in 2016, compared to ` 18 billion Dr G. Sateesh Reddy, scientific advisor to the defence minister and director general, DRDO
Outstanding contribution to innovation and development of the domestic supply chain:
last year. Vipin Tyagi, executive director, C-DOT, New Delhi
Champion for the India-Taiwan ESDM industry partnership:
Apple eyeing India for iPhone manufacturing Francis Tsai, Getac Technology Corp., Taiwan
On Apple CEO Tim Cook’s first visit to India, he Admirable SME with global outlook:
Sahasra Electronics Pvt Ltd, Noida
reportedly discussed manufacturing and retailing in Most vertically integrated company with exceptional contributions to manufacturing:
India, with PM Modi. He has announced the setting ELIN Electronics Ltd, New Delhi
up of an app development unit in Bengaluru and Outstanding EMS company with a global outlook:
SGS Tekniks Manufacturing Co. Pvt Ltd, Gurgaon
has opened a development centre for Apple Maps in
Outstanding EMS company of the year:
Hyderabad, with an investment of US$ 25 million. Dixon Technologies India Pvt Ltd, Noida

www.efymag.com electronics for you | november 2016 75

 make in india
Market Survey:
Catching The Pulse Of Medical
electronics Market
T
he strong growth of the Indian
economy also provides a boost to the
country’s healthcare industry. This, in
turn, creates a huge demand for electronic
components, devices and products that are
used for medical purposes. Medical elec-
tronics technology reinforces the existing
healthcare infrastructure in various ways,
right from digitising medical tests, diagnostic
Sudeshna Das is
senior executive and therapeutic procedures, to enhancing
editor at EFY the reach of healthcare through telemedicine
and health information technology.
A rise in the number of hospitals and an
increased requirement for healthcare facili-
ties create a need for sophisticated devices
and equipment, which can provide accurate
treatment to individuals. Medical electronics
equipment/devices enable control, conver-
sion, sensing, processing, storage, display and
transfer of information on human anatomy
and physiology by making use of electronics
and communication technologies.
This discourse will provide an overview
of the Indian medical electronics market with
respect to size, growth drivers, major seg-
ments, trends, opportunities and challenges.
There are varied understandings of what
constitute medical electronics. In this article,
medical electronics refers to all electronic
devices and equipment used in the diagnosis,
% GR
17 CA
R
AG l y sis 4.8
C a %
An - 19
o i tte 7%
l 1
De
2.5
2.2
1
1
2010 2015
Analysts Deloitte
Fig. 1: Indian medical electronics market (in US$ billion) (Source: FICCI-Deloitte report)
76 november 2016 | electronics For You
treatment and monitoring of patients. It does
not include surgical devices, consumables like
gloves, reagents and non-electronic implants
used in treatments like orthopaedic and dental.
Market opportunity
Use of electronic equipment in the medical
field for clinical and research purposes has
been enhanced tremendously in the past
few years. Human body generates numerous
signals that are highly significant for diagnosis
and therapy. These signals are collected from
the body surface or from within, through elec-
trodes of different sizes, shapes and types.
Moreover, there are non-electrical body pa-
rameters like temperature, blood flow, blood
pressure and respiratory functions that need
to be routinely monitored. These parameters
are converted into corresponding electric sig-
nals by various transducers, and here comes
the role of electronics. Extensive use of com-
puters and microprocessors is now introduced
in medical instruments designed to perform
routine clinical measurements, particularly in
those situations where data computing and
processing could be considered as part of
measurement and diagnostic procedures.
The medical electronics industry has
achieved double-digit growth in recent years,
and this growth trajectory is expected to con-
tinue owing to the rising incidence of chronic
6.4
diseases, increased urbanisation and a grow-
ing elderly population and increased aware-
ness about latest technology solutions to save,
augment life and rehabilitation.
According to a Deloitte report, the Indian
medical electronics device industry has been
growing at an average rate of 17 per cent for the
past few years and is expected to reach close to
US$ 6.5 billion by the year 2020 (Fig. 1).
Semiconductors play an important role
in shaping the medical electronics device
2020 market. That market, in turn, may represent
a significant growth opportunity for semicon-
ductor players.
www.eFYmag.com

Imaging
Equipment used to
measure recording data for
diagnostic applications
Key products
• Ultrasound scan
• X-ray
• CT scan
• MRI
• Gama camera
• Pulmonary function test
• Cath lab
• Holter recorder
• Echo colour doppler
• C-arm X-ray
• Others
Fig. 2: Classification of medical electronics equipment
Performance of medical electron-
ics devices relies on innovations
from semiconductor players—high-
ly-integrated microchip designs.
Use of semiconductors is critical
from power supplies to displays in
medical equipment. Semiconductors
are an integral part of most medical
equipment, starting from high-end
imaging to small handheld devices.
Role of semiconductor suppliers
becomes more critical as medical
equipment move towards portable
and smaller ones.
According to Frost & Sullivan, the
medical electronics market (includ-
ing final products and semiconduc-
tor components) in India is likely to
reach US$ 11.7 billion by 2017.
Growth drivers
Growth of this sector in the country
has been driven by various market
and non-market factors. Grow-
ing population, ageing fraction of
population, enhanced income base
and associated disposable income,
increasing socio-economic inclusion
of subalterns in the mainstream
economy are some market factors
that have created demand for cus-
tomised medical electronic products
to cater to the needs of all income
www.eFYmag.com
Medical electronics equipment
Patient monitoring system Therapeutic
Electronic medical device that Includes machine, instrument
measures a patient’s vital signs and or implants used for the
displays data so obtained treatment of any ailment
Key products Key products
• Bedside monitors • Ventilator
• Electrocardiogram • Syringe pump
• EEG, ENG • Infusion pump
• Others • Dialysis equipment
• Sleep lab
• Continual renal
replacement therapy
• Diathermy
• Heart-lung machine
• Anticoagulation timer
• Warmer/incubator
• Bubble scraper
• Others
segments, changing the disease
prevalence pattern.
Moreover, growing awareness
among the middle class to focus
on early detection and prevention
of non-communicable diseases like
cardiovascular diseases, diabetes,
cancer, strokes and chronic lung
diseases is expected to generate
demand for medical electronic
equipment and disposables. For
example, X-rays and other imaging
equipment, pathological analysers,
probes, mains and battery-operated
devices, mobile detection and
therapeutic equipment, equipment
for sanitising and infection proto-
cols, robotics and radio therapeutic
equipment, cardiovascular and
neurovascular detection, bionics,
systems along with modular life-
support systems, patient monitor-
ing, internal and external implants,
minimally-invasive and non-inva-
sive surgery, distant monitoring,
diagnosis and remedial manage-
ment will be in demand.
Further, various non-market
factors including favourable regu-
lations, FDI inflow, emergence of
India as a favourable destination for
outsourcing of manufacturing and
R&D activities and government ini-
Handheld/
homecare products
Electronic devices that enable
personal health monitoring
Key products
• Glucometer
• Digital thermometer
• SDB equipment
• Others
Key drivers for the
Indian medical
electronics market
 Economic growth leading to higher
disposable incomes
 Increased public spending in healthcare
 Increased private investment in
healthcare
 Increased penetration of health
insurance
 Emergence of new models of
healthcare delivery
 Public private partnership route to
innovation
tiatives to improve healthcare access
through insurance schemes will fuel
the growth of medical electronics.
Market mix
The medical electronics equipment/
devices can be broadly bucketed
under the following sub-categories
(Fig. 2):
• Imaging
• Patient monitoring system
• Therapeutic
• Handheld/homecare products
According to industry sources,
MRIs, CT scans, colour dopplers,
cath-labs and ultrasound scanners
are a few fast-moving categories
contributing to around 70 per cent
electronics For You | november 2016 77
 make in india
Handheld/homecare equipment mar-
Table I
ket is highly import-driven, mostly
SemIconducTor componenTS uSed In because these products are sold over
medIcal elecTronIcS the counter.
product/segment Widely-used semiconductor components Therefore the industry focus is
Medical imaging Microcontrollers, microprocessors, amplifiers, data converters, digital signal more on marketing rather than manu-
processors, application-specific standard products and application-specific facturing. However, digital thermom-
integrated circuits eters and hearing aids are being manu-
Patient monitoring Microcontrollers, sensors, ZigBee modules, application-specific integrated factured domestically by unorganised
systems circuits, rectifiers, amplifiers, controllers, EEPROMs players on a very small scale.
Digital hearing aids Microcontrollers, EEPROMs, linear accelerometers, comparators, amplifiers, Sourcing of semiconductor
audio processor integrated circuits and other application-specific integrated components (Table I) used in medi-
circuits
cal electronics is completely import-
Infusion pumps Microcontrollers, regulators, transistors, rectifiers, comparators, amplifiers,
dependent. Cost of electronic com-
sensors
ponents in medical devices varies
Source: IESA typically between 25 and 50 per
duction and imports. High-end pa- cent (Table II).
Emerging technologies tient monitoring systems are largely
in the Indian medical imported but relatively less complex Market trends
electronics market products with basic features are In India, medical devices need to be
manufactured locally. made for Indian operating conditions.
 Miniaturisation through efficient system- Increasing cases of chronic res- According to a Frost and Sullivan
on-chip designs
piratory diseases and kidney failure study, for providing healthcare, which
 Wireless integrated circuits
drive sales of ventilators and dialysis is universal, affordable and preven-
 Efficient power management
equipment, respectively. Ventilators tive in nature, the Indian medical
 Intelligent sensor
and dialysis equipment together electronics industry is shifting to-
 Connected information technology
account for around 50 per cent of wards developing miniaturised, mul-
infrastructure
the therapeutics market. Ventila- tifunctional, ultra-low-power, portable
(Source: Frost & Sullivan)
tors are mostly used in tertiary- and and reduced-cost devices that could
of the imaging market. This mar- secondary-level healthcare. Currently, be used for patient monitoring, imag-
ket is primarily catered by import. dialysis equipment is limited to met- ing, implantable, therapeutic and
Requirement of high precision ros and tier 1 cities catering to only surgical requirements.
level is the major hindrance for about five per cent of the patients in The wearable devices category,
domestic manufacturing of imaging need of dialysis. which is still a developing field in In-
equipment. CT scans and MRIs are More affordable products may dia, can potentially aid physicians to
high-value, low-volume equipment help the industry capture the un- offer extended care outside the clini-
used in tertiary care and high-end tapped market. Therapeutics market cal environment. This would bring
diagnostic labs. X-ray machines are has an almost equal contribution higher efficiency and increased access
the largest-selling imaging equip- from domestic manufacturing across tier 2 and tier 3 cities and
ment in terms of volume. and imports. High-end equipment rural India, while providing improved
The market for patient-monitor- like dialysis machines, biphasic healthcare delivery to urban India.
ing systems is a mature one, which defibrillation machines and the
is largely driven by replacement like are mainly imported. Lower- Policy support for Make in India
sales. Bedside monitors account for range therapeutic equipment are With the current Make in India vision
more than 50 per cent of the patient- manufactured domestically. in the country, there is a huge oppor-
monitoring systems market in India. Digital thermometers, glucom- tunity for growth and expansion of
These are available with various eters and digital hearing aids are the medical electronics industry. Un-
features depending on the number some fast-moving products in the ion Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley, in
of parameters displayed. Moreover, handheld/homecare equipment his budget speech, urged the industry
electrocardiogram machines are market. Glucometers contribute to to invest in manufacturing medical
another important product under around 57 per cent of this market. equipment in India. Prime Minister
this category. An increasing number of diabe- Narendra Modi also made a statement
The patient monitoring system tes cases drive the blood glucose that medical equipment was gaining
market is catered by domestic pro- monitoring equipment market. increasing importance in the field of

78 november 2016 | electronics For You www.eFYmag.com


coST of SemIconducTor componenTS uSed In medIcal elecTronIcS*
ecG
Cost of the ` 25,000 - ` 125,000
product (US$ 530 - US$ 2669)
Per cent cost 25%
of electronic
components**
Per cent of 80 to 90 per cent of the electronic components are imported
imports
Key import The USA, Germany, France, China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Korea
locations
*Indicative; **Includes semiconductor cost; Source: IESA
healthcare, and the need of the hour
is for India to manufacture such
equipment, as part of Make in India
programme.
The National Policy on Electron-
ics has medical electronics as one
of the thrust areas and provides for
financial incentives for medical elec-
tronics manufacturing not only for
new units but also for units relocat-
ing from outside India. The Drugs
and Cosmetics (Amendment) Bill,
2013, is now considering recognising
medical devices as a separate cat-
egory from pharmaceutical products
in the regulatory structure. A strong
framework that provides for medical
devices standards in India is impera-
tive to boost domestic manufactur-
ing, bring in reliability and better
time to market new technologies in
medical electronics.
Recently, a memorandum of
understanding was signed between
Society for Applied Microwave
Electronics Engineering & Research
(SAMEER) and the government of
Andhra Pradesh, on conducting
joint and comprehensive assessment
of health technologies as identified,
starting with dual-energy linear
accelerators for cancer care develop-
ment. SAMEER is an R&D laboratory
of the Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology, govern-
ment of India, mandated to contrib-
ute towards the growth of science
and technology of radio frequency/
microwave electronics, electromag-
www.eFYmag.com
Table II
eeG bedside monitor cath lab
` 125,000 Upto ` 200,000 ` 10,000,000
(US$ 2669) (US$ 4255) (US$ 0.2mn)
25% 35% 25%
netic interference/compatibility
and allied areas through intensive
research, design, development and
industrial applications.
Moving forward
The Indian medical electronics indus-
try is till date highly under-invested
and import-driven. According to a
Boston Consulting Group report, In-
dia imports an estimated 70 per cent
of medical devices. Lack of maturity
in this sector with respect to penetra-
tion, accessibility, affordability and
awareness possess major constraint
for the growth of this sector in
India. Moreover, nascent regulatory
environment, no distinct status of the
industry, need for quality benchmark
at par with global standards and high
capex requirement also slow down
the growth of the indigenous manu-
facturing ecosystem.
However, an FICCI report
cited examples showing a slow
but gradual move towards Make in
India in this sector. Sector players
have undertaken endeavours to start
manufacturing innovative products
in India, which are suitable for do-
mestic as well as overseas markets.
For example, Transasia Biomedicals
has developed in-vitro diagnostic
equipment through its R&D base
in Mumbai, Roche Diagnostics has
developed a screening device for
cardio-vascular diseases, suitable for
use in rural settings, and GE Health-
care has developed a low-cost ECG
mammography digital hearing aid
` 1,000,000 - ` 1,500,000 ` 10,000 - ` 40,000
(US$ 21,000 - US$ 31,915) (US$ 210 - US$ 850)
35% 50%
machine and a low-cost ultrasound
machine for the Indian market.
Philips Healthcare has been using
its recent acquisitions in India to
develop and launch a low-cost cath
lab for the Indian market.
The same report also mentions
global investment in this sector.
Global companies have started con-
sidering India as a manufacturing
base by either setting up facilities of
their own or by acquiring domes-
tic manufacturers. Some examples
include 3M’s manufacturing plant in
Pune, Becton Dickinson’s manufac-
turing facility in Haryana, Hollister’s
setting up manufacturing facility in
India and Philips Medical Systems’
acquisition of Medtronics and Alpha
X-Ray Technologies.
Medical technology parks have
been proposed by the government
in addition to existing parks to
encourage domestic manufacturing
of medical equipment. Inflow of FDI
will spur both R&D and manufactur-
ing, in turn, increasing the efficiency
and effectiveness of medical elec-
tronics products.
Advancement of medical
electronics product quality and
associated successful diagnostic
rates are expected to create a spurt
in adoption. India as an emerging
market continues to be relevant in
the global medical electronics space,
not just from a market point of view,
but also as a global hub for innova-
tion and manufacturing.
electronics For You | november 2016 79
 New Products
COMPONENTS
Pushbutton switches
SCHURTER’s MSM LA and MSM LA
CS latching-action stainless steel and
ceramic surface
push-button switch-
es are available
with a maximum
rated switching
current of 16 A at
250V AC, up-rated from 12A. De-
signed for primary on/off switching,
the up-rating on MSM LA and LA CS
expands on their suitability for use in
appliances with higher loads.
Schurter Electronics (India) Pvt Ltd
www.schurter.co.in
Microcontrollers
Renesas Electronics has announced
RL78/G11 group of microcontrollers,
a group of small-package, low-power
microcon-
trollers that
will enable you
to easily and
more quickly prototype and develop
systems that support low-power sensor
hubs and sensor application systems.
Designed to connect to multiple sen-
sors and convert the sensor output
signals to digital data, these compact
sensor hubs are used in a wide range
of applications.
Renesas Electronics Corp.
www.renesas.com
MEMS oscillators
Microchip Technology has announced
the DSC6000 family of micro-electro-
80 november 2016 | electronics For You
Make in india
mechanical systems (MEMS) oscilla-
tors. These oscillators are excellent
for use as clock references in small,
battery-powered devices such as
wearables and the Internet of Things
(IoT) devices in which small size, low
power consumption and long-term reli-
ability are paramount. They also meet
the stringent mechanical durability and
reliability requirements within Auto-
motive Electronics Council standard
Q100 (AEC-Q100).
Microchip Technology Inc.
www.microchip.com
TEST & MEASUREMENT Particle sensor
Thermal imaging camera
FLIR Exx-Series, the advanced thermal
imaging camera, troubleshoots more
efficiently and faster,
finds hotspots, over-
heated equipment’s,
creates detailed
reports and shares
images. Temperature
range up to 650°C
helps you meas-
ure hotter-running
equipment more
accurately, so you
know whether it is
operating safely or
not with an accuracy ±2°C. Available
IR resolutions are 160 × 120 pixels,
240 × 180 pixels and 320 × 240 pix-
els, with 25°x19° field-of-view.
FLIR Systems India Pvt Ltd
www.flir.in
Digital timers
Shavison has launched a series of
digital timers, which are of four types
(push wheel, 3-digit single display,
3-digit dual display and multifunction,
three sizes (48mm x 48mm, 72mm
x 72mm and 96mm x
96mm). These
are availabe
in six operat-
ing modes (on
delay, interval,
cyclic on first or off first, instantaneous
and delayed, forward-pause- reverse
and batch counting). The push wheel
timer is switch-selectable with down-
counting mode having DIP switches on
rear side. Other three types of timers
are programmable with user-friendly
menus.
Shavison Electronics Pvt Ltd
www.shavison.com
Toshniwal Sensing Devices offers a
particulate matter sensor, PPD42NJ,
for indoor air quality. It detects air-
bourne particles
in a room. The
sensor is highly
sensitive and can
detect particles
such as smoke,
pollen and dust, which are larger than
one micron and can trigger many
allergic symptoms. Based on the light-
scattering method, pulse output that
corresponds to concentration per unit
volume of particles can be obtained.
Toshniwal Sensing Devices Pvt Ltd
www.tsdpl.com
Cord flexing tester
Mangal Instrumentation has intro-
duced a cord flex-
ing tester with load
for the moulded
power cord used
in electrical ap-
pliances. The tester is used to assure
user safety from any short-circuiting
at flexible points of the power cords. It
www.eFYmag.com
is used for continuous bending tests
by swivelling movements to check the
supply cord where it enters the appli-
ance as per BIS/international standard
requirements.
Mangal Instrumentation
www.mangalinstrumentation.com
Digital multimeter
KUSAM-MECO has introduced an in-
novative digital multimeter-cum LCR
meter (Model-306). It
has three 1⁄2-digit 1999
counts LCD display. It
measures DC voltage
ranges from 100μV to
1000V, in five ranges,
that is, 200mV/ 2V/
20V/ 200V/ 1000V
DC, with voltage basic
accuracy of ±0.5%.
This multimeter
can test diode and
continuity also. It operates on a single
standard 9V battery.
In-circuit debugger, programmer
Cyclone Universal FX is an extremely-
flexible tool designed for in-circuit
flash programming, debugging and
testing of many 8-/16-/32-bit mi-
crocontrollers from NXP, as well as
ARM Cortex devices from a variety
of manufacturers. By connecting to a
debug header
on the target,
Cyclone can
program,
test or debug
internal memory on a supported
processor or external flash connected
to the processor’s address/data bus,
in-circuit. The processor or memory
device can be mounted on the final
PCB before programming.
Uchi Embedded Solutions
www.uchiembedded.co.in
MISCELLEANOUS
it provides real-time intelligence to
quickly and effectively make deci-
sions, adaptive
manufacturing
to avoid poten-
tial downtime
and distrib-
uted control
to provide re-
dundancy. The pocket IO provides the
following key advantages to increase
productivity:
• Real-time intelligence
• Adaptive manufacturing
• Distributed control
Maxim Integrated
www.maximintegrated.com
BLDC motor solution
ROHM Semiconductor has introduced
its path-breaking solutions for driving
BLDC motors in India. These solu-
tions, compared to the less-expensive
AC induction motors, are easy to
control and around 50 per cent more

Kusam Electrical Industries Ltd

Single-display console efficient, thereby reducing power
www.kusamelectrical.com, This single-display console is made for consumption in home appliances and
www.kusam-meco.co.in warships, and is a welded construc- industrial equipment. These solutions
tion of heavy-duty aluminium HE 30 are designed with features to reduce
Power Analyser alloy extrusions and design time and, hence, enable a
Anritsu introduces Power Master sheets. All hard- faster time-to-market.
MA24507A, an ultraportable, millime- ware is suitable for
ROHM Semiconductor India Pvt Ltd
tre-wave (mmWave) power analyser naval applications. www.rohm.com
that enables The display angle
simple, numeric, can be made IoT development platform
frequency based adjustable and WaRP7 development platform
measurement of keyboard fold- presents a new opportunity for IoT
RF power from able. The console and wearable device designers. The
9kHz to 70GHz. can house any platform enables a shorter time-to-
It leverages modular sub-rack market and addresses key IoT and
Anritsu’s pat- like VME, CPCI wearables challenges, including bat-
ented Shockline or a rugged workstation. It comes with tery life, connectivity, usability (user
technology, along forced air-cooling with an option to experience) and miniaturisation.
with its leader- choose air entry and exhaust based on Though a tiny form factor (main CPU
ship in ultra-port- cooling paths. is approximately 2cm x 4cm), WaRP7
able test solution is flexible and offers all advantages
Dinrack Integrated Systems Pvt Ltd
design to address the growing number www.dinrackis.com of traditional development tools. The
of test requirements in mmWave ap- open source design allows develop-
plications, including test of 802.11ad, PLC development platform ers to take the platform as a starting
wireless HD and e-band products, at Maxim’s pocket IO PLC development point and innovate without licensing
every stage of the product lifecycle. platform redefines how factories restrictions.
Anritsu India Pvt Ltd
operate and enable Industry 4.0 ap- NXP Semiconductors
www.anritsu.com plications. To maximise productivity, www.nxp.com

www.eFYmag.com electronics For You | november 2016 81


Escape Into The Fascinating World Of
Control Simulation and deSign
MPLAB X IDE
MPLAB X integrated development en-
vironment (IDE) is a must-have open
source software program. It is based
on NetBeans IDE from Oracle. This
software consists of the most recent
advancements, features and extensible
architecture an engineer working on
microchip, microcontrollers and digi-
tal signal controllers would expect.
Specially bundled into this DVD,
the software runs on any platform
such as Windows, Mac OS or Linux.
Features are clubbed into the IDE,
because it provides a single integrated
environment to develop code for em-
bedded microcontrollers.
ASEM-51
ASEM-51 is a two-pass macro as-
sembler for Intel MCS-51 family of
microcontrollers. ASEM-51 assembly
language is based on the standard Intel
syntax and implements conditional as-
semblies and macros, and includes file
processing. The assembler can output
object code in Intel-HEX or Intel OMF-
51 format as well as a detailed list file.
ASEM-51 package includes more than
200 8051 derivatives and a bootstrap
program for MCS-51 target boards. This
software also runs seamlessly on MS-
DOS, Windows and Linux platforms.
Express PCB
The software facilitates designing and
efficient manufacturing of double-
sided and four-layered PCBs, thereby
solving the manufacturing problem of
achieving greater turnaround time for
prototyping. The user interface and
functionality is designed to be very
easy, and requires only a couple of
hours to get used to.
This software easily adapts itself
to any platform but works seamlessly
82 november 2016 | electronics For You
efy dvd
ShanoSh Kumar
Modules provide functionality
Some popular resources such as connectivity to equipment
OpenCV. Also called open source computer vision, using data sources, graphical user
it facilitates computational efficiency for real-time
applications such as camera calibration, image interfaces, dashboards, language
data manipulation, motion analysis and so on. The translations, themes and so on. The
software is written in optimised C/C++ so that the core and modules of this software are
library can take advantage of multi-core processing.
It has C++, C, Python and Java interfaces. It runs supported by a Web based user inter-
seamlessly on Windows, Linux, Mac OS, iOS and face on the foreground, and the ap-
Android platforms.
matplotlib. This is a Python library for making
plication could be run from anywhere
publication-quality plots using a syntax familiar to in the world through the Internet.
MATLAB users. This software helps you to generate
plots, histograms, power spectra, bar charts, Sprint-Layout 6.0
error charts, scatter plots and the like, using just
a few lines of code. Outputs generated can also Sprint-Layout is a perfect tool for
be exported into PDF, Postscript, SVG and PNG creating single-sided and double-
formats, as well as used for screen display. The user
interface is designed to provide an object-oriented sided PCBs. The software comes with
interface with functions familiar to MATLAB such all functions that are necessary for
as full control of line styles, font properties, axes board design. It supports professional
properties, etc.
GNS3. A graphical network simulator, GNS3 features like export of Gerber files
allows you to design complex network topologies for professional manufacturing or for
as well as configure virtual networks. You can isolation milling with CNC machines.
run simulations or configure devices ranging from
simple workstations to powerful Cisco routers.
Fedora Workstation
on Windows, including the latest Fedora is an operating system based
Microsoft Windows 10 edition. As a on Linux kernel. This operating sys-
beginner, you could get started with tem comes pre-installed with a wide
drawing a schematic by inserting range of software such as LibreOffice,
component footprints and dragging Google Chrome, Java Iced Tea, Adobe
these into position. Connecting the Flash Player, Skype and Firefox. If
pins by drawing traces is quite easy. additional software is required, there
As a professional, you can go about are software repositories that can be
extensively designing complex boards installed using DNF package manager
that could be made production-ready or GNOME software.
with great ease. You will find it similar to Debi-
anBlends while working on Fedora,
Mango Automation as it also facilitates custom varia-
Mango Automation is supervisory con- tions of Fedora called Fedora Spins
trol and data acquisition (SCADA) soft- or Fedora Editions. These are built
ware for industrial control. Developers with specific sets of software pack-
of this software have coded down ages that offer alternative desktop
its core in Java, and it can run on environments as well as supplement
any platform that supports Java. The specific interests such as gaming,
core provides all base services that security, design, education, robotics
this SCADA application uses, while and scientific computing.
modules could be plugged to the core Shanosh Kumar is technology journalist at EFY. He is
instance by copying into a sub-directo- BCA from Bangalore University and MBA from Christ
ry to create a SCADA application. University, Bengaluru
www.eFYmag.com
 efy dvd

PROTEUS For Electronic Design

Automation
Priya ravindran

T
his generation (Gen Y, born be-
tween the 1980’s and the year
2000) constantly gets bored. It
is forever looking for something new
and exciting, and everyone is willing
to try different things as long as they
can derive a good experience out of
it. Be it in any field, it is difficult to
stand out today simply because of
the problem of plenty. Looking at the
website of Proteus, I must say they
are taking this aspect seriously.
Proteus design suite is a package
put together by Labcenter Electronics
to give you a novel simulation and
printed circuit board (PCB) design-
ing experience. What makes this tool Fig. 1: Visual Designer for Arduino
special? What new does it have to
offer? Read on to know. Standard measuring instruments with Visual Designer
Proteus design kit has about 785  Fully-featured four-channel digital storage oscilloscope with measurement cursors
microcontroller variants ready for  Counter/timer instrument for measuring time intervals and signal frequency
simulation, straight from the sche-  DC and AC voltmeters and ammeters
matic. Be it Atmel, Microchip or ARM,  Dual-mode (master/slave) serial peripheral interface protocol analyser
once you get a hang of the tool, you  Pattern generator for creating 8-bit by 1kb digital data streams
need not worry about the impending  40-channel logic analyser with capture buffer and measurement cursors
 RS232 terminal with configurable baud rate, data/stop bits and polarity
platform. Let us begin by considering
 Dual-mode (master/slave) inter-integrated circuit protocol analyser
one of the most popular microcon-  Signal generator to inject square, saw-tooth, triangle and sine waves
troller kits among students, Arduino.  An advanced simulation feature that lets you perform analysis on graphs, and even
conformal analysis
Visual Designer for Arduino
Visual Designer in Proteus takes a need different peripherals for the cable, making the required configu-
cue from Arduino itself, removing the various sensors, one for the wheels rations and clicking to transfer the
lower-level complexities of software and another for the motor. The corre- flowchart into the board. PICs can
language and hardware design. It uses sponding microcontroller is automati- be simulated in real time, letting you
a combination of its trademark Virtual cally updated with connection details. test circuit functionality effectively.
System Modeling simulation—which Visual Designer allows you to set
we will come to later—flowcharts breakpoints at which you need to Shortened lifecycle
and virtual hardware, resulting in an debug the course of the robot and from schematic to PCB
integrated and intuitive development perform simulations around it. To It is VSM simulation that brings in
environment for Arduino. help you get started, the kit pro- Agile development into the embed-
Depending on the device you want vides ready-to-use Arduino shields, ded workflow, enabling you to
to connect to Proteus, you can config- breakout boards and sensors in its quickly put together a prototype with
ure the peripheral accordingly and use peripheral gallery. Transferring the hardware and firmware components.
high-level methods to control it. If you data to Arduino board simply re- The inbuilt processor model is built
are attaching, say, a robot, you might quires plugging in the programming to fully simulate input/output ports,

www.efymag.com electronics for you Plus | november 2016 1i


Fig. 2: Shape based auto router before and after routing on a six-layer PCB
interrupts, timers, universal synchro-
nous/asynchronous receiver/transmit-
ters and all other peripherals present
on each supported processor.
Giving you the flexibility to inter-
act with your design using onscreen
indicators such as LCD and LED
displays, and actuators, you can apply
your firmware to the microcontroller
of your choice and co-simulate the
program within a mixed-mode simula-
tion program with integrated circuit
emphasis (SPICE) circuit simulation.
If coding is your forte, take the design
flowchart back to its Arduino C++
code, or convert it to an Arduino
sketch and play with the code.
A resourceful kit. Proteus design
kit contains thousands of common
parts you would need. It allows you
to import more using BSDL format.
The physical and electrical designs
can be viewed as grids, paving the
way for easier cross-probing and
component or net selection. Hier-
archical designs and system level
designs are just a few clicks away.
A powerful PCB design suite
Combining the schematic capture
and ARES PCB layout programs, this
2
ii november 2016 | electronics for you Plus
efy dvd
design suite targets PCB designs
with a professional touch. The next
section discusses a few of the stand-
out features of this layout designer.
In addition to these, the tool sup-
ports 16 copper layers, 10nm resolu-
tion and any angle placement. There
is also support for power planes,
letting you place polygonal regions
within which inner boundaries are
automatically created around exist-
ing pads and tracks.
Intelligent routing. The wiring
process is intuitive. Called Follow-
Me Routing, the control is in your
hands, giving you the best-fit route
within designated constraints. As
you move the mouse, so does the
wiring, linking together the parts of
your schematic. And once a base is
done, you can create a design snip-
pet to import into a future project.
The snippet can range from a
simple rectifier circuit to the model-
ling of a USB engine, or can simply
be a template containing basic
layout information like boundaries
and holes. It goes without saying
that schematic hierarchies and logic
schematic designs are fully sup-
ported by the tool.
Go the manual way... The one
thing layout designers have a tough
time getting right is congestion
release—tight spaces with too many
wires that can neither be re-routed
easily nor done without. It is a matter
of trial and error, a process that is
eased a bit in Proteus by letting you
add via connections to pads, aka
surface mount technology.
Manual routing can also create
curved tracks by holding down ctrl
key, and thick tracks are automatical-
ly necked to fit in with the set rules.
You can also logically or globally
control the size and diameter of tear-
drops, as required. To make sure you
do not violate rules, a live status for
connectivity and design rules can be
found at the bottom of the screen.
… Or exploit the auto feature.
What the auto-router gives you is
flexibility. How is that? Because auto-
routing is shape based. A quick and
an easy fix to your design rule viola-
tions! Using advanced cost based
conflict-reduction algorithms proven
to maximise completion rates on even
the most densely-packed boards,
the router gives you the best routing
possible under given circumstances.
Advanced-level users also drive the
router either by writing custom rout-
ing scripts or by directly entering
routing commands interactively, to
route particular areas or specify fan-
out criteria.
Handling large numbers of pins
Schematic Capture is designed to
aid a high degree of control over
the drawing appearance, be it line
widths, fill styles or fonts; extending
this to the layout graphics, too. Deal-
ing with a ball-grid array or a high
pin count device can be tricky. The
sheer volume complicates everything
from connection to routing.
To handle this easily, Proteus lets
you first bring in the component defi-
nition directly from the manufacturer’s
boundary scan description language
file. You can then split these into
smaller, more manageable elements
www.efymag.com
 Make notes as you create
Project Notes, an application module for adding documentation or written content, comes
with Proteus. This free-form editor lets you add whatever you wish to, in the style you
choose. There are available templates for engineering change orders, PCB specifications
and the like. You can even link these to real components on the system, providing a quick
look-up table, if need be. It also turns out to be a handy navigation tool.
using a component separator option,
or even re-arranging the pins, while
preserving boundary scan description
language file as it is.
PCB layout uses LPC standard
footprint, but you can create your
own custom footprint using tools
like PCB Library Export and im-
port the pad’s ASCII format into
Proteus. If being used in a field-
programmable gate array, change
in pin-mapping can be loaded into
the package tool and then used
to update Proteus with the latest
details. The only requirement is that
the PCB net classes and design rules
should be set up before starting with
the layout, so as to keep the tool
informed of the next alpha traces
and aid manoeuvring between high
pin devices.
Design rules can also be custom-
generated according to the entire
design for net classes, trace and via
styles, clearances and more. At pre-
production stage, the PCB tool runs
a quality-assurance check, checks
for power plane geometry and
integrity, and tests to spot common
design errors.
The bombarded view
and the BOM
A 3D viewer lets you see your PCB
in all its fullness. Apart from simply
looking at your board from a 3D
viewpoint, this feature can strip
down the design to a bare board,
letting you inspect tracks and vias
or zoom in on a specific part. With
built-in standard for the exchange
of product model data and initial
graphics exchange specification sup-
port, you can import these models
to view your components in 3D and
export your whole board at the end,
www.efymag.com
to use with any mechanical comput-
er-aided design tool.
The thing about bill of materials
(BOM) in Proteus is the fact that it
is fully customisable. You can work
with multiple components at once
and, more importantly, generate it
in the style used by the company
in question.
Kicking grounds backstage
Proteus has been put to good use
in various industry segments, right
from design to verification. Elec-
tronic airfield ground equipment,
underground pipeline corrosion
engineering, vehicle dashboards,
musical instrument digital interface
converters and Hi-Z USB audio
interfaces, truck braking systems
and industrial elevators are some
of the areas Proteus has found its
way into.
With features and flexible licens-
ing, Proteus is also an in-demand
tool at colleges to aid courses
dealing with electronics, microcon-
trollers and PCB designing.
Proteus Lite is a shareware-
licensed tear-down version of the
original, providing limited but
meaningful functionality. Built for
Windows, Proteus 8.5 is the latest
release from the team that is making
a presence at major conferences.
Commercial licences for tool
usage can be obtained at www.lab-
center.com/purchasing. Get an instant
online quotation according to the
level of advancement you require,
and take it from there; have the kit
delivered at your doorstep.
Priya Ravindran is M.Sc (electronics) from VIT Uni-
versity, Vellore, Tamil Nadu. She loves to explore
new avenues and is passionate about writing
electronics for you Plus | november 2016 iii
3
 efy dvd

Gerbv: The Gerber Viewer

Priya ravindran

T
he period between design
completion and printed
circuit board (PCB) manufac-
turing can be tricky. First, you need
to completely validate the layout
you have created. Once you have
finalised it but the fabrication unit
finds faults, the layout has to be
thoroughly analysed, errors have to
be spotted and corrected, and any
other suggestions to be implement-
ed, in order to get the board you
dreamt of.
Gerbv is a tool that lets you
view, print and edit Gerber files—
the ones that act as an input for
producing a PCB. You can analyse
and validate your file’s syntax, code
count, aperture usage and other
such factors. This could be your
solution to problems during the
computer-aided manufacturing stage Fig. 1: A PCB for your IC
of your board.

Input plenty, output plenty
as well
The file sent in to Gerbv could be in
formats like RS-274X, Excellon drill
and pick-place. Pick-place formats
contain x and y axes information,
rotation details and placement side,
and are of comma-separated ASCII
(.csv) type. Your job is made easier
as the tool automatically reads and
detects the file format when multi-
ple formats are fed as inputs.
These files are typically gener-
ated by computer-aided manufactur-
ing export function of your layout
tool. Once generated, this tool is one
of your best choices to manipulate
its details. When you are done with
all the viewing and editing, Gerbv
lets you export the files in formats
suited to your application. Support-
ed formats include the very popular
What you need to know about Gerber
A Gerber file is typically the output from a PCB computer-aided designing tool, the one that is
sent for manufacturing your PCB. It generally follows one of the two standards, RS-274D or
the more recent RS-274X; main difference being inclusion of aperture format.
Each layer of your design, like top silk and metal layers, is stored in separate files, all of
which have to be included in Gerbv for a wholesome picture. There are many other tools that
deal in Gerber files like GerbvQt, Pcb2gcode, Gerber2tiff and GBTiler, to name a few.
png or pdf formats, and even ps or study the numerous traces zigzag-
svg file types. ging everywhere.
This is something you can do
A layered approach with ease using Gerbv. You can
As you progress into better and view layers individually, combine
more complicated layouts, the first the selected few layers and even
noticeable change is the increase in change layer polarity for negative
number of layers; the manufacturer or positive display. The layers can
permitting the same, of course. The also be stacked up in any order as
moment this comes into picture, so you please, by simply dragging and
does design complexity. dropping these—definitely a boon
Needless to say, verification is a when trying to analyse traces travel-
challenge. The best way is to strip ling over multiple layers.
down the design layer by layer and With Cairo, you can make the

iv november 2016 | electronics For You Plus www.eFYmag.com

layers semi-transparent and eas-
ily visualise your board’s stack up.
The feature brings you the feel of
a three-dimensional cuboid. Gerbv
also supports complex layer opera-
tions like knockout. You can also
perform functions such as and, or,
xor and invert.
Juggle a number of files. If you
are working with multiple Gerber
files, you can superimpose these,
placing one on top of the other. As
a general practice, upper layer is
the top metal layer. This approach
prominently helps you compare two
supposedly identical layouts to spot
differences easily, or to see how it
might look if the different designs are
combined together, although routing
will certainly be different then.
Fig. 2: Tracing your connections using Gerbv
Compare and contrast
You might have to create an up- All about the core library Go the developer way or
graded version of a previously-man- Core of the software is contained choose the GUI
ufactured PCB. It is natural to want in a library called libgerbv. This is While you could choose to go with
to compare your new board with the available as a separate library in command mode interface, the soft-
original, or your reference board, to order to allow other software to ware comes with a simple, no-fuss
get the measurements right and the easily incorporate advanced Gerber graphical user interface (GUI). Built
components in perfect place. This is functionality. This allows you to on a regular window base with a
exactly where Gerbv comes in. incorporate Gerber parsing, edit- plain and simple structure, it offers
The program lets you open sev- ing, exporting or rendering into the perfect viewing scenario for
eral circuit designs at the same time, other programs. Gerber files. The background also
with windows showing up on top Compatibility comes as a boon proves a worthy aid to drill, pick
of one another. Comparison is easy to you if you have to shift between and place due to clarity and ease
and so is measurement. You can tools. Core also comes with code of identification.
choose to have the scale show up in documentation that is built to help Viewing layer properties, select-
centimetres, millimetres or inches. new users fast track their under- ing or deleting objects, modifying
Maneuvering through the standing of Gerbv. Documentation, layer orientation, zooming in and
various tabs on the screen is easy, which can be found at http://gerbv. out, making measurements and cus-
with a simple interface that leaves geda-project.org/doxygen/index.html, tomising background colour, all these
all controls at the top. The layers details the libgerbv application pro- happen with a click of the mouse.
you are sifting through can be ac- gramming interface with examples, Gerbv supports auto-scaling to
cessed via the tabs on left side of source codes and makefiles to help make your design fit the size of your
the window. you make a quick start. screen. There are also a couple of

For More
Test and Equipment Stories
Visit www.electronicsb2b.com

www.eFYmag.com electronics For You Plus | november 2016 v


handy options like benchmarks and
multiple rendering modes for layers.
Handling projects
the easy way
Loading projects on Gerbv is easy.
Simply use the switch –p or –-pro-
ject and you can see the layers you
designed populating the screen. Just
make sure that the project and Ger-
ber files are held in the same folder.
Creating a new project is as
straight-forward as creating a bunch
of layers, specifying the colours for
each, along with background and
stackup details, finally combining
the entire set into a project of your
own. You can also save sessions,
creating your own hibernate for
your design.
Getting your first steps right
The initial setup is simple. With
the package available on many
repositories, you can simply use
vi november 2016 | electronics For You Plus
efy dvd
Get to know your tool
Operating system supported: Linux native; Windows version is available for beta testing
Licence: GPL/free
Supported by: gEDA
Author: Stefan Petersen
Latest release: Version 2.6.1
File format supported: RS-274X
Does not support: RS-274D files
Software repositories with Gerbv: Debian package, Fedora/Red hat, NetBSD, FreeBSD, SuSE
Built and tested on: Linux, NetBSD, Solaris, FreeBSD platforms
- Charles Lepple has built the same on Mac OS using fink.
The little things:
- Can display different drill file formats like Excellon
- Can load unlimited layers simultaneously
- Can handle aperture macros with up to ten levels of recursion
Before beginning with Gerbv, download GTK+ and Cairo packages, a graphical toolkit and a
graphics library, respectively.
your favourite yum or apt-get com- requirements and light up your
mands to download the files into screen just right.
your personal computer. Just make
sure that the tool has the neces- Priya Ravindran is M.Sc (electronics) from VIT
sary graphics support from GTK+ University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu. She loves to ex-
and Cairo to meet your graphics plore new avenues and is passionate about writing
www.eFYmag.com

GEZEL: Your Open Source
HDL Solution
I
n this edition of Electronics for
You Plus we have bundled in the
DVD a nice little software capa-
ble of simulation, co-simulation as
well as compiling into VHDL code.
Its name is GEZEL and it is distrib-
uted for free by Patrick Schaumont
and the team.
It is a hardware description
language (HDL), which allows you
the implementation of a finite-state
machine and datapath model. This
model can be accurately described
as a mathematical abstraction that
is sometimes used to design digi-
tal logic or computer programs. It
consists of states that are essentially
used to assign sequences. For exam-
ple, a program is converted into a
state diagram, which shows logical
sequencing of the circuit. It is simi-
lar, though less powerful, than a Tu-
ring machine. But where the Turing
is unrestricted, the number of states
here are dictated by the memory of
a finite-state machine.
Highlights of GEZEL
As mentioned earlier, GEZEL is a
cycle based HDL relying on the
finite-state machine and datapath
model. It allows you to add new
co-simulation interfaces by utilising
user-defined library block exten-
sions in C++. Most of all, since
it is open source, we are following
EFY’s policy of promoting open
source solutions for all your elec-
tronic needs.
GEZEL possesses a scripted
environment with easy-to-learn HDL.
It allows you to co-simulate using
embedded cores of multiple vendors,
be it ARM, Intel 8051 and/or ATMEL
www.efymag.com
efy dvd
Ashwin GopinAth
Flowchart depicting GEZEL
AVR. Presence of a code generator
for synthesisable VHDL code would
be extremely useful for first-timers,
saving them a lot of time and effort
from having to port the circuit on to a
separate code simulator. If you fancy
learning HDL and are just starting out
on the journey, do try GEZEL and let
us know your experience with it.
The GEZEL structure
GEZEL has three main tools that it
utilises to perform its functions.
GEZEL standalone simulation
tool. This is a nice version of an
open source simulator. Based on
a cycle-true simulation algorithm,
the simulator, called fdlsim, has an
evaluate phase and a register-update
phase. Evaluate the condition; if true,
update register, and if not, proceed
accordingly. Simulation output can
be modified with the help of simu-
lation directives, namely, display,
control and trace. Command line for
fdlsim is:
fdlsim [-d] [<design.fdl>] <cyclecount>
(The –d is a debug flag, and when
enabled, the simulator provides a more
detailed account of the activities.)
GEZEL co-simulation engine.
electronics for you Plus | november 2016
Three methods
of simulation
Use command line. The following
program, when run, executes three clock
styles.
fdlsim listing9.fdl 3
Use standard input. Using standard input
allows you to pipe the design into the
simulator.
cat listing9.fdl | fdlsim 3
Use scripting feature of the shell. The
only caveat here is that you must provide
the location of fdlsim in the code.
listing10.fdl 3
Called gplatform, it helps in co-
simulating GEZEL designs with
instruction-set simulators. Advan-
tage of such co-simulation efforts is
a design that can include co-proces-
sors working on a host of different
functions. gplatform supports co-
simulation with multiple ARM cores
and/or 8051 microcontrollers.
If you are wondering what a
co-simulation engine does, then do
not worry. It is merely an abstracted
version of the real hardware/soft-
ware interface. Another cycle-true
model, there are many forms of co-
simulation interfaces, depending on
vii
 efy dvd
He explains that this is because an
Three forms of co-simulation interfaces instruction-set simulator is developed
Memory-mapped interface. In this format, there is a set of addresses in the address sector with the architecture of the proces-
of the core, which are accessed by both hardware and software running on the core. Both sor it must model in mind, which is
access the same addresses by means of multiplexing and time-sharing. Advantage of this
not possible for GEZEL kernel. Also,
interface is that it can be ported on to any system, with minimal changes.
GEZEL kernel uses scripted simula-
Specialised co-processor I/O interface. A specialised co-processor defines an I/O port
into the pipeline of the processor, and thus allows for implementation of application-specific tion rather than compiled simulation.
instruction set processor concepts. The special function unit interfaces are triggered by For optimisation, GEZEL simula-
special, reserved instructions. This type of interface is implemented using armsfu2x2, tor uses a strategy of sleep or awake
armsfu2x1 and armsfu3x1. modes, which is important for co-
Fast-Simplex link interface. This defines a dedicated co-processor port on ARM, which simulation. “If this is possible, you
is emulated using memory-reads and memory-writes in ARM software. Like the previous should develop GEZEL hardware
form, this interface also carries a higher bandwidth than the memory-mapped alternative. It
model in such a way that periods of
is implemented using armfslslave and armfslmaster.
idle or inactive operation also imply
no datapath register changes and no
the I/O mechanism provided by the using fdlhvd, in case of starting up state changes in GEZEL controllers,”
core. Command line of gplatform is: troubles. Command line of fdlvhd is: adds Schaumont. This will enable
gplatform [-d] -c max_cycles gezel_file fdlvhd [-d] [-i] [-s] [-c clock reset] GEZEL simulator to enter sleep
GEZEL code-generation tool. [<filename>] mode, while only the instruction-set
fdlvhd is the tiny spark that sets it simulator keeps on running. The
apart. It allows you to convert any Is it fast enough resulting simulation speed will im-
code that you can write, and which Patrick Schaumont writes at rijndael. prove greatly.
simulates correctly, to VHDL code. ece.vt.edu, “In general, speed of a
GEZEL engineers have used Source- good instruction-set simulator is far Ashwin Gopinath, an engineer, is a freelance writer
forge to give detailed examples for higher than that of GEZEL kernel.” for EFY

viii november 2016 | electronics for you Plus www.efymag.com

 First Look
Xiaomi launches
air purifier
The smart way to breathe
Mi Air Purifier 2 is simple, el-
egant and has a new compact Price
` 9999
design that is 40 per cent
smaller than the first Mi Air
Purifier. Despite this, it offers
a high 310m3/h clean air de-
livery rate and takes just ten
minutes to circulate purified
air in a 21m2 room.
Inspired by aircraft engines,
the aerodynamic pressure system created by
Xiaomi’s R&D team draws inwards from the
base and expels air upwards with great force.
Smartphone controls let you switch it on and off
remotely, even when you are away from home.
This way you can always be sure to come home
to clean air.
Envent launches earphones
A perfect accessory for a versatile lifestyle
LiveFit 510 is attuned to the demands of a
modern-day user and juggles different roles
seamlessly. As a fitness partner, these are
sturdily-built and sweat-proof. Flaunting an
ergonomic design, these are ideal for low- to
high-intensity workouts; be it jogging running
or cycling. For music and movie aficionados,
these uber-comfy audio earphones satiate the
need for dynamic HD sound, delivering deep
bass and clear treble.
Price
` 1799
(on Amazon)
84 november 2016 | electronics For You
estyle
EFY BuREAu
Intex introduces fake notes detector-
cum-currency-counting machine
Enables businesses counter financial frauds
The currency-counting machine saves
time, is accurate, easy to operate,
convenient and most of all is
able to detect fake notes.
The lightweight, com-
pact and swift IN-J 4001
comes with special fake
note detection features
like detection of sus-
Price
pected note, automatic ` 8500
half note and double
note detection and LCD colour
change display on detection. It comes
with automatic and manual start, easy to understand display
panel and numeric keypad. The machine is ideal for small busi-
nesses, financial institutions, retailers, schools, colleges, hospitals
and others.
Smartphone from Google
The first phone with Google Assistant built in
Price
`for57,000
Pixel combines hardware and Quite Black,
32GB model
software made by Google,
including all your favourite
Google apps, to bring you a fast,
seamless and easy-to-use expe-
rience. It features the highest-
rated smartphone camera, with
a best-ever 89 DxOMark Mobile
score, a battery that lasts all day
and unlimited storage for all
your photos and videos.
Pixel has a 2770mAh bat-
tery, aerospace-grade alu-
minium unibody (glass shade
with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass
4), 4GB LPDDR4 RAM, Qual-
comm Snapdragon 821 2.15GHz
+ 1.6GHz, 64-bit quad-core
processor, 12.3MP rear camera,
8MP front camera, up to 128GB
storage, ports including USB
Type-C, USB 3.0, 3.5mm head-
set jack and single nano-SIM
and many more features.
www.eFYmag.com
 Video door phone
Price from Zebronics
` 4800 upgrade your home or office
security to the next level

Zebronics has announced the launch of its new video door phone, ZEB-VD4
GizMo ByTes
Smart, bundled with advanced security and surveillance features. It is an ideal Aadhaar app to allow people lock,
solution for those looking to upgrade their home or office security to the next inbox information
level. Ensuring the safety of your loved ones while you are at work or out for
This mobile app enables Aadhaar holders
business, the new ZEB-VD4 Smart facilitates two-way communication and to download their Aadhaar details on
transfers live video feed to a clear LCD screen, giving you a crisp and clear mobile phones. The app carries residents’
view of the individual standing before your door, while its wide-angle camera Aadhaar number and demographics data,
assures that nothing stays hidden from your view. Equipped with advanced namely, name, date of birth, gender, address
SOS Alarm function, this video phone guarantees maximum protection from and photograph on a mobile phone. It is
stranger danger. compatible with most Android phones (3.0 to
5.0.1). The app may be downloaded through
Google Play app store on mobile numbers
registered in UIDAI’s database.
iPad keyboard case Price
` 13,990
from Logitech Technology-enabled
With Apple pencil holder
learning platform
and Smart Connector for iAugmentor is a technology-enabled learning
iPad Pro 9.7 inch platform, bringing together technology,
human intervention and a whole gamut of
CREATE iPad Pro keyboard case is learning activities under one roof with the
the ultimate creativity and produc- intention of making learning more effective,
tivity toolkit. It holds everything intimate and accountable. This platform gives
access to a personalised mentor to individuals
together—your iPad Pro, Apple
who desire to learn to augment their skill
Pencil and a keyboard—in one Fitness wearable sets. The assessment based learning tool is
snug package, so all your tools
are in one place whenever you
by Samsung a personalised and adaptive medium that
intuitively suggests a learning roadmap to
need them. A fitness band you can run with you as per your learning tendencies, learning
CREATE comes with the new while your phone stays at home competencies and learning proclivities, while
constantly tracking progress.
generation of connectivity—Apple
Gear Fit2 allows you to make the most
Smart Connector, which means you
never need to charge your key-
out of every workout with a highly- Google’s AI-centric messaging app
accurate heart rate monitor. The built-in Allo app combines the best of Google’s
board; it will source power directly
GPS tracks your running route, distance predictive and search superpowers along with
from your iPad Pro. Smart Connec- an all-new personal assistant feature. It offers
and speed in real time, with precision
tor also means that Bluetooth pair- a hint at the artificial intelligence (AI)-filled
and dedication so you can go farther,
ing is a thing of the past. Just set future Google envisions. Apart from regular
better. The 3.86 cm (1.5-inch), curved,
iPad into a typing position; as soon features, Allo is home to Google Assistant, the
super-AMOLED display is large enough new conversational assistant that Google plans
as the two points of Smart Connec-
for you to quickly check your stats mid- to bring to more of its consumer products.
tor touch, you are ready to type.
workout, without ever missing a beat.
Technical features include Tizen Yahoo launches Newsroom
operating system, Bluetooth v4.2, Yahoo has unveiled its latest mobile news
Price 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, and GPS, application, using both algorithms and user
` 9995
GLONASS location technologies. It choices to deliver the most relevant updates
features an accelerometer, a barometer, with a social twist. Yahoo Newsroom, tailored
gyro sensor and HR sensor, 200mAh for mobile devices powered by Android or
Apple operating systems, is Yahoo’s move
standard battery, along with auto
to counter Facebook and other Internet
activity tracker (for running, walking, giants as a key place for news updates. The
cycling, elliptical rowing machine or application uses algorithms for delivering
sleep) and social challenge tracker (for personalised news, and also enables you to
steps leaderboard or steps challenge). adjust the content and offer your own views.

The prices, features and specifications are based on information provided to us, or as available on various websites and portals. EFY cannot vouch for their accuracy.

www.eFYmag.com electronics For You | november 2016 85

 Buyers’ Guide estyle
Choosing Blood Sugar MonitorS
S
weet, delicious, mouth-watering
and zero calories! Double trouble as
global blood sugar levels in humans
are shooting phenomenally, along with the
numbers appearing on sugar monitors. There
are many sugar-monitoring devices avail-
able in the market but most of us realise the
need of having one only after it is too late
or our dietician suggests urgency. It is time
Shanosh Kumar
is technology we know that these devices have more than
journalist at what meets the eye, and the guide to know-
EFY. He is BCA
from Bangalore ing what these are made of starts here.
University and
MBA from Christ Measuring glycaemia is not scary
University,
Bengaluru Let us understand how a blood sugar moni-
tor works. It lets you measure your blood
sugar level at any given point of time.
Primarily, the sugar profile, or glycaemia,
portrays a good picture of what is happening
with respect to home blood glucose moni-
toring and how sugar is playing a vital role
in your system. This helps dieticians and
doctors administer medication to alleviate
imbalance in blood sugar levels.
You are required to prick your finger or
any fleshy part of your hand so a small blood
drop appears. This is touched with a dispos-
able test strip fitted in the meter. Sugar count
instantly gets displayed on the meter’s LCD
or OLED screen. The lancet (pin prick) that
comes with the kit pokes the body surface
(usually fingertip) in such a way that it does
not create a deep cut.
Testing blood glucose
Some people feel taking blood from
fingertips is pain-
ful. Alternate-site
testing comes to
their rescue as
most devices can
take blood sample
from places other
than fingertips as
well. It may relieve
you of the pain but
accuracy in reading
may get affected.
86 november 2016 | electronics For You
A good blood sugar monitor is expected
to show results in less than five seconds.
Accuracy is important, too. For example,
if you have hypoglycaemia, that is, low
blood sugar, you may need to consume
sugar or glucose immediately in order to
avoid dizziness or related health problems.
Palm-sized chemical labs
What is the technology behind these little
wonders of technology? Read on.
Active chemical ingredients. Biosen-
sors are at the heart of every blood sugar
monitoring device. These are based on a
thin layer of glucose-oxidase (GOx) on an
oxygen electrode. Measurement of sugar is
based on the amount of oxygen consumed
by GOx while reacting with glucose on the
sensor strip.
Biosensor technology. Once the blood
passes through the GOx electrode, a charge
is generated due to re-oxidation reaction at
the electrode in presence of a mediator rea-
gent. This charge is directly proportional to
the glucose present in the blood.
Then there are amperometric and cou-
lometric techniques, which measure the
electric current generated at a certain point
and variable point in time, respectively,
during glucose reaction.
What you should look for
There are scores of interesting bits you
should look for before selecting a blood
glucose monitor. These are:
More memory. Memory size in such de-
vices decides the number of records these
can store. Some companies claim that they
give additional memory of a few hundred
megabytes to add more personal data.
Quicker results. Optimally, results on
these devices are expected to show up
in less than five seconds. If you are at a
higher risk and require faster attention
in emergency situations, you can rely on
its swiftness; so that effects of dwindling
www.eFYmag.com
blood sugar levels and the damage
these could cause can be reduced.
Handy fit in pocket. Though size
never beats functionality, difficulty
in removing a lancet or test strip and
then inserting these into the device
on a cold wintery night could be a
nightmare. You can get a cut if the
lancets are not big enough to handle
during the dark of night while shiver-
ing in the cold. The strip, lancet and
device are expected to be of handy
form factor.
Plug-and-play monitoring and
management. This functionality is
expected by those who want to view
graphs, charts and reports on a regu-
lar basis. Software that gives mean-
ingful insights can help you gauge
and analyse better. The ultimate
goal is to achieve connectivity using
cable slots or wireless connectivity
with an insulin pump, if required.
It is now possible to plug the device
directly into a computer, and almost
all devices that provide accurate data
could be linked to the software mod-
ule. Reports could be downloaded
and compared every month or year,
backed up and shared with anyone.
Autocoding beats miscoding
and coding. Miscoding. You only
spend a couple of minutes daily on
these devices, and the last thing
expected is a wrong reading. Meters
can give false results and a miscod-
ing can lead to 40 per cent chances
of falsification, which, in medical
terms, is a huge error for margin for a
monitoring device.
Coding. Older devices need to be
calibrated (coded) for accuracy. Cod-
ing provides a reference point for an
instrument to start with reading and
helps reduce error margin. If coding
or calibration is not effective, the
device can not be relied upon. Coding
is often done by inserting a chip in
the meter.
Autocoding. Nowadays, each strip
is coded to the meter, so coding hap-
pens automatically.
Battery life. These devices could
house anything from lithium-ion
www.eFYmag.com
button cells to rechargeable ones.
The whole system works at about
three volts in most cases, while
monitoring devices with universal
USB chargeable points are gain-
ing popularity. Battery may last a
couple of thousands of readings for
some products.
Display size. Large OLEDs are a
fad now. These may cost a little more
as compared to their smaller LCD
counterparts. But these might come
in handy for aged users who can read
large numbers more comfortably.
Must add to your cart
Fastest test timing with Omron.
Its predecessors used up nine times
more time to detect. Now, claimed
to give results in five seconds, this
device can store up to 512 measure-
ments. It has software support for
reviewing historic trends for a multi-
tude of time periods.
Expect more intelligence in
Contour. It employs electrode bio-
sensor method for glucose analy-
sis; also has auto-log technology
for comparing sugar spikes during
meals. Loaded with a reminder and
an OLED display, it is powered by a
rechargeable battery and connects to
any USB port to power up.
Always-active monitors from
Accu-Chek. Handy and quite
popular, these devices are powered
by lithium-ion batteries, and the
compact plus version lasts about
1000 tests. This device has features
like automatic coding for every drum
(containing test strips) change.
It is just a matter of time before
more sophistication seeps into such
biomonitors. Wireless technology
and connected medical devices are
all pointing to the fact that these
devices are perfecting themselves to
provide more accurate values and
deliver more insights. In the days to
come, regular glucose monitoring
could be the key decision maker for
healthy living, level of activity, nutri-
tion and medication schedules to
avoid complications of diabetes.
electronics For You | november 2016 87
 iv
.
S.C Di
e
Do-it-yourself
Dw

Wireless Digital thermometer

For multiple SenSorS
Arup KumAr Sen

M
y last article ‘Remote Sens- verter (ADC) continuously scans and a 433MHz ASK/OOK RF receiver
ing Thermometer’ pub- converts signals from eight different module. The received 8-bit serial
lished in June 2013 issue temperature sensors. The sensors are signal is then converted back to its
gave the constructional details of a selected sequentially by a 3-bit binary original parallel form, by using special
project for sensing and measuring addressing system. At any moment, data decoders as explained later. An
temperature of a body from a remote output of the ADC is an 8-bit binary equivalent analogue signal is then
place. The circuit described there number representing the analogue developed from this data by an 8-bit
works absolutely fine, but it suffers signal developed at the output of a digital-to-analogue converter (DAC).
from a major drawback; it cannot particular temperature sensor, being A digital multimeter connected at the
measure more than one temperature addressed at that moment. output of the DAC is used to show the
at a time. To overcome this problem, By using special parallel-to-serial temperature on mV scale.
a different technique is adopted here, encoders, this 8-bit data, along with
which allows you to sense eight (at the binary address of the sensor, is Sensors identification
the most) transducers at a time. sent serially to the remote receiving Scanning of sensors is governed by a
end. Communication between the two 3-bit binary counter, which places, in
The technique ends are met with the help of a pair of a cyclic fashion, sequentially-changing
Block diagram of the wireless ad- 433MHz UHF transmitter and receiver binary numbers from 000 to 111 on the
dressable digital thermometer is modules operating in ASK/OOK mode. three designated scanning input lines,
shown in Fig. 1. At the transmitting At the receiving end, the A, B and C, of the ADC. Each number
end, an 8-bit analogue-to-digital con- transmitted signal is received by bears the binary address of a particular
sensor, and whenever addressed, the
sensor sends data to the ADC for con-
A/D CONVERTER

ENCODED SERIAL DATA

SENSOR−0 8 BIT DATA

version to its digital equivalent.
D7 − D4 D3 − D0
433MHz Here comes a problem. Due to
TX MODULE
continuous scanning of sensors by the
SENSOR−7 ENCODER −1 ENCODER −2
(HT12E) (HT12E)
ADC, received data may come from
C B A any one of the possible eight sensors.
3−BIT BINARY
SEQUENTIAL Hence, for proper identification of a
A5 A6 A7 DATA
source sensor, specific 8-bit binary
3−BIT ADDRESS A5 A6 A7
COUNTER A4
A0 A0 A4 SELECTOR
ADDRESSLINES
ENCODER ADDRESS SELECT
ADDRESSLINES
number (address) is tagged with the
CLOCK
A0 A1 A2 A3 A4
1 1 0 1 1 TRANSMITTER UNIT
A0 A1 A2 A3 A4
1 1 1 0 1
8-bit signal output of each sensor,
prior to transmission. Special data
(a) Transmitter unit
encoders are used for this purpose.
The encoder used in this system
D7 − D4 8 BIT DATA
DEMODULATED D3 − D0
can send only four bits of the 8-bit
433MHz SIGNAL

RX MODULE sensed data at a time. Hence, the

sensed 8-bit signal from the ADC is
DECODER −1 DECODER −2 first broken into two nibbles of four
(HT12D) D/A CONVERTER
(HT12D)
bits each. The nibbles are then sent,
3−BIT BINARY 3−BIT
ADDRESS
one after the other, repeatedly to the
ADDRESS SELECT A5 A6 A7 A5 A6 A7
receiving end, after attaching the said
A0 A4 A4 DMM
8-bit address to each of these by the
A0
THUMBWHEEL −TWS1 ADDRESSLINES
DECODER ADDRESS PRESET

A0 A1 A2 A3 A4 A0 A1 A2 A3 A4 said encoders.
RECEIVER UNIT 1 1 1 0 1
1 1 0 1 1
Among the total eight bits of the
(b) Receiver unit
address word, three are scanning bits,
Fig. 1: Block diagram of the wireless digital thermometer as explained above, and fixed for a

88 november 2016 | electronics For You www.eFYmag.com

particular sensor. The remaining five
bits are manipulated to designate two
different addresses to two different
data nibbles. These five bits, once
set, must remain set forever. So, dur-
ing scanning of sensors, although the
logic levels of A-B-C scanning input
lines of the ADC go on changing
sequentially from 000 to 111 in cyclic
order, the said five other bits of the
address word remain fixed to their
preset value. As a result, different
sensor output is allotted with differ-
ent 8-bit addresses to both nibbles.
This is true for all eight sensors.
At the receiving end, after detec-
tion, sequentially-received two pulse
trains for two nibbles are fed to two
special decoders. Like encoders,
decoders, too, have pre-settable eight
address lines. If at any time, the preset
address of a decoder matches with the
instantaneous address of an encoder,
the decoder decodes the received sig-
nal and extracts the 4-bit data sent for
it, and consequently places the same
on its four output lines.
The 8-bit output data (4-bit plus
4-bit) from the two decoders are fed to
an 8-bit DAC. The DAC in return gen-
erates an equivalent analogue current.
This current, when allowed to flow
through a resistor, developes an ana-
logue voltage (negative with respect
to ground) across it. This analogue
output of the DAC is measured with
the help of a digital multimeter.
Circuit and working
Circuit of the wireless addressable
digital thermometer is divided into
three parts: transmitter, receiver and
power supplies.
Transmitter. Fig. 2 shows the
circuit diagram of the transmitter unit
for the wireless addressable digital
thermometer. Eight LM35 IC tempera-
ture sensors (IC9-IC16) are connected
to IN0-IN7 inputs (pins 26 to 28 and
5 to 1) of ADC 0808 (IC3). Although
the ADC is capable of accepting a
total number of eight sensors through
its eight input lines, less number of
sensors could be used as well as,
www.eFYmag.com
Parts List governed by a 3-bit binary up counter
Semiconductors: built around CD4029 (IC6).
IC1 - 7404 TTL hex inverter The counter places a continuously-
IC2 - NE555 timer
IC3 - ADC0808, 8-bit ADC changing 3-bit binary number on
IC4, IC5 - HT12E 212 series encoder A-B-C input lines of the ADC (pins 25,
IC6 - CD4029 CMOS up/down
counter 24 and 23). Scanning rate is dependent
IC7 - 7408 quad 2-input TTL AND upon the clock constructed around
gate
IC8, IC17 - 7805, +5V voltage regulator
timer NE555 (IC2), and is 8Hz, ap-
IC9-IC16 - LM35 temperature sensor proximately. Hence, each of the eight
IC18 - 7905, -5V voltage regulator
IC19 - 4011 quad 2-input NAND
sensors is allowed to send data to the
gate ADC for approximately one-eighth of
IC20, IC21 - HT12D 212 series decoder a second, irrespective of whether all
IC22 - DAC0808, 8-bit DAC
T1, T2 - BC547 npn transistor sensors are connected or not.
D1, D2 - 1N4007 rectifier diode Here, IC3 is configured in continu-
D3, D4 - 1N4148 signal diode
BR1 - DB107 bridge rectifier ous operational mode. So, whenever a
LED1-LED14 - 5mm LED particular sensor is addressed, output
Resistors (all 1/4-watt, ±5% carbon): lines of the ADC reflect the present
R1, R2, R10-R12,
R15, R18, R19, analogue output status of the sensor.
R27-R34 - 1-kilo-ohm Output of the ADC goes to data input
R3 - 2.2-kilo-ohm
R4, R20-R23 - 100-kilo-ohm lines of special encoders HT12E (IC4
R5-R7, R13, R14 - 10-kilo-ohm and IC5); higher nibble to IC4 and
R8, R9 - 680-kilo-ohm
R16, R17 - 33-kilo-ohm lower nibble to IC5, respectively.
R24 - 2.7-kilo-ohm As TE input (pin 14) of encod-
R25 - 1.2-kilo-ohm
R26 - 5-kilo-ohm
ers is permanently grounded (logic
VR1 - 10-kilo-ohm 40-turn trim 0), the encoders are configured to
potmeter produce encoded data continuously.
Capacitors:
C1 - 500pF ceramic disk Data is available at pin 17 of IC4
C2 - 1µF, 16V electrolytic and IC5. These two encoded digital
C3 - 10nF ceramic disk
C4, C6, C7 - 1000µF, 25V electrolytic outputs are alternately steered to TX1
C5, C8, C9 - 10µF, 16V electrolytic (TX-433MHz), a UHF RF transmit-
C10 - 100nF ceramic disk
C11 - 100µF, 16V electrolytic
ter module, to modulate UHF carrier
Miscellaneous: wave generated by the module. Selec-
X1, X2 - 230V AC primary to tion of encoder output is done in the
12V-0-12V, 500mA
secondary transformer following manner:
TX1 - 433MHz transmitter module Whenever IC2 output pulse goes
RX1 - 433MHz receiver module
TWS1 - Thumbwheel rotary switch
high, pin 10 of AND gate N3 of IC7
DMM - 3 ½-digit digital voltmeter (a quad 2-input TTL AND gate) also
CON1, CON2 - 3-pin connector goes high, allowing output of IC5 to
CON3
CON4
- 5-pin connector
- 2-pin terminal connector be steered to TX1 through diode D4.
ANT.1, ANT.2 - 35mm length wire At the same time, due to the presence
of transistor inverter T1, pin 13 of gate
whenever desired. IC 7404 (IC1) N4 of IC7 goes low, inhibiting output
configured as a CMOS oscillator with of IC4 to reach TX1 through gate N4.
the help of resistors R1 and R2, and As soon as the clock pulse returns to
capacitor C1 feeds the ADC with logic 0, output of IC4 gets its passage
necessary clock pulses required for to TX1 through gate N4 of IC7.
conversion processes. So, in essence, analogue data of
Output voltage of LM35 series a sensor is converted and the resul-
IC temperature sensors follows tant 8-bit digital data is sent to the
linearly (@10mV/°C) the centigrade remote end using ASK/OOK modula-
temperature of its surroundings, tion, in a complete clock cycle of IC2.
taking 0mV at 0°C temperature. The Modulated signal is radiated into space
ADC continuously scans its eight through a wire (approximately 35cm
input lines. The scanning process is long), acting as an antenna, connected
electronics For You | november 2016 89
90
IC12 IC11
IC10 IC9
LM35 LM35
LM35 LM35

Vcc
VO
GND
Vcc
VO
GND
Vcc
VO
GND
Vcc
GND
VO

1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
R9 R8
680K 680K
IC13 IC14
LM35 LM35 18 16 15
18 16 15
1 IN2 28 Vcc OSC1 OSC2
IN3 1 Vcc OSC1 OSC2

Vcc
VO
GND

VO
Vcc
GND
2 27 A0 1
IN4 IN1 17 A0
DOUT 17

1
2
3

1
2
3
3 26 2 DOUT
IN5 IN0 A1 2
4 25 A A1
IN6 ADD A 14
3 TE 14

Fig. 2: Circuit diagram of the transmitter unit

5 24 B A2 3 TE
IN7 ADD B A2

ing unit of the wireless addressable

at the antenna point of the module.

digital thermometer. RX1, a 433MHz

6 23

Receiver. Fig. 3 shows the receiv-

IC16 START ADD C C 4 13

november 2016 | electronics For You

IC15 A3 4 13
7 22 IC4 AD11 A3
LM35 LM35 EOC ALE IC5 AD11
5 HT12E
8 IC3 21 D7 A4 5 HT12E
2−5 2−1MSB 12 A4

Vcc
VO
GND

Vcc
VO
GND
9 20 AD10 12
OE ADC0808 D6 6 AD10
2−2 A5 6

1
2
3

1
2
3
10 19 D5 A5
CLOCK 2−3
11 18 7 11
Vcc 2−4
D4 A6 AD9 7 11
A6 AD9
12 17 D0
VREF(+) 2 −8LSB 8
A7 8
D1 13 VREF(−) 16 10 A7
GND AD8 10
9 AD8
1N4007 14 15 D2 GND 9
2−7 2−6 GND
CON1 1 IC8 3
FOR X1 7805
D2
1N4007 2

C5 D1
10u
C4
16V D3
1000u
25V
Do-it-yourself

RF receiver module, is used to

GND Q3 Q2 Q1 TX1 = 433MHz TRANSMITTER MODULE

receive and demodulate ASK-mod-

ulated RF signal transmitted by TX1
of the transmitter unit. Demodulated
R3 R6 ANT.1
14 2.2K 10K TX1
Vcc 1 16
1 2 PE VDD
N1 1 RF TX
2 Q4 15 Vcc 14
3 4 CLOCK
Vcc
ANT

GND
DATA

7 DIS RESET 4 2 13
N2 3 JAM 4 14 N1
Q3 1 2 3 4
5 6
R4 6 3 12
N3 TH 8 4 JAM 1 13 N4
100K JAM3
9 8 IC2 Vcc
4 11
NE555 12

explained earlier.
N4 5 CI
JAM2
2
11 10 TRI O/P 3
5 10 D3
6 Q1 N2
N5 Q2 11
1 5 1N4148
13 12 GND CV R5 6 9
7 CO 10 N3
N6 10K UP/DOWN R10 R11 R12
R1 GND 1K 1K 8
R2 8 Vss 9 1K 7 GND
1K C2 B/D
7 IC1 1K C3 R7
C1 1u T1 LED1 LED2 LED3 D4
10n 10K
500p 7404 16V
IC6 IC7 1N4148
BC547
CD4029 7408

comprising a 4-bit data nibble and

destined for a particular decoder as
output is a train of rectangular pulses

www.eFYmag.com
 Transistor BC547 (T2) is used as a pulse

VR1
10K
amplifier to amplify the signal output from RX1
and, hence, raises the pulse height to CMOS

15

14

12

11
16

Vcc 13

10

100u
C11

16V
compatible logic -1 (>3.5V at 5V). This com-

A7
V REF(+)

A6

A5
COMP

A8 LSB
VREF(−)
patible output is then fed to CMOS NAND gate

DAC0808

1.2K

TO DMM
R25
4011 (IC19). NAND gate N1 helps to get pulses

IC22

CON4
A1 MSB
of perfect rectangular-wave shape. Output of

GND

VEE
NC

A2

A3

A4
gate N1 of IC19 is fed to decoders HT12D (IC20

Io

R26
5K
2

8
1

4
and IC21). Address lines of the decoders are
preset to receive data from encoders IC4 and

100n
C10
IC5, respectively.
LEDs (LED5 and LED6) connected at their

R17
33K
2.7K
R24
VT outputs (pin 17) flicker to indicate recep-

R19 1K

LED6

LED14
tion of valid data. Decoding speed (as mea-

R34
1K
sured at pin 15) is 200kHz (approximately).

18

16

15

17

14

13

12

11

10
Decoded data is then fed to IC22, a DAC (0808).

LED13
R33
OSC1

OSC2

VT

DIN

D11

D10

D9

D8
VDD

1K
Analogue current output of the DAC (pin 4) is

HT12D
loaded with resistor R26. Voltage developed

IC21

LED11 LED12
R32
across it is fed to a digital multimeter, which

1K
VSS
shows the temperature on mV scale.
A0

A1

A2

A3

A4

A5

A6

A7

R31
A thumbwheel switch (TWS1) is used to

1K
1

9
change the preset address of the decoders (IC20
and IC21). The switch changes the last three

LED10
R16
33K

R30
1K
LSB of the address. For example, to get data LED5
R18 1K

from the sensor (IC13) connected at IN4 input

LED9
R29
of the ADC, the number to be set on TWS1 is 4.

1K
Power supplies. The thermometer needs
18

16

15

17

14

13

12

11

10

LED8
R28
power supplies both for its transmitter and re-

1K
OSC1

OSC2

VT

DIN

D11

D10

D9

D8
VDD

ceiver units. Whereas the transmitter unit needs

HT12D
IC20

LED7
R27
only a +5V regulated power supply built around

1K
X1, D1, D2 and IC8 (Fig. 2), the receiver unit
VSS
A0

A1

A2

A3

A4

A5

A6

A7

100K
R23
needs a dual +5V and -5V supplies built around
CB A
1

X2, BR1, IC17 and IC18 (Fig. 3). Both circuits

100K
R22
work from 230V AC, 50Hz connected to the pri-
Vcc 14

13

12

11

10

maries of transformers X1 and X2, respectively.

8
9

100K
R21
Power supply circuits are self-explanatory.
N4

N3

Three-terminal positive voltage regulator IC

4011
IC19

C +5V

100K
R20

7805 is used both in the transmitter and the re-

N2
N1

2
7 GND

8
1

ceiver units to get regulated +5V supplies. On

FOR TWS1

the other hand, a three-terminal negative-volt-

1

age regulator IC 7905 is used to get -5V supply

CON3
LED4

required for DAC0808 of the receiver unit.

R15
1K

Construction and testing

16V
16V
10u

10u

3
3

C8

C9

Fig. 3: Circuit diagram of the receiver unit

RX1 = 433MHZ RECEIVER MODULE

BC547
R14
10K

R13 10K

An actual-size, single-side PCB pattern for

T2

7905
7805
IC17

IC18

the transmitter unit of the wireless address-

2

1
1000u

1000u
25V

25V

able digital thermometer is shown in Fig. 4

C6

C7

GND
5 6 7 8

DATA
1

and its component layout in Fig. 5. Similarly, DATA

RX1

Vcc
an actual-size, single-side PCB pattern for the
3

GND
RF RX

~BR1+
_
DB107

receiver unit is shown in Fig. 6 and its compo-

FOR X2
CON2

nent layout in Fig. 7. Vcc

~
1 2 3 4
ANT.2

GND
For connection of TWS1, use a four-wire
1

GND

cable to connect it to the PCB. Fix TWS1 on the

ANT

front panel of the receiver unit.

www.eFYmag.com electronics For You | november 2016 91

 Do-it-yourself
Mounting of the sensor IC requires
some special attention. If temperature
of a solid surface is to be monitored,
the sensor may be fixed to the surface
by using metal clamps, or glued
directly to the surface with high-tem-
perature epoxy adhesive.
For liquid temperature measure-
ment, the sensor cannot be immersed
directly in the liquid, as the liquid
may be a conductive type, and in
that case, the sensor’s leads would
be electrically shorted. To solve this
problem, the sensor may be mounted
inside a sealed-end metal/glass tube.
Connecting wires must go to the
leads through high-temperature in-
sulating sleeving. The tube may then
be dipped into the liquid, or screwed
through some threaded hole in the
container of the liquid. Although
steel gives very high ruggedness to Fig. 4: An actual-size PCB pattern of the transmitter unit
construction, in general, a glass tube
would be an ideal choice when tem-
perature of a chemically reactive bath
is to be measured.
During construction, special care
must be given regarding the choice of
some resistors and capacitors. Resis-
tors R1, R2, R24, 25 and 26 must be
of highly-stable and low-temperature
co-efficient type, to make the units
stable against time and ambient tem-
perature variations. Metal-film type
may be used for this purpose. VR1 is
a 10-kilo-ohm, 40-turn trim potmeter.
This should be of highly stable type.
Ground return leads of the sen-
sors must be grounded close to ADC
ground lead, otherwise erroneous
results may be observed.

Calibration and adjustment

For proper operation of this wire-
less thermometer, reference current
(to pin 4 of DAC0808 - IC22) of the
receiver unit should be pre-adjusted.
To do this, follow the steps below:
Connect a known voltage source
(not exceeding +5V) to any input of
the ADC, say, at IN6 (pin 4) of the
ADC. Switch on the transmitter unit.
Connect a DMM across R26 of the
receiver unit. Set the range switch to
Fig. 5: Component layout of the PCB shown in Fig. 4
DC 200mV range, positive lead to
ground and negative lead to top of
R26. Switch on the receiver unit.
LEDs at decoder outputs should
start glowing to indicate the re-
ceived voltage data. If source volt-
age is 1.5V, status of LEDs should be
as listed in Table I.
So, received voltage = (D×
5)/256 = (76×5)/256 = 1.50
where D is the weight of the bi-
nary numbers represented by LED7
through LED14.
Now, adjust trim potmeter VR1 to
get 150.00mV on the dial of the multi-
meter. Connect another voltage source

92 november 2016 | electronics For You www.eFYmag.com

 at the input and see that the multimeter
shows it correctly. If required, re-adjust
the trim potmeter. After proper calibra-
tion, enclose the circuit in two separate
boxes with suitable connections of
input and LED indicators.

How to use
1. Attach LM35 sensors (IC9 through
IC16) of the transmitter unit to differ-
ent subjects of interest, noting inputs
(IN0-IN7) of the ADC to which these
are connected individually.
2. Attach a digital multimeter to
the output of the receiver unit with
positive lead to ground and negative
lead to R26. Set the multimeter’s dial
to 200mV range.
3. Switch on both transmitter and
receiver units.
4. Rotate the rotary thumbwheel
switch to get the temperature of a
Fig. 6: An actual-size PCB pattern of the receiver unit particular subject. For example, if you
like to get temperature of the subject
attached to the sensor connected to
IN6 input of the ADC, the thumb-
wheel switch ought to be rotated to
position 6.
5. A temperature of 27.5°C would
be displayed as 27.5mV (when value
of R26 is around 500-ohm). If R26 is
5k, displayed value would be 0.275V
when DMM range switch is set to 2V.

Applications
Although the system can be used best
to measure temperatures in hazard-
ous or inaccessible areas (like a ra-
dioactive zone), the same can also be
used by a hospital doctor to monitor,
from a fixed location, the body tem-
peratures of multiple patients lying in
different rooms without visiting each
patient in person.
A hotel control room can moni-
Fig. 7: Component layout of the PCB shown in Fig. 6 tor temperatures of all the rooms
at the same time by using multiple
units. The unit can also be used (with
StatuS of LEDs in thE rEcEivEr unit certain modifications) as a wireless
LED 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 digital voltmeter.
Data bit DB7 DB6 DB5 DB4 DB3 DB2 DB1 DB0
Weight 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 Arup Kumar Sen is a retired technical
officer - II, S.A.I.F., Bose Institute, Kolkata
Status Off On Off Off On On Off Off

www.eFYmag.com electronics For You | november 2016 93

 .
Do-it-yourself
S.C Di
w ive
D

0.1u
VPS* 4

PIEZO BUZZER

C5
CON3
FOR

FOR 12V

5
12V Battery

CON4

BUC#

VR5
5K
PZ1

BUC# = BATTERY UNDER CHARGING

VR4
Charger-

10K
R8

5K
R10 100E
6

POLARITY
LED5 REVERSE

4.7V
ZD1
Cum-

3.3K
LED7 R11

5
2

3
VPS* = VARIABLE POWER SUPPLY

IN1−

IC3 IN1+

IN2−

IN2+
LM358
VariaBle

OUT1

7 OUT2

GND

JUMPER
LED3 CHARGING

Vcc
Power

3.3K
R9

J3
3.3K
R7

TP7
SuPPly

BATTERY

CHARGE
1N4007

TP6

LED4
FULL
DEAD
LED6
D11
TP5

JUMPER
3.3K
R6
Fayaz Hassan

J1
3

HEALTHY

3.3K
1N4007

47K R5
3.3K

LED2
R4
D10
6A4
D4

VR3
VR2
5K
2
T
he circuit presented here can charge
JUMPER

BC547
VR1
a 12V lead-acid battery of 50Ah to

5K

T1
J2

80Ah (even up to 100Ah) capacity and P2

P1
can even be used as up to 18V DC variable
12V,1C/O

12V,1C/O
USED IN PCB FOR EXTERNAL CONNECTIONS

N/O 2

N/C 1
N/C 2

N/O 1
power supply of maximum 5A capacity,
ARE JUNCTIONS

RL2

RL1
which is useful for a test bench. The circuit
0.1E, 5W

can automatically detect the presence of a

2N2222
R3

battery connection and start charging. At

100u,35V
1N4007

T2
that time, it disconnects the output provided
D12
POINTS 1 THROUGH 6

C3
as variable power supply. It also detects the
wrong/reverse polarity connection of the
TP4
COOLING

battery terminals and raises an alarm. The

6A4
6A4

D3
D5

270E
CON2

charger initially charges the battery at a

R1
FOR

FAN

TP2
TP3

higher voltage (about 14.2V), and once it is

10u,25V

fully charged, it maintains the battery charge

Fig. 1: Circuit of the 12V battery charger-cum-variable power supply
1N4007
1N4007

C2

at a constant voltage (about 13.4V).

2
2
25V
10u

D7
1N4007

D9
C4

1N4007

Circuit and working

LM138
LM138
1N4007

IC1
IC2
3

1
1

Circuit of the 12V battery charger-cum-var-

D8

D6
7812
IC4

iable power supply is shown in Fig. 1. It is

3
3
D13

built around two LM138 variable voltage reg-

ulators (IC1 and IC2), dual op-amp LM358
1
X1 = 230V AC PRIMARY TO 15V−0−15V,
5A SECONDARY TRANSFORMER

(IC3), 12V voltage regulator 7812 (IC4), two

4700u

relays (with normal 12V, 1C/O PCB-mounted

GND

40V
C1
TP1

and 12V, 1C/O, 10A contact-current rating)

TP0

6A4
6A4

and a couple of transistors.

D2
D1

POWER
3.3K

LM138 is a 3-pin, 5A positive-voltage

R2

LED1
X1

regulator available in TO-220 or TO-3 pack-

age. But continuous current flow of 5A
SWITCH

230V AC
ON/OFF

INPUT
CON1

50Hz,

generates a high temperature, which shuts

FOR
S1

down output of LM138 automatically due to

L

its internal thermal protection.

94 november 2016 | electronics For You www.eFYmag.com

Fig. 2: Actual-size PCB pattern of the battery charger-cum-variable power supply
Fig. 3: Component layout of the PCB
This circuit simplifies higher cur-
rent handling of LM138 by using IC1
and IC2 in parallel, but still output
voltage can be regulated by a single
variable resistance. Care should be
taken for handling the lines carry-
ing 5A current. Two separate relays
(RL1 and RL2) are used to reduce
the cost of the project.
Transformer X1 steps down 230V
AC to 15V-0-15V AC that is then
rectified by diodes D1 and D2 and
smoothened by capacitor C1. This
voltage, which is around 20V DC,
www.eFYmag.com
is fed to IC1 and IC2 that are wired
in parallel. Their output voltage is
regulated either by VR1 (in case of
variable power supply) or VR2 (in
case of battery charger), which is
selected by relay RL2. Output so
obtained is available for the variable
power supply or battery charger
through RL1.
Dual op-amp LM358 (IC3) is
used to control the relays and select
the type of output, that is, whether
for battery charger or variable power
supply. When no battery is connect-
ed for charging, no power is given to
IC3. RL1 and RL2 are in non-ener-
gised state, and potmeter VR1 can be
used to get variable voltage output
across CON3 fitted on the cabinet.
When a 12V battery under charg-
ing (BUC#) is connected properly
to terminal CON4 for charging, IC3
gets power supply from the battery
through diode D10. If battery voltage
is below ‘dead’ voltage (say, 6-9V
and at least above 6V), pin 7 of IC3
pulls low and LED6 glows. If the bat-
tery is healthy (say, more than 9V),
electronics For You | november 2016 95
 Do-it-yourself
pin 7 of IC3 goes high and switches Parts List
on LED2 and conducts transistor T2, Semiconductors:
Test Points
and RL1 and RL2 energise. IC1, IC2 - LM138, variable voltage Test point Details
regulator
Output voltages of IC1 and IC2 IC3 - LM358 dual op-amp TP0 0V (GND)
are regulated by VR2 and are avail- IC4 - 7812, 12V voltage regulator
TP1 Around 20V DC when
T1 - BC547 npn transistor
able for charging at CON4. Once the T2 - 2N2222 npn transistor S1 is closed
battery under charging attains its full LED1-LED7 - 5mm LED TP2 1.2V to 18V
charging voltage, pin 1 of IC3 goes D1-D5 - 6A4 rectifier diode
D6-D13 - 1N4007 rectifier diode TP3 1.2V to 18V
high, as indicated by the glowing ZD1 - 4.7V zener diode
TP4 0.5V to 18V
of LED4, and T1 conducts, which Resistors (all 1/4-watt, ±5% carbon, unless stated
otherwise): TP5 0.5V to 18V
reduces the voltage at pin 1 of IC1 R1 - 270-ohm TP6 Around battery voltage
and IC2. R2, R4-R7, R9,
When a 12V battery is connected R11 - 3.3-kilo-ohm TP7 0 when J3 is grounded or
R3 - 0.1-ohm, 5watt 12V when J1 is not grounded
in reverse polarity, D11 conducts, R8 - 10-kilo-ohm
which, in turn, switches on the R10 - 100-ohm
VR1, VR2,
piezo buzzer and LED5 glows. This VR4, VR5 - 5-kilo-ohm potmeter with respect to ground) at TP6.
protection is important while charg- VR3 - 47-kilo-ohm potmeter 8. Once the required voltages are
Capacitors:
ing batteries externally. C1 - 4700µF, 40V electrolytic
set, remove J2. The circuit is
C2, C4 - 10µF, 25V electrolytic ready to use.
Construction and testing C3 - 100µF, 35V electrolytic 9. If no battery is connected at
C5 - 0.1µF ceramic disk
An actual-size, single-side PCB for Miscellaneous: CON4, variable voltage is ob-
the 12V battery charger-cum-variable X1 - 230V AC primary to tained at CON3 by using VR1.
15V-0-15V, 5A secondary
power supply is shown in Fig. 2 and transformer
Brightness of LED7 is proportion-
its component layout in Fig. 3. RL1 - 12V, 1C/O PCB-mounted al to the output voltage at CON3.
After assembling the circuit on relay 10. If 12V (≥50Ah) battery is connect-
RL2 - 12V, 1C/O, 10A contact-
the PCB, place it in a suitable cabi- current rating relay ed at CON4 in reverse polarity,
net. Fit CON3 and CON4 on the front CON1, CON2 - 2-pin connector buzzer PZ1 gives an alarm sound
CON3, CON4 - 2-pin connector terminal
side of the cabinet. CON3 is for vari- for 10A and LED5 glows.
able power supply (VPS*) and CON4 S1 - On/off switch (6A) 11. If the same battery is connected
PZ1 - Piezo buzzer
for battery under charging (BUC#). J1-J3 - 2-pin shorting jumper
in correct polarity at CON4, status
Connect CON3 between N/C2 connector of the battery is indicated by
terminal of relay RL2 and point 4 - Heat-sink for IC1, IC2, IC4 LED2 (healthy) or LED6 (dead).
- 12V cooling fan
given on the PCB. Connect CON4 RL1 and RL2 will get energised in
between points 3 and 5 given on the case the battery is healthy and the
PCB. Fix VR1 through VR5 and all required) with respect to ground battery will get charging voltage.
LEDs on front side of the cabinet, at TP6. Once the battery is fully charged,
and label these as shown in the 3. Adjust VR4 such that you can LED4 glows, which indicates that
circuit diagram. turn on and off status LED2 and the battery is fully charged and
Place transformer X1 inside the LED6 alternately. RL1 and RL2 the charger is at standby voltage.
cabinet. Fix CON1 and switch S1 also change their states (ener- 12. Use proper crocodile clips for
on the rear side of the cabinet. Use gise/de-energise). connecting the battery terminals.
proper heat-sinks for IC1, IC2 and 4. Adjust VR2 to get the full bat- EFY note. 1. Charging voltage,
IC4, and connect a 12V cooling fan tery voltage (say, 13.4V DC with standby voltage and battery dead
at CON2 for fast cooling. respect to ground) at TP6. voltage may vary as per the manu-
The circuit works off 230V mains 5. Adjust VR5 to turn on LED4, facturer of the battery. The values in-
power supply. Refer the test points ta- if TP7 is connected to ground dicated here are safe voltage values.
ble for checking the voltages at vari- through J3. 2. Heat-sink with mica insulation
ous points before using the circuit. 6. Once LED4 is set, adjust VR2 must be provided for IC1 and IC2.
to get battery charging voltage
Initial setup and testing (say, 14.2V DC with respect to
Fayaz Hassan is a manager
1. Remove jumper J1 and J3, con- ground) at TP6. at Visakhapatnam Steel Plant,
nect J2 and switch on S1. 7. Connect J1 (J2 still connected) Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
He is interested in microcontroller
2. Adjust VR1 and VR2 to get 9V and adjust VR3 to get battery projects, mechatronics and
DC (as battery dead voltage or as standby voltage (say, 13.4V DC robotics

96 november 2016 | electronics For You www.eFYmag.com

 Do-it-yourself S
Dw .C.
ive
Di

Simple SuitcaSe-Lift aLarm

PradeeP G.

T
his suitcase-lift alarm circuit is built around HDX-2NC, which is Parts List
uses vibration sensor HDX- connected across connector CON2, Semiconductors:
2NC instead of a commer- transistors BC547 (T1) and BC557 T1 - BC547 npn transistor
cially available sensor. A home- (T2) and a piezo buzzer (PZ1). T2 - BC557 pnp transistor
D1 - 1N4148 signal diode
made mercury switch can also be Normally, vibration sensor ter- LED1 - 5mm LED
used instead. minals are shorted internally. When Resistors (all 1/4-watt, ±5% carbon):
the suitcase is lifted, sensor termi- R1 - 470-kilo-ohm
Circuit and working nals momentarily open. This allows
R2 - 1-kilo-ohm
R3 - 680-ohm
Circuit diagram of the simple suit- capacitor C1 to charge through resis- VR1 - 100-kilo-ohm potmeter
case-lift alarm is shown in Fig. 1. It tor R1 and diode D1. Discharging Capacitors:
C1 - 100µF, 25V electrolytic
path is through VR1 Miscellaneous:
and T1. CON1 - 2-pin terminal connector
R2
When T1 and T2 CON2 - 2-pin connector
R1 1K S1 - On/off switch
S1
470K VR1 conduct due to charged PZ1 - Piezo buzzer
POWER
T2
100K
ON/OFF C1, LED1 glows and - 9V battery
BC557 - Vibration sensor HDX-2NC
the buzzer sounds.
D1 T1
1N4148 BC547 Alarm duration can be
R3 PZ1 set using VR1. Construction and testing
C1 680E
CON2 CON1 Use a piezo buzzer An actual-size, single-side PCB
100u FOR
FOR
25V 9V with internal oscillator pattern for the simple suitcase-lift
HDX−2NC LED1
for the alarm sound. alarm is shown in Fig. 2 and its
The circuit works off component layout in Fig. 3. After
PZ1 = PIEZO BUZZER a 9V battery, which is assembling the components on
connected across con- the PCB, house the circuit in a
Fig. 1: Circuit diagram of the simple suitcase-lift alarm nector CON1. small box.
Check the circuit’s working
before you put it in your suitcase
for use as an alarm. Switch on the
circuit and place it in a suitable
place inside your suitcase.

Pradeep G. is B.Sc. (Physics)

Fig. 2: An actual-size PCB pattern for the simple
suitcase-lift alarm
and a regular contributor to
international magazines. He is
also a small-business owner
in south India
Fig. 3: Component layout of the PCB

THE COMPLETE MAGAZINE ON OPEN SOURCE Your favourite Magazine on

Open Source is now on the Web, too.

OpenSourceForU.com
Follow us on Twitter@LinuxForYou

www.efymag.com electronics for you | november 2016 97

 Do-it-yourself
.
S.C Di
iv e
Dw

LM386 Audio Amplifier

Raj K. GoRKhali

H
ere is a simple audio ampli- in this circuit. C1 is connected to
fier circuit built around 8-pin the middle terminal of 10k potmeter
integrated circuit LM386. VR1. C2 is connected to pins 1 and
The author’s prototype is shown 8 of IC1. Pin 5 of IC1 is its output
in Fig. 1. terminal, which is connected to
speaker LS1 through C3.
Circuit and working C4 is connected to the positive
Circuit diagram of the LM386 audio terminal of 6V battery and ground.
amplifier is shown in Fig. 2. It is Positive side of 6V is connected to Fig. 3: Actual-size PCB pattern of the audio
built around popular amplifier pin 6 of IC1 and the other side to amplifier
LM386 (IC1), an 8-ohm, one-watt ground terminal to pin 4.
speaker (LS1), four capacitors and a Inverting pin 2 of IC1 is con-
few other components. A 6V battery nected to ground and non-inverting
is used to power this project. pin 3 is connected to the input
Four electrolytic capacitors [two terminal through VR1. Audio input
10µF, 16V (C1 and C2) and two is fed to CON1. VR1 is used to
220µF, 16V (C3 and C4)] are used control volume.

Construction
and testing Fig. 4: Component layout of the PCB
An actual-size, single-
side PCB for LM386 am- Parts List
plifier is shown in Fig. Semiconductors:
3 and its component IC1 - LM386 low-power amplifier
Resistors (all 1/4-watt, ±5% carbon):
layout in Fig. 4. After as-
VR1 - 10-kilo-ohm potmeter
sembling the circuit on a Capacitors:
PCB, enclose it in a suit- C1, C2 - 10µF, 16V electrolytic
C3, C4 - 220µF, 16V electrolytic
able box. Fix connector
Miscellaneous:
CON1 on the front panel CON1 - 2-pin connector
for input and loudspeak- LS1 - 8-ohm, one-watt loudspeaker
S1 - On/off switch
er LS1 at the rear side of Batt.1 - 6V battery
the box. Connect VR1 - 2-pin terminal connector
Fig. 1: Author’s prototype on the front panel for for battery

controlling the volume.

Before using this a humming sound from the speaker.
C4
C2 S1 project, test it using This will confirm that your circuit is
220u 6
10u,16V ON/OFF the 6V battery. Connect working and ready to use.
16V 1
C1
3
8
C3 the 8-ohm, one-watt Note. LM386 provides output of
IC1 220u,16V BATT.1
10u,16V 5 6V speaker to output pin 250 milliwatts to one watt depend-
VR1 2 LM386
10K 5 of IC1 through C3. ing on supply voltage and load.
CON1 7 LS1 Switch on S1 and keep Refer its data sheet for details.
4 8−OHM
AUDIO
1−WATT
VR1 to its mid position.
INPUT
Now, take a screw-driv- Raj K. Gorkhali is a regular
GND
er and gently touch it contributor to EFY. His
interests include designing
on input terminal pin 3 electronics circuits
Fig. 2: Circuit diagram of the LM386 audio amplifier of IC1. You should hear

98 november 2016 | electronics For You www.eFYmag.com

 Do-it-yourself Sa
Th ni
eo

Digital Soil MoiSture Meter

T.K. Hareendran

A
soil moisture meter is used
for indicating the water con-
tent of a given soil sample.
As crop production requires water
at different stages and in different
amounts, it is important to measure
soil moisture from time to time to
know its status.
The circuit presented here, for
monitoring the soil moisture content
in irrigation farms, is an electronic
device that measures soil moisture
content accurately and precisely.
It measures the resistance of flow
of the electric current between two
P1
Wires
P2
10mm
Cork
Sleeved 10mm
Exposed 10mm
Probes: Galvanised
Steel wires/needles
Fig. 1: Soil moisture sensor head
metallic probes. These probes act as of Arduino (Board1) if the soil is
sensor elements that register mois- wet enough.
ture and change it into an electric Repeat the calibration process
value. This value is further pro- with randomly-collected soil sam-
cessed into information in the form ples ranging from very dry to very
of an electronic display. wet, depicting different moisture
levels. Re-tune VR1, if necessary,
Circuit and working until you are satisfied with the
Front-end of the soil moisture calibration process. (Note that the
meter is a simple soil moisture depths of penetration of the probes
sensor head, built around a few
easily-available parts. Working
of the sensor head electronics is
self-explanatory, so just follow the Fig. 3: Live LCD screen in author’s prototype
conceptual drawing (and schematic
drawing) shown in Fig. 1 to proceed
with its construction.
Complete circuit diagram of the
soil moisture meter is shown in Fig.
20mm dia 2. After construction of the sen-
PVC tube sor head, power it off a regulated
5V DC supply.
Insert the probes of the sen-
sor head into the soil to determine
its moisture content, and carefully
adjust the preset VR1 so that voltage
just above 3V is available at pin A1

SOIL
SENSOR Fig. 4: Actual-size PCB pattern of the soil
PROBES moisture meter
3
2

P1
VDD

Vss
VO

USB
D7

P2 POWER
INPUT
14

D6

AREF
13

DRIVER
R1 IOREF GND
D5

120E RST
12

13
VR2
ARDUINO

3.3V 12
D4

5V 11 10K
11

GND 10
D3

16X2 LCD

GND 9
10

LCD1

Vin 8
D2
ATMEGA328

T1
9

BC547
D1

7
8

6
DIGITAL

D0

A0 5
7

VR1
A1 4
R/W EN

10K
ANALOG

A2 3
6

A3 2
A4 TX 1
5

A/VEE

A5 RX 0
RS
4

R2
K

100E
15

16

BOARD1

Fig. 2: Circuit diagram of the soil moisture meter Fig. 5: Component layout of the PCB

www.efymag.com electronics for you | november 2016 99

 Do-it-yourself
After building
the hardware, load
the code (sketch) to
the microcontroller,
that is, copy the
sketch, paste it into
Arduino IDE, com-
pile and upload. It
should work at first
try and you should
get the message
shown in Fig. 3 on
Fig. 6: Screenshot of Arduino IDE your LCD screen.
An actual-size,
Parts List single-side PCB for the soil moisture
Semiconductors: meter is shown in Fig. 4 and its
Board1 - Arduino Uno or Nano V3 component layout in Fig. 5. Enclose
T1 - BC547 npn transistor
Resistors (all 1/4-watt, ±5% carbon):
the PCB in a suitable box.
R1 - 120-ohm Connectors CON1, CON2, CON3
R2 - 100-ohm and CON4 are for connecting the
VR1, VR2 - 10-kilo-ohm preset
Miscellaneous:
sensor probe, analogue input,
LCD1 - 16×2 LCD display board1 and LCD1, respectively.
CON1 - 2-pin connector These days the cheapest USB-to-
CON2 - 3-pin connector
CON3 - 6-pin connector serial chip on the market is CH340G,
CON4 - 16-pin connector and most of the reasonably-priced
- Soil moisture sensor
- 5V DC regulated USB port
Arduino-compatible Nano V3 micro-
power supply controller modules (with USB mini-B
connection) are wired with CH340G
into the soil affect calibration.) Link USB-to-serial chip on board.
the sensor head to the rest of the Arduino Nano V3 can be pow-
hardware to complete the project. ered via the USB mini-B connection
Rest of the hardware is a com- or 5V regulated external DC power
bination of Arduino microcontroller supply at 5V pin on Board1.
and a solid-state display panel. For CH340G chip on Arduino Nano
compactness, Arduino Nano V3 V3 is only powered if the board is
platform is used to drive the 16x2 being powered over USB. As a result,
LCD panel. Though a 6V battery when running on external (non-USB)
pack is used to energise the hard- power, 3.3V output (supplied by
ware setup, you can also use exter- CH340 chip) is not available. Ar-
nal DC power in 7V - 12V range at duino Nano V3 can be programmed
VIN of Board1 without any problem. with Arduino software (IDE). Just
The 10-kilo-ohm preset (VR2) is in- select Arduino Duemilanove or Nano
cluded to adjust the contrast level of w/ATmega328 from Tools→Board
the display. Similarly, the 100-ohm Menu, as shown in Fig. 6.
resistor (R2) limits the operating Driver for Arduino Nano V3
current of the backlight lamp inside clone is available at www.electronic-
the display panel. componentsonline.co.in/downloads/
ch341ser.zip
Lab note. The project was tested
at EFY using Arduino Uno board.
efy Note
The source code of
this project is T.K. Hareendran is
included in this founder and promoter of
TechNode Protolabz
month’s EFY DVD and
is also available for free
100 november 2016 | electronics for you download at source. www.efymag.com
efymag.com

IoT Based smarTcamera
Using Android And Raspberry Pi
P
resented here is a project that
lets your Raspberry Pi (RPi)
turn into a remote camera and
then control and watch live video
being captured by this camera on
your smartphone from anywhere on
Fig. 1: My Butterfly PIs
Fig. 2: My Butterfly PIs screen window
Fig. 3: Add new item
www.efymag.com
Do-it-yourself
N
Ka idh
th i
ur
ia
Biswajit Das
the planet. You just need an Internet need the name and code later to
connection on your RPi and smart- authenticate RPi. For example, let us
phone. This project explains step- select Balboa for both device name
by-step procedure to build your own and security code (Fig. 4). After
remote smart security camera. clicking OK, you should see your
Hardware required for building Butterfly PI as offline (Fig. 5).
the camera are Android smartphone
(4.0 or higher), RPi 2, Raspberry Raspberry Pi setup
camera module, 5V, 1A power adap- Download the image of Butterfly PI
tor with micro-USB output, USB for RPi from https://drive.google.com/
audio adaptor (optional) and USB file/d/0By5lfnzRBBmAZkRzSmFEaj
Wi-Fi dongle (RPi 2-compatible). ByWU0/view?ts=5713a68b
Software required for this project
is Buttery TV app. Since the project
is developed using Butterfly TV and
RPi, we have named it Butterfly PI.
It has the following features:
1. You can broadcast live video
in several resolutions.
2. It communicates with your
audience via comments while you
are broadcasting.
3. It allows you to share live Fig. 4: Device name and security code
video with your friends and follow-
ers on Facebook and Twitter.
4. You can sign up through Face-
book or Google+.
5. You can watch and share your
videos later and delete whenever
you want.
Smartphone setup
Download and install Butterfly TV
from Google Play store. Butterfly TV Fig. 5: Butterfly TV offline mode
is integrated with the smartphone
camera. Login to Butterfly TV and
click on My Butterfly PIs item in the
menu (Fig. 1). You should see the
screen shown in Fig. 2 when you
first open My Butterfly PIs screen.
Click on Add new Butterfly PI in
the menu as shown in Fig. 3. Write
your chosen camera name as device
name and security code in Add new
Butterfly PI dialogue box. You will Fig. 6: Butterfly online mode
electronics for you | november 2016 101
 Do-it-yourself
To write images to an SD card, Menu→Preferences→WiFi Con-
the tutorial found on following link figuration. Enter your Wi-Fi SSID
might be helpful: www.raspberrypi. and password and click OK. Check
org/documentation/installation/ your Internet connection and reboot
installing-images/windows.md your system. Your Butterfly TV will
Plug the MicroSD card into RPi become online (Fig. 6).
and interface the camera to it. Make To watch live video streams be-
sure that power adaptor is un- ing captured by RPi camera, click
plugged. Now plug in your keyboard Play (Fig. 6).
and mouse, and power on RPi. From If Butterfly TV is still off, find
the terminal, edit startup.sh file in startup.sh file in path/home/pi/
RPi as given below: scripts and open it to verify the
$ sudo nano /home/pi/scripts/startup.sh device name and security code.
Change the following line: Security code is a kind of password
java -jar /home/pi/butterflypi.jar for your camera.
[DeviceName] [Security Code] & Live video streaming will be
Here, enter your device name automatically saved in your mobile.
and security code as Balboa. Press So you now have a mobile app con-
Ctrl+o to save it and Ctrl+x to exit trolled smart security camera.
the program.
Press Alt+Ctrl+F2, and you
will get Command prompt. Enter pi
as login user name and butterflypi Biswajit Das was manager -
as password. R&D, EFY Labs, till recently

Set up your Wi-Fi network from Fig. 7: Video capture on the smartphone

102 november 2016 | electronics for you www.efymag.com

 Do-it-yourself
N
Ka idh
th i
ur
ia

GPS Distance Meter

Somnath Bera

P
resented here is a project measure the distance between two 16×4 LCD, pushbutton switches and
based on Global Position- points using Haversine formula. It a few other components.
ing System (GPS) and can be a handy tool for a thermal
ATmega328P-PU microcontroller to power-plant patrolling/inspection or Circuit and working
any other application where large Circuit diagram of the GPS distance
Parts List
distance measurement is required. meter is shown in Fig. 1. To make
Semiconductors:
IC1 - ATmega328P-PU For example, in the thermal the circuitry simple and less power
microcontroller power plant industry, a patroller consuming, the 16MHz resonator/
GPS receiver - D2523T GPS receiver module
MicroSD - SparkFun microSD card
is required to take measurements crystal and associated pico capaci-
transflash breakout for laying out a new route, replace- tors on Arduino board are not used.
Resistors (all 1/4-watt, ±5% carbon): ment/shifting of old routes or exten- Arduino is programmed on plain
VR1 - 10-kilo-ohm preset
Capacitors:
sion of pipelines deep inside the ATmega328P-PU with an internal
C1 - 100µF, 16V electrolytic dyke. These activities are carried out 8MHz clock. The circuit is powered
Miscellaneous: quite often, and each measurement off a 3.7V lithium-ion battery.
LCD1 - 16×4 alphanumeric display
S1 - On/off switch requires two persons for holding a D2523T GPS receiver module
S2, S3 - Tactile/pushbutton switch large measuring tape. Demand for a used here requires between 3V and
CON1 - 2-pin terminal connector for
3.3V lithium-ion cell
GPS distance meter starts here. 3.6V DC supply and takes around
CON2 - 6-pin connector for GPS 40mA current. The module has two
receiver Hardware requirement LEDs on top and a green LED for
CON3 - 7-pin connector for microSD
card You need Arduino with an internal pulse per second (PPS).
BATT.1 - 3.3V lithium-ion battery or 8MHz clock, GPS receiver with seri- Since the pipelines are all in the
any other equivalent battery
al data port, microSD memory card, open, connection with GPS satellites
that are on low-
Earth orbit are
VR1 10K almost instant.
GPS After the device is
D2523T VSS switched on, cold
RECEIVER 1 LED−
16
start of this GPS
GPS LED 6

MODULE VE LCD1
3
VBAT 5

16x4 LCD
GND

device takes less

VIN
RX 1
TX

VDD LED+
2 15
than 20 seconds.
2
3
4

DB7 DB6 DB5 DB4 DB3 DB2 DB1 DB0 EN R/W RS

14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 You can check
7
Vcc AVcc 20
this from the
1
PC6/RESET AVREF 21 continuous flash-
S1 2
PD0/RXD PC5/SCL 28 ing of PPS green
3 PD1/TXD PC4/SDA 27
ON/OFF LED on the GPS
4 PD2 PC3 26 MICROSD
IC1 receiver. Immedi-
C1 5
PD3 PC2 25 CARD
ATMEGA328P
6 PD4 24 ately, latitude and
GND
SCK
VCC

100u,16V PC1
CD
DO
CS

9 PB6/XTAL1 −PU
DI

PC0 23 longitude read-

10 PB7/XTAL2 PB5/SCK 19
BATT.1 11 PB4/MISO 18
ings along with
PD5
S2
3.3V 12
PD6 PB3/MOSI 17 date and time will
READING 13
PD7 PB2 16 flash on the LCD
S3 14 PB1 15
PB0
8 GND
panel.
STOP AGND 22
Press switch
S2 to start meas-
GND urement reading,
and mark the
Fig. 1: Circuit diagram of the GPS distance meter initial reading.

www.efymag.com electronics for you | november 2016 103


Fig. 2: An actual-size PCB pattern of the GPS distance meter
Now, move to a desired location
along with this assembly for taking
distance reading. Distance measure-
ment values will flash on the third
line of the LCD and at the same
time all readings including serial
no, date, time, latitude, longitude,
dist_inst (d) and dist_total(D), will
be dumped into a text file, which
will be stored automatically on the
microSD memory card (8GB, 16GB
and so on) attached to the device.
Latitude and longitude readings
are taken up to six decimal points
for calculations. Double precision
variable is used for the same.
Chances of error may be to the
tune of 2.5 metres to 10 metres.
Under the open sky, where GPS sat-
ellites are easily located, the error is
minimum. On a cloudy day, sighting
of GPS satellites may take a longer
time. So before pressing S2, wait for
a while until values of latitude and
longitude get stabilised.
Software
The code is written in Arduino pro-
gramming language. ATmega328P
is programmed using Arduino IDE
software. Select the correct board
from Tools→Board menu in Arduino
IDE and burn the program (sketch)
through the standard USB port in
your computer.
Arduino Uno has an external
104 november 2016 | electronics for you
Do-it-yourself
Fig. 3: Component layout for the PCB
clock circuitry with a 16MHz reso-
nator and two picofarad capacitors.
You can use Arduino Uno board
directly, but to get it programmed
on an 8MHz internal clock is rather
challenging. For that you need an
unprogrammed ATmega328P chip
that has never been programmed
with 16MHz external resonator.
Because once it is programmed with
an external clock, it will never go
back to 8MHz internal clock mode.
Read ‘Arduino as AVR Program-
mer’ article for programming it
with 8MHz internal clock. You can
get it at http://electronicsforu.com/
electronics-projects/hardware-diy/
arduino-avr-programmer
An advantage of 8MHz internal
clock is that it is easy to make con-
nections on a piece of veroboard.
Besides, its power consumption is
not even 10mA on 3.3V supply.
Various operations are imple-
mented in the code, and follow-
ing header files are included in
the library. Each header file has
definitions for the library, while the
source file has the actual code.
LiquidCrystal.h for LCD panel.
This library allows the Arduino
board to control LCDs based on
Hitachi HD44780 (or a compatible)
chipset, which is found on most
text based LCDs. The library works
within either 4-bit or 8-bit mode
(that is, using four or eight data
lines in addition to RS, enable and,
optionally, RW control lines).
TinyGPS.h for GPS. TinyGPS is
a new Arduino library for parsing
NMEA data streams provided by
GPS modules.
SPI.h. This is for connecting the
SD card. This library allows you to
communicate with SPI devices, with
Arduino as the master device.
SDFat.h. Arduino SdFat library
provides read/write access to
FAT16/FAT32 file systems on
microSD/SDHC flash cards.
Construction and testing
An actual-size PCB pattern for the
GPS distance meter circuit is shown
in Fig. 2 and its component layout
in Fig. 3.
Switch on the GPS receiver and
wait till PPS LED on the GPS starts
blinking. Soon you will find latitude
and longitude values flashing on the
LCD. Get the readings stabilised on
the LCD.
Press S2 and you will get in-
stantaneous distance (d) and total
distance (D) values on the third line
of the LCD panel. For example, if dis-
tance from point A to B is 10 metres
and from point B to C is 20 metres,
total distance D will be 30 metres.
The distance from A to B or from B
to C is the instantaneous distance.
www.efymag.com
 To measure the
distance from point A
to C, press S2 and keep
it pressed till you reach
point B. Release S2 to
stop the measurement;
d/D values (instantane-
ous/overall distance) on
LCD will be shown as
10/10. The same values
will be stored on the
microSD card. Now,
press S2 again till you
reach point C. Release
S2 and note the d/D
Fig. 4: Author’s prototype values. You will see
20/30 on the LCD.
Finally, when all measurement
readings are taken, press S3 to close
the file and halt the system. Reset
Arduino to restart the system. Au-
thor’s prototype is shown in Fig. 4.
The log file gets stored on the
microSD card. Every time you start
the device, it will create a new
log file by the names data0.csv,
data01. csv, data02.csv and so on as
given below:
Fig. 5: Readings before pressing S2 Sl Date Time Lattitude Longitude
Dist. Dist0
0 20/3/16 23:1:18 24.088750
82.648200 0.0000 0.0000
1 20/3/16 23:1:21 24.088750
82.648200 0.0000 0.0000
2 20/3/16 23:1:24 24.088750
82.648200 0.0000 0.0000
3 20/3/16 23:1:29 24.088750
82.648200 0.0000 0.0000
EFY note. 1. The source code
of this project is included in this
month’s EFY DVD and is also avail-
Fig. 6: Readings after pressing S2 (while it is able for free download at source.
kept pressed) efymag.com
2. The project was tested at EFY
Lab on Arduino Uno with an exter-
nal 16MHz crystal and was found to
be working well.

Somnath Bera is an avid user

of open source software.
Professionally, he is a thermal
power expert and works as
additional general manager
at NTPC Ltd
Fig. 7: Readings showing values of d and D

www.efymag.com electronics for you | november 2016 105


i
San
he o
T
SMS Alert System
W
e receive many SMS
alerts every day. These
are automated messages
that are broadcast to a list of mobile
numbers. Ever wondered how the
system works? This article can
help you build your own SMS alert
system in no time and monitor it
as well.
If you check the messages in
your mobile phone, you will see that
these marketing SMSes come from
Fig. 1: Download Python
Fig. 2: Install for all users
106 november 2016 | electronics For You
Do-it-yourself
Pooja juyal
unknown numbers. Companies use
services from Cloud communication
platforms and send you messages
that are computer-generated via the
Internet. Advantage of using such
a platform is evident—messages
can be broadcast to any number of
people at predefined times, without
human intervention.
In this article we build a similar
system using an interesting Python
package that I recently discovered.
Fig. 3: Select location for installing Python
It is called Twilio Python Helper Li-
brary. Twilio (www.twilio.com) is a
Cloud communication platform that
provides APIs to build apps that can
communicate via text messaging.
We use this package to build our
SMS alert system.
We use another API from Open-
WeatherMap (http://openweather-
map.org) and read current humidity
levels at a specific location. This
software currently monitors for
Delhi region, but you can change it
for your location. If the read humid-
ity exceeds 70 per cent, it sends a
message ‘Humidity exceeds the set
level’ to your mobile. Else, it sends
‘Humidity below set level’ to your
mobile at desired intervals. Messag-
es are sent using Twilio API. I have
added humidity-monitoring feature
to give you an example. You can
monitor whatever you want.
The software is written in Py-
thon programming language and
tested on a Windows 10 OS based
computer.
Download and install
Python 2.7.11
As the software is built using Py-
thon programming language, install
it on your computer before starting
to write any code. Use Python 2.7.11
Fig. 4: Default selection
www.eFYmag.com

Fig. 5: Status of installation
Fig. 6: Click Finish
Fig. 7: Error in Windows PC
Fig. 8: Advanced System Settings
for this software. You can download
the same from www.python.org/
downloads
Once you open the link, you will
see the page shown in Fig. 1. Click
www.eFYmag.com
Fig. 9: Path under System Variables
Fig. 10: Path in Windows 8
Fig. 11: Command Prompt
Download Python 2.7.11 as shown
in the figure.
Once downloaded, install the
software. Double-click on the down-
loaded file, select ‘Install for all
users’ and click Next (Fig. 2).
Select a location to install
Python. Click Next (Fig. 3). Keep
the default selection and click Next
(Fig. 4).
You will be prompted for
permission to install the software;
select Yes. The page shown in Fig.
5 will appear to show the status of
installation. Once finished, Next tab
gets activated.
Click Finish to
complete software
installation (Fig. 6).
Add Python
to path
environment
variable
Python can be di-
rectly run through
the Command
Prompt on Win-
dows machine. But
this needs Python
directories to be
added in the path
under System Vari-
ables as explained
below. If you run python.exe com-
mand immediately after installation,
without adding the path variable,
you may encounter the error shown
in Fig. 7.
Follow the steps below to add
Python to the path in System Vari-
ables under Environment Variables:
1. Right-click on My Computer
→Properties→ Advanced System
Settings (Fig. 8).
2. Click on Environment Vari-
ables and search for the path vari-
able. Select the path under System
Variables and click Edit (Fig. 9).
3. In case of Windows 7, add
the following at the end of vari-
able value (or at the path of Python
installation):
;C:\Python27\Scripts
4. In case of Windows 8 or
above, the window shown in Fig. 10
will appear. Click New and add:
C:\Pyhton27
5. Select OK and it is done.
6. Open Command Prompt and
type Python (Fig. 11). This screen
confirms proper installation of
Python.
7. Now you can directly run
Python commands from Command
Prompt.
Prerequisites
Before you start writing your pro-
gram, install required packages so
electronics For You | november 2016 107

Fig. 12: Install Twilio
Fig. 13: Twilio website
Fig. 14: Form to be filled up
that you can import these into
your program. Register on Twilio
website to obtain Twilio phone
number, account SID and authori-
sation token. These are required
in the source program to send
text messages.
Then, register on OpenWeath-
erMap website and obtain a
key. This key is required to read
weather details from the website.
Install Twilio package
Twilio package can be easily
installed in Windows using pip
installer. This comes pre-packaged
with Python 2.7.11. So you do
not have to install it again. To
download and install Twilio, run
Command Prompt as Administra-
tor and type the command shown
in Fig. 12.
108 november 2016 | electronics For You
Do-it-yourself
Fig. 15: Console dashboard
thon as language).
3. Twilio will ask your phone
number; enter it on the next screen.
4. Log into your account with
Fig. 16: Install PyOWM the username and password you
created.
5. You will
see the dash-
board as shown
in Fig. 15. If
you do not see
all the details
on your console
dashboard, you
can navigate to
Account and
find everything
there.
6. Note
Fig. 17: Create new account in OpenWeatherMap down account
SID, authorisa-
Note. It is important that Com- tion token (click Lock to get it) and
mand Prompt is run as Administra- Twilio phone number (click Phone
tor. Otherwise, the command will Numbers to get it).
not work.
To check proper installation of Install PyOWM Python package
Twilio, run Python in Command This package will be used to read
Prompt and type the command weather details from OpenWeath-
given below: erMap website (http://openweath-
>>>import twilio ermap.org/). Install it by using the
If this command does not give commands shown in Fig. 16.
any error message, it means Twilio
is properly installed. Register with
Register with Twilio. Follow OpenWeatherMap
the steps given below to register or To obtain the key, just sign up with
sign up: the website by submitting your
1. Go to www.twilio.com and details (Fig. 17) and sign into your
click Sign Up (Fig. 13). new account.
2. Fill in your details in the form Click on API Keys and note
and click Get Started. (Choose Py- down your key.
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Confirm
If you have done everything men-
tioned below, you are ready to write
the code:
1. Python 2.7.11 installed and
added to path Environmental vari-
ables
2. Twilio package installed
3. Twilio phone number, account
SID, authorisation token obtained
from Twilio website
4. PyOWM package installed
5. Key obtained from Open-
WeatherMap website
Go ahead and write the code
then.
Python IDE
Python IDE comes with Python
2.7.11 installation and is used to
write, test and debug Python pro-
grams.
You can run it directly from the
installed applications by clicking on
its logo. Or, write IDLE in Search
www.eFYmag.com
Fig. 18: Python IDLE (GUI) screen
tab on Windows Start page, click on
IDLE (Python GUI) option. You will
get Python shell screen as shown in
Fig. 18.
Python is an interpreted lan-
guage, so you can immediately start
writing the commands followed by
pressing Enter from the keyboard.
Commands get executed when you
press Enter.
Test by typing 2+2 and then
press Enter. You should get 4 as the
answer in the next line.
Create new program
Enter Python IDLE→File→New File
Now you can start writing the
program in IDLE. I have provided
the complete program in Text.
py file (Fig. 19). I would recom-
mend copying the code from
this file, or use the file as it is,
because Python is an indentation-
sensitive language.
Note. You need to enter the
information (Twilio phone number,
account SID, authorisation token
and key) in the code you have ob-
tained in the previous steps.
Importing modules
Let us start with importing different
modules that would be required in
the program.
electronics For You | november 2016 109
 Do-it-yourself
From twilio.
rest import
TwilioRestClient.
This module will
import Twilio used
for sending text
messages.
import Py-
OWM module will
import PyOWM to
read humidity, and
import time mod-
ule will import
time module for
delays.
The above
two modules
have already been
installed and the Fig. 20: Messages received on mobile phone
third module
comes pre-pack- from OpenWeatherMap website to
aged with Python. Fig. 19: Test.py on Python GUI screen the trigger of 70 per cent. You can
You can check change the trigger as required.
all the different modules in Python Following code initialises Twilio If the read humidity exceeds 70
standard library or at https://docs. API for sending texts using account per cent, it will send a text mes-
python.org/2/library/ SID and authorisation token: sage to your mobile phone ‘Humid-
account_sid = “ENTER YOUR SID” ity exceeds set level.’ If the read
Functions used auth_token = “ENTER YOUR TOKEN” humidity is below the set trigger, it
Read current humidity level from client = TwilioRestClient(account_sid, will send a text message ‘Humidity
OpenWeatherMap website. The fol- auth_token) is below set level.’
lowing function initialises with the Enter account SID and authorisa- Two-seconds time interval
key obtained from OpenWeatherMap tion token you obtained from previ- setting is achieved by using time.
website: ous steps. sleep(2) command.
owm = pyowm.OWM(‘ENTER YOUR KEY’) Following code sends ‘Humidity Please note that the two-
The following function sets loca- exceeds set level’ text message’ if seconds time is only for testing
tion to Delhi, India: read humidity exceeds the set level purpose. If you want to read hu-
observation = owm.weather_at_ of 70 per cent: midity every two hours and receive
place(‘Delhi,IN’) if humidity>70: the text messages, replace 2 by
The following function gets message = client.messages.create 2×60×60=7200.
weather status: (body=”Humidity exceeds set level”,
w = observation.get_weather() to=”ENTER YOUR PHONE NUMBER”,
Running the program
The following function gets hu- from_=”ENTER TWILIO NUMBER”) Enter Python IDLE→File→Open.
midity value: print message.sid You can also double-click on Text.
humidity = w.get_humidity() The following section will py file to run it directly on Win-
This section reads the current compare the read humidity value dows. The program can be termi-
humidity level in the specified area nated with Ctrl+C in Interpreter
and puts it in the variable humidity. window.
In the next section there is Fig. 20 shows the alert messages
print command for printing out received on the mobile phone.
the read humidity level for testing efy Note
The source code of
purpose. You can also read tem-
this project is
perature, wind condition and much included in this Pooja Juyal is assistant manager
more with commands such as month’s EFY DVD and at Samtel Avionics Ltd
w.get_Temperature. is also available for free
download at source.
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 product categories index
Products Page No. Products Page No. Products Page No. Products Page No.

Automation & Robotics Cabinets, Enclosures & Accessories Industrial & Manufacturing Equipment Services

HARIHI Ohm Electronics ..................................116 Shrey Plastic Moulders .................................... 127 Max Technology & Co. ....................................... 35 DSM India Private Limited .................................114

Rapid Radio Solution Private Limited .............. 127 NMTronics India Pvt Ltd ..................................... 13

Scientech Technologies Pvt Ltd ......................... 43 Components (Including Active & Passive) Solar Products

Tektronix India Pvt Ltd ...................................... 132 Aura Emergency Systems ................................ 125 IT Products Aura Emergency Systems ................................ 125

Brisk Electrotech ...............................................116 Inventrom ........................................................... 37

Batteries & Power Supplies Test & Measurement Equipment (Including
Digi-Key Electronics ............................................ 3
Brite Systems .................................................. 125 Indicators & Monitors)
Element14 India Pvt Ltd. ...................................... 1 Materials (Including Chemicals &
Digital Promoters (I) Pvt Ltd ............................. 125 Crown Electronic Systems.................................114
Firm Sold ......................................................... 126 Consumables)
Eita Technologies ............................................ 126 Dinteck ............................................................. 126
Kaytron Components Pvt Ltd ........................... 125 Progressive Engineers ......................................112
Elektro Power Systems ................................... 126 FLIR Systems India Pvt Ltd. ........................33, 119
LWI Electronics Inc. ........................................... 23
Exide Industries Ltd ............................................ 51 Keysight Technologies India Pvt. Ltd. ................... 5
Martin Electronic Devices & Optics & Optoelectronics
Fusion Power Systems ..................................... 125 Livingston India Pvt Ltd ...................................... 53
Instruments .................................................. 124 Binay Opto Electronics Pvt Ltd ..................... 14, 15
Minmax Technology Co. Ltd ............................... 47 Rishabh Instruments Pvt Ltd .............................. 27
Meco Meters Pvt Ltd .................................... 67, 69 Buljin Elemec Pvt Ltd........................................ 125
Montu Electronics LLP ..................................... 127 Rohde & Schwarz .............................................. 55
Mouser Electronics (India) Private Limited .......... 7
Mornsun Guangzhou Science & Toshniwal Industries Pvt Ltd ............................ 121
Om Art Engineering Works .............................. 124 PCBs, Assemblies & Sub Assemblies
Technology Co. Ltd. ........................................ 45
Prism Enterprises Pvt Ltd .................................118 Circuit Systems India Ltd .................................... 32
National Controlling & Equipments ................... 125 Tools & Toolkits
Rajguru Electronics ..........................................113 Velpa Technologies .......................................... 127
Nippon India ......................................................117 Firm Sold .......................................................... 126

Sagar Switch Gear ...........................................117

Perfect Systems .............................................. 127

PSI Enterprises ................................................ 127 Sancon India Pvt Ltd .........................................112 Plugs, Sockets & Connectors Training and Certification Institutes

Sakthi Accumulators Private Ltd ...................... 126 ST Microelectronics Marketing Pvt Ltd ............... 41 Auro Controls ................................................... 109 ERT Tech.Services ........................................... 127

Servokon Systems Pvt Ltd ................................118

Srishti Electronics ............................................. 127 Educational Training Kits Reseller and Distributors Wires & Cables

Upsinverter.com ................................................111 Perfect Electronics ........................................... 126 Element14 India Pvt Ltd ....................................... 1 Sagar Switch Gear ...........................................117

EFY Magazine Attractions During 2016

Month tEchnologY Focus MArkEt survEYs BuYErs’ guiDE estYlE BuYErs’ guiDE
For ElEctronics lABs
January Latest Technologies for Enabling Connectors and Terminals Development Boards Microwave Ovens Under ` 10,000
the Internet
February Drones Security and Surveillance Desktop Power Supplies 126cm (50-inch) Flat-Panel Televisions
March Intuitive Gesture Control Test and Measurement Noise Meters Blood-Pressure Monitors
Equipment
April Latest Display Technologies Solar Industry Digital Multimeters Wireless Printers for Homes
May Solid-State Storage 3D Printers 3D Printers Under ` 100,000 Fitness Wristbands
June Affordable Virtual Reality The Internet of Things Wi-Fi and Radio Frequency Modules Earphones
July Connected Homes and Appliances Home Automation Budget-Friendly Oscilloscopes Wireless Routers for Homes
August Self-Driving Cars LED Lighting LED Chips and Bulbs Low-Priced Tablets
September Autonomous Weapons Strategic Electronics Soldering/Desoldering Stations 3G/4G Dongles
October Sensors Consumer Electronics LCD and OLED Display Modules Smart Televisions
November Bio-Printing Medical Electronics Desktop PCB Manufacturing Equipment Blood-Sugar Monitors
December Materials: 3D Printing to Solar Panels Materials and Chemicals Motors and Drives Low-Priced Laptops

128 november 2016 | electronics For You www.eFYmag.com


Client name Page No.
Alcop Industries .....................................................................................126
AqTronics Technologies Pvt. Ltd .............................................................19
Aura Emergency Systems .....................................................................125
Auro Controls (www.aurocontrols.com) .................................................109
Avnet Electronics India ............................................................................ 11
Binay Opto Electronics Pvt Ltd (www.binayLED.com) .....................14, 15
Boolean Microsystems Pvt. Ltd. ............................................................125
Brisk Electrotech .................................................................................... 116
Brite Systems .........................................................................................125
Buljin Elemec Pvt Ltd (www.flexiblepcb.com)........................................125
CADD Centre Training Services Private Limited ................................... 115
CeBIT India ..............................................................................................83
CeBIT INDIA 2016 ...................................................................................83
Circuit Design, Inc. .................................................................................129
Circuit Systems India Ltd ........................................................................32
Crown Electronic Systems (www.crownelectronicsystems.com).......... 114
Digi-Key Electronics (www.digikey.com)....................................................3
Digital Promoters (I) Pvt Ltd...................................................................125
Dinteck ...................................................................................................126
DSM India Private Limited .................................................................... 114
EFY Group: DIY .....................................................................................102
EFY Group: IOTshow.in .............................................................................2
EFY Group: Subscripton Form ..............................................................122
Eita Technologies ...................................................................................126
Elcina Electronic Industries Association of India ..................................120
Electronic Assembly (www.lcd-module.de)..............................................37
Elektro Power Systems..........................................................................126
Element14 India Pvt Ltd.............................................................................1
EPS PCB Technologies ......................................................................... 116
ERT Tech.Services.................................................................................127
Exide Industries Ltd (www.exide4u.com) ...............................................51
www.efymag.com
advertisers’ index
Client name Page No.
Firm Sold ................................................................................................126
FLIR Systems India Pvt Ltd (www.flir.com) .....................................33, 119
Fusion Power Systems (www.amptek.in) ..............................................125
Gala Electronics (www.vegakitindia.com) ..............................................59
Good Will Instrument Co. Ltd.................................................................130
HARIHI Ohm Electronics ....................................................................... 116
HK Wentworth (India) Pvt Ltd ....................................................................9
India Electronics Week 2017 ................................................................131
Inventrom .................................................................................................37
Kaytron Components Pvt Ltd.................................................................125
Keysight Technologies India Pvt Ltd (www.keysight.com) ........................5
Kits‘n’Spares ............................................................................................57
Livingston India Pvt Ltd. ...........................................................................53
LWI Electronics Inc. (www.livewireinfo.com) ...........................................23
Martin Electronic Devices & Instruments...............................................124
Max Technology & Co. (www.maxtechnoloindia.com) ............................35
Meco Meters Pvt Ltd (www.mecoinst.com) .................................65, 67, 69
Minmax Technology Co. Ltd (www.minmax.com.tw)...............................47
Montu Electronics LLP ...........................................................................127
Mornsun Guangzhou Science & Technology Co. Ltd. ............................45
Mouser Electronics (India) Private Limited ................................................7
National Controlling & Equipments ........................................................125
NECS Power Conditioners .................................................................... 118
Nippon India (www.nipponindia.com) .................................................... 117
NMTronics India Pvt Ltd (www.nmtronics.com).......................................13
Om Art Engineering Works ....................................................................124
Perfect Electronics (www.perfectelectronics.net) ..................................126
Perfect Systems .....................................................................................127
Pinnacle Mouldings ................................................................................ 119
Prism Enterprises Pvt Ltd ..................................................................... 118
Progressive Engineers........................................................................... 112
Client name Page No.
PSI Enterprises ......................................................................................127
Radiant Electronics ................................................................................127
Raj Electronics .......................................................................................127
Rajguru Electronics ................................................................................ 113
Rapid Radio Solution Private Limited ....................................................127
Renesas Electronics India Pvt. Ltd. .........................................................31
Rishabh Instruments Pvt Ltd ...................................................................27
Rohde & Schwarz (www.rohde-schwarz.co.in) .......................................55
ROHM Semiconductor .............................................................................29
Sagar Switch Gear ................................................................................. 117
Sakthi Accumulators Private Ltd ............................................................126
Sancon India Pvt. Ltd. ............................................................................ 112
Scientech Technologies Pvt Ltd (www.scientech.bz) ..............................43
Servokon Systems Pvt Ltd..................................................................... 118
Servotech Power Systems P Ltd ..........................................................121
Shavison Electronics Pvt Ltd (www.shavison.com).................................87
Shrey Plastic Moulders (www.shreyplasticmoulders.com)....................127
SIGLENT Technologies Co., Ltd..............................................................49
Smec Electronics India Pvt Ltd ............................................................. 112
Spur India .................................................................................................39
Srishti Electronics (www.acedigital.co.in) ..............................................127
ST Microelectronics Marketing Pvt. Ltd ...................................................41
Systellar Innovations (www.systellar.in)................................................. 114
Tektronix India Pvt Ltd (www.tektronix.com)..........................................132
Toshniwal Industries Pvt Ltd ..................................................................121
Tunwal Electronics ................................................................................. 119
Universal Electronic Agencies (www.easternradio.co.in) ......................121
Upsinverter.com (www.upsinverter.com) ............................................... 111
Velpa Technologies ................................................................................127
Yokogawa India Ltd (www.yokogawa.com/in) .......................................123
electronics for you | november 2016 129