Temperature, pressure, flow, pH levels – these are some of the variables commonly monitored in process control and factory automation applications. Pneumatic systems originally controlled and monitored these variables until the 1950s, when electronics became more affordable and robust enough to implement. The electronics evolution created a new controlling and monitoring standard…
Vehicular network interfaces (VNIs) are dongles that plug into a vehicle’s onboard diagnostics (OBD) port to facilitate communication with electronic subsystems such as the engine control unit. Automotive manufacturers...
In my previous blog post, I discussed how you can use the processor software development kit (Processor SDK) for industrial products. In this post, I’ll explain how to develop applications with ease of development and quick time to market.
Let’s take an industrial application to show how you can start with a concept block diagram and use it when developing a product. Figure 1 shows a concept diagram of single-chip…
In this installment of the Smart Analog Combo application series, I would like to discuss the realization of low-cost audio playback using the digital-to-analog converter (DAC) in Smart Analog Combo in MSP430FR2355 microcontroller (MCU).
Some situations may need simple audio playback for sound cues or alarms. In most cases, adding an extra external audio chip for this simple…
My home is filled with a group of connected devices that work seamlessly together to remind me of appointments, monitor my home security from afar, and allow me to turn off devices remotely when I’m leaving home in a rush. Security, privacy and robust connectivity are now achievable in a wide range of wireless applications, all…
Ultra-low-power smart sensing and measurement demands more integration for the sensing analog front end (AFE), the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and the microcontroller (MCU).
In this series, we are discussing some smart sensing applications and how to use TI’s MSP430™ MCU as a platform for implementing them. In this installment, I will be discussing two medical instruments…
In our previous blog post, we discussed the various ways the Processor software development kit (SDK) can be used for industrial products. In this blog post, we’ll focus on how Processor SDK can continuously scale through our software quality assurance infrastructure. Our quality assurance (QA) infrastructure, which has evolved over many decades, uses industry standard open source tools. Why is software QA important?…
The first smoke detection devices were invented in the 1890s, including an electric fire alarm and a heat detector. These inventions improved over the years, leading to more sophisticated designs like ionization and optical smoke detectors.
Thanks to...
Hi. I'm Nick. Welcome to Connect, TI's video series covering all things connectivity. We have brought in experts to talk about the latest industry trends and TI's SimpleLink technology, hands-on demos, new product previews, training and more. The series can be found on TI.com’s training portal or on YouTube, of course. Innovation starts here!
Join us for a tour of the SimpleLink P…
Imagine a world where you can easily configure your analog options on the fly without any need to change onboard components.
The Smart Analog Combo module integrated within the MSP430FR235...
TI’s latest quarterly release of SimpleLink microcontroller (MCU) software development kits (SDKs) version 2.20 offers new capabilities to speed your development and differentiate your designs. TI is proud to offer new ways to use its broad portfolio of wired and wireless communication technologies in this release. For example, new graphics library tooling makes the…
With devices as complex and feature-rich as embedded processors, there is no one size fits all. This is especially true for industrial products since there is such a large difference between the requirements for a robotic vacuum cleaner in your home and a human machine interface (HMI) in a factory floor. This diverse set of system requirements poses many challenges related to supported features, cost, future-proofing…
I’m sure you’ve been guilty of this at some point. You walk onto an airplane and try to jam your luggage into the overhead compartment. You push, wiggle and grimace, but the bag isn’t budging, and now there’s a line of frustrated travelers behind you. Since you can’t change the size of airplane bins, only a smaller suitcase will alleviate the hassle.…
In the previous installment of this four-part series, I discussed how range helps millimeter wave (mmWave) radar sensors define their environment.
The second key measurement is velocity, which I previously described as “the speed at which an object is moving toward or away from the mmWave radar sensor … Because velocity enables the sensor to process whether a detected object is moving or stationary, this measurement…
The term “home network” has evolved to include products that work together seamlessly to provide both a smart and secure home experience. Inside the newest smart home products and talking home assistants is a much more intricate story, however.
The home security space is fragmented at several levels, making interoperability a challenge. Every day consumers make choices based on ease of use and interoperability…
Smart locks and smart sensors have become trendy. Developers can spend a huge amount of time creating and connecting these popular Internet of Things (IoT) products to the cloud via gateways using wireless technologies such as Bluetooth® low energy.
Choosing an easy-to-use cloud service that offers powerful functions, steadiness and multiple cloud-security features can also…
As factories become increasingly smarter, so does the technology used to create the sensors, automation and equipment that controls and monitors these installations. Microcontrollers (MCUs) need to quickly and efficiently adapt to different types of sensing and measurement applications, especially those involving the sensing of light, humidity, temperature,…
Oil production fields have a large number of wellheads scattered over a wide area. These wellheads require regular monitoring to ensure that the equipment is in good working order and to avoid the potential for breakdowns or oil spills. Traditionally, this monitoring has been labor-intensive; workers must drive around the field to check sensor values and equipment.…
Standards like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth low energy have become synonymous with the rise of “smart” devices in our homes that are controlled by digital assistants (such as the Amazon Echo). These standards are popular and well known to consumers. However, as the number of connected devices in our homes, buildings and cities grows, other lesser-known standards, like Thread and…
Remember that game show “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?,” in which adult contestants attempted to answer questions from fifth-grade elementary school textbooks? The adults found these questions to be surprisingly challenging. Similarly, the “intelligence” being designed into modern-day appliances is similarly surprising and impressive. Vacuum cleaners, ovens and stovetops, washing machines, air conditioners, lawn…
Dear Bluetooth,
I can’t believe 20 years have passed,
You’ve made an impact that’s here to last!
As a thank you for all that you do,
Here are 20 things to love about you:
1. Wireless mice. It’s the little things we take for granted. Having a portable mouse for your laptop wouldn’t be possible without Bluetooth.
2. Wireless keyboards. Similarly, most tablets today aren’t complete without…
A year ago, we released our first SimpleLink™ MCU software development kits (SDKs) with 100% application code portability across the industry’s broadest technology portfolio of wired and wireless MCUs.
With each quarterly release, we are committed to protecting your code investment while adding new capabilities to speed development and enable more opportunities for differentiation. Our first quarterly release…
Given how the word “smart” is bandied about when discussing IoT technology, you may wonder exactly what it means – if it has any meaning at all. If you asked me to define a smart thermostat, here’s what I’d say:
Analog
Automotive
