Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
6 Just in
Time
10
Accelerate Your
Touch Design
18 On the Cutting
Edge of
Learning
JAN/FEB 2018
A MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INC. PUBLICATION
MAKER SPACE
20 Get Launched Hits the Road
The Microchip name and logo, the Microchip logo, AnyRate, AVR, AVR logo, AVR Freaks, BeaconThings, BitCloud, CryptoMemory, CryptoRF, dsPIC, FlashFlex, flexPWR, Heldo, JukeBlox, KEELOQ, KEELOQ logo, Kleer,
LANCheck, LINK MD, maXStylus, maXTouch, MediaLB, megaAVR, MOST, MOST logo, MPLAB, OptoLyzer, PIC, picoPower, PICSTART, PIC32 logo, Prochip Designer, QTouch, RightTouch, SAM-BA, SpyNIC, SST, SST Logo,
SuperFlash, tinyAVR, UNI/O, and XMEGA are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the U.S.A. and other countries. ClockWorks, The Embedded Control Solutions Company, EtherSynch, Hyper
Speed Control, HyperLight Load, IntelliMOS, mTouch, Precision Edge, and Quiet-Wire are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the U.S.A.
Adjacent Key Suppression, AKS, Analog-for-the-Digital Age, Any Capacitor, AnyIn, AnyOut, BodyCom, chipKIT, chipKIT logo, CodeGuard, CryptoAuthentication, CryptoCompanion, CryptoController, dsPICDEM, dsPICDEM.
net, Dynamic Average Matching, DAM, ECAN, EtherGREEN, In-Circuit Serial Programming, ICSP, Inter-Chip Connectivity, JitterBlocker, KleerNet, KleerNet logo, Mindi, MiWi, motorBench, MPASM, MPF, MPLAB Certified logo,
MPLIB, MPLINK, MultiTRAK, NetDetach, Omniscient Code Generation, PICDEM, PICDEM.net, PICkit, PICtail, PureSilicon, QMatrix, RightTouch logo, REAL ICE, Ripple Blocker, SAM-ICE, Serial Quad I/O, SMART-I.S., SQI,
SuperSwitcher, SuperSwitcher II, Total Endurance, TSHARC, USBCheck, VariSense, ViewSpan, WiperLock, Wireless DNA, and ZENA are trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the U.S.A. and other countries.
SQTP is a service mark of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the U.S.A. Silicon Storage Technology is a registered trademark of Microchip Technology Inc. in other countries. GestIC and ULPP are registered trademarks of
Microchip Technology Germany II GmbH & Co. & KG, a subsidiary of Microchip Technology Inc., in other countries. The LoRa name and associated logo are registered trademarks of Semtech Corporation or its subsidiaries.
USB Type-C™ is a trademark of USB Implementers Forum. ARM and Cortex are registered trademarks of ARM Ltd. in the EU and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are property of their respective
companies. © 2017, Microchip Technology Incorporated, All Rights Reserved.M
2
EDITOR’S NOTE
Reflections on 2017
JAN/FEB 2018
s a new year unfolds, it is common to look back over the previous 12 months to A MICROCHIP T ECHNOLOGY INC. P UBLICATION
Microchip was also honored by a number of award programs. The company was
named a top place to work in the California Bay Area, New York and Austin, Texas,
and was also listed as one of Arizona’s Most Admired Companies for 2017 by both
AZ Big Media as well as BestCompaniesAZ. It was also included as a finalist in the
GSA Most Respected Public Semiconductor Company Awards.
6 Just in
Time
10
Ready for a
Head Start?
18 On the Cutting
Edge of
Learning
Some other highlights include the AWS-ECC508 security device and MPLAB®
Don’t Miss the Next Issue of
Xpress IDE being selected as finalists in the ECN Impact Awards. The AWS-ECC508
MicroSolutions
was also selected as an honoree in the 2017 CES Innovations awards and was Published six times a year,
named a finalist in the Design News Golden Mousetrap Awards and Embedded MicroSolutions is a valuable resource
Computing Design’s 2017 Most Innovative Products awards program. for product and technology news
about Microchip’s innovative
The most exciting news of all, however, was that Microchip achieved its first quarter solutions. Subscribe today to receive
of over one billion dollars in net sales as reported in the results for the quarter ending email notifications when each new
on September 30, 2017. We are energized by this achievement, thankful to all our issue of MicroSolutions is ready. Use
customers who made it possible, and looking forward to many more opportunities the link below:
to serve you in 2018. We wish you much success with your designs in the New Year! CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE
As always, we would be happy to get your feedback on MicroSolutions. Feel free to
email us at MSFeedback@microchip.com.
3
COVER STORY
HEIGHTENED
SECURITY
Protect IP and Deploy Secure Connected
Systems with New ATECC608A
CryptoAuthentication™ Device
F
rom remote cyberattacks to the creation of
counterfeit products, widespread security
threats are affecting industries around the
globe. When carried out, these threats can lead
to substantial losses in service revenue, escalating
recovery costs and, perhaps most significantly,
irreparable damage to brand equity. Now more
than ever, it is critical to implement robust security
into new and existing designs to protect Intellectual
Property (IP) and enable trusted authentication of
connected devices.
(continued on page 5)
4
COVER STORY
Trusted authentication for LoRa® nodes: The AES-128 engine If you are looking for a way to heighten the security in your next
also makes security deployments for LoRa infrastructures possi- design, the ATECC608A can be ordered from microchipDIRECT
ble by enabling authentication of trusted nodes within a network. or from Microchip’s worldwide distribution network.
5
Just In Time
New Products
I
f you are developing an application that includes a Controller these MCUs with just a few clicks will save considerable time
Area Network (CAN) system, you know that software devel- in developing CAN-based applications for the medical, industri-
opment can slow you down. You can now change the way al and automotive markets, such as motorized surgical tables,
you design with CAN using our new PIC18 K83 family of micro- asset tracking, ultrasound machines, automated conveyors and
controllers (MCUs). These two new devices combine a CAN automotive accessories.
bus with an extensive array of Core Independent Peripherals
The PIC18 K83 devices contain 15 time-saving CIPs. These
(CIPs). You can use these CIPs to increase your system’s capa-
include Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) with memory
bilities and simplify the creation of your CAN-based applications
scan for ensuring the integrity of nonvolatile memory; Direct
while avoiding the complexity of added software.
Memory Access (DMA) for enabling data transfers between
A key advantage of using a PIC18 K83 MCU in your CAN-based memory and peripherals without CPU involvement; Windowed
system is that the CIPs provide deterministic response to real- Watchdog Timer (WWDT) for triggering system resets; 12-bit
time events, shorten design time and can be easily configured Analog-to-Digital Converter with Computation (ADC2) for auto-
through MPLAB® Code Configurator (MCC), a free software mating analog signal analysis for real-time system response;
plug-in for MPLAB X Integrated Development Environment and Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG) for enabling
(IDE) and the cloud-based MPLAB Xpress IDE. It is signifi- high-efficiency synchronous switching for motor control.
cantly easier to configure a hardware-based peripheral to
Development Support
accomplish a task instead of writing and validating an entire
software routine. The ability to use MCC to configure one of
The PIC18 K83 family of MCUs is supported by the Curiosity
High Pin Count (HPC) Development Board (DM164136).
6
Simple
New Products
Connection
Latest Single-Wire Serial EEPROM Enables
Remote Identification and Authentication
B
ecause of their unique combination of capabilities, serial space for electronic components is limited. With its operational
Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory voltage range of 2.7V to 4.5V, it is also well suited for use in
(EEPROM) devices are used to add critical memory storage lithium-ion battery-powered devices such as disposable
to a wide range of advanced electronic systems and applications. medical devices and e-cigarettes.
Their features include byte-write alterability, nonvolatile data
The AT21CS11 is
storage, one million cycles of write endurance, very low power
supply voltage operation, 100-year data retention, extremely low
lithium-ion battery-
mighty—devices that incorporate an innovative memory archi-
tecture, best-in-class power consumption and value-added
features for use in applications such as consumables, cables,
batteries, wearables and Internet of Things applications. powered applications.
As the second member of this family of single-wire serial
EEPROMs, the AT21CS11 is ideal for identifying and authenti- Each AT21CS11 contains both a preprogrammed unique
cating remote items, such as printer cartridges or cables, where serial number and five EEPROM memory sections. Any or all
of the memory sections can be permanently locked by the
end-equipment manufacturer to allow tracking of products and
identifying attachments to assist with counterfeit prevention. If
you need to warranty your product or prevent counterfeits and
ensure proper continued operation of your goods through autho-
rized replacements, this serial EEPROM is an excellent option.
(continued on page 8)
7
where larger three-, five- or eight-wire solutions are impractical.
This single-wire option allows you to add EEPROM intelligence New Products
to remote devices over the simplest connection possible.
When the EEPROM is located in a detachable cable or cartridge, from Microchip’s worldwide distribution network. An
manufacturers can create attachments that can be easily identi- easy-to-use and interactive kit, the AT21CS01/AT21CS11
fied or authenticated. The device has 1 Kbit of EEPROM memory Single-Wire Evaluation Kit (DM160232), will also be available
(four sectors of 256 bits each), a unique, factory-programmed soon to help you get started with using this new serial EEPROM
64-bit serial number and 128 bits for extra user-programmable in your next project.
tracking memory. The extra memory allows you to add unique
identification and operating parameters, such as consumption
and usage information, in locations that can be remote from the Want More Information?
main electronics.
Visit the website at:
The AT21CS11 is available in a variety of space-saving package www.microchip.com/AT21CS11
options and can be ordered today from microchipDIRECT or
8
Get Ready for EVENTS
Las Vegas!
Meet with Microchip Experts and Learn
About Our Latest Innovations at CES® 2018
M
icrochip invites you to join us at CES 2018 to see our latest product and technology demonstrations and meet with our
product experts to discuss your design challenges. You will find us in Booth MP26070 at the Las Vegas Convention Center
South Hall 2, where we will feature the following technology zones:
Security
Find out how we make “difficult” easy with our advanced solutions for implementing hardware-based security in cloud-connected
embedded systems. See demonstrations of how our CryptoAuthentication™ devices combine with solutions from AWS IoT, Google
IoT Core, Microsoft® Azure and Afero to protect and isolate private keys, support secure boot and protect IP.
It’s easy to schedule an appointment for a product demonstration at our booth using our online CES reservation system. We also invite
you to be our guest at CES by registering for a complimentary attendee pass. We look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas!
9
Design Corner
F
rom your customer’s perspective, the user interface is the To help you get a head start with
product. In today’s competitive environment, providing your development, Microchip offers
modern, attractive and intuitive user interfaces is essen- two free, graphical programming
tial for product differentiation. A well-designed, touch-enabled environments that support almost
user interface can be one of the keys to success when it comes every MCU in our extensive port-
to launching a new product into the market. Incorporating a folios. If you select an 8-, 16- or
capacitive touch interface in your design also eliminates the 32-bit PIC MCU, MPLAB® Code
need to use mechanical buttons and springs, which simplifies Configurator (MCC) is integrated
your layout and reduces costs. In the race to get to market into the cloud-based MPLAB Xpress Integrated Development
quickly and cost effectively, you need to get up to speed rapidly Environment (IDE) or it is also available as a free plug-in for
with the latest touch technologies. MPLAB X IDE. If you are using an AVR or SAM MCU in your
design, then you can use the easily accessible Atmel START.
Even though developing capacitive touch applications may
sound challenging, it doesn’t have to be hard. When you choose After a recent upgrade in features, Atmel START now supports
our PIC®, AVR® or SAM microcontrollers (MCUs), we provide more MCU families including the following devices that feature a
a complete set of tools and touch libraries that enable touch PTC, making them well suited for use in touch-enabled designs:
sensing in your design. Our “MCUs with touch” are devices
• All tinyAVR® and megaAVR® MCUs
that feature dedicated Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) to
implement touch applications with minimal intervention from • SAM D10/D11 MCUs
the CPU. Look for MCUs that include these features: • SAM D20/D21 MCUs
• SAM DA1 MCUs
• A Hardware Capacitive Voltage Divider (HCVD) module
• SAM D51/E51/E53/E54
• An Analog-to Digital Converter with Computation (ADC2)
with HCVD module Both code configurators make it easy to select and configure
• A Peripheral Touch Controller (PTC) peripherals and functions specific to your application and gen-
erate production-ready code. You always have access to the
These on-chip touch modules can be used to enable the latest libraries. MCC and Atmel START offer capabilities that go
highest sensitivity, the lowest power consumption, superior way beyond the basic setup of clocks and GPIO configuration.
noise immunity and water tolerance in your design.
11
Design Corner
M
any large enterprises are focusing their IT investments data generated by IoT devices, allowing new insights from, as
on developing, deploying and maintaining cloud well as control of, remotely deployed assets.
services. Developers are now being trained in the
Cloud-connected devices however present a different challenge
latest cloud-related technologies and services. As practices
than traditional PC platforms have in the past. Developing code
have matured, developers have created new ways of writing
to run on embedded devices requires knowledge of both hard-
applications to make use of the cloud.
ware and software. The resource limitations of many of these
Over the past few years, microservices—functions that operate devices further compounds the difficulties. Embedded devices
independently to complete a single task—have become popular are often required to run with very limited power budgets, have
among cloud developers. One of their key benefits is their ability CPU cores with limited compute capability and are typically
to be changed and updated independently from other services optimized for specific workloads. This means that developers
that are running concurrently on the platform. This model fits in must develop and maintain separate code for resource-limited
well with the continuous delivery practices adopted by many devices and for the cloud. Given the vast investment companies
cloud developers. Another growing trend is the use of contain- are making in cloud technologies, the ability to deploy contain-
ers, which enable the delivery of services along with the exact ers and microservices to these edge devices holds tremendous
environment they require for deployment on servers or in virtual appeal and value.
machines (VMs). Docker pioneered the use of containers and
Addressing the need to bring the power of cloud intelligence to
continues to set standards and lead the market in practices
mobile and IoT devices, Microsoft® has implemented an intel-
related to their use.
ligent edge initiative called Azure IoT Edge. It enables Docker
IoT Challenges for Cloud Developers containers and microservices to be deployed on IoT edge
The Internet of Things, or IoT, has been in the news for both gateways and other devices. This greatly simplifies the devel-
the dramatic transformation it promises and for the perils and oper’s task, as code can be created once for the cloud and
implementation challenges associated with it. The IoT compris- then be easily pushed to remote edge gateways. It increases
es a network of connected devices that includes sensors, inter- design agility while reducing the time to market and the costs
mediate devices known as edge gateways (or simply gateways) associated with maintaining two different code bases. However,
and a slew of cloud services. The cloud ingests and analyzes this capability also introduces the essential need for security at
the edge.
(continued on page 13)
12
Securing the Edge
How should a device maker go about securing edge devices Design Corner
such as gateways? Gateways function as access points
between sensors and cloud services. As such, they perform
achieved with a system that combines Azure IoT Edge, the IoT
the vital function of connecting to and aggregating data from
Security Suite by Sequitur Labs and the SAMA5D2 MPU. Click
sensors and transmitting that data to cloud services for analysis
on the video screenshot below to see a demonstration of Docker
and further operations. Gateways may also act as device man-
containers and microservices running on a SAMA5D2 MPU-
agement nodes performing a variety of command and control
based gateway that is connected to a SAM E54 microcontroller-
functions over associated sensors. All these operations must be
based leaf node. The system controls a simple door lock that
performed securely. Sensors associated with the gateway must
opens and shuts upon receiving a command from the gateway.
be authenticated, data received from it must be encrypted and
the gateway must authenticate itself to a cloud service prior to
transmitting any data. Additionally, software applications on the
gateway and the device’s firmware itself must be periodically
updated. These functions, if not properly secured, are vulnerable
to malware or denial of service and man-in-the-middle attacks.
14
Design Corner
Debugging
on the IoT
Capture, Visualize and Control Analog and Digital Signals with Portable, Connected
and Open-Source OpenScope MZ
Contributed by Digilent, Inc.
I
n the world of embedded systems, designers are constantly An IoT-Ready Instrumentation Solution
engineering around the unseen. Traditional laboratories The OpenScope MZ was designed to be an oscilloscope, logic
provide the necessary tools to debug designs and charac- analyzer, power supply, waveform generator, Bode plot, FFT
terize signals, but these are often out of reach for use in the plot and a simple data logger. When combined with WaveForms
field: locked to a benchtop, stuck in a lab or just too heavy to Live (WFL), Digilent’s powerful and intuitive browser and mobile
carry around. To meet this need, there has been a surge in the instrumentation software, the OpenScope MZ delivers its
availability of portable oscilloscopes, logic analyzers and other amazing instrumentation capabilities right to your phone, tablet
tools that can be powered by a laptop computer. However, even or computer.
these options have their limitations. Applications like robotics
and field-deployed Internet of Things (IoT) devices require
a different type of solution. For them, bulky benchtop-based
equipment and portable instrumentation tethered to a computer
can’t be the only options.
eight DMAs, nine timers and nine PWMs, the PIC32MZ is ideal
for the OpenScope MZ application.”
17
On the Cutting Design Corner
Edge of Learning
L
oRaWAN™ is an open specification derived from The mission of the LoRaWAN Academy is to:
Semtech’s LoRa® devices and wireless radio frequency
technology (LoRa Technology) that has quickly become • Equip universities with out-of-the-box, state-of-the-art
the leading Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN) technol- LoRaWAN networks
ogy for use in wireless Internet of Things (IoT) networks around • Educate the next generation of hardware and software
the globe. Companies are implementing LoRa Technology and engineers and computer scientists to imagine, develop and
the LoRaWAN protocol in their IoT applications to take advan- operate real-world IoT applications
tage of a number of significant benefits that include long-range • Advance LoRaWAN standard-based IoT research and
connectivity, low cost of implementation, global interoperability involve top university scholars in real-world problem solving
and low power consumption for battery-powered devices. using cutting-edge technology
As the IoT continues to boom, a new generation of engineers Universities can easily implement LoRaWAN Academy
will need to be trained on the technologies that will enable the curriculum into existing engineering and computer science
development of smart solutions to solve some of the world’s courses, giving students valuable lessons and training for the real
toughest challenges. That’s why several leading IoT technology world. Appropriate for beginner to intermediate-level engineer-
companies recently launched the LoRaWAN Academy, an ing students, the 10-week program is self-paced and offered on
all-encompassing, hands-on curriculum that enables university a rolling basis, with no formal program start dates. Each week’s
students to learn about the LoRaWAN specification and the curriculum includes 4-8 hours of video lectures, supplemental
ecosystem that is rapidly developing around it. The LoRaWAN reading and materials, as well as problem sets, assignments
Academy program provides an online course library, as well as and quizzes to benchmark learning. The program culminates
LoRaWAN network packages and an IoT network infrastructure with a hands-on applied research project for students to build
for hands-on training and design. real-world IoT applications.
19
Maker Space
Get Launched
Hits the Road!
T
his fall, Microchip brought its exciting “Get Launched” free of charge. Attendees could then take this hardware—and
events to New York City and Chicago. This new program the knowledge they had gained—home with them to begin
for aspiring inventors and early-stage start-up companies developing their own projects.
provides them with a number of helpful resources, valuable net-
In October, “Get Launched”
working opportunities and essential information they need to
was held at mHUB Chicago, a
help bring their products from prototype to reality. A distinctive
world-class incubator space that
of the “Get Launched” program is that it leverages Microchip’s
offers a state-of-the-art hardware
cross-industry partnerships to enable attendees to meet with
prototyping floor. This event fea-
local Microchip Design Partners and representatives from
tured several partner companies,
other companies. These companies offer a range of busi-
including Sigfox and Arrow, who
ness resources like product review, design for manufacturing,
were able to meet with makers
low-volume contract manufacturing and even connections to
and entrepreneurs from the
potential investors.
greater Chicago area. It also
Attendees of “Get Launched” events can also attend informative included a hands-on workshop
workshops on a variety of topics. In September, the New York titled, “Build a Smarter Security
City program featured a “Prototyping with Sensors” workshop IoT System Complete with User
that showed how easy it is to develop an embedded sensor Portal in Two Hours,” where
node prototype using the cloud-based MPLAB® Xpress IDE. A attendees were able to work with
“Hands-on with PlatformIO” class focused on using the popular our IoT Ethernet Monitoring Kit
Arduino® platform powered by Medium One.
for development
In 2017, our highly successful “Get Launched” series of events
and debugging. The
started out in sunny Santa Barbara and ended in metropolitan
hardware that was
Chicago. We currently have events in Silicon Valley, Boston,
used in the hands-
Berlin and Marseille on our roadmap for 2018. We hope to
on workshops was
meet many of you during our upcoming travels. Visit our Get
offered to attendees
Launched website or email us at GetLaunched@microchip.
at a steep discount,
com for the latest information on future events that may be
or in some instances
coming to your area.
it was even provided
20
Coloring Page
Boost Your IoT Security
Zero Touch Provisioning for AWS IoT
Securing data comes with challenges, but the main challenge is providing
a secure authentication and securely handling private keys in a production
environment. This has led cloud providers to push towards hardware-based
security, obtain strong device identity to avoid spoofing and protect against
unauthorized firmware updates and proliferation.
www.microchip.com/AWSECC508
The Microchip name and logo and the Microchip logo are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the U.S.A. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their registered owners.
© 2017 Microchip Technology Inc. All rights reserved. 11/17
DS00002581A