The Kynix Blog

Jake Dyson, son of Dyson founder James, has staked out his corner in the engineering innovation world with a focus on LED solutions, the Jake Dyson Light. He has in turn been doing a rethink on the characteristics and function of a desk light. He proudly states his LED light solution goes past other designers who have tried to cool LEDs with "half-hearted" attempts. Jake said their lights were built to fail. Dyson and team have come up with a light that cools LEDs properly. Benefit to consumers? A light that lasts for 37 years. Conventional lights neglect to protect LEDs from heat, exposing them to temperatures of up to 130°C. This damages the LEDs' phosphorous coating and degrades brightness and color, said his site.His desk lamp solution: CSYS task lights -Operating at 55°C and making use of "heat pipe technology" the Dyson solution can direct heat away from the LEDs. They lose neither quality nor efficiency for 37 years.Eight LEDs provide 587lx of white light for 37 years. Each is in a conical reflector to eliminate glare.How does he know his product lasts for 37 years? The number was calculated based on IES TM-21-11, he said. The 37 years (or 160,000 hours) is based on 12 hours of continual use per day. (IES stands for Illuminating Engineering Society. TM-21-11 provides a method to determine when the useful lifetime of an LED is reached, a point when the light emitted from an LED depreciates to a level no longer considered adequate for a specific application.)What does he mean by heat pipe technology? "Heat is drawn away from the LEDs using technology typically found in satellites. It's dissipated through an aluminium heat sink, which forms the light's horizontal arm," according to the site.Looking back at how this was developed, he said the process involved looking at, analyzing, lighting. The key goal was not to design things that look good, he said, but to try to improve efficiency with engineering. He said he spent some months looking at problems with lighting, and the big problems that stood out were the lack of direction of light. The arm of the light was positioned by springs and pillars and those wear out over time, he said. So wherever you position your light, it would drop.Dyson initiated a mechanism —the light moves up and down and rotates and moves in and out. Where you position the mechanism for light is where it is. The LEDS were also repositioned for an even spread of light.His site said whereas "conventional lights rely on tension to stay in position, CSYS task lights use gravity." The arm moves vertically using a counterweight pulley system inspired by the construction crane. It extends 27.5 cm horizontally along anti-friction bearings. The zinc alloy base rotates through 360°, and is weighted to increase stability. One can position the light where required with the touch of a fingertip. It moves vertically, horizontally and rotationally through 360°. The LEDs use only a fifth of the energy of a conventional halogen bulb. The product prices are listed on the Dyson site.To cool LEDS is critical to the LED market, he said. Gizmag's Nick Lavars noted how "Efforts to keep LED bulbs cool has been a focus for manufacturers working to drag the technology into the mainstream. While LEDs won't get as hot as the incandescent cousins, they do still generate heat, which sees their brightness and color deteriorate over time."

A new type of electronic sensor that might be used to quickly detect and classify bacteria for medical diagnostics and food safety has passed a key hurdle by distinguishing between dead and living bacteria cells.Conventional laboratory technologies require that samples be cultured for hours or longer to grow enough of the bacteria for identification and analysis, for example, to determine which antibiotic to prescribe. The new approach might be used to create arrays of hundreds of sensors on an electronic chip, each sensor detecting a specific type of bacteria or pinpointing the effectiveness of particular antibiotics within minutes."We have taken a step toward this long-term goal by showing how to distinguish between live and dead bacteria," said Muhammad Ashraful Alam, Purdue University's Jai N. Gupta Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "This is important because you need to be able to not only detect and identify bacteria, but to determine which antibiotics are effective in killing them."Findings are detailed in a research paper appearing this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The paper was authored by doctoral student Aida Ebrahimi and Alam. The droplet sensor evolved from a device originally designed to detect small concentrations of negatively charged DNA molecules in research that began about four years ago, Ebrahimi said."We did not anticipate that the sensor could be used to tell live and dead bacteria apart -- it was a chance observation that eventually led us to this elegant way of measuring cell viability," she said.As described in the PNAS paper, the sensor works by detecting changes in electrical conductivity in droplets containing bacteria cells. (A Youtube video about the research is available at https://youtu.be/QN019bQJCb8?). "To see if someone is alive," Alam said, "we can either count the grandchildren many generations later, which is analogous to the traditional growth-based techniques. Or, we can directly measure the person's pulse, analogous to the proposed 'osmoregulation-based' detection of bacteria. Needless to say, immediate physiological measurement is faster and far superior."Bacteria cells maintain the proper internal pressure through osmoregulation, a process in which water, salts and other molecules move across the cell membrane. As a droplet begins to evaporate on the sensor, bacteria cells contained in the droplet detect the increasingly salty environment, triggering emergency valves called osmoregulatory transporters in the cell membrane. The cells then either take in or release water and charged molecules including salts, changing the electrical conductivity of the surrounding fluid in the droplet, which is measured by electrodes. This change in electrical conductivity varies according to whether a bacteria cell is dead or alive and also might be used to identify specific types of bacteria because they use fundamentally different osmoregulatory channels."Aida proved the hypothesis by using genetically mutated cells that do not have those osmoregulatory channels and therefore are less effective in regulating the pressure differential," Alam said.The sensor's surface was designed specifically to maintain the shape of a droplet, which is critical for the technology to work. Two other advances making the sensor possible are the ability to measure the changing electrical conductivity in the droplet and harnessing a cell's osmoregulation as the basis for detection."In the end you want to provide a new tool for medicine and food safety, so you need to be able to quickly identify bacteria and the right antibiotics to treat infection," Alam said. "That requires an understanding of the dynamics of the cell membrane."The technology, which was tested with low concentrations of living and dead forms of E. coli, Salmonella and S. epidermidis bacteria, is said to be label-free because it does not require that samples be treated with fluorescent dyes, making it a potentially practical tool for medicine and food safety. Much of the research was performed at the Birck Nanotechnology Center and Bindley Bioscience Center in Purdue's Discovery Park.Source from by Purdue University 

PIC vs AVR vs STM32: Why Ecosystems Matter More Than DatasheetsPIC vs AVR vs STM32 is a critical architectural decision because modern embedded workflows prioritize hardware-agnostic operating systems and supply chain longevity over legacy 8-bit simplicity.Technical Guide: This definitive guide covers PIC vs AVR vs STM32 for embedded engineers and students transitioning to professional hardware design. The traditional debate between 8-bit microcontrollers is obsolete. In 2026, 32-bit ARM Cortex-M processors have achieved price parity with legacy chips, fundamentally altering commercial hardware development. Consequently, developers must navigate complex hardware abstraction layers and real-time operating systems. This analysis breaks down the hardware realities, the RTOS ecosystem shift, and the exact methods required to master modern bare-metal programming without succumbing to auto-generated code bloat.The Hardware Reality: The 8-Bit CannibalizationThe 8-bit microcontroller market is shrinking because 32-bit ARM Cortex-M0+ chips now offer superior processing power at identical price points.Cost comparison between legacy 8-bit and modern 32-bit microcontrollers.The STM32C0 and the Death of the Budget ArgumentHistorically, engineers selected 8-bit PIC or AVR microcontrollers to keep Bill of Materials (BOM) costs low. STMicroelectronics dismantled this justification with the STM32C0 series. Built on a 90nm process, the STM32C0 starts at just $0.21 in high volumes. Furthermore, it features a built-in 48MHz RC oscillator with ±1% accuracy, which completely eliminates the need for an external crystal.Counter-Intuitive Fact: While legacy documentation suggests 8-bit chips require fewer external components, modern 32-bit entry-level chips actually reduce total PCB footprint by integrating highly accurate internal oscillators.Form Factor and The Physical Hardware GapVisual stress tests and hardware comparisons reveal a stark physical contrast between legacy and modern development boards. When placing an Arduino Uno (8-bit AVR) next to an STM32 Nucleo board (32-bit ARM), the hardware gap is immediately apparent. The STM32 Nucleo features significantly more header pins and an integrated ST-LINK debugger. The peripheral expansion is equally massive: while the AVR board relies on basic UART, SPI, and I2C, the STM32 natively supports industrial standards like CAN bus, USB, and Ethernet.The 3.3V Logic WarningTransitioning from AVR to STM32 requires a strict adjustment to power logic. AVR operates at 5V, while STM32 microcontrollers operate on a 3.3V supply. Failing to account for this 3.3V logic will result in hardware failure when interfacing with older 5V sensors.Pro Tip: Many STM32 GPIO pins are "5V tolerant" (designated as 'FT' in STMicroelectronics datasheets like the DS5792). These pins can safely accept 5V inputs, provided you disable the internal pull-up/pull-down resistors and ensure the pin is not routed to an analog (ADC) function.The Ecosystem Battle: Zephyr RTOS vs. Legacy QuirksZephyr RTOS is the modern embedded standard because it provides hardware-agnostic scalability across 32-bit architectures while explicitly dropping 8-bit support.Why Modern Zephyr RTOS Demands 32-BitModern embedded development relies on Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) to manage complex, concurrent tasks. The Zephyr RTOS project officially does not support 8-bit architectures like AVR or PIC due to severe hardware resource limitations. Instead, the Linux Foundation focuses the Zephyr ecosystem entirely on 32-bit and 64-bit architectures, specifically ARM Cortex-M and RISC-V. Sticking to 8-bit means abandoning the modern, hardware-agnostic RTOS standard used in commercial IoT.Escaping Bank-Switched RAM and Harvard LimitationsDeveloping on older 8-bit architectures forces engineers to manage legacy hardware quirks. Older PIC architectures utilize bank-switched RAM, requiring developers to manually switch memory banks to access different variables—a notoriously frustrating process. Conversely, 32-bit ARM Cortex-M processors utilize a unified memory map, allowing the compiler to handle memory allocation efficiently without manual developer intervention.The OEL (End of Life) Supply Chain AnxietySourcing components for new commercial designs in 2026 requires supply chain stability. Many older PIC and AVR parts face Obsolete / End of Life (OEL) designations. Designing a new product around an OEL 8-bit chip introduces severe manufacturing risks, whereas 32-bit ARM chips represent the highest revenue-generating and fastest-growing segment in the MCU market.STM32 vs ArduinoBypassing the "Blink" Barrier: Toolchains and HAL BloatSTM32 development is initially difficult because it requires explicit clock and peripheral configuration, unlike the hidden abstraction layers found in Arduino.The "Hidden HAL" ConceptDevelopers transitioning from AVR often experience frustration with STM32's complexity. This stems from a misunderstanding of abstraction. As experts point out in visual demonstrations, Arduino users rely on a Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) without realizing it. Functions like digitalWrite hide the underlying register manipulation. Moving to STM32 forces the developer to be explicit. As one hardware analyst notes verbatim: "In Arduino, you are using HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) without even knowing it. In STM32, you have to be intentional about it."Why Blinking an LED Makes You SweatThe "Blink" sketch is the standard entry point for microcontrollers. On an 8-bit AVR, it requires three lines of code. On an STM32, turning on an LED requires navigating complex nested registers and enabling specific peripheral clocks before a GPIO pin can toggle. This steep learning curve is a necessary filter for professional development.The Register View AdvantageThe payoff for navigating this complexity is absolute hardware control. Using the STM32CubeIDE, developers access the "Register View." This allows engineers to watch real-time register value changes during execution—a visual debugging standard that is non-existent in the standard Arduino IDE.Real-time register debugging in STM32CubeIDE.Counter-Intuitive Fact: The initial friction of configuring STM32 clocks manually prevents the silent timing errors that frequently crash complex Arduino projects.Is Learning 8-bit AVR or PIC a Resume Killer in 2026?Learning 8-bit architectures is a career limitation because commercial engineering roles exclusively demand 32-bit ARM proficiency and RTOS experience."School-Grade" vs. "Industrial-Grade"The consensus among engineering managers is clear. To quote a recent hardware analysis: "Arduino is a school-grade microcontroller; it's very easy to learn. STM32 is an industrial-grade tool; it’s a more powerful next step for your career." While avr-gcc remains an excellent educational tool for understanding basic computer architecture, it does not reflect the demands of modern commercial environments.The Community Challenge and Library LimitationsTransitioning developers often face a harsh reality regarding community support. The STM32 community assumes a high level of professional competence. Unlike the beginner-friendly AVR forums, there are far fewer pre-built, drag-and-drop libraries for STM32. Engineers are expected to read datasheets and write their own drivers for specialized sensors.The STM32 Transition Survival GuideTransitioning to STM32 is manageable because developers can bypass bloated auto-generated code by utilizing Low-Layer drivers and CMSIS standards.How to Ditch "HAL Bloat" for Bare-Metal SpeedThe most common complaint regarding STM32 is "HAL bloat." STMicroelectronics' auto-generated HAL drivers consume significantly more Flash and SRAM than necessary. This occurs because HAL requires memory to save peripheral states, counters, and data structures.Pro Tip: To reclaim memory, abandon HAL and use STM32 LL (Low-Layer) drivers. LL uses direct, atomic register access, drastically reducing memory overhead while maintaining readability.Leveraging CMSIS for Professional ARM DevelopmentFor true bare-metal programming, professionals utilize CMSIS (Cortex Microcontroller Software Interface Standard). CMSIS provides a standardized, hardware-level C interface for all ARM Cortex processors. Writing code via CMSIS mimics the beloved simplicity of avr-gcc while leveraging the full processing power of a 32-bit architecture.Comparison Table: PIC vs AVR vs STM32Feature8-Bit PIC8-Bit AVR (Arduino)32-Bit STM32 (ARM Cortex-M)Architecture8-bit (Harvard)8-bit (Harvard)32-bit (Von Neumann/Unified)Operating Voltage5V (Typical)5V (Typical)3.3V (With 5V tolerant 'FT' pins)Clock SpeedUp to 64 MHz16 MHz - 20 MHz48 MHz - 400+ MHzRTOS SupportHighly LimitedHighly LimitedNative (Zephyr, FreeRTOS)ToolchainMPLAB XArduino IDE / avr-gccSTM32CubeIDE / Zephyr West2026 Primary UseLegacy MaintenanceEducation / PrototypingCommercial IoT / IndustrialConclusionThe debate between PIC, AVR, and STM32 is settled. For new commercial designs, industrial applications, and career progression, STM32 and the broader 32-bit ARM ecosystem are the definitive choices. The introduction of sub-dollar chips like the STM32C0 has eliminated the final budget arguments for 8-bit microcontrollers. While AVR and PIC remain useful for maintaining legacy systems or teaching fundamental concepts, modern embedded engineering requires mastering 3.3V logic, RTOS integration, and bare-metal ARM development.Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)Is STM32 harder to learn than Arduino (AVR)?Yes. STM32 requires explicit configuration of system clocks, peripheral buses, and memory registers before executing basic commands. Arduino hides these complex configurations behind a beginner-friendly Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL).What does HAL bloat mean in STM32 development?HAL bloat refers to the excessive Flash and SRAM memory consumed by STMicroelectronics' auto-generated Hardware Abstraction Layer code. HAL uses large data structures to track peripheral states, which can quickly exhaust memory on smaller microcontrollers.Can I run Zephyr RTOS on an 8-bit PIC or AVR?No. The Zephyr RTOS project officially dropped support for 8-bit architectures due to hardware resource limitations. Zephyr requires the memory and processing capabilities of 32-bit or 64-bit architectures like ARM Cortex-M.Why do older PIC microcontrollers use bank-switched RAM?Older 8-bit PIC microcontrollers use bank-switched RAM because their instruction set lacks the address width to access the entire memory space at once. Developers must manually switch "banks" to read or write data outside the current memory block.What is the difference between an STM32 Blue Pill and a Nucleo board?The Blue Pill is a bare-bones, third-party development board that requires an external debugger to program. A Nucleo board is an official STMicroelectronics development board that features an integrated ST-LINK debugger, making it significantly easier for professional debugging and real-time register monitoring.

NTT Electronics (NEL), a leading supplier of coherent Digital Signal Processor (DSP) solutions to system and module manufacturers worldwide, announced shipment of industry's first 20nm 100G Long-haul/Metro coherent DSP to customers. Substantial reductions in size and power consumption of the new Low Power DSP (LP-DSP) enhance scalability and flexibility of cost-effective 100-Gbps long-haul and metropolitan networks.The new 100G LP-DSP product NLD0640 has three-chip functions successfully integrated into a single chip consuming 70% less power and footprint as compared to the previous generation 40nm DSP product NLD0629, which additionally required OTN Framer and transmitter MUX chips to achieve the same functionality. This is an important milestone for the industry made possible by NEL's ongoing collaboration with Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM). The new chip leverages Broadcom's industry leading 20nm signal-processing-enhanced mixed-signal technology and integrates the DSP core of the widely deployed NLD0629.The new LP-DSP provides full coverage of operation modes; the lowest power 80km ZR mode, the power-managed metro mode for distances up to 1200km, and the full function long-haul mode for reaches over-2000km. The LP-DSP with less than 20W power dissipation enables smaller size second generation coherent 100G modules, including a family of C Form-factor Pluggable (CFP) and CFP2 analog coherent optics (ACO) modules."We are strongly committed to pioneering innovation in the coherent DSP market through our robust partnership with Broadcom." said Haruhiko Ichino, NEL Executive Vice President and General Manager of Broadband System & Device Business Group. "Our novel LP-DSP has already been shipped to over ten customers, who are designing their product families. We look forward to deployment of our product in early 2015 thereby providing value to the end customers by maximizing the number of 100G ports per system.""The combination of industry-leading coherent DSP technology and Broadcom's industry leading 20nm signal-processing-enhanced mixed-signal technologies provides a compelling solution for the next generation LH and metro coherent platforms," said Lorenzo Longo, Broadcom Vice President and General Manager of Physical Layer Products (PLP). "We are excited to see our collaboration with NEL enabling economies of scale for mass deployment of 100G in metro and long-haul networks."Reference:CHIPI-X10CHIPCAP-R-50-TUBECHIPCAP-D-50-TUBE

Intel on Monday provided details about the microarchitecture of the Intel Core M processor, which is the first product to be manufactured using 14nm technology. As such, the world is in for a taste of a 14-nanometer chip. AnandTech also said that "Core M will be launch vehicle for Broadwell and will be released for the holiday period this year." Intel executives provided some of the first details on the chips built using Intel technology. Providing some context to the event, CNET on Monday observed how Intel and other chip companies have been racing to advance processor technologies "by shrinking the geometries of the chips." CNET said the race looks as if Intel is ahead of the pack, with processors built at 14 nanometers, or billionths of a meter. AnandTech commented: "Intel appears to be back on track. 14nm is in volume production in time for Broadwell-Y to reach retail before the end of the year."What does the Core M mean for manufacturers and consumers? CNET said, for one result, the Intel chip is to allow PC makers to build much thinner and lighter devices. In all, the Intel move to a 14 nanometer chip from a 22-nanometer chip can translate into devices that are "thinner, lighter, more power-efficient, and don't need a fan," said CNET. The Wall Street Journal said, "The first chip based on the new production process—which is called the Intel Core M and based on a design called Broadwell —will be targeted at tablets and other devices that operate without a cooling fan but are as thin as nine millimeters or less.".Intel's own statement said, "The combination of the new microarchitecture and manufacturing process will usher in a wave of innovation in new form factors, experiences and systems that are thinner and run silent and cool."As for process, "Intel's 14 nanometer technology uses second-generation Tri-gate transistors to deliver industry-leading performance, power, density and cost per transistor," said Mark Bohr, Intel senior fellow, technology and manufacturing Group, and director, process architecture and integration. "Intel's investments and commitment to Moore's law is at the heart of what our teams have been able to accomplish with this new process."CNET noted the first systems using Core M will reach shelves for the holiday period, and the bulk of new devices will be available in the first half of 2015. Gizmodo remarked, "We'll most likely see Core M branding on the boxes of select tablet devices this holiday season with even more laptop and PCs hopping on board in early 2015."In the bigger picture, AnandTech commented that "Intel's preview is very much a preview; we will see bits and pieces of Broadwell's CPU architecture, GPU architecture, and packaging, along with information about Intel's 14nm process. However this isn't a full architecture preview or a full process breakdown. Both of those will have to wait for Intel's usual forum of IDF." The Wall Street Journal also said that Intel plans to disclose more about the new technology and products based on it at the September event.Related products:NU80579EZ009CNU80579ED009CNU80579EZ600CNU80579EZ600CTNU80579EZ004C  

A small NO2 sensor featuring a low power consumption in the mW range has been developed by Imec and Holst Centre. The sensors have a low detection limit for NO2 (<10 ppb) and a fast response time. They are particularly well suited for air quality monitoring and serve as a solution to the increased demand for accurate local air quality monitoring for indoor and outdoor environments. The sensors are being tested in real-life situations, as part of an environmental monitoring platform.While wearable technology that measures body parameters has become increasingly popular in recent years, the Intuitive Internet of Things (I2oT) is next on the horizon: connecting everybody and everything everywhere with data stored in the cloud, turning the massive amount of data in information to make the right decisions, to take the right actions exactly as we need or want. The I2oT is expected to manage the sustainability, complexity and safety of our world. It will increase our comfort and wellbeing in many ways.Health issues resulting from poor air quality are a growing concern for consumers and accurate monitoring is becoming more and more in demand, for both outdoor and indoor environments.Air quality is typically measured on just a few distinct locations per city, with specialized equipment. Many current gas sensors are large in size, have high power consumption and are too cost prohibitive to be implemented on a large scale for I2oT applications. Imec and Holst Centre have developed small, simple, low power and high quality autonomous sensors that wirelessly communicate with the environment and the cloud.Imec and Holst Centre's NO2 sensors were integrated in the Aireas air quality network, a multiple sensor network in the city center of Eindhoven (the Netherlands). The purpose was to test -in actual outdoor conditions and long term- the stability of the sensors, and benchmark them against established reference sensors. The sensors are operational since early May 2015 and contribute with valuable outdoor sensor data since then. During traffic rush hours, the sensors detect a significant increase of NO2 concentration up to the health safety limits.Imec and Holst Centre are currently deploying a similar sensor network inside the Holst Centre building in Eindhoven to test the sensors for indoor air quality monitoring. This environmental monitoring platform today includes it proprietary NO2 sensor and commercial sensors for temperature, relative humidity and CO2. The measured levels can be monitored live, over the internet. In a next step, proprietary low-cost low-power sensors will be added for CO2, VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), ozone, and particle matter.The generated sensor data are transferred to the cloud, stored in a database and immediately available on (mobile) applications, explained Kathleen Philips, director of imec's perceptive systems for the intuitive internet of things R&D program. "Data fusion methodology and advanced algorithms enable us to combine data from different sensors such as temperature, several gasses, humidity, human presence detection and to derive contextual knowledge. This information contributes to a correct interpretation of the situation and helps us to take adequate actions to solve the problem. In this way, we have developed a context-aware intuitive sensing system."Companies interested in early application validation and development for distributed IoT networks and/or in the innovative technology and circuits to realize them are invited to become a partner in our R&D program. IP can also be licensed.