M2M and IoT connectivity products introduced at electronica

During the four-day event, Digi representatives will host a series of ongoing demonstrations featuring a number of Digi’s M2M and IoT products. The company will be discussing its product innovations and will provide visitors with an early opportunity to view and buy its ConnectCore for i.MX6UL Starter Kit, as well as offering details about its forthcoming ConnectCore for i.MX6UL Developer Kit.

“electronica is the leading international trade fair for the electronics industry, attracting in excess of 70,000 visitors annually,” said Kevin C. Riley, Chief Operating Officer, Digi International. “It’s the ideal venue for engineers to see our latest solutions and meet Digi product experts as they evaluate options for upcoming projects.”

ConnectCore for i.MX6UL Starter Kit
The ConnectCore for i.MX6UL Starter Kit for the ConnectCore for i.MX6UL SOM is a universal and powerful platform for rapid development of smart and secure connected devices. It delivers a complete hardware and software platform to create a wide range of connected devices for medical, healthcare, energy or industrial applications. The kit allows designers to address all development needs including a reference design for module integration, a prototyping platform for quickly creating proof-of-concepts, and a complete development environment to bring module-based designs to mass production, for wired and wireless connected devices.

Key features:

• A compact 87x63mm form factor with mounting options, industrial operating temperature range, 256MB of highly reliable NAND flash, and 256MB DDR3 memory.
• Choice of wired and wireless network connectivity through 10/100Mbit Ethernet networking, pre-certified 802.11a/b/g/n/ac networking and Bluetooth 4.2 with Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) connectivity.
• Grove connectors for rapid prototyping using a wide range of off-the-shelf Grove system sensors, breakout connector with access to all key module signals, USB host/device connectivity, SD card storage, and an on-board interference-hardened stamped metal antenna.
• Built on the ConnectCore for i.MX6UL, which is according to the company the industry’s smallest, secure NXP i.MX6UL SOM with wireless connectivity, and complete Yocto Linux support and Digi TrustFence embedded device security framework integration.

electronica 2016 visitors will be able to buy the ConnectCore for i.MX6UL Starter Kit from Digi partners at a specially discounted price of $49. Partners offering the discounted kit include:

• Arrow – hall A4, booth 225
• Atlantik – hall A4, booth 139
• Codico – hall A5, booth 50
• Digi-Key – hall A5, booth 578
• Future - hall A4, booth 259
• Mouser – hall A5, booth 524

The ConnectCore for i.MX6UL Developer Kit will be available later this year, and Digi representatives will be on hand at electronica to provide more information on its planned capabilities.

Product plans and demonstrations
At electronica, Digi representatives will be discussing potential product developments and conducting demonstrations, including the following:

• Digi XBee Cellular – Developed for the North American market, Digi’s upcoming addition to the Digi XBee ecosystem will allow OEMs to quickly and easily integrate cutting-edge 4G LTE CAT 1 cellular technology into their devices and applications without dealing with the time-consuming, expensive regulatory and carrier end-device certifications. With the full suite of standard Digi XBee API frames and AT commands, existing Digi XBee customers will be able to seamlessly transition to this module. Digi XBee Cellular will provide the flexibility to switch between wireless protocols or frequencies as needed, ideal for any business with an agile roadmap. Digi plans to make the Digi XBee Cellular available in EMEA in late 2017 and invites those with interest to stop by and learn more.
• ConnectCore for i.MX6UL – The interactive demo will showcase the key features of the rugged ConnectCore for i.MX6UL SOM including Digi TrustFence security, low-power operation, sensor integration, cloud connectivity, display integration and user interface capabilities.
• Digi XBee ZigBee – This Thread-ready demo showcases a cloud-connected industrial lighting application including the Digi XBee ZigBee module and a Digi XBee ZigBee gateway to create a cloud-connected wireless mesh lighting solution that can be monitored and controlled remotely.
• Furuno: connected marine navigation demonstration – A provider of marine communications and navigation equipment, Furuno uses Digi ConnectCore 6 as part of its NavNet TZtouch2 advanced marine navigation systems. With Digi ConnectCore 6 the world’s first NXP i.MX6 surface-mount multi-chip module with built-in wireless connectivity, Furuno’s NavNet TZtouch2 features a customisable touchscreen display, built-in dual-frequency fish finder, radar integration, wireless hotspot connectivity, internal GPS antenna and more – powering both a 12.1-inch WXGA and 15.6-inch WXGA model of the Furuno Multi-Function Display (MFD).
• Frazer-Nash: Next-gen black cab demonstration – Makers of Metrocab, the only zero-emissions capable black cab currently operating in London, will share how they are able to increase their speed to market and focus on core competency by using Digi ConnectCore 6 system-on-module to power the driver instrumentation and passenger displays. Using Digi’s NXP i.MX6 based ConnectCore 6 SOM family, the Metrocab is able to combine connectivity, intelligence, safety, and comfort with cutting edge green transportation design.
• Industry trends – Digi Vice President of Product Management Terry Schneider will be available to brief journalists and visitors on Digi’s view of industry trends in the IoT and M2M sectors.