Tibbo Technology Presents Three New Tibbits, Plus an Important Software Announcement
A Trio of New Tibbits Offer Enhanced Options For Measurement, Connectivity, and Power. Plus, Meet WebTIDE!
Tibbo released not one, not two, but three Tibbits that significantly enhance the capabilities of their Tibbo Project System (TPS) devices.
In addition, they’re pulling back the curtain on a new project that will revolutionize your Tibbo BASIC development workflow and experience. Read on to learn more!
In this edition:
- Tibbit #43-1 — Four-Channel Streaming ADC
- Tibbit #46 — Cat-M1/NB-IoT Modem
- Tibbit #33 — Wide Input Range Industrial-Grade Power Supply
- WebTIDE
Tibbit #43-1
Four-Channel Streaming ADC
The new ADC Tibbit #43-1 has a built-in microcontroller and can output a steady stream of low-jitter measurements via the UART interface. Streaming solves a common data acquisition pain point: getting the main CPU to perform ADC conversions at precisely spaced time intervals. Achieving this is usually very hard. Employing a Tibbit that makes all the measurements on its own and just streams them into the system gets the job done.
Using serial port communications also simplifies the Tibbit’s interfacing with our LTPP3(G2) Linux board. While Linux is not known for the fast or convenient handling of I²C or SPI comms, it is perfectly capable in the serial port department. It is really easy to write an app that picks the incoming data from the serial port’s buffer, and the buffer size is usually large enough to keep accumulating the incoming data stream while the system is tied up elsewhere.
Tibbit #43-1 can function in single-ended or differential mode. In the single-ended mode, it offers four input channels with a ±10V input range. In the differential mode, there are two channels with a ±20V range. The Tibbit performs up to 1,000 ADC conversions per second while achieving an effective resolution of 10 bits + sign.
Each device is shipped pre-calibrated to minimize the linearity error and zero offset. The calibration parameters are stored in the onboard EEPROM. In operation, the Tibbit’s microcontroller performs on-the-fly data corrections based on the stored calibration data.
The Tibbit’s onboard microcontroller implements a simple command-and-reply interface for configuring the device’s operating mode (single-ended or differential), active channels, sampling rate, and other parameters. There is also a command for performing single conversions, which allows using the Tibbit in a non-streaming, polled mode as well.
Last but not least, #43-1 generates all additional voltages on board and does not require Tibbit #12 (±15V power source), as was the case with our original ADC Tibbit #13.
Tibbit #46
Cat-M1/NB-IoT Modem
Many IoT and industrial automation projects require cellular communications as the only, main, or backup way of maintaining the cloud connection.
Our new Tibbit #46 provides Cat-M1 and NB-IoT connectivity for your TPS-based systems. NB-IoT is an excellent choice for the cost-effective transmission of small amounts of data from stationary IoT devices. While possessing a very limited bandwidth, NB-IoT networks typically offer superior signal penetration and, hence, better coverage. Applications that cannot be stationary can rely on Cat-M1, which supports roaming between cellular towers.
A dedicated library unlocks the full capabilities of Tibbit #46, allowing you to automate the process of initializing the modem, as well as automatically establishing and maintaining a PPP connection. The library also offers an AT command mode for “manual” modem control. You can easily include the library into your project through CODY, our project code wizard.
Tibbit #33
Wide Input Range Industrial-Grade Power Supply
As some of you may know, Tibbo is active in the OEM market for industrial and automotive products. For years, we’ve been perfecting the craft of making highly reliable, rugged devices designed to work in some of the most unusual and challenging environments on Earth — aluminum smelter plant, anyone?
One of the crucial components of any tough industrial-grade product is, of course, its power regulator. We have invested years into choosing the right power supply circuitry. A lot of that unique experience we garnered along the way has now been distilled into the new power supply Tibbit #33.
This new Tibbit provides up to 1.5A of current from input voltages as low as 8V and as high as 60V, and in the entire industrial temperature range from –40°C to +85°C. The module’s ability to handle voltage dips down to 6V and spikes up to 100V makes it suitable for battery-powered and automotive applications.
A single Tibbit #33 will be sufficient for most TPS configurations. Several Tibbits can be paralleled to increase the available current budget, for power redundancy, or load sharing. The -SHDN (shutdown) control line provides a way to shut down individual Tibbits #33, while the -PF (power fail) line allows detecting input power problems.
To achieve the best performance in high-temperature conditions, even the Tibbit’s plastic shell has been revised to use a new high melting point mix!
Announcing WebTIDE,
Our Cross-Platform Development Solution
From its inception 20 years ago, Tibbo’s mission has always been to provide hardware and software solutions that simplify and speed up the creation of IoT and industrial automation devices. In continuing this quest, we are once again focusing on Tibbo IDE (TIDE) — our development tool supporting all our programmable products.
The reason is simple: The world has moved beyond its reliance on Windows, and TIDE has remained in the “single-OS jail.” Sure, it was possible to run it on Linux through Wine, but the experience wasn’t perfect. Plus, this still left out many other platforms and device form factors.
Enter WebTIDE — our in-browser, cross-platform solution that works on Windows, Linux, and macOS, as well as iOS*, Android*, and Chrome OS*. WebTIDE runs in Chrome, Safari, Edge, and other popular browsers, achieving true multi-platform portability.
Unlike its desktop counterpart, WebTIDE is tightly integrated with CODY, our handy online project code generator. Create a project in CODY and hand it off to WebTIDE for further development. Want to change your project’s configuration? To save time, make the changes in CODY, and they will propagate into and merge with the code you’ve been editing in WebTIDE.
A marquee feature of WebTIDE is the one many of our users have dreamed of, and it is arriving just in time for this socially distanced era: the ability to debug Tibbo BASIC code running on Tibbo devices installed on remote networks. For code debugging, WebTIDE relies on a separate debugging extension app. This extension can be deployed almost anywhere, even on a system connected to another network — thus enabling the remote debugging of your apps.
Please note that WebTIDE is still in early beta, and we are continuing to work on porting and implementing many vital features. However, nearly all of the main functionality is already present. Join the growing ranks of WebTIDE users and be sure to tell us if you find a bug or want a specific feature or change — absolutely all feedback is welcome!
* With the debugging extension deployed elsewhere.
Courtesy of Tibbo
