Whether you are a pro engineer or a full-time engineering student, we know you spend a large portion of your free time working on electronics-related projects. That doesn’t leave a lot of extra time in your schedule for reading industry news. That’s why our editorial team endeavors to bring you relevant electronics-related news and updates on a regular basis. This week, we follow up on Arduino, RP2040, foundry revenue, and the smartphone industry.
 
 

Arduino Updates: Edge Control and Support for the Raspberry Pi RP2040

A few important recent announcements from Arduino are worth highlighting. Let’s start with Arduino’s new smart agriculture solution. With Arduino Edge Control, you now have easy-to-deploy remote monitoring solution for outdoor applications such as: automated site access, pool maintenance, and precision farming. Have any project ideas? Post them with your Elektor Labs account and start collaborating with other innovators.
 
Interested in both Arduino and the Raspberry Pi RP2040? This week, Arduino announced support for the Raspberry Pi RP2040 chip with the Arduino Mbed Core.  “Since all Mbed infrastructure and drivers were in place, we could easily support all new Arduino boards with minimal effort,” the Arduino Team reported. “Including new ones like the Portenta H7 and Nano RP2040 Connect.” Stay tuned for more updates.

Will Foundry Revenue Hit $94.6 Billion in 2021?

Demand for next-generation solutions like 5G, Wi-Fi, and High-Performance Computing (HPC) technologies are driving foundry revenues to new highs. According to TrendForce, 2021 foundry revenue is on pace to grow 11% this year and reach an all-time high of $94.6 billion. TSMC (55% market share) and Samsung (17% market share) are leading the way by controlling 72% of the market. “The annual total production volume of 5G smartphones, in particular, is forecasted to increase by around 113% YoY,” it reports. “The penetration rate of 5G models in the smartphone market is also forecasted to rise to 37% in the same year.” Pro engineers and makers a like should continue to follow foundry-related news to get feel for price trends and possible new business opportunities.

LG Exits the Smartphone Game

After years of lagging behind Samsung, Huawei, and Apple, LG will be leaving the smartphone business by late July. “LG’s strategic decision to exit the incredibly competitive mobile phone sector will enable the company to focus resources in growth areas such as electric vehicle components, connected devices, smart homes, robotics, artificial intelligence and business-to-business solutions, as well as platforms and services,” the company stated. Do you have an LG phone? Support and updates will apparently be handled “at the local level,” which means users should probably watch for news on the LG website and consider reaching out to their local cell phone providers for more information. 

Ongoing: Elektor @ 60

Elektor’s anniversary projects are underway, and we encourage you to contribute. Let us know what you would like to see in Elektor’s anniversary book. Offer your input about what you think should appear in the Elektor movie. Tell us about the lab equipment and tools that we should include in our mobile lab. And let us know your thoughts on ethical electronics.
 
Reflections on six decades of innovation.
Also, be sure to check out the upcoming May/June edition of Elektor, which will feature a nine-page article with reflections on six decades of electronics. Some of the exciting projects include:
 
  • Elektorscope (1976): a dual-trace general purpose oscilloscope for the home lab.
  • Formant - The Elektor Music Synthesizer (1977): The innovative design has the same capabilities as a medium-sized commercial synthesizer at a considerably lower cost.
  • ATN-Filmnet Decoder (1989): Back in the day, Elektor ran an article about hacking pay-TV channels with pan-European coverage, all thanks to a few Astra and Intelsat satellites. In Scandinavia alone, an estimated 20,000 Elektor Filmnet decoders deployed.
  • Surround Sound Processor (1995): The processor expands the sound of an existing stereo TV receiver or audio installation with a center channel and a surround channel.
  • XMEGA Web Server Board (2013): Well suited for monitoring and control applications, the plug-in TCP/IP module enables you to implement a webserver and other network-oriented apps and a microSD card provides mass storage.
  • And many others.

Don’t miss the exiciting issue.

Updates on Arduino, Foundry Revenue, and More

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