IRNAS, the institute for development of advanced applied systems, is the innovation lab for IoT devices, security services and other industrial solutions. Earlier this year, the company chose Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF9160 low power SiP with integrated LTE-M/NB-IoT modem and GPS in combination with the nRF52811 Bluetooth® Low Energy multiprotocol System-on-Chip (SoC) to provide the wireless connectivity for RAM-1. RAM-1 is a a cellular IoT- and Bluetooth LE-powered remote monitoring device, allowing power grid operators to remotely monitor smart power grids and thus take immediate action in cases of failures. IRNAS developed the device for Izoelektro, a Slovenian firm supplying utilities and energy companies with solutions that help set up, maintain, and restore electrical energy systems.
Zephyr RTOS support
“The nRF9160 was selected based on a detailed evaluation of its radio performance and firmware toolset, but the key factor was the nRF Connect SDK’s support for the Zephyr RTOS ecosystem that hugely streamlined the development process,” says Luka Mustafa, CEO, IRNAS. “This helped resolve a large number of friction points in creating a robust end-to-end solution, allowing more development resources to be allocated to the core product.”
“From a device that originally reported the state of surge arresters, RAM-1 has rapidly become a IoT device for remote monitoring, machine learning, and advanced analytics of power grids,” says Jure Pungerčar, Deputy CEO, Izoelektro. “We are excited about the possibilities of a truly smart power grid and the ability to improve the operation, stability, and reliability of electricity distribution.”
Learn more about IRNAS, RAM-1 and why they chose Nordic’s nRF9160 SiP and nRF52811 SoC in this blog: https://www.nordicsemi.com/News/2021/02/IRNAS-employs-nRF9160-and-nRF52811