Lynsyn Lite: Affordable Power Measurement for Energy‑Efficient Embedded Systems

Sundance Multiprocessor Technology has unveiled Lynsyn Lite, a cost‑effective power‑measurement solution tailored for embedded and customized low‑energy computing (CLEC) systems that demand exceptional energy efficiency. Lynsyn Lite delivers precise, application‑level energy readings, simplifying the traditionally tedious process of pinpointing power‑related bottlenecks compared to conventional laboratory‑grade equipment.

Figure 1. Lynsyn Lite board compared in size to a thumb drive. (Source: Sundance Multiprocessor Technology)

The foundational Lynsyn technology originates from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and was developed under the EU’s TULIPP project, which aimed to create a high‑performance, energy‑efficient reference platform for advanced image‑processing applications. NTNU’s core innovation has since become the backbone of Lynsyn Lite.

Supported by technology‑transfer funds from TETRAMAX, the Horizon 2020 hub for digitizing European industries in customized low‑energy computing, NTNU collaborated with Sundance Multiprocessor Technology—another key TULIPP partner—to commercialise the platform. In 2018, NTNU received a Technology Transfer Award from HiPEAC, an EU‑funded Network of Excellence, recognising the significance of the core Lynsyn technology.

Lynsyn Lite captures the power consumption of individual code sections in embedded and CLEC systems. By connecting over JTAG, it samples program counters non‑intrusively and aligns the resulting power data with the source code, providing a clear map of energy usage per application action. The device supports a sampling rate of up to 10 kHz.

Figure 2. Lynsyn Lite board attached to a representative target system. (Source: Sundance Multiprocessor Technology)

Lynsyn Lite incorporates three sensors that simultaneously measure current and voltage. Although optimised for ARM Cortex A9, A53, and A57 cores, the board eliminates the need for a separate JTAG pod by replacing the Xilinx Platform Cable USB‑II. It can also serve as a generic USB JTAG programmer for Xilinx Vivado and as a remotely controlled current/voltage meter via USB. Compatible with both Linux and Windows, the platform ships with open‑source software that samples and visualises measurement data.

Key Features

• Detailed, accurate power profiling for each source‑code segment.
• Three sensors for simultaneous current and voltage measurement.
• Program‑counter sampling over JTAG to correlate power with code.
• Maximum sampling frequency of 10 kHz.
• Supported ARM Cortex A cores: A9, A53, A57.
• Acts as a remotely controlled current/voltage meter.
• Functions as a generic USB JTAG programmer for Xilinx Vivado.
• Includes open‑source sampling and visualisation software.

Lynsyn Lite will be distributed by Sundance under license from NTNU. Priced at US$125, £85, or €99, it is one‑fifth the cost of the original Lynsyn board developed for the TULIPP project.