Archive for March, 2011
MARCH WIRELESS UPDATE
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Guest Blog by Will Strauss, President & Principal Analyst, Forward Concepts
Mobile World Congress: A Success
With double-digit attendee growth to the 60,000 level, MWC’11 has to be labeled as a big success. Moreover, the new products introduced and the overall optimism exhibited bodes well for continued wireless market growth in 2011 and beyond. Of course, many LTE-related products were introduced along with a myriad of new software and service offerings. I’m sure that you have seen many of the news releases, so I’ll only highlight a few things from MWC and some beyond MWC that I think will be of interest to you.
Icera Demo’s Its First Smartphone Socket
In my February newsletter I mentioned Icera’s new cellphone chipset based on its latest baseband and RF technology. At MWC, the company was displaying an HSPA+ i-Mobile smartphone based on Icera’s new chipset. The 21 Mbps Android device is said to be software upgradeable to 28 Mbps. It was real, and I was able to call my wife in the U.S. with it and the voice quality was excellent. Although the company’s cellular chips are in 45 (mostly USB) products, and the company has shipped millions, this is the first handset socket for the company.
Icera has implemented its baseband products based on its DXP software baseband, employing both vector and scalar versions of the DSP core, employing no hardware accelerators…which is said to simplify software upgrades to LTE (a capability they demonstrated at MWC’10). They feel that their baseband design gives them a “massive” cost advantage over Qualcomm, Samsung and Infineon. As the only independent cellular modem company, we fully expect them to be acquired within the next 12 months (maybe by Samsung, who also bid against Intel for Infineon).
Maxim Surprises with first MWC Appearance
Maxim Integrated Products, a powerhouse in analog and mixed-signal chips, had a big booth in the premium Hall 8, directly across from Texas Instruments’ booth (making a market positioning statement?). Maxim claims to be the #1 supplier of power management chips (with TI as their main competitor, followed by Dialog Semiconductor). We’ve seen Maxim power management chips paired with Qualcomm cellphone chips, so they have legs. Maxim also claims to be #1 in touch screen controllers (but Atmel makes the same claim, but it’s clear that they are a significant player). Clearly, the wireless market is a main thrust for the resurgent chip supplier.
MIPS Finally in Cellphones
MIPS Technologies Inc. has been best known as dominating the segment of the RISC market that plugs in the wall, vs. portable products, the market segment dominated by ARM. Ingenic Semiconductor, a Beijing-based client with a MIPS32 architectural license, has fielded an application processor chip for a $100 Android smartphone (paired with a Spreadtrum modem) for the China market. Moreover, new LTE chip players like Sequans and Altair are employing MIPS cores in their products while both 4M Wireless and SySDSoft have demonstrated their L2+ LTE stacks on MIPS32 architecture.
Renesas Reveals LTE Modem at MWC
Renesas Mobile Corporation actually has two LTE modem solutions. Although the company did not provide many details, the first LTE modem (SP2531) is based on a Nokia-originated design which employs a hard-wired DSP augmented by 3 ARM cores (2 dedicated to the modem function). That modem has long been used to test and tune LTE networks. It supports TD-LTE and FDD-LTE cat 3 along with HSPA+ for data rates of up to 42Mbps (DL). It is paired with a 65nm multi-mode LTE transceiver and multi-mode multi-band power amplifier module. The second LTE modem (not announced at MWC) employs DoCoMo technology (presumably, a Fujitsu baseband design based on Tensilica DSP cores). Further details will have to wait for official product announcements.
Intel CID pushes Cloud Cellular Infrastructure
At MWC, Intel’s Communications Infrastructure Division (CID) was pitching its Cloud computing infrastructure that it is developing in conjunction with China Mobile. The basic idea of the proposed centralized radio access network (CRAN) concept is for the RF subsystems to be atop the base station towers, with the digital (I/Q) signals passed via optical cable to the cloud computing center where baseband signal processing will take place for many base stations. Needless to say, this centralized baseband architecture is a radically different approach to current base station deployment, but ties in nicely with Ubidyne’s active antenna array design. If the Intel approach proves to be feasible, I expect that it will be several years before it can garner general industry acceptance.
Nokia & Microsoft Marriage Observations
My first thought was two old ladies helping each other cross the street. Then it occurred to me that it’s something that both companies have to do, even though there will be blood.
Actually, the Microsoft-Nokia deal makes sense to me. First of all, Nokia is in trouble with an overloaded R&D budget and aging software and Microsoft badly needs better traction for Windows Phone 7. Although Windows Phone 7 is late and badly trailing iOS and Android, the early reviews have been generally very good. But Windows Phone 7 is on very few handsets, and Nokia fills the expansion needs for MS. Nokia badly needs a non-Symbian O/S, and adopting Android would make them simply another me-too house. Since MeeGo has not been proven, I think their only quick alternatives were WebOS (now owned by HP) or Windows Phone 7. Microsoft’s Bing browser would “go along for the ride.” Bing is OK, but it could also keep Google, Opera, Safari and others from dominating the mobile browser market. The near-term chip beneficiary of this marriage is Qualcomm, since currently only their chipset supports the DirectX multimedia interface of Windows Phone 7. Other smartphone chipsets tend to use the OpenGL interface. Of course, those other vendors will eventually embrace DirectX. Finally, both Nokia and Microsoft have lots of resources to throw at the problem, and now both finally have realistic roadmaps for their respective flagship wireless products. But, there will be blood.
Not well promoted by Nokia, I use Nokia maps on my (jail-broken) Nokia E71x cellphone from AT&T and it works worldwide, without incurring data charges (unless you want the premium voice directions). I’ve used it extensively in the U.S., U.K., Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Turkey and (last week) in Jordan. I actually prefer the Nokia map presentation over the map display that I get on my $400 Garmin car GPS. BTW, my wife and son use iPhones, so I’m not wedded to Nokia.
Sandbridge Acquired by Wuxi DSP Technologies
Sandbridge Technologies Inc., a designer of cellular baseband chips has been acquired by Wuxi DSP Technologies, based in Wuxi (pronounced “wu-hsi”) in Jiangsu Province, just West of Shanghai. The original Sandbridge office in the U.S. has become the company’s R&D center, called Optimum Semiconductor Technologies: www.optimumsemi-tech.com . The company’s SB3500 chip features the Sandblaster® DSP for execution of baseband operations in software, including the physical layer. It has a programmable RF interface, with the capability to capture raw data at 240 M samples/sec. It includes interfaces to LCD, keypad, USIM, SmartCard, Audio codec, IrDA, plus emerging ‘critical’ features such as add-on memory cards, camera interface, and USB.
As a side note, Wuxi is the city where most of China’s original analog TV receiver chips were fabricated, back in the early ’80s. Historically, the city is noted as the favored location for the Emperor’s concubines, since the women there are said to be very beautiful (I didn’t check this out, since it was only a train stop for my visit).
Smartphone Definition gets Fuzzy
In the past, smartphones were distinguished from the lesser “feature phones” by the fact that they employed a high-level operating system, like Symbian, Windows Mobile, iOS or, most recently, Android. And smartphones were clearly more expensive than feature phones that could provide at least limited multimedia capabilities. However, now with $100 (un-subsidized) phones running Android due out this year, the old definition based on the high-level O/S no longer seems appropriate. The net effect is that the feature phone market is disappearing while the smartphone market now addresses a wider spectrum of handsets. Moreover, the lowest-end smartphones are not 3G-capable. Clearly, the $100 smartphone (one is running at 400MHz) will not be able to reach the performance level (2×1.2GHz) of a $600 smartphone, so I solicit your opinions on new nomenclature for distinguishing “expensive” from “cheap” smartphones. And, like the poor, even cheaper budget phones will always be with us.
We interviewed many more companies at MWC, so some observations will have to wait for our next newsletter.
As always, I invite your comments.
CEL’s MeshConnect Sub-G Modules Deliver Superior Performance
Posted by: | CommentsCEL launches first sub-GHz modules combine exceptional range and power efficiency with a wide variety of software platforms, enabling easy to build networks and decreasing time to market.
Santa Clara, Calif. — March 22, 2011 — California Eastern Laboratories (CEL) is now offering its new MeshConnect Sub-G modules, built on the highly integrated circuits (ICs) for wireless applications, the Si1000 and Si1002 from Silicon Labs.
Longer Range communications
Targeting dense operating environments, CEL’s MeshConnect Sub-G modules deliver superior range and performance. Their low power consumption enables longer battery life and their link budgets provide reliable transmission in non line of sight applications such as lighting control, industrial sensor networks, serial wire replacement, metering, irrigation and more. At +13 and +20 dBm power outputs, the new Sub-G modules offer 868 MHz (Europe) and 915 MHz (Americas) ISM band options. As certified and qualified modules, the MeshConnect Sub-G solutions eliminate the need for costly certifications, reducing overall system cost and accelerating time to market.
Multiple software solutions support a wide variety of applications and accelerate time to market
The MeshConnect Sub-G modules support multiple software stacks including Synapse SNAP embedded OS, wireless M-Bus, Silicon Labs EZMac, and CEL’s API. The SNAP software stack supports comprehensive mesh networks with unprecedented ease of use. Targeting the European metering market, CEL’s 868 MHz Sub-G module supports the wireless M-Bus stack.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Silicon Labs to bring such leading edge technology to market,” said Rich Howell, Director of Business Development for CEL. “The engineering excellence that Silicon Labs brings to market at the IC level along with CEL’s expertise in module design will produce a winning combination for our customers.”
Expanding MeshConnect Family
The new Sub-G modules add depth to the expanding family of MeshConnect products, which include the MeshConnect System on Chip IC, the original MeshConnect module for simple 802.15.4 applications, the MeshConnect Extended Range module and the MeshConnect EM357 for Smart Energy applications.
Pricing and Availability
The MeshConnect Sub-G modules are sampling now. Mass Production is available June 2011. Part numbers are ZICM0868P0-1 (868 MHz Europe) and ZICM0900P2-1 (900 MHz Americas). Pricing is <$19 in thousand-piece quantities.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.cel.com
Please contact Rich Howell at rich.howell@cel.com for further information or to arrange a detailed briefing.
Picochip announces volume shipments of PC333 basestation-on-a-chip
Posted by: | CommentsCTIA WIRELESS, ORLANDO, US & BATH, UK – 21 MARCH 2011 – Picochip has announced that it has commenced volume production of the PC333, the industry’s most advanced basestation-on-a-chip solution. The PC333 is the only SoC currently available for the new breed of ‘small cell’ and ‘metro cell’ basestations, which are re-defining the fundamental architecture of mobile networks.
Integrating an optimized silicon implementation and proven, robust software into a complete system, the PC333 has enabled Picochip to take small cells beyond the home and into the mainstream network. The PC333 is being deployed now by carriers in Europe, America and Asia – making Picochip the only company currently shipping a small-cell basestation-on-a-chip. This new approach delivers capacity and coverage exactly where operators need it; in areas where deploying a macrocell would be impractical or too expensive, and in busy city centres, train stations and business districts.
In particular, small cells allow carriers to serve the rapidly growing demand for data services. Operators face explosive growth in data traffic (doubling every year according to Cisco, with a 1000X increase by 2020): Optimized small cell basestations use femtocell technology and SoCs to increase data capacity cost-effectively.
“Carriers urgently need more capacity,” commented Caroline Gabriel, Research Director of Rethink Research. “Operator-deployed small-cells enabled with femto technology benefit from the economies of scale gained from the residential femtocell market, field-proven modems and plug-and-play provisioning to reduce both CapEx and OpEx. With its market position Picochip can leverage both residential femtocell volume and its field-proven PHY to make that happen.”
The launch last year of the PC333 led to a major shake-up in the telecom semiconductor industry, with rival chip makers scrambling to announce competing basestation-on-a-chip devices.
“The PC333 is more than just hardware, more than just a scaled-down macrocell, and more than just slideware,” said Rupert Baines, VP Marketing at Picochip. “Femto technology and Picochip silicon has brought the $40bn wireless infrastructure market to the brink of a disruptive change. I’m expecting the same kind of fallout in the basestation industry as there was in the computer industry thirty years ago, as people move from in-house solutions to optimized SoCs and open-market software. And, as happened in the computer market, companies that fail to embrace the changes get left behind.”
Expressly designed for high-performance small cell (metro cell, picocell) applications, the PC333 has a higher specification than any other femtocell chip today. It supports up to 32 simultaneous channels in a single device, and two devices can be cascaded to make a 64-channel system. Picochip’s smartSignaling(TM) technology allows the PC333 basestation-on-a-chip to support a dramatically larger number of connected smartphones. The PC333 is the only femtocell chip to support Release 8 HSPA+ (42Mbps downlink, 11 Mbps uplink), Local Area Basestation (LABS) performance, together with features including soft handover, receive diversity and MIMO. The PC333 can operate as a femtocell, with integrated RNC and Iuh interface, or as a classical picocell with Iub interface; in both cases it uses Picochip’s field-proven, robust PHY. The product runs on a 700MHz ARM chip with TrustZone and variety of specialized hardware features for security. It sampled to lead customers in 3Q2010 and is now generally available.
The device is part of the industry’s widest range of SoCs for small-cell access points. These range from optimized devices for high-volume, cost-sensitive residential applications, that enable new form factors such as USB femtocells, through enterprise-grade high-performance products, to fully-featured public access basestation devices. Picochip has shipped more than a million devices in its basestation-on-a-chip family, making it one of the most widely deployed technologies in wireless networks.
Additional information about all Chrontel products can be found on the web at http://www.chrontel.com/products.
Designed for fast and easy system integration, ADI’s Circuits from the Lab reference circuits provide engineers with a range of time-saving resources, such as test data, schematics, BOM, PCB (Gerber) layout files, and software device drivers.
Norwood, MA (03/15/2011) – Engineers throughout the world are being asked to design products more quickly, with fewer iterations and using an ever broadening range of technologies requiring analog, RF, power and mixed-signal expertise. Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), a global leader in high-performance semiconductors for signal-processing applications, is helping engineers save weeks of research and design time with Circuits from the Lab reference circuits.
With more than 150 solutions, ADI’s Circuits from the Lab reference circuits are detailed, yet easy-to-understand, building blocks engineered and tested for quick system integration. For reliable, repeatable circuit performance, reference circuits are carefully documented with test data, design considerations and trade-offs, and design guidelines. A growing number now also include schematics, PCB (Gerber) layout files, software device drivers, and evaluation hardware.
ADI’s reference circuits, including circuit notes, schematics, layout files, and device drivers, are available for free download. Hardware, when available with a circuit, can be ordered through ADI and its authorized distributors.
“Customers everywhere tell us they are juggling responsibilities across a growing range of system and engineering disciplines and have severe time-to-market pressures,” said Emre Onder, vice president of Core Markets and Marketing, Analog Devices. “This means that engineers need something better than trial-and-error iterations or untested recommendations. With that in mind, Analog Devices application engineers are identifying the circuit design challenges our customers face and are providing tested solutions.”
Inspired by Customers’ Real-World Needs
Circuits from the Lab reference circuits anticipate practical issues related to moving a design into real-world production with minimum time to market. ADI’s market-leading technical support teams identify which circuits and end-use applications are the most challenging for engineers. Circuits from the Lab reference circuits are available for many of ADI’s product technologies and span various applications areas, including industrial automation and instrumentation systems. Download a brochure.
Find Circuits from the Lab Reference Circuits
| Circuit Type | URL |
|---|---|
| ADC Drivers | http://www.analog.com/pr/circuits/ADCs |
| DAC Output Circuits | http://www.analog.com/pr/circuits/DACs |
| Isolation | http://www.analog.com/pr/circuits/isolation |
| RF/IF | http://www.analog.com/pr/circuits/RF |
All Circuits from the Lab reference circuits include circuit notes and provide test data to help designers quickly and accurately select components. Many also include the following, all of which can save additional days to weeks of engineering time:
- Design and integration files: includes schematics, PCB and EDA interface files, and bill of materials listing active and passive components by manufacturer and model number.
- Software device drivers: allows communication with and control by external processors.
- Evaluation hardware: allows designers to stress the circuit and see how it performs.
Lab-Tested by Analog Devices
ADI’s Circuits from the Lab reference circuits include fully documented test bench configurations and operating parameters to help engineers rapidly recreate, customize and integrate their circuit designs. Circuits from the Lab reference circuits use a testing protocol that is specific to each applied technology and end-use scenario. The test protocol anticipates and approximates engineers’ application needs and tests for the most relevant performance characteristics.
RFMD’s WiFi FEMs Address Wide Range of High-Performance Applications And Target Explosive Growth In WiFi End Markets
Greensboro, N.C. March 8, 2011– RF Micro Devices, Inc. today announced the expansion of its industry-leading 5GHz WiFi product portfolio to include two new 5GHz high-band WiFi front end modules (FEMs) with integrated power amplifiers (PAs). The two new 5GHz FEMs – the RF5506, and the RF5516 — deliver industry-leading high power and high linearity and are optimized for the rapidly growing smartphone and tablet markets.
The global WiFi market is growing rapidly and is forecast to represent a greater than $1 billion total addressable market (TAM) by 2014. Adoption of dual-band WiFi (2.4GHz/5GHz) in handsets is estimated to increase from approximately 25% of all handsets in 2011 to approximately 50% of all handsets in 2012, with increasing emphasis on the 5GHz band for use in 3G/4G smartphones. The anticipated growth in tablet devices is also forecast to support 5GHz FEM adoption, as mobile WiFi chipsets for tablets increasingly adopt dual-band functionality.
To satisfy the growing market demand, RFMD has developed industry-leading FEMs with high levels of integration, small package sizes, and best-in-class linearity performance. RFMD offers a broad portfolio of highly integrated FEMs that include the PA, the switch, filtering, baluns and an optional low noise amplifier (LNA) for both single-band (2.4GHz or 5GHz) and dual- band (2.4GHz/5GHz) operation. RFMD’s WiFi product portfolio also includes discrete PAs, switches and switch/LNA products that support integrated chipset solutions.
Bob Van Buskirk, president of RFMD’s Multi-Market Products Group (MPG), said, “RFMD forecasts the WiFi market will expand significantly as dual-band adoption increases and as volume expands across a variety of end markets, including smartphones, tablets, home automation, WiFi TV, automotive and personal computing. Because carrier requirements continue to demand higher power levels, this is placing an even greater focus on product performance and increasing the reliance on RFMD’s core technology and product development capabilities.”
Samples and production quantities of the RF5506, and RF5516 are available now through RFMD sales representatives and through the RFMD online store at www.rfmd.com. Product brochures are available and can be downloaded from RFMD’s website or by contacting RFMD at 336-664-1233.
Target Explosive Growth In WiFi End Markets
Cisco, Motorola and Others Leveraging Broad Product Portfolio for Network Infrastructure and other Consumer Applications
Woburn, Mass., Mar. 8, 2011 — Skyworks Solutions, Inc. is ramping production of various precision analog ICs in support of several customers launching fiber to the curb (FTTC), fiber to the home (FTTH), cable set-top boxes and wireless video systems. Cisco and Motorola, among others, are leveraging Skyworks’ industry-leading power amplifiers, LNAs, gain blocks, attenuators, pin and varactor diodes, as well as switches to enable greater network reliability.
“Consumer demand for anytime, anywhere Internet access is creating exciting new growth avenues for Skyworks as carriers make significant investments in their networks to support wider adoption of new, lucrative services,” said David Stasey, vice president of analog components at Skyworks. “Skyworks is delighted to be supporting multiple new markets with differentiated solutions that enable a host of wireless applications for today’s consumer.”
According to the Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, mobile data traffic is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 92 percent from 2010 to 2015.
About Skyworks’ Attenuators
Skyworks offers a broad selection of GaAs digital attenuators, PIN diode voltage variable attenuators, and silicon fixed attenuator pads for infrastructure, test and measurement, and other high-performance microwave applications up to 40 GHz. High attenuation accuracy allows precise power control. Skyworks’ featured attenuators include: the AA103-72LF, AA104-73LF and AA116-72LF.
About Skyworks’ PIN and Varactor Diodes
Skyworks’ diode product offering includes PIN, Schottky, varactor and limiter diodes for a wide variety of microwave applications including WLAN, infrastructure, handset, SATCOM (LNB/DBS-CATV), automotive, military, test and measurement, metering, medical, and RFID. The discrete silicon and GaAs semiconductors are available as die, plastic packaged, surface mount (SMT) and ceramic hermetic packaged devices. Frequency ranges include low frequency, HF, VHF, UHF, L band, S band, C band, X band, KU band, K band, and Ka band. Skyworks’ featured diodes include: the SMV1255 Series and SMS7621 Series.
About Skyworks’ Power Amplifiers, Low Noise Amplifiers and Gain Blocks
Skyworks’ broad selection of PAs and LNAs are designed for cellular applications and diverse markets such as wireless infrastructure, WLAN, automotive, test and measurement, energy management and other high-performance microwave applications. Skyworks’ LNAs meet the needs of cellular infrastructure, WLAN, WiMAX, ISM, and all applications requiring LNAs from DC to 6 GHz, making the devices dual-band capable. The MMIC products are offered in enhancement mode (E Mode LNA) and depletion mode (D Mode LNA) pHEMT amplifiers achieving sub 1 dB noise figure for better Rx sensitivity, and high-linearity performance. Skyworks’ featured devices include: the SKY6501X Series, SKY65152-11 and SKY65404-21.
About Skyworks’ Switches
Skyworks’ broad selection of GaAs switches for diverse markets such as WLAN, handset, wireless infrastructure, SATCOM (LNB/DBS–CATV), automotive, test and measurement, energy management, and other microwave applications are available in many different configurations including broadband, high power, high isolation, low insertion loss enabling higher transmit power, reflective, and non-reflective. The lead (Pb)-free, RoHS-compliant and Green high quality products are available for applications including antenna transmit/receive (T/R) switches for use in cellular handsets and WLAN systems, synthesizer switches for infrastructure needs, and many other high volume, high performance requirements. Skyworks’ featured switches include: the SKY13276-334, SKY13352-337LF and SKY13353-337LF.
IMST’s iM871A Wireless Module Based on Silicon Labs’ Si10xx Wireless MCUs Streamlines the Development of Wireless M-Bus Smart Metering Applications
NUREMBERG, Germany (Embedded World) – Mar. 1, 2011 – Silicon Laboratories Inc. and IMST GmbH today introduced a turnkey wireless M-Bus solution designed for the smart energy market. The comprehensive hardware/software solution combines IMST’s industry-leading expertise in the wireless M-Bus market with Silicon Labs’ Si10xx wireless microcontroller (MCU) technology to simplify the deployment of ultra-low-power, high-performance, pre-certified wireless M-Bus modules for smart meters.
IMST’s iM871A wireless M-Bus module offers a cost-effective RF solution for smart metering applications connecting water, heat, electricity and gas meters with data concentrators in the 868 MHz frequency band. Using Silicon Labs’ high-performance Si1002 wireless MCU, the iM871A module can achieve a link budget up to 120 dB when operating in R2 mode, resulting in exceptional RF range and communications performance. This link budget is especially critical in addressing wireless communication requirements in challenging environments inside residential and commercial buildings.
The iM871A module has an exceptionally small footprint (17 mm x 19 mm), comes equipped with a serial interface as well as analog and digital inputs and outputs to accommodate interfaces with a customer’s system, and is fully compliant with the EN 13757-4 standard. With a standby current of less than 1 microamp, the iM871A is well-suited for applications requiring long battery life such as water and gas meters. The iM871A module solution is compatible with a wide range of wireless M-Bus devices in the field. The module supports all major unidirectional and bidirectional wireless M-Bus modes (S1, S2, T1, T2 and R2) in addition to all tolerance specifications, enabling the highest possible flexibility in metering environments.
“The collaboration between Silicon Labs and IMST has resulted in a best-in-class, sub-GHz wireless M-Bus solution that combines the industry’s lowest power wireless MCU with the proven performance of IMST’s wireless M-Bus software,” said Dr. Peter Waldow, CEO of IMST. “The jointly developed wireless module will streamline the development of cost-effective and energy-efficient wireless M-Bus solutions required in today’s smart meter market.”
As a member of Silicon Labs’ Wireless Partner Program, IMST has the expertise to provide comprehensive design services and support. IMST’s in-house test lab also can cover certification measurements required by manufacturers of end products.
“The combination of Silicon Labs’ Si10xx wireless MCUs and IMST’s wireless M-Bus module provides an ideal sub-GHz wireless communications solution for today’s smart energy applications,” said Mark Thompson, vice president of Embedded Mixed-Signal products at Silicon Labs. “Using this tightly integrated hardware/software solution, embedded developers can get their wireless M-Bus applications up and running quickly while benefiting from the power-efficient, battery-saving capabilities of our Si10xx MCUs and their exceptional wireless range and performance.”
About the Silicon Labs Si1000 Wireless MCU
The Si10xx wireless MCU family combines a 25 MHz 8051 core, EZRadioPRO sub-GHz RF transceiver, 64 kB of flash and a 10-bit ADC – all in a compact 5 mm x 7 mm package. The Si10xx family’s integrated power and low-noise amplifiers enable an extended RF range, high bandwidth and ultra-low power consumption. The industry’s most power-efficient wireless MCU solution, the Si10xx family provides the lowest active-mode current consumption (160 microamps per MHz). In sleep mode, the wireless MCUs consume only 315 nanoamps using the internal low frequency RTC. In deep-sleep mode, they can operate on as little as 25 nA with full RAM retention.
Pricing and Availability
The Si10xx MCU-based iM871A wireless M-Bus module is being demonstrated today at Embedded World 2011 in Nuremburg, Germany, Mar. 1-3 at Stand 12-136 and Stand 12-277. Priced at $14 USD in 10,000-unit quantities, the iM871A module is planned to be broadly available in Q2 2011.
For more information about the iM871A wireless M-Bus module or to order samples, visit www.wireless-solutions.de. For more information about Silicon Labs’ Si10xx wireless MCU family or to purchase samples and development tools, visit www.silabs.com/pr/wirelessmcu.
New chipset pairs Semtech SX1231 ISM transceiver with Virtual Extension VE209S mesh controller for highest performance in smart lighting and smart environment applications
CAMARILLO, Calif., March 1, 2011– Semtech Corp. and Virtual Extension (Beit Dagan, Israel) today announced the expansion of their wireless mesh network platform to include a new, ultra-high transmission range (Tx) power chipset that brings a new level of performance to a wide variety of smart environment applications.
The chipset pairs Semtech’s SX1231 ISM-band transceiver with Virtual Extension’s VE209S wireless mesh controller to enable reliable wireless data transmission across greater distances, compared to lower Tx solutions.
The ultra-high, +17 dBm RF transmission power of the SX1231 makes this chipset ideal for network applications that need to fully utilize the maximum power allowed by European, North American and other worldwide regulations, as well as for battery-operated devices with up to a 12-year operating lifetime, or a combination of the two, all using very few external components. Designers of smart lighting, metering, alarms, security systems and other smart environment systems now have the highest-performance network solution available, either as chipsets for their own design, or as customized, ready-made modules.
A member of Semtech’s complete platform of ISM-band transceivers, the
SX1231 is optimized for asynchronous sensor network designs over a wide frequency range, including the 433 MHz, 868 MHz and 915 MHz bands. The device offers the unique benefit of programmable narrow-band and wide-band communication modes, without the need to modify external components. It offers a world-class, 137 dB link budget and a high receive sensitivity of -120 dBm, along with a high transmitter output power of 17 dBm to enable reliable transmission over greater distances.
The SX1231 extends battery life with an ultra-low, 16 mA (typ) receive mode current consumption, 95 mA (typ) transmit current consumption (at +17 dBm), and a 0.1 µA (typ) sleep mode current consumption.
The VE209 family of high-performance mesh controllers serves as the main building block of a VEmesh network unit, either a gateway or a node. These IP based mesh controllers have the necessary internal elements for performing all networking tasks and the required interfaces, for a wide choice of protocols, with DALI, MODBUS, RS232, USB and TCP/IP compatibility.
VEmesh units provide highly reliable bi-directional communication and best-in-class range and coverage for distributed monitoring and data collection of smart lighting, smart metering and sensor systems. All VEmesh nodes also act as relays to retransmit data from other units in order to create a modular solution with no practical limitation to the number of nodes or size of coverage area.
“This new chipset is great news for a wide variety of smart environment applications,” said Sameer Vuyyuru, Vice President Marketing for Semtech’s Advanced Communications and Sensing Group. “Expanding our relationship with Virtual Extension, this chipset joins our lower output power, +12.5 dBm, 3 mA version introduced last year. Our wireless mesh platform enables robust, reliable mesh networks that are easier to design, build, install and maintain, and can easily scale when the network expands.”
“With a transmission power of +17 dBm, high selectivity filter and programmable communication modes, the SX1231 is an excellent companion chip to our VE209S wireless mesh controller,” stated Leor Hardy, Chief Technology Officer for Virtual Extension. “It enables wireless mesh networks complying with the most stringent requirements of European and other worldwide smart environment regulations.”
Key Features of Semtech – Virtual Extension High Transmission Power Wireless Mesh Solution
- Fully bi-directional
- Farthest range in class
- Very low power consumption, for years of operation on a single battery
- Fastest response in class – lowest and most predictable latency
- Secure (frequency diversity) and resistant (space diversity) to multipath fading and propagation changes
- Simple: no knowledge; no training installation, maintenance; no need to manage software
- Built-in unicast and broadcast capabilities
- Instant addition and removal of nodes, with no network downtime
- Practically unlimited number of hops, thousands of nodes per network
- Highly scalable: robustness and network range increase when the network expands
Availability
SX1231-based chipsets and modules are available now. Evaluation kits (order code: SX1231MESH-868 and SX1231MESH-915) are available from Semtech.
Semtech offers comprehensive design assistance, including field- and factory-based support. Data sheets, volume pricing, and delivery quotes, as well as evaluation kits and samples, are available at www.semtech.com/info.
For customized ready-to-use modules based on the chipset, please inquire with Virtual Extension at info@virtual-extension.com.
February Wireless Update
Posted by: | CommentsGuest Blog by Will Strauss, President & Principal Analyst, Forward Concepts
Tensilica Claims #1 LTE IP spot
With the scramble to get chips into the LTE (a.k.a. 4G) market, most cellular baseband chip companies are licensing their DSP cores from one of two major suppliers: CEVA, Inc. and Tensilica, Inc. CEVA clearly has a significant IP market lead in 2G and 3G shipments, worldwide, claiming its IP in 36% of worldwide cellular baseband shipments in the third quarter of 2010. However, both companies are fighting for LTE design-ins. Tensilica claims to have the #1 position in LTE design-ins for cellular and lists the following companies as licensees for LTE (note, however, that CEVA has also licensed its DSP cores for LTE basebands at some of these same companies):
- Fujitsu
- Huawei
- Infineon (through Blue Wonder Communications)
- MediaTek (through DoCoMo)
- NEC
- Panasonic
- Renesas
- Wavesat
Tensilica promises to introduce new, more powerful cores for both terminals and infrastructure at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in another two weeks, and at least one of Tensilica’s LTE infrastructure baseband licensees (see below) will be announcing products there, too. Since LTE baseband shipments are currently a miniscule segment of the cellphone market, there’s still room for competition.
Egypt-based SySDSoft Claims 3 of the Top 10 Chip Houses for its LTE Software Stack
Cairo-based SySDSoft, Inc. claims to have licensed its UE protocol stack for LTE to 7 wireless chip companies, including 3 of the top 10 houses. SySDSoft will have a stand at MWC where they will demonstrate what they claim as “the world’s highest performance for the UE stack, achieving CAT5 even for the smallest packet sizes.”
Their principal LTE PHY stack competitor, mimoOn GmbH, and LTE layer 2&3 stack competitor, 4M Wireless, will also have stands at MWC. Note that all of these LTE protocol stack suppliers are prime candidates for acquisition in 2011.
DesignArt Networks Challenges Wireless Infrastructure Chip Houses
This month, Israel-based DesignArt Networks will be launching its DAN3800 SoC that is a complete multi-sector, multi-gigabit LTE Advanced Baseband chip. Based on multi-core Tensilica DSPs and multi-core ARM9s, the DAN3800 is claimed to have a fraction of the power consumption of competing chip solutions of similar throughputs. According to the company’s CTO, “Consuming only 8 Watts, the DAN3800 delivers multiples in performance of currently available silicon solutions – powering an entire 4-sector LTE Advanced Macro BTS for the delivery of up to 1.2 Gbps of raw 4G data capacity – all with just one single DAN3800 Baseband SoC.” This low power allows the company to address ambient-cooled pico basestation solutions on telephone poles as well as (through multiple chips) full macro base stations. The company’s investors include Motorola Ventures, Carmel Ventures, and Magma Venture Partners. So, DesignArt now joins the elite group of macro base station baseband chip suppliers, namely, Texas Instruments, Freescale, LSI, Mindspeed, and (soon) Intel.
Intel Mobile Communications Emerges
This week, Intel announced that it has completed its acquisition of Infineon Technologies‘ cellular chip business. At the upcoming MWC in Barcelona, Intel Mobile Communications will have a stand, presumably replacing the former Infineon Technologies stand. It is presently unclear as to how independent the newly-acquired German operations will be.
Icera Offers its First HSPA+ Handset Chip
Last week, Icera announced its new Espresso®450 chip which comprises Icera’s latest baseband and RF technology and delivers quad-band HSPA+ up to 28Mbps together with full quad-band 2G/3G voice support functions. The company claims that the two-chip set is in the industry’s smallest footprint, a tiny 700mm2. Icera has been shipping its chipsets in high volume to the data dongle market, but this is the company’s first offering aimed at smartphones, providing a complete radio interface layer for the Android operating system and full validated voice technology. Clearly, they want to be an application processor’s best friend. Samples of first phones using Espresso®450 will be showing at MWC and first products are expected to ship in late 2011.
Freescale Announces first Quad-Core Cortex-A9 Chip
In case you missed the early January announcement, Freescale Semiconductor became the first company to announce a quad-core Cortex-A9 chip. The chip is the top-of-the line of the company’s new i.MX6 family of Cortex-A9 based chips, following Solo- and Dual-core members, all to be available with up to 1.2 GHz operation. Neon DSP and 3D Graphics are part of all family members, along with L2 caches starting at 256kB up to 2MB at the high end. Freescale envisions applications like monochrome eBooks at the low end of the family (where the current i.MX products are the market leader), with color eBooks served by dual-core versions (along with basic business tablets and medical products) and the quad-cores serving media tablets, netbooks and luxury infotainment products.
Clearly, Freescale is investing heavily in its multimedia product line, which will provide balance to the company’s traditional automotive and communications infrastructure emphasis.
New Industry Alliance Kicks off at MWC
One of the problems of LTE is that products for LTE must also support 3G and 2G over several frequency bands. The transmitter solution for efficient operation has been to install as many as 8 power amplifiers in a handset, each designed to be efficient for a given frequency band. A technique that is said to increase power efficiency (and thus lower power consumption) involves envelope tracking of the input power to the power amplifier, also resulting in fewer power amplifiers in a handset. The new OpenET Alliance (www.open-et.org) has the goal of standardizing envelope interface specifications both for handsets and infrastructure applications. The OpenET Alliance is a non-profit organization, and it is being initially backed by Nujira Ltd., the primary supplier of envelope tracking solutions. The kickoff begins at MWC as spelled out on the website.
