NUREMBERG, Germany, Mar 01, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Answering the need for energy efficiency in home automation and
metering, Silicon
Laboratories Inc. (NASDAQ: SLAB), a leader in
high-performance, analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs, today introduced
the industry's lowest power single-chip wireless microcontrollers
(MCUs). Silicon Labs' new ultra-low-power Si10xx wireless MCU family
addresses the power and RF requirements of battery-operated home
automation systems, smart meters, in-home utility monitors and security
systems.
The demand for smart energy technology continues to grow each year
as government initiatives mandate upgrades to the grid, as well as
adding intelligence to meters that measure water, gas and heat. The
market for smart home products, such as lighting and HVAC controls,
in-home utility monitors and home security systems, is also on the rise,
driven in part by the desire to conserve energy and by the expansion of
home automation services and standards-based wireless technologies.
Today's smart home/smart grid applications merge wired/wireless
connectivity and embedded control with power-efficient design to
maximize battery life. The ultra-low-power Si10xx wireless MCU family is
ideally suited for these battery-operated systems with RF links, as well
as for many other embedded wireless applications that require ultra-low
power consumption.
The Si10xx wireless MCUs combine a 25 MHz 8051 core, EZRadioPRO(R)
sub-GHz RF transceiver, up to 64 kB of flash and up to 12-bit ADC - all
in a compact 5 mm x 7 mm package. The Si10xx family is the industry's
most power-efficient single-chip wireless MCU solution, providing the
lowest current in common modes of operation. The wireless MCUs offer the
lowest active-mode current consumption (160 microamps per MHz). In sleep
mode, they consume only 615 nanoamps with an active 32.768 kHz real-time
clock (RTC) and down to 315 nanoamps with an active RTC and a low
frequency oscillator (LFO). In deep-sleep mode, they can operate on as
little as 25 nA with full RAM retention.
The Si10xx family's ultra-low-power architecture and fast wake-up
time (2 microseconds) greatly extends battery life in both lithium and
alkaline battery applications. The Si10xx architecture also features a
dc-dc boost converter designed to supply large loads with extremely high
efficiency. The dc-dc converter supplies power needed for periods of RF
transmission and reception with efficiencies of up to 90 percent. As a
result, developers can design embedded wireless systems capable of 25
percent longer battery life over alternative solutions with no
degradation in MCU or radio performance; in some system configurations,
an Si10xx device can extend battery life by as much as 50 percent.
The Si10xx wireless MCUs offer market leading RF performance with
the highest output power and sensitivity and lowest power wake-up
transition. The Si10xx family's integrated power amplifier (PA) and
low-noise amplifier enable an RF link budget of greater than 140 dB
without requiring active external elements. This results in extended
range, higher bandwidth and lower overall power consumption.
"The Si10xx family is a battery's best friend, offering
best-in-class energy efficiency that makes it easier to design
battery-powered products for the smart home and smart meter markets,"
said Mark Thompson, vice president and general manager of Silicon Labs'
Embedded Mixed Signal products. "By incorporating the EZRadioPRO
transceiver, the Si10xx wireless MCUs deliver exceptional RF performance
with high output power and superior sensitivity."
Unparalleled Development Support
To streamline the development of smart home and smart meter
products based on Si10xx wireless MCUs, Silicon Labs offers a rich set
of hardware and software tools for MCU and system design, RF design and
optimization, and network software design. These tools include the
following:
-
Si1000-DK and Si1010-DK development kits
-
SDBC-DK3 development platform for EZRadioPRO wireless products
-
Wireless development suite (WDS), a comprehensive toolset that
makes it easy to develop robust, low-cost wireless applications with
little or no specific RF design experience
-
EZMACPRO media access control module ("network in a box")
-
Fully compliant wireless M-Bus stack (EN: 13757-4), a metering
networking standard common in Europe
Pricing and Availability
Pricing for the Si10xx MCUs starts at $3.51 (USD) in 10K
quantities. The Si1000DK development kit is available now for $99 (USD).
The WIRELESSMBUSEK evaluation kit is priced at $99 (USD). For additional
product information and to purchase samples and development tools,
please visit www.silabs.com/pr/wirelessmcu.
Silicon Laboratories Inc.
Silicon Laboratories is an industry leader in the innovation of
high-performance, analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs. Developed by a
world-class engineering team with unsurpassed expertise in mixed-signal
design, Silicon Labs' diverse portfolio of highly-integrated,
easy-to-use products offers customers significant advantages in
performance, size and power consumption. These patented solutions serve
a broad set of markets and applications including consumer,
communications, computing, industrial and automotive.
Headquartered in Austin, TX, Silicon Labs is a global enterprise
with operations, sales and design activities worldwide. The company is
committed to contributing to our customers' success by recruiting the
highest quality talent to create industry-changing innovations. For more
information about Silicon Labs, please visit www.silabs.com.
Cautionary Language
This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on
Silicon Laboratories' current expectations. These forward-looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties. A number of important
factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in
the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of factors that could
impact Silicon Laboratories' financial results and cause actual results
to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements,
please refer to Silicon Laboratories' filings with the SEC. Silicon
Laboratories disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise
any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
Note to editors: Silicon Laboratories, Silicon Labs, the "S"
symbol, the Silicon Laboratories logo, and the Silicon Labs logo are
trademarks of Silicon Laboratories Inc. All other product names noted
herein may be trademarks of their respective holders.
SOURCE: Silicon Laboratories Inc.
Silicon Laboratories Inc.
Dale Weisman, +1-512-532-5871
dale.weisman@silabs.com
Follow Silicon Labs on Twitter at http://twitter.com/silabs.
Copyright Business Wire 2010