New ARM®-Based EM358x SoC Family Provides Larger Memory Options for
Advanced Smart Energy and Home Automation Applications
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Silicon
Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB), a leader in high-performance, analog-intensive,
mixed-signal ICs, today announced a major expansion to its
industry-leading ARM®-based Ember®
ZigBee® system-on-chip (SoC) portfolio delivering unmatched wireless
performance, energy efficiency and reliability for the Internet of
Things (IoT). Silicon Labs' new EM358x SoC family provides additional
flash and RAM memory options to meet the needs of larger, more complex
smart energy and home automation designs. The Ember ZigBee family also
offers USB connectivity and a local storage bootloader to help
developers reduce bill of material (BOM) cost and system complexity.
The EM358x SoC family provides an ideal mesh networking platform for
feature-rich, next-generation ZigBee applications for the IoT, which
today often incorporate multiple processors. The EM358x family includes
six SoC products that combine a 2.4 GHz IEEE 802.15.4 RF transceiver, an
ARM Cortex®-M3 processor, 256 kB or 512 kB of flash memory, and 32 kB or
64 kB of RAM with powerful hardware-supported network-level debugging
features. The additional memory minimizes the need for a separate system
processor, enabling developers to collapse some or all of their
multi-processor designs into a single ZigBee SoC to reduce BOM cost and
the size of the final product. By offering larger flash and RAM memory
options, the EM358x SoC family enables developers to future-proof smart
energy applications such as smart meters, which often require more code
space to store new firmware and additional RAM enabling product
lifespans of up to 20 years.
The EM358x SoC family offers an on-chip USB peripheral to simplify
system programming and eliminate the need for an external USB
controller, further reducing system cost. Many ZigBee-enabled devices
require a USB connection to provide an easy-to-use serial application
interface or a service port to the device. The USB port can also be used
to download new firmware images onto the device, reducing maintenance
cost.
The EM358x SoC family features a local storage bootloader that eases
application development and enables the embedded software to be
field-upgraded after the Ember ZigBee-enabled product leaves the
factory. The new bootloader capability eliminates the need for external
flash memory to support over-the-air upgrade images by using the SoC's
on-chip flash to store firmware images for bootloading, reducing the
component count, cost and size of the product. Products such as smart
meters or security sensors based on EM358x SoCs can be easily
field-upgraded as new platform features are deployed, avoiding costly
truck rolls.
The EM358x SoCs deliver outstanding wireless performance with a
configurable total link budget up to 110 dB. The devices' 8 dBm transmit
power eliminates the need for an external power amplifier (PA) in many
applications, especially in Europe and Asia, where regulatory limits do
not allow much higher transmit power. Because radio systems must operate
in the presence of many types of interference, the EM358x SoCs are
designed to deliver exceptional immunity and reliable co-existence with
other 2.4 GHz devices.
"Ember ZigBee SoCs provide a key enabling wireless technology for the
Internet of Things with numerous applications in smart energy, home
automation, connected lighting and security," said Geir Førre, senior
vice president and general manager of Silicon Labs' microcontroller and
wireless products. "By offering more memory and connectivity options,
our EM358x SoCs make it easier and more cost-effective to deploy ZigBee
in a wide range of home automation and smart energy applications."
The EM358x SoCs provide pin- and software-compatible drop-in
replacements for Silicon Labs' widely used EM351 and EM357 ZigBee SoCs.
Compatible cross-platform software libraries and tools allow easy
migration from EM351/7 to the EM358x SoC family. The Ember ZigBee mesh
networking platform also complements Silicon Labs' portfolio of EZRadio®
and EZRadioPRO®
sub-GHz transceivers and Si10xx
wireless MCUs, which provide high-performance, ultra-low-power
solutions for point-to-point and star networking applications.
EM358x SoCs are tightly integrated with the field-proven EmberZNet
PRO protocol stack, which sets the bar for ZigBee PRO stack
reliability. Deployed in more wireless mesh networking products than any
other ZigBee PRO stack, EmberZNet PRO software provides enhancements for
robustness, scalability and ease-of-use even in larger networks and more
challenging environments. The software stack is complemented by the
proven Ember Desktop development environment, which reduces design time
by providing sophisticated visualization and debugging tools and
application templates for the ZigBee Smart Energy, ZigBee Home
Automation and ZigBee Light Link profiles.
Pricing and Availability
Samples of the EM358x Ember ZigBee SoCs are available now in a 48-pin 7
mm x 7 mm package, and production quantities are planned for Q2 2014.
For product pricing, please contact your local Silicon Labs sales
representative or an authorized distributor. For additional product
information and samples, visit www.silabs.com/zigbee.
For more details about ZigBee technology and the ZigBee Alliance, visit www.ZigBee.org.
Silicon Labs
Silicon Labs 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 patented semiconductor
solutions offers customers significant advantages in performance, size
and power consumption. For more information about Silicon Labs, please
visit www.silabs.com.
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Silicon Labs
Dale Weisman, +1-512-532-5871
dale.weisman@silabs.com
or
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Source: Silicon Labs
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