MCU and transceiver combo targeted at ‘most vexing’ power apps
1 min read
Said to be the most energy efficient microcontroller and wireless solution, the C8051F96x mcu and Si102x and Si103x wireless mcu families from Silicon Laboratories feature low power technology that reduces current draw by 40% compared to competing devices. The approach is also said to extend battery life by up to 65%.
The Si102x/3x feature the F96x mcu integrated in the same package with the EZRadioPRO sub GHz transceiver.
Keith Odland, director of mcu marketing, said the new devices are fourth generation products aimed at solving some of the 'most vexing' low power application problems.
"It's a system level strategy," he claimed. "We're looking to reduce the time spent in active mode, reduce sleep mode power consumption and move energy from battery to system in the most efficient way. We've developed the parts from the ground up to work with EZradio devices."
An example is preparing data for transmission. "We're doing this in hardware," Odland said, "which saves time. It's the only product with a hardware 3 to 6 encoder and this can run 10 times faster than a software solution."
An on chip buck converter can supply up to 250mW, not only powering the mcu, but also other parts of the system, including the rf transceiver. Meanwhile, the mcus draw a sleep current of 400nA with the real time clock running and 70nA without at 3V. A 10nA sleep current mode is available at minimum voltage. Wake up time from sleep mode is said to be 2µs.
There will be 15 variants of the 8051 based F96x mcu, while the Si102x and Si103x are each available in eight versions.
