Smart reset chips address problem of frozen gadgets

The latest generation of ST's Smart Reset chips have been designed to address the problem of electronic devices freezing or locking up. Traditionally, users need to try and remove the battery or find an appropriate tool to press the dedicated reset button placed in a hole that is often difficult to access. Smart resets enable users to reset a frozen device with a long push of one or two buttons simultaneously, depending on the device configuration. With the increasing popularity of touch screen devices, smart resets remove the need for extra buttons. "The proliferation and complexity of mobile apps, operating system versions, and hardware platforms have inevitably brought about interoperability issues, with consumers increasingly experiencing frozen operation, or the 'White Screen of Death,' on their portable devices," said Alberto De Marco, director of Standard & HiRel Products Business Unit at STMicroelectronics."ST's stand alone smart resets deliver a reliable and risk free reset mechanism - an important factor in maintaining user satisfaction and brand adherence in today's fragmented and highly competitive mobile market." According to ST, the STM6524 - its newest dual assert smart reset IC – effectively prevents accidental resets due to its two inputs connecting to a selected pair of buttons on an electronic gadget. When these buttons are held down simultaneously for a manufacture specified time, the IC sends a reset signal to the main processor. The combination of two inputs and programmable delay time effectively prevents accidental resets. ST has also introduced the STM6519 which is designed to target single button electronic devices such as tablets and e-readers, with a similar programmable delay reset. ST claims the new devices offer several improvements over existing solutions, such as a smaller package size, a customisable extended input delay time – from 0.5 to 10s, and an integrated dedicated test mode, said to improve device testability.