EDNE August 2012 - (Page 10)

pulse INNOVATIONS & INNOVATORS Bluetooth LE SoCs cut power, add new applications N ordic Semiconductor’s nRF51 Nordic has also been working with ANT code creation was more complex. Typically, series of single-chip, low-power, Wireless (Alberta, Canada) and the ANT Nordic says, you would compile a single 2.4-GHz wireless system-on- Alliance, leading to the second chip in this software object that incorporated protocol chip ICs is aimed, as with Nordic’s previ- announcement; the nRF51422 comes and application code. For every change, ous ICs, at applications such as personal/ pre-loaded with the ANT protocol stack. you re-compiled everything. Now, in the body area network devices, and a range Product designs can be multi-protocol; nRF51 parts, you have a single SoC part of emerging uses for ultra-low power wire- Nordic says that the radio can be re-con- and all the benefits of size and low power, less links. Nordic has gained design wins figured on-the-fly, “almost between pack- but code generation for application-level in multiple products in the PC peripherals ets.” tasks exists separately from the protocol, area (keyboards and mice, for example), in The nRF51 parts host an ARM Cortex simplifying and speeding development. sports devices (wristwatch and body-worn M0 processor core – despite the product’s Power has been optimised not only by a activity and heart rate monitors), ambula- name, there is no 8051-derived IP in the new generation of silicon – the device is tory medical monitoring product, and toys. new devices – and it is in the area of code all-CMOS – but by attention to how the RF With the introduction of its nRF51 series, development for the chips that Nordic and processor systems interact, both interthe company anticipates widening that says you will see some of the most sig- nally and with external hosts. Cutting prerange to include new mobile accessories nificant advances from previous genera- amble and shut-down activity, so that the for tablets and smartphones; and as device wakes quickly, delivers its data the link technology for remote conpayload, and returns to a low-power trols for a new generation of internetstate in the least possible time, conenabled, home-hub TVs. The advent tributes to reduced power usage. of Windows 8, Nordic believes, will Nordic designed a completely new be a factor in driving several product implementation, multi-protocol 2.4GHz sectors. radio to achieve high-performance, The nRF51 chips are multi-prolow power and flexibility. Nordic’s detocol; they offer lower power – by a signers achieved up to 9.5 dBm imclaimed 50% in typical applications provement in RF link budget com– than previous wireless SoCs; they Nordic Semi upgrades embedded processors to pared to its previous generation radio; provide longer range thanks to an im- ARM Cortex M0 in its 3rd-generation Bluetooth LE the company says that this was not a transceivers. proved RF link budget; and they proresult of some radical new radio archivide increased processing power that can tion wireless SoCs. With earlier generation tecture but came from, “examining every either host a user application completely, products – Nordic characterises this se- wire [routing] in the radio circuit layout.” or can offload a host processor by carry- ries as its 3rd-generation parts – you had About 5.5 dB of that improvement comes ing out more tasks adjacent to the wire- the choice of a two-chip solution, wireless in receiver sensitivity, now at -92.5dB, and less link. IC plus microcontroller: or a single-chip, the rest from a +4dBm output power inTwo ICs are announced in the first re- integrated solution. With the former, you crease in Bluetooth low energy mode. lease, with essentially identical silicon, had to carefully manage transactions be- Other features include sub-10mA peak but with different wireless protocols. tween transceiver and microcontroller, but currents running off a 3V coin cell battery; nRF51822 is a multi-protocol version that the protocol largely stood apart from the full compliance with Bluetooth low energy hosts a protocol stack for either Bluetooth application code. With earlier single-chip (Bluetooth v4.0); full range received sigLow Energy (Bluetooth LE) or for any parts, you obtained benefits of integration nal strength indication (RSSI); and 100% proprietary link protocol of your choice. in terms of power and footprint, but the on air compatibility with Nordic’s existing 10 EDN EUROPE | AUGUST 2012 www.edn-europe.com http://www.edn-europe.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of EDNE August 2012

Messe München
Messe München
Cover
Contents
Farnell
Microchip
Digi-key
Masthead
Comment
Pulse
Digi-key
Test & Measurement
Agilent Technologies
Understand the digital-output options for high-speed ADCs
Digi-key
Baker's best
Omicron
Cover Story
Digi-key
Generating spatial audio from portable products
Supply Chain
Design Idea
Product Roundup
Tales From The Cube

EDNE August 2012

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