Freescale's ColdFire(R) 32-Bit Controllers Bring Wireless Connectivity to Consumer and Industrial Applications; IEEE(R) 802.15.
24 May 2006 - 10:00PM
Business Wire
Home and industrial automation applications increasingly demand
control, connectivity and security. With the release of Media
Access Controller (MAC) software that supports the IEEE(R) 802.15.4
protocol on the low-power 32-bit ColdFire(R) architecture,
Freescale Semiconductor (NYSE:FSL) (NYSE:FSL.B) is creating the
broadest portfolio of 802.15.4-enabled solutions in the
marketplace. According to In-Stat, 802.15.4 chipset sales will
surpass 150 million units in 2008. Typical applications include
home and building automation, industrial monitoring and control,
and wireless sensor networks. Designers have struggled to create
reliable and secure wireless communication links simply and
cost-effectively. Freescale now offers the necessary components for
wireless design -- microcontroller (MCU), RF and software stack --
in 8- and 32-bit chipsets. "The inclusion of ready-to-run stack
software for this popular ColdFire family of controllers will help
speed up FSI's design cycle, allowing more products to be developed
in a shorter time frame," said John Malvaso, president of FSI
Systems, a provider of complete electronic product solutions
specializing in the area of embedded connectivity. "The stack is
also a great platform to add proprietary code above the 802.15.4
level where customers do not necessarily need ZigBee enablement."
Monitor, control, secure Freescale's ColdFire devices are designed
to enable gateways for wireless connectivity, helping consumers
easily keep an eye on their homes, secure their property from
intruders and control household appliances with the click of a
mouse. "Flexibility in automation systems, ranging from industrial
to commercial to residential, means that offering a
high-performance solution to a portfolio will be important,
especially when designing large systems to bridge with established
LAN backbones," said Joyce Putscher, principal analyst at In-Stat.
The ColdFire family of controllers includes devices outfitted with
Ethernet MAC/PHY, large amounts of memory and rigorous hardware
encryption for security. With a broadband connection, Ethernet
gateways based on the ColdFire architecture simply plug into the
Ethernet port of current networks to power wireless connectivity.
Freescale offers a wide spectrum of wireless networking solutions,
ranging from simple point-to-point and star networks, to
sophisticated networks including ZigBee mesh networks. ColdFire
MCUs can be coupled with Freescale's MC13191 or MC13201 2.4 GHz RF
transceivers and SMAC software for applications that do not require
mesh networking or critical timing restrictions. When coupled with
MC13192 or MC13202 2.4 GHz RF transceivers and fully compliant IEEE
802.15.4 PHY and MAC software, ColdFire MCUs provide 802.15.4 MAC
functionality. "Simple, low-cost wireless communication is the wave
of the future and we're extending our wireless-ready portfolio to
meet our customers' needs," said Jeff Bock, global marketing
manager for Freescale's 16/32-bit consumer & industrial
business. "As a ZigBee Alliance member, this is a significant
milestone on the way to providing full ZigBee support on our
microcontrollers. We anticipate ColdFire products to be completely
compatible with the ZigBee specification by Q406." Pricing and
availability The 802.15.4 software is now available for the
MCF5282, MCF5213 and MCF5223x processor families. This
complimentary embedded software library and the required RF
transceivers are available on the Freescale Web site:
http://www.freescale.com/ZigBee. The M52233DEMO demonstration board
is available now for the suggested resale price of $99 (USD). The
M52235EVB evaluation board is available for the suggested resale
price of $299 (USD). The 13192RFC-A00 and 1320XRFC RF daughter
cards are also available for suggested resale pricing of $149 (USD)
and $79 (USD) respectively. For more information about ColdFire
product families and Freescale's ZigBee leadership, please visit
www.freescale.com/files/pr/cfzigbee-ready.html For a ColdFire
controller graphic, go to
http://www.freescale.com/files/pr/graphicslibrary.html. About
ZigBee and the ZigBee Alliance The ZigBee Alliance is an
association of companies working together to enable reliable,
cost-effective, low-power, wirelessly networked monitoring and
control products based on an open global standard. For more
information please visit: www.zigbee.org. About Freescale
Semiconductor Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (NYSE:FSL) (NYSE:FSL.B)
is a global leader in the design and manufacture of embedded
semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial, networking
and wireless markets. Freescale became a publicly traded company in
July 2004 after more than 50 years as part of Motorola, Inc. The
company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design, research and
development, manufacturing or sales operations in more than 30
countries. Freescale, a member of the S&P 500(R), is one of the
world's largest semiconductor companies with 2005 sales of $5.8
billion (USD). www.freescale.com. Freescale Technology Forum
ColdFire MCUs and ZigBee applications will be featured during
numerous presentations and panels at the Freescale Technology Forum
(FTF). FTF is fast becoming the embedded semiconductor industry's
premier developer conference. A global program, FTF events feature
visionary keynote speakers, in-depth technical training, and
interactive demonstrations from Freescale and leading hardware,
software and tools providers. For detailed information about FTF
events around the world, please go to www.freescale.com/ftf. -0- *T
Reader Inquiry Response Freescale Semiconductor P.O. Box 17927
Denver, CO 80217 USA *T Freescale(TM) and the Freescale logo are
trademarks of Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. All other product or
service names are the property of their respective owners. (C)
Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 2006.
Freescale (NYSE:FSLB)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jun 2024 to Jul 2024
Freescale (NYSE:FSLB)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jul 2023 to Jul 2024