Dual-Mode Chip Forges ANT+ And Bluetooth Connectivity
ANT+-based devices monitor heart rate, weight, speed, or distance data, to give just a few examples. Consumers want to interact with that data on an endpoint device to develop and monitor health and fitness regimens. To enable short-range communication between very-low-power, ANT+-enabled devices and commonly used mobile devices relying on Bluetooth technology, the CC2567 single-chip, dual-mode solution has been introduced. It boasts +10 dBm transmitter power with transmit power control and -93 dBm receiver sensitivity. Compared to designs with two single-mode solutions (one ANT+ and one Bluetooth), it requires 80 percent less board area. The CC2567 also enables simultaneous operation over a shared antenna with built-in coexistence. In addition, it promises to increase the wireless transmission range to two times the distance of a single-mode ANT+ solution.
The CC2567 will be available as part of the new ANT+ Bluetooth Health & Fitness Aggregator Kit. It supports the following: ANT+ ultra low power (master and slave devices); Bluetooth power-saving modes (park, sniff, hold); and Bluetooth ultra-low-power modes (deep sleep, power down). The ANT+ Bluetooth Health & Fitness Aggregator Kit is available through Digi-Key Corp. for $399 per kit.
Texas Instruments, Inc., P.O. Box 660199, Dallas, TX 75266-0199; (972) 995-2011, www.ti.com.
Driver Amplifier Spans 250 To 4000 MHz
To serve both cellular and WiMAX infrastructure applications, an RF driver amplifier promises to deliver high linearity while consuming low power. The MAAM-009560 features an output third-order intercept point of +42 dBm over an input power range beyond 20 dB. This gallium-arsenide (GaAs), monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) features typical gain of 15 dB while covering 250 to 4000 MHz. The device, which is biased with a single +5-V supply, typically consumes 225 mA. The MAAM- 009560 is fabricated using a heterojunction- bipolar-transistor (HBT) process to realize low current and high linearity. Tat process features full passivation for increased performance and reliability. The lead-free, SOT-89, surface-mount plastic package is RoHS compliant and compatible with solder reflow temperatures to +260C. In terms of electrostatic-discharge (ESD) susceptibility, the amplifier achieves a class 2 rating.
M/A-COM Technology Solutions, Inc., 100 Chelmsford St., Lowell, MA 01851; (978) 656-2500, www.macomtech.com.
10-GHz Latched Comparators Come In Plastic Packages
Compared to traditional comparator solutions, three new monolithic comparators claim to provide lower power consumption in 3-x-3-mm, plastic surface-mount-technology (SMT) packages. The HMC674LP3E, HMC675LP3E, and HMC676LP3E feature 10-GHz input bandwidth, level-latched inputs, and reduced swing PECL, CML, and ECL output drivers, respectively. The comparators offer less than 100 ps propagation delay. In addition, they support 60 ps minimum pulse width with only 0.2 ps RMS random jitter. The devices also feature differential latch control and programmable hysteresis. They can be configured to operate in latch mode or as tracking comparators. The devices target medical, industrial, ATE, high-speed instrumentation, and communications applications. With overdrive and slew rate dispersion of 10 ps and power consumption below 140 mW, they also are well suited for digital receivers, clock and data restoration circuits, and pulse spectroscopy. The HMC674LP3E, HMC675LP3E, and HMC676LP3E operate from 40 to +85C.
Hittite Microwave Corp., 20 Alpha Rd., Chelmsford, MA 01824; (978) 250-3343, www.hittite.com.
Software Supports 3GPP LTEAdvanced Design And Testing
With the W1918 LTE-Advanced library, wireless-system architects and chipset makers can get an earlier start on verifying physicallayer (PHY) algorithms and system performance. Such capability will aid them as they work to provide the fourth-generation (4G) network, 1-Gb/s peak download speed. This new 4G system design library for 3GPP Release 10 is available as an option for the SystemVue 2011.03 release software. It offers support for new Rel10 features, such as contiguous and noncontiguous carrier aggregation (CA) and downlink/uplink enhancements. In addition, it provides support for closed-loop, coded-throughput simulations with up to 8x8 multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) with fading and active HARQ feedback. Also included is simulation-based support for proposed MIMO over-the-air testing with standards-based fading through an optional W1715 MIMO Channel library. The library, which includes overlay support for 3GPP Release 8, integrates with Agilent's signal-generator and analyzer families.
Agilent Technologies, Inc., 5301 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa Clara, CA 95051; (877) 424-4536, www.agilent.com.
