Luminary MCUs Run RFID Reader

Secura Key has chosen Luminary Micro’s Stellaris microcontrollers for its new mid-range RFID reader, the e-Tag. The company will also use the Stellaris MCUs in a new line of access-control products that allow the implementation of secured elevator controls that mange up to 130 floors with badge readers.

The e-Tag creates a whole new product category in the RFID reader market. Traditional low-wattage RFID readers provide a 3- to 5-in. read range in the $100 to $300 price range, while high-wattage readers provide up to a 36-in. read range for $1000 to $3000. The e-Tag product provides a 10- to 12-in. extended read range for contactless smart card readers at the price of traditional low-wattage readers.

“We chose to use Luminary Micro’s Stellaris microcontrollers because they allow us to reuse common software as we cost-effectively improve features across our entire range of reader and access control products,” said Randy Watkins, Secura Key’s vice president of engineering. “We were looking for a broad range of cost-effective, software-compatible, high-performance 32-bit microcontrollers with many options for communication and control, and only Luminary Micro had a portfolio that matched our needs for today and tomorrow.”

Secura Key
securakey.com