3G Module Integrates Cortex M-3-Based SOC

Marlow, England: The ETRX3 is claimed by developer Telegesis to be the first 3G module to feature the ARM Cortex M-3-based EM357 SoC from Ember. The ETRX3 has a footprint of 19 x 25mm for standard and PA/LNA versions, and will be available with either an on board antennae or a Hirose U.FL connector to allow connection of external antennae.

The EM357 SoC employed in the ETRX3 is a fully integrated, 2.4GHz, IEEE 802.15.4 ZigBee transceiver. The chip is based on a 32bit ARM Cortex M-3 core, which exceeds the dynamic range of requirements that are imposed by the 802.15.4 specification by over 15dB.

The high performance and low power of the ARM Cortex core suits it for low-power, battery-operated applications such as ZigBee. The module works from a 2.1V to 3.6V supply and active power consumption is reduced by over 20% compared to the ETRX2. In deep sleep mode, current consumption reduces to 800nA, and further reduces to 400nA if the self-wakeup feature isn’t enabled.