Sub-Gigahertz Wireless MCUs Target Internet Of Things

Two new members in Silicon Labs’ family of 8-bit Si10xx wireless microcontrollers (MCUs) combine the company’s low-power MCU technology with its sub-gigahertz EZRadio and EZRadioPRO transceivers in a single 5- by 6-mm chip. The Si106x and Si108x support worldwide frequency bands from 142 to 1050 MHz with low-power (10.7 mA) and active (18 mA when transmitting at +10 dBm) modes to extend battery life, thus addressing low energy and RF connectivity requirements for a multitude of “Internet of Things” applications. Power consumption reduces significantly in shutdown (30 nA), standby (50 nA), and sleep (600 nA) modes. A priority crossbar decoder gives designers control over functions such as a 10-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC), dual comparators, four 16-bit timers, and UART, SPI and I²C interfaces. The EZRadioPRO transceiver offers −126-dBm sensitivity and +20-dBm output power for longer-range applications. Its 146-dB link budget helps maximize wireless range, and 60-dB adjacent channel selectivity with 12.5-kHz channel spacing suits harsh environments. The Si106x/8x MCUs support flash memory from 8 to 64 kbytes, and RAM from 768 bytes to 4 kbytes.

SILICON LABS