Battery Packs Whisper Secret IDs To Host Controllers

    March 3, 2005
    Some OEMs are concerned about personal liability issues. Others are confronted with the product damage caused by end users who try to power portable devices with inappropriate battery packs. A new authentication IC developed by Dallas Semiconductor ma

    Some OEMs are concerned about personal liability issues. Others are confronted with the product damage caused by end users who try to power portable devices with inappropriate battery packs. A new authentication IC developed by Dallas Semiconductor may help allay those worries.

    The DS2703 implements a challenge/response scheme, utilizing the Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA-1) specified in the Federal Information Publication 180-1/2 and ISO/IEC 10118-3, to authenticate battery packs. Residing in the pack, it uses a stored 64-bit secret key and unique 64-bit ROM ID to process a 64-bit host-transmitted challenge. What results is a 160-bit response word that's sent back to the host. The secret key itself is securely stored on-chip, and it's never transmitted.

    Prices start at $0.77 in quantities of 10,000 and up.

    Maxim Integrated Productswww.maxim-ic.com

    Continue Reading

    Sponsored Recommendations

    Comments

    To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Electronic Design, create an account today!