Philips Semiconductors' newest member of its 16 bit eXtended Architecture (XA) family of microcontrollers, the XA-G49, features 64 kbytes of Flash memory to support In-Application Programming (IAP), allowing designers to change the code within the application while it is running. The company says the combination of the XA-G49 and Connect One's iChip 561AD-S/P Internet peripheral chip provides a low-cost, easy and portable method of remotely updating firmware over the Internet.
"In addition to being a versatile, high-performance microcontroller targeting a wide-range of applications, the XA-G49 provides a seamless method for a new wave of appliances and industrial equipment to connect to the Internet," said Geoff Lees, Director of Marketing for the Microcontroller Business Line at Philips Semiconductors. "The XA-G49, in conjunction with Connect One's iChip, allows design engineers to update firmware remotely, adding a new dimension to the market for networked appliances - one can upgrade the firmware in a device by simply sending it an e-mail with the new code attached. For example, millions of postage meters must be manually upgraded by a service technician in order to accept new postal rates. Imagine the costs saved by the meter manufacturer if these meters can simply download an e-mail with the new rates."
"This partnership will simplify the process for design engineers to Internet-enable their next-generation products," said Alan Singer, Connect One's Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "The XA-G49 combined with iChip enables manufacturers to lower the cost of connecting their devices to the Internet by eliminating the expense of additional memory components, Internet programming, or a major hardware redesign. In addition to updating the host processor firmware, iChip extends the application's functionality by enabling it to send and receive textual and binary e-mails."
The XA-G49 features the 16 bit XA high-performance architecture, designed for high C programming language efficiency and multitasking performance while providing an easy 16 bit upgrade from the popular 8 bit 80C51 architecture. The device combines 64 KBytes of IAP Flash program memory and 2 KBytes of SRAM. The XA-G49 is available in 44 pin PLCC and PQFP packages.
Connect One's iChip co-processor is an Internet peripheral chip that mediates the connection between a host processor and the Internet. The device is a fully integrated hardware and updateable software solution, minimising time-to-market. iChip 561AD-S/P works in tandem with the XA-G49 and runs the PPP, UDP, TCP/IP, SMTP, POP3 and MIME protocols for sending and receiving e-mail messages.
Communication between iChip and the XA-G49 occurs via Connect One's high-level AT+i Application Program Interface, which utilises simple, powerful commands to run the Internet protocols and update the XA-G49 firmware. Connect One's AT+i command set makes it possible for engineers without networking Internet programming experience to connect their XA-G49 application to the Internet simply by adding a few lines to their program code.
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