Texas Instruments introduced a frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) wireless universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) chipset for the unlicensed 902 to 928 MHz ISM radio frequency bands. It claims the Dolphin chipset is a cost-effective wireless interface solution that simplifies and speeds design of a variety of consumer, industrial and commercial applications, with all the hardware, software/firmware and support designers need to integrate a low-data-rate wireless link into their systems.
The Dolphin wireless UART chipset gives designers the benefits of an FHSS system to combat signal interference from other devices, a key issue for short-range wireless equipment due to the growing popularity of the unlicensed bands. In addition, the FHSS technique enhances message privacy, provides better transmission range and decreases the probability of transmissions being intercepted by other devices. TI says that these benefits make the chipset ideal for a multitude of applications such as utility automated meter reading; home and industrial automation and security; heating, ventilation and airconditioning system monitoring and control; consumer electronics; PC peripherals; personal medical devices; and handheld electronic toys and games.
In the past, the system designer who wanted to implement a wireless link faced the task of designing a controller for the radio chip. With the Dolphin chipset the designer gains a true data-in/RF-out and RF-in/data-out solution, including the TRF6903 single-chip, multiband RF transceiver and the DBB03 digital baseband ASIC. All aspects of data management and frequency-hopping are implemented in firmware on the DBB03, which includes the PHYsical, MAC and data link layer. A simple external host microcontroller performs all system functions related to the end application. This gives the designer flexibility to select the external host from an array of catalogue MCUs such as TI's ultra-low-power MSP430 product line. The interface between the DBB03 and the host MCU is a simple UART, so end applications treat the RF link as a peripheral, making it flexible, scalable and easy to implement.
For more information contact Les Bidgood, Arrow Altech Distribution, +27 (0)11 923 9600, [email protected]
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| Email: | [email protected] |
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