Renesas Electronics announced a new powerline communication (PLC) modem – an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) solution designed for smart metering applications, with broad-based support for multiple powerline standards such as G3 and PRIME.
The completely software-based implementation facilitates the design of a single meter platform ready to support a multitude of standards and frequency bands like CENELEC A, FCC and ARIB as well as worldwide markets. Delivered with fully certified libraries, it has been future-proofed to support any evolution of the existing protocols and any future introduction of new OFDM-based narrowband PLC standards.
Renesas already supports the evolution of the PRIME V1.4 protocol and is working within the alliance framework to develop a solution that enables its use in the market.
The Renesas PLC platform is based on a highly integrated modem system-on-chip (uPD809508) in a 48-pin QFP package, integrating a MAC controller and a high-performance DSP for the physical layer implementation, combined with an embedded analog front end including an adaptive gain amplifier. This ensures exceptional signal quality in highly dynamic and harsh network environments, such as those found in metering applications.
Very low power consumption helps reduce overall system power, one of the main criteria for selection by power utilities. In combination with the wide range of Renesas pin- and software-compatible and scalable microcontrollers, this PLC device provides an open architecture that allows flexible system partitioning by selecting the best fit application microcontroller. This is not only valid for smart metering but also other smart grid applications, such as street lighting.
Complementing the new modem is a PLC evaluation tool (YCONNECT-IT-PLC-CPX2) belonging to the ‘Connect it!’ series of solution kits. This is a simple to use tool facilitating both technology evaluation and solution development. Users can configure it to support multiple frequency bands by simply changing the relevant filter board. Dedicated filter modules for Cenelec A and FCC/ARIB frequency bands are included in the kit. The PC GUI allows flexible device configuration and powerline communication analysis.
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