Product category:
Analogue and Mixed Signal ICs
News Release from: STMicroelectronics | Subject: SABRe
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 14 May 2007
Configurable analogue IC powers motion
tasks
Novel IC incorporates a complete set of configurable and customisable analogue functions for printer, fax and point-of-sale system applications.
STMicroelectronics has unveiled the industry's first IC with a complete set of configurable and customisable analogue functions for printer, fax and point-of-sale system applications The new device, called the Structured Architecture of Bridges and Regulators (SABRe), combines low development costs and short time to market with maximum flexibility
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 8 Nov 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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The SABRe solution complements ST's SPEAr (Structured Processor Enhanced Architecture) family of customisable digital engines for printers, scanners and other embedded-control applications, extending the concept of easy configurability and customizability to the analogue domain.
Together, SPEAr and the SABRe constitute the first complete customisable printer platform in the market.
ST's SABRe device integrates a large number of features that can be configured and customised, including motor drivers, regulators, an analogue-to- digital convertor, operational amplifiers and voltage comparators.
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The unique flexibility enables customers to easily and quickly adapt the SABRe device to the specific needs of a particular application.
Certain architectural changes can be programmed via the serial interface and/or general purpose I/Os, while more complex functions can be customised with metal layers implementing specific macro functions.
The metal customisation does not modify any active part of the silicon, minimising the risk of undesired parasitic effects, which are the biggest cause of problems in mixed-signal circuits.
The SABRe IC has been primarily developed for motion and power-supply parts in printer applications.
Standing out from existing motor drivers and switching regulators, ST's device functions as the "master" and manages the whole power section of the application with specific programmable PowerUp routines before the digital IC switches on.
Due to its flexibility, ST's SABRe can address any high-power, high-voltage analogue and motor applications across the industrial segment.
"ST's SABRe represents a first-of-its-kind solution with a complete set of analogue functions for motion and power-management applications", said Vittorio Peduto, General Manager of ST's Computer Systems Division.
"Customers get a highly configurable and customisable device that offers the flexibility of a dedicated product at a fraction of the time and cost required by a full-custom design approach".
The main components of ST's SABRe IC are four configurable bridges that can also function as switching regulators or power charge; a variable-voltage buck switching regulator; a switching regulator controller; a linear regulator; a multichannel configurable 9bit A/D convertor; two operational amplifiers; a bidirectional serial interface and several general-purpose I/Os.
The SABRe's very low power consumption and minimal power dissipation in power-off mode meet the requirements of energy-efficiency programmes such as the Energy Star in the USA.
Samples are available now, with volume production planned for Q4 2007.
The SABRe IC is priced in the range of US $2.20-2.50, in quantities of several thousand units.
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