Product category:
Communications ICs (Wireless)
News Release from: u-blox | Subject: ATR0630
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 16 February 2006
Complete GPS receiver shrinks into
96-pin BGA
The new single-chip ATR0630 measures just 7 x 10mm and integrates a complete Antaris 4 GPS receiver, including ROM-based software in a 96-pin BGA package.
Atmel and u-blox have announced the availability of their latest GPS technology and product generation, Antaris 4, in an ultrasmall form factor The new single-chip ATR0630 measures just 7 x 10mm and integrates a complete Antaris 4 GPS receiver, including ROM-based software in a 96-pin BGA package
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 20 Jun 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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The small size plus the extremely low power consumption (62mW) make the ROM-based ATR0630 an excellent fit for handheld and mobile applications such as mobile phones, PDAs, smartphones, aftermarket navigational products and recreational consumer products.
Other products such as GPS "plug-in" accessories for PCs, small GPS mice, Bluetooth GPS devices and other accessories equipped with GPS functionality will also enjoy the single chip's advantages in terms of small size, reduced power need and built-in features such as the Antaris 4 USB port.
The 96-pin, ball grid array single chip has an excellent cost-performance ratio.
Further reading
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The US National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is using u-blox GPS technology to determine the strength, direction and speed of hurricanes.
Chipset upgrades GPS performance
Antaris 4 is claimed to set new standards in GPS performance, system architecture and functionality.
Mobile resource management drives GPS module sales
U-blox America has delivered its 2 millionth GPS receiver to @Road, a global provider of mobile resource management and intelligent field service automation solutions.
The single chip also brings benefits such as simplified chipset integration and a shorter bill of materials to accelerate the development of Antaris 4-based products and lower design risks.
Lower PCB costs are achieved thanks to not only the reduction in size and simplification of the board layout but also by reducing costs in purchasing, stocking and mounting as a result of the low number of components.
Additionally, integration improves reliability by minimising the potential number of faulty solder points.
Like all Antaris 4 chipsets, the ATR0630 supports serial EEPROM, which is a cost- and space-efficient alternative to parallel Flash memories for storage of custom configuration settings.
The on-chip USB connectivity eliminates the need for an expensive serial-to-RS232 or serial-to-USB convertor and makes Antaris 4-based products plug-and-play compatible in any PC environment by emulating a standard COM port to the operating system.
"The new, highly integrated, single chip Antaris 4 perfectly addresses the need for small form factors and the requirements of low-power applications, without sacrificing in GPS performance, and enables our customers to address new, fast-growing market segments like PDAs and smartphones", reported Atmel's BC Communications General Manager and Senior Director, Matthias Bopp.
"This latest integration step again proves the solidity of our technology - unrivalled high sensitivity and very low power consumption mark the leading edge of our Antaris 4 GPS engine once again", commented Thomas Seiler, u-blox CEO.
The single-chip device is based on the 16-channel Antaris 4 product generation, which comes with full WAAS/EGNOS support and provides state-of-the-art functionality such as Assisted GPS (A-GPS) with a TTFF as low as 4s.
Other Antaris 4 benefits include a 45% reduction in chipset footprint, USB connectivity and unparalleled low power operation.
The chip operates on 62mW but the FixNow feature, together with built-in power management capabilities, can bring power consumption down to as low as 5uA, enabling power-critical applications like mobile devices to operate longer without having to compromise on functionality.
As an optional extension to the Antaris 4 chipset, a fully integrated low-noise amplifier manufactured using Atmel's innovative silicon-germanium (SiGe) process, the ATR0610, is available for use in challenging reception environments, and enables cost-effective antenna designs.
ATR0630 samples are available now in 7 x 10mm 96-pin BGA packages.
Atmel and u-blox offer a complete evaluation kit including an ultra-small footprint example design as well as evaluation software to dramatically shorten development cycle times.
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