Product category:
Communications ICs (Wireless)
News Release from: Zilog | Subject: ZHX1403 and ZHX3403
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 13 December 2001
Frugal IrDA transceivers can stay on all
the time
ZiLog has released the first devices in its new UltraSlim IrDA transceiver family designed to bring always-on, always power-efficient infra-red connectivity to compact portable systems.
ZiLog has released the first devices in its new UltraSlim IrDA transceiver family designed to bring always-on, always power-efficient infra-red connectivity to the most compact portable electronics systems With the advent of infra-red financial messaging, people will be paying at the gas pump, vending machine and grocery store with their IrDA-enabled mobile phones and PDAs
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 7 Dec 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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For convenience, users will want the IrDA function of their device ready to use without fumbling through multiple menus, as in most current mobile telephones.
ZiLog's AlwaysOn technology keeps the transceiver power consumption in the idle (or "listen") state so low that leaving it on has a negligible effect on battery life.
"The ZHX1403 and ZHX3403 are the smallest SIR and MIR transceivers available in their classes, and their incredibly low typical listen current is at least 12 times lower than the competition's", said Al Hamilton, Vice President of ZiLog's Wireless Connectivity business line.
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"As a result, both transceivers not only save space on the PCB, but they also use power so efficiently that users no longer have to worry about enabling and disabling the infrared ports on their systems in order to save on battery life".
The ZHX1403, the smallest SIR transceiver providing a 1m link distance, is designed for use in PDAs, portable printers, handheld computers, instrumentation and medical electronics.
The ZHX3403, specifically designed to support IrDA-Data MIR mode, will be used in mobile phones, pagers, PDAs and similar products.
It is the smallest transceiver on the market to offer the full 1.15Mbit/s datarates specified for 20 and 30cm links by the IrDA's IrMC standard.
Dimensions for the ZHX1403 and ZHX3403 are just 7.3 x 2.8mm, with a 1.9mm height profile.
Designed to operate with minimal battery power and from operating voltages of 1.8 to 3.6V, both devices feature a low typical listen current of 6mA.
Enabled by ZiLog's exclusive AlwaysOn technology, the minimal power requirement for "ready to receive" mode allows users to keep the IrDA port on their handheld or portable systems active at all times without significant impact on battery life, making it more convenient to use infrared connectivity.
Even in full-on receive mode, both devices draw miniscule typical levels of current: 100mA for the ZHX1403 and 210mA for the ZHX3403, which ZiLog claims is a fraction of the current required by the next most efficient devices on the market.
Both the ZHX1403 and ZHX3403 combine an IRED emitter, a PIN photodiode detector, a digital AC-coupled LED driver, and a high noise immunity receiver/decoder in a single package.
An internal current source eliminates the need for a current-limiting resistor, reducing the number of packages on the board.
Only two external components are required for a complete solution.
Devices will be available in February 2002, with 50,000 per month quantities for US delivery of $1.35 for the ZHX1403 and $1.40 for the ZHX3403.
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