Product category:
Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and DSPs
News Release from: Zilog | Subject: Crimzon
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 10 February 2005
IR microcontroller turns off the TV
TV-B-Gone is a keychain sized device that looks like most car remote control products, but with the unique power to switch off most makes and models of television sets with the push of a button.
Zilog?s Crimzon IR family of 8bit solutions is powering one of the latest electronic gadgets to reach consumers Created by renowned inventor Mitch Altman and his firm Cornfield Electronics, TV-B-Gone is a keychain sized device that looks like most car remote control products, but with the unique power to switch off most makes and models of television sets with the push of a button
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 23 Aug 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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MCU speeds IR controller development
Zilog has unveiled a migration path to high volume microcontroller production with the roll-out of the Crimzon ZLR16300, a low cost supporting ROM-based member of the Crimzon MCU family of IR MCUs.
Microcontroller aims to take (remote) control
The new Crimzon ZLR32300 infra-red ROM microcontroller family is 100% software compatible with Zilog's current Crimzon family of OTP IR microcontrollers.
One of the hottest new gizmos to hit the streets in a while, TV-B-Gone (www.tvbgone.com) has caught on fast with consumers in Asia, Europe and North America.
It has proved so popular with consumers that Altman says his company sold out of the product in the first two days following its introduction.
When TV-B-Gone is activated, it can flash more than 200 codes to most TVs in an instant, including the most popular brands worldwide.
Further reading
Software speeds universal remote controller design
Crimzon RC Express is a new configurable and scalable universal infra-red remote (UIR) application designed to be used in conjunction with Zilog's Crimzon emulator kit.
IR microcontroller learns codes from others
The latest addition to the Crimzon line of infra-red-specific MCUs are the first that can learn codes from other infra-red remote controls via a learning circuit.
Development environment is free to download
Integrated development environment provides a complete suite of software tools to support Zilog's eZ80Acclaim, Z8 Encore, Z8 Encore XP, Z8 Encore MC and Crimzon product lines.
To be commercially viable, Altman's company needed to depend on a company with the technology and the code database to support TV-B-Gone on a global scale.
Altman noted that manufacturers periodically add new codes, so partnering with a company whose leadership in IR is unquestionable was very important to the success of the product.
"Zilog has long provided leadership in the universal IR business", remarked Altman.
"Its code database is the most comprehensive, and its microcontrollers are proven".
"These differentiators proved instrumental in our decision and our ability to launch TV- B-Gone".
Commenting on Zilog's involvement with the TV-B-Gone project, Ramesh Ramchandani, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Zilog, said: "This is just another application example of how our leadership in the IR business continues to grab attention in the marketplace".
"Using Zilog's Crimzon IR MCUs, and our IR database which houses the most comprehensive library of codes available in the marketplace, TV-B-Gone can enjoy maximum device coverage around the world".
"I consider TV-B-Gone a personal safety device", commented Altman.
"The idea for TV-B-Gone was born at a restaurant in the early 1990s, when I and a group of friends kept paying attention to a TV in the corner rather than each other".
"We chatted about how to turn off all televisions, and I wondered if it would be possible to string together a series of 'power' commands".
"After that, the project would have disappeared, but my friends insisted that we commercialise a solution".
"Thereafter, about 50 people volunteered to help design, package and even name the TV-B-Gone!".
More than 140 million universal IR remote controllers are shipped each year to manufacturers of remotes for the TV, VCR, cable, DSS and audio markets worldwide.
Zilog offers a complete line of efficient low-voltage Z8 microcontrollers customised for use in IR remotes, IR keyboards and IR blaster applications.
Application support is provided to help customers implement its extensive database libraries.
In this instance, TV-B-Gone uses Zilog's critically-acclaimed Crimzon ZLP32300 and ZLR32300 infra-red microcontrollers, its 500,000+ strong universal IR code database and Zilog's renowned engineering design services for customer code development.
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