Silicon Labs has released what it claims to be the first single-die antenna-to-audio digital radio receiver devices for the global portable and consumer electronics markets. Using software-defined radio technology, the new Si468x receiver ICs bring FM, HD Radio and DAB/DAB+ broadcast capabilities to a wide range of audio applications. The new receivers support auto-calibrated digital tuning and FM seek functions based on a combination of signal quality and band parameters, and they provide...

Maxim has announced the MAX2173 RF to Bits tuner for digital audio broadcast (DAB) applications in automobiles and other mobile DAB/FM products. The industry’s first RF to Bits DAB/FM tuner integrates a radio tuner, analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and digital filtering, and uses a digital I²S output to interface directly to digital signal processors (DSPs). RF to Bits radios will allow the implementation of baseband processing using off-the-shelf DSPs This level of...

BlinkSight, a fabless semiconductor company specializing in real-time location systems (RTLS), has released the first single-chip “indoor GPS” solution for RTLS and wireless sensor network applications. Based on the ultra-low power impulse radio technology developed by Imec and Holst Centre, the new chip enables real-time 3D location information that is accurate to within 10 cm.   The device combines digital processing elements and sophisticated analog radio functionality in a...

Silicon Labs has introduced a new generation of their analog-tuned, analog/digital-display (ATxD) multiband radio IC family. The new Si4825/27/36 AM/FM/SW receivers provide an "all-in-one" single-chip receiver solution for consumer products containing wheel-tuned radios. The new receivers use a single band to cover a wider frequency range for FM and SW bands, and they also support TV audio carrier reception for China. Additionally, the devices provide advanced audio conditioning for...

Inside Secure has released dual-interface near field communication (NFC) tags designed to enhance interactions between NFC capable devices. In addition to a conventional NFC contactless interface, the dual-interface NFC Forum Type 4 tags provide a unique one-wire interface that allows them to act as a low-cost wireless communication bridge between two devices.   For example, a single tap of an NFC phone on a Bluetooth wireless headset containing one of these tags can initiate pairing....

A fundamental property for the first microwave amplifier in a radio receiver is its noise figure. This is normally given in decibel (dB). A typical noise figure for low-noise amplifiers in mobile communication systems is tenths of a decibel. Last year, Chalmers reported a world record for a low-noise amplifier that exhibited a minimum noise figure of 0.018 dB across a bandwidth of 4-8 GHz. However, since the low-noise amplifier was designed in a hybrid solution, scaling up to larger...

The Nuand bladeRF is a software defined radio (SDR) platform designed to enable a community of hobbyists and professionals to explore and experiment with all facets of RF communication. By providing source code, thorough documentation, easy to grasp tutorials and an open forum for discussions, it aims to demystify modern radio systems.   The technical specifications include a frequency range of 300 MHz to 3.8 GHz, independent Rx/Tx 12-bit 40 MSPS quadrature sampling, capability for...

Atmel has introduced the new AT86RF233 2.4GHz IEEE 802.15.4 radio transceiver that supports distance measurement between two radios, also known as ranging. This technology uses the measurement of phase differences between radio signals and enables items to be tracked within a wireless network for industrial and consumer applications. Phase measurement is a less complex technology than current distance measurement technologies available on the market today, with similar measurement accuracy...

Atmel has introduced the new AT86RF233 2.4GHz IEEE 802.15.4 radio transceiver that supports distance measurement between two radios, also known as ranging. This technology uses the measurement of phase differences between radio signals and enables items to be tracked within a wireless network for industrial and consumer applications. Phase measurement is a less complex technology than current distance measurement technologies available on the market today, with similar measurement accuracy...

Inside Secure introduces the all-in-one ComboPulse secure near field communication (NFC) system-in-package (SiP). This is a drop-in, zero-tuning solution that makes it easy and inexpensive to add NFC functionality into a broad range of mainstream consumer electronic products, including tablets, entry-level mobile phones, personal media players and other smart mobile devices.    Combining a PicoPulse NFC RF front end “booster” chip, a VaultSecure secure element with Java Card OS, an...

Anaren has announced a family of four Anaren Integrated Radio (AIR) modules specifically designed to facilitate the development of wireless communication products complying with the ZigBee standard. Based on the Texas Instruments (TI) CC2530 low-power RF SoC, which operates using TI's Z-Stack firmware, the new family of AIR modules is bundled with the AIR Support for ZigBee suite.   AIR Support for ZigBee include time-saving AIR-ZNP firmware with over 30 code examples,...

Operating on power harvested from an NFC reader's RF field, the AS3953 NFiC near field communication interface chip requires no external power source and at most one external component (a capacitor). According to the manufacturer, the device enables full bi-directional NFC capability at a total cost less than half that of a typical NFC reader implementation.   The AS3953 is fully compliant with NFC Forum specifications (NFCIP-1 target at 106 kbps) and the ISO 14443A...

An astounding number of signals is traveling the radio waves. Mobile phone conversations, Wi-Fi data, radio broadcasts, satellite television. But each of these radio protocols needs its own specific hardware device to process the signal. Software Defined Radio (SDR) is going to change that. SDR consists of a generic hardware platform whose functions are controlled by software, enabling the device to tune in on a wide variety of frequencies with the ease of a software update.  ...

U-blox has launched a new line of versatile, low-power GSM/GPRS modules targeted at cost-sensitive machine-to-machine (M2M) applications. Housed in a compact 16 x 26 mm LGA package, SARA modules are intended for applications requiring dual or quad-band GSM/GPRS, voice and/or data communication. They feature an optional Internet suite (embedded TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTTP and FTP) and in-band modem support for eCall and ERA GLONASS emergency call applications. Extremely low power...

Smart metering applications using wireless communication result in huge networks with many nodes. The RC1700HP-MBUS4 module from Radiocrafts provides all features necessary for secure two-way communication between the meters and a data concentrator. The module integrates a wireless M-Bus stack supporting all physical layers, MAC layers and frame formats, as well as transport and security layers. All critical timing for two-way communication is handled by the module, which also features very...