21 Nov 2011

Chipset from Avnet promises quicker time-to-market for radio designs

Avnet Memec has introduced a a chipset for Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band radios that combines application-specific integrated passive devices with a low-power transceiver.

The ISM radio chip-set solution is based on the new generation of companion chip products from silicon passive devices supplier IPDiA, which have been designed specifically for use with Semtech's SX1211 – a low power integrated UHF RF transceiver.

This single-chip transceiver operates in the frequency ranges from 863-870, 902-928MHz and 950-960MHz, and consumes just 3mA in receive mode.

IPDiA's companion chips, the ASPICS320, use Passive Integrated Connective Substrate (PICS) technology to enable devices such as baluns, couplers, splitters, filters and diplexers/duplexers to be integrated densely on a silicon substrate. This is said to save up to 80% in PCB area compared with discrete SMD solutions.

With three variants covering the 868MHz to 915MHz RF range, the ASPICS320 puts a highly symmetric VCO tank, a loop filter with optimal bandwidth, a high matching network, high RF rejection and efficient decoupling onto a single silicon die. It replaces 13 key components, including the SAW function, in 2.05 x 5.5mm footprint.

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