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Energy Micro®, the energy friendly microcontroller company, has announced details of its EFM®32 Giant Gecko microcontroller family. For energy sensitive applications with high memory requirements, the 32-bit Giant Gecko (GG) will provide Flash configurations up to 1024KB with the added option of embedded USB connectivity.

There will be 48 EFM32GG microcontrollers offering a choice of 64, 128, 256, 512 and 1024 KB Flash memory blocks and a RAM of 32KB or 128KB. The microcontrollers’ pin and software compatibility with the existing Gecko product family means designers can develop products using the existing Gecko microcontroller and migrate to Giant Gecko when the higher memory parts enter production. Package options will include QFN64, QFP100 and BGA112.

Built around the energy-efficient ARM® Cortex™-M3 processor architecture, the Giant Gecko, Gecko and Tiny Gecko microcontrollers demonstrate an energy usage a quarter of that of alternative 8-, 16- or 32-bit microcontrollers. With a wake-up time of just 2µs and current consumption of 180µA per MHz executing code from Flash, 900nA in deep sleep mode and 20nA in shut off mode, the microcontrollers are proven capable of extending typical battery life by 300%.

The Giant Gecko’s embedded USB connectivity option will be USB2.0 compliant at full speed (12Mbit/s), integrating 2KB endpoint buffers and handling up to 10 endpoints. It will provide support for USB host and on-the-go configurations as well as bootloader over USB. Additional extended communication options offered by Giant Gecko will include dual I2C and up to 5 USART/UART serial interfaces.

Giant Gecko will feature the same selection of energy-saving peripherals as the companion Gecko and Tiny Gecko products. These include: an 8-channel, 12-bit ADC using 200µA at full resolution and 1Msamples/sec conversion rate, a 4×40 segment LCD controller using 900nA and a special Low Energy UART consuming just 100nA at 9600baud. In addition, for wireless encryption/decryption duties, an 128/256-bit AES accelerator block is also provided.

VELUX A/S, one of the strongest brands in the global building materials and home improvement industry, is a lead customer of the EFM32 Giant Gecko Microcontroller family. Bjarne Ravndal Andreasen, R&D manager at VELUX A/S said, “We have already successfully used the EFM32 Gecko Microcontroller in some of our electronic products. The EFM32 Giant Gecko family with 1MByte of Flash memory and full speed USB functionality will enable us to use EFM32 low energy microcontrollers in a wider range of electronic VELUX products.”

The EFM32 Giant Gecko from Energy Micro will begin sampling in Q1’2011 and pricing will start at $2.5 USD each in 100k quantities. Detailed datasheets on the Giant Gecko will be released November 1st 2010. Further information is available at www.energymicro.com.

For further information and reader enquiries:

Energy Micro AS, PO Box 4633, Nydalen, N-405 Oslo, Norway

www.energymicro.com

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The ALD series of multi-output dc/dc backlight LED drivers serve the steady migration from cold cathode florescent backlighting of LCD displays to LED backlights. These drivers are specifically designed for LED backlighting of LCD displays that are now used in industrial and consumer applications. The series includes models for backlight LEDs arranged in two-, three-, and four-string configurations. The drivers feature dimming controls with resistive, analog or PWM inputs that provide LED brightness control. Each output provides up to 140-mA constant-current drive to backlight LEDs that can be connected in series and parallel configurations.

The LED drivers operate with an input voltage of from 10.8 to 13.2 Vdc and have a maximum open-circuit output voltage of 42 to 44 Vdc. The series are 5.0 to 5.5 mm thick and mount behind LCD screens. The two- and three-string models measure 21.5 x 85-mm, and the four-string drivers are 50 x 100 mm. The drivers feature remote on/off input and an overvoltage alarm output. They are convection cooled and operate in ambient temperatures ranging from –30° to 85°C without deratings. Typical operating efficiencies are 90%. The drivers suit backlighting LCD panels used in vending machines, industrial touchscreens, POS terminals, and programmable controllers. ($18.75 ea/1,000 — available now.)

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AWR Corporation, the innovation leader in high-frequency EDA, announced today that antenna analysis is now available in the 2010 release of its AXIEM™ 3D planar electromagnetic (EM) simulation software. AXIEM 2010 includes new features and capabilities that are ideal for large, planar, antenna designs such as arrays with many elements. Critical design problems, such as scan blindness, can now be discovered and corrected. Post-processing such as antenna patterns for linear, circular, and elliptical polarizations, etc., numerous antenna measurements (including gain), as well as current visualization/animations are now part of the 2010 release.

Key features of AXIEM 2010:
Seamless integration with Microwave Office® and Analog Office® software
Proprietary full-wave planar EM solver technology
Open-boundary MoM approach
Unconstrained capacity exhibited by NLn(N) solver scaling (N is # of unknowns)
Unconstrained line width versus thickness ratio
Robust results from DC to daylight
Advanced hybrid meshing technology
Mixed element meshing of triangles and rectangles
Geometrically-aware and optimized
True thick metal support
• Antenna analysis and post-processing
Antenna measurements, including gain
Patterns for linear, circular, and elliptical polarizations
Current visualization
Numerous source/excitations including auto-calibrated internal ports
Parametric studies, optimization, and tuning
3D visualization and animation

Pricing & Availability

AXIEM version 2010 is part of the AWR Design Environment (AWRDE™), which is now shipping to supported customers. Contact your local sales representative for more information. For detailed product information, datasheets, white papers, and articles, visit www.awrcorp.com/AXIEM. Experience AXIEM: view “Antenna Analysis in AXIEM 2010″ on AWR.TV.

About AWR
AWR, the innovation leader in high-frequency EDA software, dramatically reduces development time and cost for products employed in wireless, high-speed wired, broadband, aerospace and defense, and electro-optical applications. For more information, visit www.awrcorp.com.