PRODUCT INNOVATIONS
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Texas Instruments - wireless network processor
New 2.4 GHz ZigBee wireless network processor simplifies ZigBee design
Texas Instruments (TI) introduced the first product from the
company’s new Z-Accel family of 2.4 GHz ZigBee-certified network
processors. The CC2480 provides engineers complete ZigBee functionality
without having to learn the complexities of a full ZigBee stack, making
it easy to integrate ZigBee into a wide variety of applications, such
as home and building automation and industrial monitoring and control,
with minimal development effort. The device also allows customers the
flexibility to work with any host microcontroller (MCU).
“The CC2480 ZigBee processor drastically simplifies the design of
a new low-power wireless product, or the addition of wireless into an
existing product, by allowing customers to separate the application
code from the networking component of their systems,�? said Art
George, senior vice president of TI’s High-Performance Analog
business unit. “TI continues to deliver innovative products,
software and support so customers can design advanced low-power
wireless systems with shorter development times and lower production
costs.�?
Z-Accel is a comprehensive solution where TI’s ZigBee-2006 stack,
Z-Stack™ software, runs on a ZigBee processor and the application
runs on an external MCU. The CC2480 handles all the timing-critical and
processing-intensive ZigBee protocol tasks, while leaving the resources
of the application MCU free to handle the application. The CC2480
communicates with any MCU via an SPI or UART interface, and it can be
combined, for example, with TI’s MPS430 ultra-low power MCUs.
The CC2480 targets ZigBee wireless network systems used in home and
building automation, industrial monitoring and control, asset tracking,
low-power wireless sensor networks, set-top boxes, remote controls,
automated meter reading and medical applications.
The device supports SimpleAPI, which has only 10 API calls to learn,
and features excellent radio performance, low power consumption and an
automatic low-power mode in idle periods. The CC2480 is available in a
7 mm x 7 mm QFN-48 package. Start your development today with a
comprehensive demonstration kit. The eZ430-RF2480 is a USB-based
wireless demonstration tool providing all the hardware and software
necessary to evaluate the CC2480 network processor and the MSP430 MCU.
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