ON Semiconductor introduces the Power Line carrier modem SoC

     ON Semiconductor introduces new system-on-chip (SoC) Powerline carrier (PLC) modems for applications such as electricity meters, home automation, solar power and lighting control. The NCN49597 is the first device in this new family of PLC modems, integrating a low-power 32-bit ARM Cortex M0 processor and a high-precision analog front end. The device is based on dual 4,800 baud spread spectrum frequency shift keying (S-FSK) channel technology, which optimizes energy efficiency and performance while providing excellent robustness and reliability, enabling it to operate in the most demanding environments.

     The NCN49597 is fully compliant with the current IEC61334-5-1 standard and supports custom implementations of popular building automation standards while maintaining pin-to-pin and functional compatibility with its predecessor, AMIS-49587. The new device adds innovative features such as field reprogramming, intelligent synchronization and automatic half-baud rate detection to improve communication robustness and simplify application and use.

     The NCN49597 supports programmable carrier frequencies in the A to D bands of the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) and can operate at 50 Hz (Hz) or 60 Hz AC (AC) and DC (DC) voltages, increasing its application range. This means that a single device can be adapted to all types of power grids. The 10-way configurable universal Input/Output (GPIO) supports connection to peripherals such as liquid crystal displays (LCDS) and instrument ics, alleviating the need for external microcontrollers in applications such as smart sockets. NCN49597 provides open source PLC platform code and development environment.

     On Semiconductor also offers a PLC communications reference design kit that includes the power line driver NCS5650 to help customers accelerate their products to market. The NCS5650 is A 2 amp (A), energy-efficient Class A/B power line driver that offers flexible 4-step filtering and current limiting that can be set with a single resistor.

     According to IHS iSuppli's Industrial Market Tracker, semiconductor revenue from smart meters in the industrial market is expected to reach $559.6 million in 2012 and increase annually to $1.1 billion by 2015. IHS iSuppli further expects 24.9 million smart meters to be installed in 2012, 57.3 million in 2015, and 66.6 million by 2017.

     Ryan Cameron, vice president, ON Semiconductor Industrial Timely Products, said: "This innovative new device is rooted in ON Semiconductor's more than a decade of experience in the meter field, allowing us to provide a universal and robust solution to facilitate communications applications in this important and rapidly expanding smart grid market. "The NCN49597 is compatible with our previous devices for this application, fully compliant with industry standards, and using proven technologies such as the ARM Cortex makes applying the NCN49597 risk-free and straightforward."

     The NCN49597 operates on a 3.3 volt (V) power supply with an operating junction temperature range of -40 ºC to +125 ºC in a QFN-52 package with dimensions of 8 mm x 8 mm x 1 mm.