Microchip announces SAM R30 system-level package designed for wireless connectivity

     Microchip Technology, a leading global provider of integrated microcontroller, mixed-signal, emulator and flash memory proprietary solutions, announced the introduction of the SAM R30 single-chip RF Microcontroller (MCU) in a system-level package (SiP). The SAM R30 SiP comes in a 5 mm compact package containing an ultra-low-power MCU and 802.15.4 standard sub-GHz radio technology that extends battery life for years. The SAM R30 SiP offers both design flexibility and proven reliability in a small package, making it ideal for connected homes, smart cities and industrial applications.

     As the demand for battery-powered wireless connectivity systems continues to rise, the introduction of the low-power SAM R30, which can extend battery life for many years, meets the needs of these particularly power-sensitive markets. The SiP is built on the SAM L21 MCU, which uses the most energy efficient ARM® architecture available, the Cortex® M0+ architecture. The SAM R30 features an ultra-low-power sleep mode that can be woken up via serial communication or GPIO(Universal Input/Output) while consuming only 500 nA of current.

     Since the SAM R30 SiP operates in the 769-935 MHz range, this gives developers the flexibility to deploy point-to-point, star, or mesh networks. Microchip helps developers quickly learn to apply Microchip's free MiWi™ peer-to-peer/star networking stack to their development work. Mesh networking will be available later this year. With SiP, nodes in a peer-to-peer network can be located up to 1 kilometer apart, and this distance can be doubled in a star network topology. When used in mesh networks, the SAM R30 provides reliable wide-area coverage, making it ideal for applications such as street lighting, wind and solar power plants.

     Steve Caldwell, vice president of Wireless Solutions at Microchip, said: "The SAM R30 SiP provides users with an excellent migration path from MCU and radio discrete solutions to single-chip solutions, enabling more compact and cost-effective designs. "It combines Microchip's industry-proven connectivity technology with a high-performance SAM L21 MCU to provide a reliable, low-power solution."