Shenzhen, China (IIC-China)-March 1, 2013-Silicon Labs, a leader in high-performance analog and mixed-signal ICs, today announced the launch of high-performance, ultra-low-power wireless transceivers Device, specifically for China's fast-growing smart meter market. Silicon Labs' new Si4438 EZRadioPRO® IC design maximizes wireless transmission distance and battery life, while reducing the bill of materials (BOM) cost of smart meters by 30%. The Si4438 transceiver is specifically designed for the 425-525MHz ISM band and is therefore also an ideal sub-GHz wireless solution for indoor energy management systems and other smart grid infrastructure applications, such as long-distance backhaul communications to service company applications.
As one of the fastest-growing smart meter markets in the world, China is rapidly upgrading to a more "green" smart grid, where smart meters for residents and businesses are the key to grid transformation. The latest report from Pike Research Consulting shows that the number of smart meters installed in China will increase from 139 million units in 2012 to 377 million units in 2020. The share of smart meters in the Chinese meter market will reach 74% by 2020.
The Si4438 transceiver designed by Silicon Labs can meet the performance, system cost and regulatory requirements of the Chinese 470-510MHz band smart meter market. Using highly efficient on-chip power amplifiers (PA), the Si4438 IC is intelligent by providing best-in-class output power (+ 20dBm), sensitivity (-124dBm), link budget (114dB), and adjacent channel rejection (58dB). Electric meters extend the transmission distance and provide a reliable communication link. At the same time, the built-in diversity antenna and frequency hopping support can further extend the transmission distance and enhance wireless performance. Because the diversity antenna is tightly integrated into the Si4438 transceiver, the system link budget can be increased by 8-10dB, and the transmission distance can be effectively extended even under harsh environmental conditions.
The Si4438 transceiver is the most energy-efficient sub-GHz wireless solution for the Chinese smart meter market. The Si4438 IC's 50nA sleep / standby current (register content retention) is 40 times lower than similar transceiver products on the Chinese market. In the 50nA sleep mode, the Si4438 transceiver can switch to receive (RX) or transmit (TX) mode in just 450µs. When in working mode, its TX current consumption is 75mA at + 20dBm, and RX current consumption is 14mA. Together with ultra-low standby current and fast wake-up time, it maximizes battery life in power-sensitive wireless applications. In the same product operation cycle, the number of battery replacements and / or battery size can be reduced.
Due to the high performance and high integration of the Si4438 transceiver, there is no need to add an off-chip power amplifier (PA), low noise amplifier (LNA) or surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter for wireless applications, thereby reducing BOM costs. On-chip PA can be used to compensate for low-cost antenna performance, while similar products require larger and higher-cost off-chip PAs to achieve the same performance. The integrated temperature sensor, power-on reset circuit and GPIO further reduce system cost and circuit board size. Si4438 IC can be combined with low-cost MCU, crystal and a small number of passive components to build a cost-effective wireless system. In addition, its 4mm x 4mm package is also the smallest of its kind, minimizing the board area.
The Si4438 IC is pin compatible with Silicon Labs Si446x EZRadioPRO transceiver. Si446x is a sub-GHz ISM band product designed for the global deployment of smart meter / smart grid products. EZRadioPRO series products include a full range of transmitters, receivers and transceivers, covering various wireless applications. In addition, Silicon Labs provides 2.4GHz band Ember® ZigBee® wireless network solutions for smart energy and home interconnect applications, as well as 32-bit Precision32 MCUs, mixed-signal 8-bit MCUs, wireless MCUs and digital isolators for smart meter applications.
Diwakar Vishakhadatta, vice president of Silicon Labs and general manager of the embedded systems business, said: "Smart meters and other smart grid applications require mature, cost-effective and easy-to-deploy wireless technology. China's rapidly growing smart meter market will benefit from superior performance , Ultra-low sleep current and minimum BOM cost wireless connectivity solution. Silicon Labs' new Si4438 IC is an ideal sub-GHz transceiver to meet the challenges of smart grid applications in China. "
Wireless development environment suitable for developers
Silicon Labs provides a series of hardware and software development tools to help developers accelerate time-to-market for smart meter products. The 4438-490-PDK development kit provides all the necessary tools for evaluating Si4438 IC for smart meter design at 490MHz. The tool kit includes two motherboards based on the C8051F930 MCU, two RF pico-boards optimized for the 425-525MHz band, and two antennas, making it easy to build wireless connections. Silicon Labs' GUI-based wireless development kit (WDS) software can automatically generate sample code, allowing developers to quickly and intuitively create and develop reliable, cost-effective wireless applications with little or no professional RF design and configuration experience .
Price and availability
The Si4438 EZRadioPRO transceiver can provide samples, and the unit price for the purchase of 10,000 pieces is $ 2.03. The price of the 4438-490-PDK development kit is $ 299. For more Si4438 product information and to purchase samples and development tools, please visit the website: EZRadioPRO
About Silicon Labs
Silicon Labs is an industry-leading innovative manufacturer of high-performance analog and mixed-signal ICs, with a world-class engineering team. With the richest knowledge of mixed-signal design, these designers have developed a variety of highly integrated products that are easy to use and provide customers with advantages such as powerful performance, compact size and low power consumption.
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