AS3900 is a best-in-class transceiver for human body SAR, operates in unlincensed 27 MHz ISM band

Unterpremstaetten, Austria, August 2, 2011 – austriamicrosystems (SIX: AMS), a leading global designer and manufacturer of high-performance analog ICs, today announced that Echowell has selected its AS3900 27 MHz FSK (frequency shift keying) low-power transceiver IC with integrated Link Manager for their new bicycle metering platforms.

Echowell is a market leader in bicycle metering with multiple products that monitor speed, mileage, and heart rate of the user, and graphically displays the information. Previously, Echowell had used other wireless technologies at various frequencies which required discrete design solutions and long design times. According to Johnsy Varghese, Marketing Manager Wireless, for austriamicrosystems, “The AS3900’s high level of integration, ease of use, ultra-low power capabilities and superior performance in close proximity to the human body make it well suited for applications like Echowell’s bike computers, as well as other fitness and medical products. We are excited to have Echowell as one of our wireless customers and look forward to building a strong relationship together.”

The AS3900 low-power FSK transceiver features a built-in star network management protocol, and is the only such transceiver operating in the 27 MHz worldwide ISM (industrial, scientific and medical) band. Operation in this band avoids the interference found in the popular but cluttered 2.4 GHz band and results in a lower amount of energy being absorbed by the human body (SAR or specific absorption rate). This is a key consideration for transmitters operated close to the human body such as a BAN (body area network) or MBAN (medical body area network).

austriamicrosystems’ AS3900 FSK transceiver offers a hardwired, royalty-free easy-to-use protocol for self-management of all network functions. The hardwired star network protocol simplifies product design and significantly reduces system power compared to alternative approaches requiring protocols that run full-time on an external or internal microcontroller. The low power transceiver requires only 2.5 µA in standby polling mode, and typically 3.8 and 4.9 mA in receive and transmit modes, respectively, including the power required to manage the star network.

The performance and capabilities of the AS3900 make it well suited for a number of applications where low-power, short-range data exchange is required. Applications include data transfer among devices close to a human body, such as medical and intelligent sporting goods, industrial automation, body area networks and any short range sensor network. An integrated wakeup receiver allows ultra-low current consumption of only 2.5 µA while in polling mode. The AS3900 27MHz Star Network transceiver operates with a small PCB antenna that resonates at 27 MHz. Properties of 27 MHz transmissions enable better penetration of fluids than 2.4GHz and prevents reflections from giving errant range estimations using RSSI (received signal strength indication).

The AS3900 transmits data at up to 212 Kbit/s and integrates a number of key features, resulting in a low bill of materials. Integrated functions include the wake up receiver, power amplifier, clock, 24 bits of OTP memory, battery level detection, power on reset (POR) and system timers. Digital RSSI, onboard CRC (cyclic redundancy check) and a bi-directional SDI bus (serial digital interface) allow for easy system integration.

The AS3900 low-power FSK transceiver is available in a 5x5 mm 28-pin QFN package, operates from a 2.2 Volt power supply, and has an ambient operating temperature range of -40 to +85°C.

Price & Availability:

Pricing in 1,000-piece quantities is $2.25. The AS3900 transceiver is available now at austriamicrosystems’ webshop ICdirect.

Technical Support:

A demonstration board for the AS3900 27MHz Star Network transceiver is available. Contact austriamicrosystems for price. For further information on the AS3900 or to request samples, please visit www.ams.com/RF-Transceivers/AS3900

About Echowell:

Echowell Electronic Co., Ltd was founded in 1983 and is based in Taiwan R.O.C. They design & manufacture high quality Solid State Relays, I/O modules, Bicycle Computers, Electronic Dart Games, and Heart Rate Monitors. The core capability of Echowell is combining mechanics and electronics. Echowell designs machinery, software and hardware with a talented design & development team that has focused on bicycle meter products for 20 years. With a top manufacturing operation and distribution network they have become one of the top 3 bike meter suppliers worldwide. In addition to standalone meters, they also develop bicycle meters as the head of bike eco systems to enable more wireless features to enrich personal enjoyment.