Powercast’s technology uses the same RFID reader infrastructure to capture additional power and eliminate the need for batteries. Battery-less, passive tags are the only practical way to scale deployment for high-function RFID tags.

Example
Using a UHF RFID reader, Powercast’s RF harvesting circuit can be used to power a microcontroller (MCU) and additional sensors (strain, vibration, etc). The MCU can communicate to NXP’s UCODE RFID chip via the I2C interface, and the tag ID and data can be read through the RFID reader. The result: One infrastructure for communications and power, no batteries, reliable operation.

The Wireless Power Calculator is an Excel-based tool to estimate the amount of RF power available at the receiver, and the amount of RF power that is converted to DC.

 Wireless Power Calculator (XLS)

It is based on Friis equation and is intended for estimating or planning purposes only.

General Questions

Where can I buy Powercast products?
Powercast technology is designed for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) to embed directly in their products and systems. Products can be purchased through various distributors. If your company is an OEM and is seeking sales support, please contact us or your local representative to discuss your application in more detail.

Do you offer any products for charging consumer electronics devices such as mobile phones or MP3 players?
Powercast does not have any off-the-shelf products for charging consumer electronic devices.

Does Powercast provide custom development services?
Yes. Powercast has completed multiple custom development projects related to RF-based wireless power and RF energy harvesting. Please contact us to provide details on your project so that we may provide a quote.

What are the intended applications for Powercast technology?
There are a number of applications that can benefit from using Powercast’s technology. The amount of received power, the use case, antenna form factor, and charge rate must be considered. Devices that operate on a set of batteries for weeks, months, or years are candidates for Powercast’s technology.

Power Questions

How much power can be transmitted?
Government regulations limit the amount of power that can be transmitted. In the United States and Canada the maximum is 4 Watts EIRP, and our TX91501 transmitter broadcasts a maximum of 3 Watts EIRP.

How much power is received?
The received power is determined by several factors, including distance and receiving antenna performance.
Available energy after conversion in the low milliwatt (mW) and microwatt (uW) range should be expected. Please see the wireless power calculator available on our website.

What is the efficiency of the power transmission?
Powercast’s technology enables unique applications for remote charging, and multiple devices can be charged simultaneously. Since ambient RF sources can also provide energy, the end-to-end efficiency of power transfer is not a relevant metric of comparison.  Powercast provides efficiency graphs in the product datasheets for the amount of energy that is converted at the Powerharvester.

What is the efficiency of the RF to DC power conversion?
Please see the datasheets for performance graphs. RF-to-DC conversion efficiency is as high a 70% in some scenarios.

What is the maximum distance that your transmitter will work?
The transmitter output power is limited by government regulation, so the receiving antenna is a primary factor in operating range. Antennas with higher gain provide better range. The directional antenna provided with the evaluation boards has a gain of 6dBi and will enable a range of 40-45 feet (12-14 meters) line of sight with the P2110 component.

Radio Frequency Questions

What frequencies are supported?
The P1110 and P2110 Powerharvester receivers are designed for a center frequency of 915 MHz, but have a reasonable operating range from 850-950MHz. Please see the datasheets for performance details. The Powerharvester reference design can be adapted to other frequencies from 1MHz to 6GHz and Powercast provides custom development services for specific frequency tuning.

Can I use the P1110 or P2110 components for harvesting from WiFi?
These components are designed with a center frequency of 915 MHz and cannot be used to harvest energy from Wi-Fi routers.  The reference design (available for license) can be tuned for 2.4GHz.

Do you have any components for harvesting from 2.4GHz / Wi-Fi?
Standard components for 2.4GHz are not offered at this time, but the reference design (available for license) can be tuned to 2.4GHz

Antenna Questions

What type of antennas can be used?
Powerharvester receivers are designed to work with standard 50-ohm antennas. An antenna should be matched as closely as possible to the frequency being received.

Does Powercast design custom antennas?
Powercast has antenna design expertise. We will consider custom antenna development projects.

Transmitter Questions

Can I make any adjustments to your transmitter?
There are no user controls on the existing TX91501 Powercaster transmitter. Making modifications inside of the device would be a violation of FCC and Industry Canada regulations and also void the product warranty.

Is your transmitter required for this to work?
Powercast’s transmitter products are not required to operate the Powerharvester receivers, but some source of RF energy must be provided. Ambient energy from sources such as mobile base stations (i.e. cell sites) are typically not strong enough to operate existing Powerharvester receivers at long range.

Can I use your transmitter in any country?
Powercast’s TX91501 transmitters are certified for use only in the United States and Canada, other countries have different frequency requirements and power limitations. Some countries allow for demonstration or experimental use without regulatory certification.

What modulation can be used to operate the Powerharvester receivers?
The Powerharvester receivers and reference design work independent of the type of modulation used (FHSS, DSSS, etc) by a transmitter, and can receive power from one or more transmitters using any type of modulation.

How does your transmitter send data?
The Powercast TX91501 transmitter broadcasts data as well as power. The data is currently a transmitter ID implemented using 8 bits. Future versions may include a timing broadcast for network synchronization. The data is sent using Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) modulation and is recovered through the Powerharvester receiver in conjunction with external circuitry and a microcontroller. The data is factory-set and not user adjustable.

Will your transmitter interfere with other RF devices (Cell Phones, Wi-Fi routers, etc.)?
All devices that generate RF frequencies have the potential to interfere with other RF devices. The interference potential is dependent on numerous factors including the field strength of the unwanted signal, the frequency band of operation, and the ability of the receiver to reject the unwanted signal. The TX91501 Powercaster Transmitter is FCC approved as FCC ID: YESTX91501 and Industry Canada (IC) approved as IC: 8985A-TX91501. The 915MHz output power is approximately 0.5W (3W EIRP) and uses Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) to spread the power over more than 500kHz as required by the FCC and IC. The Powercast DSSS signal allows devices to more easily reject the Powercast signal. Powercast has done empirical testing with mobile phones, Wi-Fi devices, and 915MHz transceivers and found no degradation in device performance at practical separation distances.

How much power does your transmitter use?
The 3W version of the TX91501 transmitter draws about 1.5W of energy from a wall outlet, which is less energy than a typical night-light. It would take 40 transmitters to have the same total power as a single 60W light bulb.

Technology Questions

Is Powercast technology patented?
Yes. Powercast technology is covered by numerous patents.

Is Powercast technology safe?
Powercast technology is based on radio waves that are also generated by many commonly used devices, including mobile phones, cordless phones, wireless sensors, security systems, etc. Government regulations limit the amount of power that can be transmitted, and in the United States all transmitters must be approved by the FCC. RF energy declines in relation to the inverse square of the distance from the transmitter, meaning it declines rapidly. A typical mobile phone user will receive far more RF energy from their own mobile phone than from a properly installed Powercast transmitter.

Can Powercast technology transmit power through walls or other obstructions?
Radio waves pass through many types of materials, including walls. Walls and obstructions attenuate (or absorb) radio waves, and this will reduce the amount of energy available for reception. Radio waves reflect off of metal walls which greatly reduces or prohibits power transfer.

How does Powercast technology compare to induction-based charging solutions?
Typical induction charging solutions like “power mats” and electric toothbrushes require that the power source and receiving device be in very close proximity to one another to transfer power efficiently, usually within millimeters, and is essentially zero distance. These types of solutions typically require special alignment and charging cradles. Powercast’s RF-based technology provides power-over-distance from inches to tens or hundreds of feet to one or more devices for micro-power applications and does not directly compete with induction-based charging technologies.

Powercast’s Chipset and RF Energy Harvesting Reference Design Enable Low-Cost Wireless Power over Distance

Pittsburgh, PA — February 22, 2012 — Powercast Corporation, a provider of innovative wireless power technology, today announced its RF-based wireless power chipset and reference design for embedded, low-power, wireless charging applications. The chipset and reference design, available for license, will make it easy and more affordable for OEMs to embed Powercast’s core RF energy-harvesting technology into their battery-less, or rechargeable battery-based devices, enabling RF energy (radio waves) to perpetually power them. Powercast’s embedded technology will convert RF energy received from either dedicated RF transmitters or ambient sources (such as mobile phones) into DC power. This wireless, embedded power supply then powers or charges its devices from within, eliminating connectors, charging contacts, and the need to replace batteries. Applications include wireless sensors for remote monitoring, portable electronic devices, and other low-power devices.

The chipset and reference design enable OEMs to directly embed the same functionality provided by the company’s P1110 or P2110 Powerharvester® receivers, but with more flexibility in terms of footprint and frequency selection, and at significantly lower cost. The energy-harvesting reference design converts RF energy to DC down to -12dBm of input power over a frequency range from 1MHz to 6GHz, and provides an output up to 5V to either trickle-charge batteries, or power battery-less devices.

The chipset consists of Powercast’s three custom chips for RF-to-DC conversion and power management. The licensable reference design contains all design files needed to embed the Powerharvester functionality and 100 sample chipsets for prototyping. Customers may use any 1MHz to 6GHz RF transmitter of sufficient power with a properly-tuned Powerharvester receiver. For example, the P2110 design coupled with a 6 dBi receiving antenna receives power from up to 40 feet (12 meters) away from Powercast’s TX91501 3-watt RF transmitter.

As a predictable energy source, RF energy can provide automated charging, power-over-distance, one-to-many charging, and controllable wireless power (continuous, scheduled or on-demand) for zero-maintenance devices while eliminating charging cords and the need to replace batteries. Because Powercast’s energy-harvesting receiver can also be powered by existing UHF RFID readers, it can be used for stand-alone wireless charging applications, recharging battery-assisted passive RFID tags, or powering passive wireless sensor tags.

In some cases there is sufficient ambient power available from mobile phones, Wi-Fi routers, and mobile networks to operate low-power devices. With advances in lower-power electronics, and the emergence of 1-V-or-less MCUs, full ambient RF harvesting from mobile networks could eventually be ubiquitous. Powercast has demonstrated its P2110 Powerharvester harvesting ambient power from a nearby mobile phone and powering a battery-less, wireless sensor, as well as recharging devices such as a wireless mouse, keyboard, and game controller.

The reference design’s bill of material (BOM) cost, including the Powercast chipset, is estimated to be less than $2 per unit in high volumes. The chipset, part number PCC210, is available through Powercast’s global network of distributors. Customers should contact Powercast directly to discuss terms of the license agreement or custom engineering services. The design of Powercast’s TX91501 transmitter is also available for license.

About Powercast
Powercast Corporation is the leading provider of RF-based wireless power technologies for low-power applications. Powercast’s products and technologies provide wireless power over distance, eliminate or reduce the need for batteries, and enable devices to be powered or charged without wires and connectors. Contact Powercast on the web (www.powercastco.com), via phone (1.800.963.6538) or at 566 Alpha Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15238.

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Editorial Note: A block diagram of the Powerharvester receiver is available:
http://www.powercastco.com/company/media-kit/

PR Contacts:

Harry Ostaffe
Vice President, Marketing and Business Development
Powercast Corporation
hostaffe@powercastco.com
+1 412-923-4774

Michelle Moody
Moody & Associates PR
michelle@moodypr.com
+1 214-363-3460

Powercast exhibited at the Sensors Expo 2011 and demonstrated using RF energy harvesting to wirelessly charge credit card size devices. The devices are representative of high function, rechargeable smart cards and contained rechargeable thin-film batteries - CYMBET EnerChip, Infinite Power Solutions THINERGY, and STMicroelectronics EnerFilm.

Powercast Debuts Battery-less, RF-Powered Energy Harvesting Wireless Sensor System for Building and Industrial Automation
Radio waves perpetually power sensor networks to eliminate wiring and batteries

Pittsburgh, PA — April 20, 2011 — Powercast Corporation, a leader in RF-based wireless power and energy harvesting technology, today announced its Lifetime Power® Wireless Sensor System for wireless environmental monitoring in HVAC control and building automation. Remote radio frequency (RF) transmitters broadcast RF energy that perpetually powers wireless sensor nodes without batteries or wires.

The Powercast wireless sensor system is composed of three parts: a family of battery-less sensor nodes embedded with Powercast’s Powerharvester® receivers so they may be powered wirelessly, a WSG-101 Building Automation System (BAS) Gateway, and Powercast’s TX91501 Powercaster® transmitter.

The first of the family of sensor devices, available today, is the WSN-1001 Wireless Temperature and Humidity Sensor. Additional wirelessly-powered sensors to measure CO2, pressure, light level, motion and other conditions will follow shortly.

In the wireless powering system, a single transmitter or a network of them power multiple sensor devices. Powerharvester receivers embedded inside the sensor nodes receive RF energy up to 60-80 feet away from the Powercaster transmitters broadcasting radio waves at 915 MHz (a frequency commonly used in industrial and consumer devices). The receivers then convert the RF energy into DC current to power the sensors wirelessly, similar to RFID, but with longer range and greater functionality. Broadcasted RF energy can reach and power sensors even through walls, above ceilings, and behind objects, and provides a reliable and predictable energy source as opposed to pure ambient energy-harvesting technologies such as indoor solar, thermal, or vibration.

The WSG-101 BAS Gateway can scale up to 100 sensor nodes and 800 sensor points for large-scale deployment. The gateway interfaces to wired BAS networks via industry-standard protocols, including BACnet, Modbus, Metasys, and LonWorks. The sensors and gateway communicate wirelessly at 2.4GHz using 802.15.4 radios which users can set to channels that will not interfere with, nor be interfered by, Wi-Fi networks.

Powercast estimates that a battery-less, wirelessly-powered sensor system could save users 40-50% over the installed cost of wired sensors and controllers for building automation systems, and can also eliminate the future and repeated maintenance cost of battery replacement and disposal.

Powercast developed its wireless sensor system using the company’s core RF transmitter (Powercaster) and receiver (Powerharvester) energy-harvesting technology, and the other devices included in Powercast’s P2110-EVAL-01 Energy Harvesting Development Kit for Wireless Sensors. The receiver embedded in the sensor nodes is based on Powercast’s award-winning P2110 Powerharvester receiver, which is available for OEMs to design into their own products.

“Powercast’s wirelessly-powered sensors offer the long-term predictability of wired sensors with the deployment flexibility of battery-powered systems,” said Harry Ostaffe, vice president of marketing and business development at Powercast. “We look forward to its wide-scale deployment and to further adoption of our core wireless power technology by other sensor OEMs.”

The fully-installed cost of the Lifetime Power Wireless Sensor System, including all hardware (sensors, transmitters and BAS gateway) and labor, is estimated to be around $300 per node for typical, multi-node deployments. A starter kit (2 wireless temperature and humidity sensors, a transmitter and a BAS gateway) is available for $799.

About Powercast (www.powercastco.com)
Powercast Corporation is a leading innovator of RF energy harvesting and wireless power technology. Founded in 2003, Powercast’s proprietary core technology and related intellectual property pioneered the model for completely untethered electronic devices by transmitting and harvesting common radio waves similar to those in wireless communications. Powercast’s technologies eliminate or reduce the need for batteries, extend sensor networks into hard-to-service locations, and enable greater system efficiency in applications such as building automation and energy management.

# # #

PR Contacts:

Harry Ostaffe
Vice President, Marketing and Business Development
Powercast Corporation
hostaffe@powercastco.com
+1 412-923-4774

Michelle Moody
Moody & Associates PR
michelle@moodypr.com
+1 214-363-3460

Powercast P2110 Powerharvester Receiver Named as 2011 Design News Golden Mousetrap Best Product Winner

Pittsburgh, PA — March 29, 2011 — Powercast Corporation, a leader in RF-based wireless power and energy harvesting technology, today announced that Design News has named its P2110 Powerharvester® receiver as the 2011 Golden Mousetrap Best Product Winner in the category of wireless/mobile components.

The P2110 Powerharvester receiver converts radios waves (RF energy) into DC power for low-power, wireless applications such as remote monitoring, building automation, and real-time location systems. Embedded into electronic devices, the receiver provides wireless power to trickle charge batteries, eliminating the need to replace them, or it can power battery-free devices and eliminate batteries altogether. The receiver harvests RF energy from 850-950MHz and operates at 40-45 feet (12-14 meters) from a 3W transmitter using a reasonably-sized receiving antenna.

The P2110 can also harvest GSM signals from mobile phones in close proximity enabling a new class of battery-less devices for personal area networking. With the ability to receive power behind walls or other obstacles, the P2110 includes I/O for MCU control, data and RSSI output, and supports user-configurable, regulated output voltages up to 5.25V.

“The products highlighted in this year’s Golden Mousetrap winners and finalists clearly demonstrate both cutting-edge design ideas and the practical evolution of technologies for systems and product design engineers,” said David Greenfield, Design News Editorial Director. “Design News congratulates all the engineers and their companies who have been recognized with the Golden Mousetrap Award, and we are grateful for their contribution to this year’s competition.”

“We are honored that Design News has selected our P2110 RF energy harvesting component for this award,” said Harry Ostaffe, vice president of marketing and business development at Powercast. “This achievement recognizes our dedication to developing unique, wireless power solutions for low-power devices, enabling savings in labor costs, increased product reliability, device mobility, and user convenience.”

Broadcasted RF energy creates a predictable, controllable power source to provide power-over-distance and one-to-many charging. Unlike potentially unreliable or intermittent solar, heat or vibration micro-power energy sources, the P2110 Powerharvester receiver allows wireless devices to charge and operate completely untethered from the power source. This wireless power supply embeds within electronic devices such as wireless sensors and tracking tags, enabling them to be sealed, tamper-proof, water-proof, and more reliable. The resulting zero-maintenance devices can deploy to inaccessible or hazardous locations, and sensor networks can scale to thousands of nodes while eliminating the material and labor costs of battery replacement.

About Design News
Design News, founded in 1946, is the leading technical resource for design engineers, who create everything from planes, trains and automobiles to cellular phones, medical devices, and, just about every other product on the planet. For more information, visit: http://www.designnews.com/

About Powercast (www.powercastco.com)
Powercast Corporation is a leading innovator of RF energy harvesting and wireless power technology. Founded in 2003, Powercast’s proprietary core technology and related intellectual property pioneered the model for completely untethered electronic devices by transmitting and harvesting common radio waves similar to those in wireless communications. Powercast’s technologies eliminate or reduce the need for batteries, extend sensor networks into hard-to-service locations, and enable greater system efficiency in applications such as building automation and energy management.

# # #

PR Contacts:

Harry Ostaffe
Vice President, Marketing and Business Development
Powercast Corporation
hostaffe@powercastco.com
+1 412-923-4774

Michelle Moody
Moody & Associates PR
michelle@moodypr.com
+1 214-363-3460

Powercast Tapped for CES “Powering Up Without Wires” Panel Moderated by Today Show’s Paul Hochman

Las Vegas, NV – Consumer Electronics Show - January 5, 2011 — Powercast Corporation, a leader in RF-based wireless power and energy harvesting technology, today announced that its vice president of marketing and business development, Harry Ostaffe, will participate in the “Powering Up Without the Wires” panel at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) being held January 6 – 9, 2011 in Las Vegas, NV. Moderated by the Today Show’s high-tech contributor Paul Hochman, the panel also includes Dave Baarman of Fulton Innovation, Emily Cooper of Intel and John Suh of General Motors.

WHO:
Harry Ostaffe, vice president of marketing and business development for Powercast, is a published authority on wireless power and energy-harvesting using RF energy as a remote, wire-free power source. He jointly holds a patent on network protection switching and has held many marketing management roles for broadband and wireless products.

WHAT:
TVs that extract power from thin air. Devices that harvest electricity from Wi-Fi signals so you never have to plug in again. When will these and other next-gen technologies be ready to deploy? In “Powering Up Without the Wires,” Hochman will lead a panel of wireless power experts to answer these questions.

Wireless power transmission for low-power applications is Powercast’s expertise, Powercast’s technology, which embeds in OEM devices, can harvest RF energy from ambient or dedicated sources, including mobile phones, and convert it into DC power. This power can then charge low-power consumer electronics devices such as eBook readers, as well as remote sensors for home and building automation. As a predictable energy source, RF energy (radio waves) can provide automated charging, power-over-distance, one-to-many charging, and controllable wireless power (continuous, scheduled or on-demand) for zero-maintenance devices while eliminating charging cords and battery replacement.

For more session details: http://www.cesweb.org/conferenceProgram/search/sessionDetails.asp?sessionid=3846

WHERE:
2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Las Vegas Convention Center, North Hall, Room N254

WHEN:
Thursday, January 6, 2011, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m., “Powering Up Without the Wires” session ET2

About Powercast (www.powercastco.com)
Powercast Corporation is a leading innovator of RF energy harvesting and wireless power technology. Founded in 2003, Powercast’s proprietary core technology and related intellectual property pioneered the model for completely untethered electronic devices by transmitting and harvesting common radio waves similar to those in wireless communications. Powercast’s technologies eliminate or reduce the need for batteries, extend sensor networks into hard-to-service locations, and enable greater system efficiency in applications such as building automation and energy management.

# # #

PR Contacts:

Harry Ostaffe
Vice President, Marketing and Business Development
Powercast Corporation
hostaffe@powercastco.com
+1 412-923-4774

Michelle Moody
Moody & Associates PR
michelle@moodypr.com
+1 214-363-3460

Powercast RF Transmitter Named an EDN Hot 100 Product of 2010

Pittsburgh, PA — January 4, 2011 — Powercast Corporation, a leader in RF-based wireless power and energy harvesting technology, today announced that EDN Magazine has named its TX91501 Powercaster™ transmitter in the EDN “Hot 100″ Products of 2010. Specifically, the RF transmitter was chosen in the power category for its ability to broadcast power to remote, micro-power devices such as wireless sensors, tracking tags, and even low-power consumer electronic devices such as eBook readers. Combining Powercast’s transmitter with its P1110 or P2110 Powerharvester® receivers creates a wireless power system which broadcasts and then converts RF energy into DC power for remote powering/charging.

Compiled by EDN’s editors, this annual listing highlights the electronics industry’s most significant products, including analog and digital ICs, process technologies, power sources, processor cores, communication controllers, test instruments, embedded boards and EDA tools.

The Powercaster transmitter is approved by the FCC (Part 15) and Industry Canada. It is designed for wireless micro-power applications in the commercial, industrial, defense and consumer electronics markets including remote monitoring (temperature/environmental/security), asset tracking, building automation and automated charging.

Broadcasted RF energy creates a perpetual power source, unlike potentially unreliable solar, heat or vibration energy sources, to provide automated charging, power-over-distance, one-to-many charging, and controllable wireless power (continuous, scheduled or on-demand) for zero-maintenance devices.

About EDN’s “Hot 100″ Products
Since 1999, EDN’s editors have published a list of the industry’s most significant electronic products, spanning everything from components to software tools to peripherals to test instruments. Culled from many product announcements its editors evaluate each year, the EDN “Hot 100″ represents a prestigious annual snapshot of innovation in the tech industry.

About Powercast (www.powercastco.com)
Powercast Corporation is a leading innovator of RF energy harvesting and wireless power technology. Founded in 2003, Powercast’s proprietary core technology and related intellectual property pioneered the model for completely untethered electronic devices by transmitting and harvesting common radio waves similar to those in wireless communications. Powercast’s technologies eliminate or reduce the need for batteries, extend sensor networks into hard-to-service locations, and enable greater system efficiency in applications such as building automation and energy management.

# # #

Editorial Note: Downloadable photos are available from http://www.powercastco.com/company/media-kit/.

PR Contacts:

Harry Ostaffe
Vice President, Marketing and Business Development
Powercast Corporation
hostaffe@powercastco.com
+1 412-923-4774

Michelle Moody
Moody & Associates PR
michelle@moodypr.com
+1 214-363-3460

Powercast Debuts RF Energy Harvesting Kit for Wireless Battery Charging

Radio waves charge THINERGY thin-film batteries or traditional batteries to perpetually operate low-power devices

Boston, MA — IDTechEx Energy Harvesting & Storage USA 2010 – November 16, 2010 — Powercast Corporation, a leader in RF-based wireless power and energy harvesting technology, today announced its Lifetime Power® Energy Harvesting Development Kit for Battery Charging. The kit features near-loss-less energy storage and efficient charging via the THINERGY® Micro-Energy Cell (MEC), a solid-state, rechargeable thin-film micro-battery from Infinite Power Solutions (IPS).

The Lifetime Power Energy Harvesting Development Kit for Battery Charging is composed of a 3-watt Powercaster™ transmitter, a P2110 Powerharvester® receiver evaluation board, a custom-designed battery-charging board, a 1mAh THINERGY MEC evaluation card and other accessories. The kit makes it easy to prototype and develop rechargeable battery-based micro-power systems such as wireless sensor networks that are reliably and perpetually powered by radio waves – eliminating the expense and hassle of traditional battery replacement. The Texas Instruments eZ430-RF2500 wireless development tool is also included as a demonstration application.

In the kit, Powercast’s 915 MHz RF transmitter and receiver energy-harvesting system broadcasts and then converts RF energy and stores it in a capacitor, which then provides a pulsed regulated voltage output to wirelessly trickle charge energy storage devices. Such devices include the paper-thin and long-life THINERGY MEC as well as other thin-film batteries, and traditional rechargeable batteries such as Alkaline, Lithium Ion, or Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH). When embedded into micro-power devices, such as wireless sensors, instrumentation and controls, the included receiver can charge batteries from more than 40 feet away from the included transmitter. Designers could also use other 850-950MHz RF transmitters as a source of energy for battery charging.

The kit offers multiple charging options via its custom battery-charging board, which allows the receiver to directly charge a THINERGY MEC, or connect to the THINERGY Application Development Platform (ADP) for enhanced measurement and analysis. The enhanced ADP firmware, available as a free download from IPS, can capture the voltage and current readings from the short charging pulses provided by the Powercast system. The kit’s custom charging board also features charge voltage selection, nano-amp low-voltage cut-off, adjustable regulated output voltage, and I/O interfaces for the P2110 Powerharvester receiver.

The included Powercaster transmitter is approved by the FCC (Part 15) and Industry Canada. It is designed for micro-power applications in the commercial, industrial, and defense markets such as remote monitoring (temperature/environmental/security) and building automation.

Broadcasted RF energy creates a perpetual power source, unlike potentially unreliable solar, heat or vibration energy sources, to provide power-over-distance, one-to-many charging, and controllable wireless power (continuous, scheduled or on-demand). A wireless power source enables zero-maintenance devices which deploy to inaccessible locations, and embeds within sealed devices for use in wet or harsh environments.

“Combining our THINERGY rechargeable MECs with Powercast’s RF energy harvesting system enables autonomous, self-powered, wireless systems for decades of maintenance-free operation,” says Tim Bradow, vice president of marketing for Infinite Power Solutions. “Offering compact design, compelling performance, and power efficiency, we have jointly created a miniature, low-cost, perpetual power supply for a variety of micro-electronic applications.”

The Lifetime Power Energy Harvesting Development Kit for Battery Charging is available today for $900 from Powercast’s distributors, Future Electronics and Mouser Electronics.

About Powercast (www.powercastco.com)
Powercast Corporation is a leading innovator of RF energy harvesting and wireless power technology. Founded in 2003, Powercast’s proprietary core technology and related intellectual property pioneered the model for completely untethered electronic devices by transmitting and harvesting common radio waves similar to those in wireless communications. Powercast’s technologies eliminate or reduce the need for batteries, extend sensor networks into hard-to-service locations, and enable greater system efficiency in applications such as building automation and energy management.

About Infinite Power Solutions (www.InfinitePowerSolutions.com)
Infinite Power Solutions, Inc. (IPS)—a U.S. clean-technology company—is a global leader in manufacturing solid-state, rechargeable, thin-film micro-energy storage devices. Founded in 2001, IPS is privately held with corporate headquarters and volume manufacturing in Littleton, Colo. The company is the only ISO 9001 certified manufacturer of solid-state, thin-film batteries, and its energy storage products provide unrivalled performance, size and service life to displace conventional coin cells, supercapacitors, and other micro-batteries in a variety of applications. THINERGY® Micro-Energy Cell (MEC) and INFINERGY® Micro Power Module (MPM) products provide unprecedented efficiency in micro-energy storage and uniquely enable ambient energy-harvesting solutions to create miniature, autonomous, perpetual power supplies.

# # #

Editorial Note: Downloadable photos are available from http://www.powercastco.com/company/media-kit/.

PR Contacts:

Harry Ostaffe
Director, Marketing and Business Development
Powercast Corporation
hostaffe@powercastco.com
+1 412-923-4774

Michelle Moody
Moody & Associates PR
michelle@moodypr.com
+1 214-363-3460

Terri Sundseth
Marketing Associate
Infinite Power Solutions
tsundseth@IPSbatteries.com
+1 303-475-5616