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Microchip and Powercast Debut World’s First RF Energy Harvesting Kit That Enables Battery-Free, Perpetually Powered Wireless Applications

Microchip and Powercast Debut World’s First RF Energy Harvesting Kit That Enables Battery-Free, Perpetually Powered Wireless Applications

Combination of Powercast’s RF Energy Harvesting System and Microchip’s eXtreme Low Power PIC® Microcontrollers Eliminates Batteries in a Wide Range of Applications

CHANDLER, Ariz., Oct. 26, 2010 [NASDAQ: MCHP] — Microchip Technology Inc., a leading provider of microcontroller, analog and Flash-IP solutions, and Powercast Corporation, a leader in RF-based wireless power and energy harvesting technology, today announced the Lifetime Power® Energy Harvesting Development Kit for Wireless Sensors featuring PIC® microcontrollers with eXtreme Low Power (XLP) Technology. This kit, composed of a 3-watt Powercaster™ transmitter as the power source, two P2110 Powerharvester® receiver evaluation boards, two custom-designed wireless sensor boards, the XLP 16-bit Development Board pre-loaded with jointly developed application software, an IEEE 802.15.4 transceiver and other accessories, makes it easy to demonstrate and develop smart-energy, wireless-sensor applications that are reliably and perpetually powered by radio waves—eliminating the need for a battery. The included transmitter can wirelessly power sensor devices from more than 40 feet away.

The main challenges for the designers of wireless sensor applications fall into the categories of power, location and wireless communication. Combining Powercast’s RF transmitter and receiver energy-harvesting system, which broadcasts and converts RF energy into DC power, with Microchip’s XLP PIC microcontrollers, which provide the industry’s lowest power consumption in active and sleep modes, solves all three of these design challenges.

Power
Powercast’s RF energy harvesting system provides predictable and reliable power, using broadcasted RF energy for wire- and battery-free operation, or to wirelessly charge battery-based systems. In the Lifetime Power kit, the Powercaster transmitter broadcasts RF energy to the Powerharvester receiver, which can be embedded into an OEM’s micro-power device. The receiver then converts the RF energy and presents it as a regulated power supply to Microchip’s PIC24F microcontroller. The recently announced Powercast transmitter included in the kit is approved by the FCC (Part 15) and Industry Canada.

Location
Using broadcasted RF energy as the application’s sole power source allows for untethered and battery-free operation in hazardous or inaccessible locations, which would otherwise require labor-intensive or potentially dangerous battery maintenance. Additionally, broadcasted RF energy is controllable (can be scheduled, continuous or on-demand) and works in locations where other potentially intermittent energy-harvesting sources (e.g., solar, vibration and heat) make them unreliable.

Wireless Communication
Microchip’s configurable MiWi™ and MiWi P2P stacks are efficient and save power by enabling only the most essential wireless communication features. In addition to these proprietary Microchip protocols, the kit’s included MRF24J40 IEEE 802.15.4 transceiver also supports Microchip’s ZigBee stacks. From a functional standpoint, Microchip’s RF transceiver allows for continual readings of sensor data, portability and much easier installation than wired communication provides.
In addition to solving these three major challenges, the Lifetime Power kit provides modular development with Microchip’s included XLP 16-bit Development Board. This flexible platform allows customization for developing applications, and enables faster evaluation, prototyping and time to market.

Availability and Pricing
The Lifetime Power Energy Harvesting Development Kit for Wireless Sensors is available today for $1250 from Powercast’s distributors, including microchipDIRECT.

About Powercast (http://www.microchip.com/get/BBG0)
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 Microchip Technology
Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP) is a leading provider of microcontroller, analog and Flash-IP solutions, providing low-risk product development, lower total system cost and faster time to market for thousands of diverse customer applications worldwide. Headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, Microchip offers outstanding technical support along with dependable delivery and quality. For more information, visit the Microchip website at http://www.microchip.com/get/A41W.

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Note: The Microchip name and logo, and PIC are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Inc. in the USA and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies.

High-res Photo Available Through Flickr or Editorial Contact (feel free to publish): http://www.microchip.com/get/5AHX

Tags / Keywords: Energy Harvesting, RF, Perpetual Power, Wireless Power, Battery-Free, Energy Efficiency, Low Power, Microcontroller, PIC, Microchip, MCHP, World’s Lowest Power, Development Kit, Energy Scavenging, Self-powered, Smart Energy, wireless sensor, wireless sensor networks, ambient energy, alternative energy, XLP, extreme low power, ultra low power, Powercast, Powerharvester, WSN

RSS Feed for Microchip Product News: http://www.microchip.com/get/80HSAbout Powercast (http://www.microchip.com/get/BBG0)

PR Contacts:
Microchip Technology Inc.
Eric Lawson
+1 480-792-7182
eric.lawson@microchip.com

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

Powercast to Demonstrate RF-Powered, Battery-Free Wireless Sensor Module at Sensors Expo

Press Release

Powercast to Demonstrate RF-Powered, Battery-Free Wireless Sensor Module at Sensors Expo 2010

Wireless Sensor Module, jointly developed by Powercast and Microchip Technology, showcases RF energy harvesting and low power processing and communications.

Pittsburgh, PA — June 7, 2010 — Powercast Corporation, a technology leader in the field of RF-based wireless power and energy harvesting, will participate as an exhibitor at the Sensors Expo & Conference on June 7-9, 2010 . At the event, Powercast will be demonstrating a battery-free wireless sensor module powered by RF energy and designed for extremely low power consumption. The sensor module provides temperature, light level, and humidity data to an access point, along with the received signal strength (RSSI) and the ID number of the Powercaster™ transmitter from which it is receiving power.

Powercast recently released the P1110 and P2110 Powerharvester™ Receivers, which are capable of converting radio waves in the range of 850-950 MHz into DC power. The demonstration sensor module uses the P2110 Powerharvester receiver to store the received energy into a capacitor, and then performs a voltage boost to supply the module components with a regulated voltage. Both the P1110 and P2110 enable a microcontroller to determine the signal strength of the received power, as well as to recover low-rate data encoded in the power broadcasted from the power transmitter.

Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP), a leading supplier of low power MCUs, provided software and hardware development support for both the sensor module and the access point. The devices use PIC® microcontrollers featuring XLP eXtreme Low Power technology, and the MRF24J40MA agency-certified IEEE 802.15.4™ radio module, resulting in high-performance, low power processing and communications. Microchip’s MiWi™ P2P protocol provides the reliable, short-duration messaging required for the optimal performance of the harvesting system.

“We see great potential in the use of energy harvesting to power a growing network of low-power wireless devices,” said Jason Tollefson, a product marketing manager at Microchip. “The sensor module developed with Powercast, using Microchip’s XLP technology, is a unique and powerful demonstration of using radio waves as an on-demand source of energy for a battery-free wireless sensor.”

Harry Ostaffe, Director of Marketing and Business Development for Powercast, will also be delivering two presentations during the event. During the pre-conference symposium on June 7, 2010, he will speak on “Design Techniques for RF Energy Harvesting Devices.” During the main conference on June 8, 2010, he will also present “Power Out of Thin Air: Ambient RF Energy Harvesting for Wireless Sensors.”

Powercast’s exhibit and wireless sensor demonstration will be located at Booth 1022 in the exhibition hall.

About Powercast (www.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 Microchip (www.microchip.com)
Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP) provides low-risk product development, lower total system cost and faster time to market for thousands of eXtreme Low Power applications. From low power Analog, RF and Memory devices, to more than 75 PIC® Microcontrollers featuring XLP Technology and peripherals like LCD and USB, as well as over 600 more that offer integration such as Ethernet, Graphics and Capacitive Touch Sensing, our devices along with our free software and tools, provide a custom fit in your energy harvesting design.

Note: The Microchip name and logo, and PIC are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Inc. in the USA and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies.

Contact:

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