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Integration Releases EZMac Embedded Media Access Control Software

Posted on: Tuesday, 31 May 2005, 09:00 CDT

Together with Microchip Technology's PIC(R) Microcontrollers and Integration's ISM Transceiver Products, EZMac Creates Turnkey Wireless Data Communication

Expanding on the success of its awarding-winning EZRadio(R) chipsets, Integration announced today the release of EZMac(TM), a data communication module that supports Integration's IA4420 ISM transceiver by enabling the creation of extremely low cost mesh networks.

EZMac helps OEM application designers to shorten their time-to-market by eliminating the need to formulate a data-transmission protocol. Operating in the background in two interrupt service routines (ISRs), EZMac manages the delivery of signals and short packets from the transmitter to the receiver, between nodes. Designers using EZMac and EZRadio transceivers simply define the desired frequency and datarate, and EZMac initializes the radio with optimal settings.

EZMac supports a wide range of addressing modes, fast frequency hopping, and collision and error detections. EZMac can be used in either peer-to-peer or master/slave communication networks with up to 255 addressable nodes. Configurable data bytes and real-time packet filtering create data communication with very low power consumption.

Microchip Technology's 8-bit, Flash PIC16F and PIC18F families have been selected as the host microcontrollers for the initial version of EZMac. "We chose to port our EZMac software to Microchip's PIC(R) microcontrollers, as they are a leader in their industry. Their broad scope of 8-bit microcontrollers and ease of use makes Microchip quite appealing to many of our customers. This combined PIC microcontroller/EZMac/Radio platform solution is engineered to shorten design cycles for a broad range of wirelessly connected embedded applications," said Jean-Luc Nauleau, Integration CEO.

Microchip's PIC microcontrollers combine high performance, low cost and small package size to offer the best price/performance ratio in the industry. Based on a powerful RISC core, the PIC microcontroller architecture provides users with an easy migration path from 6 to 84 pins among all families with little or no code change required.

"Microchip is honored that Integration, a leader in the radio market, has selected our world-class PIC microcontrollers for their EZMac wireless platform," said Mitch Obolsky, vice president of Microchip's Advanced Microcontroller Architecture Division. "Integration and Microchip can provide customers with a faster time-to-market solution for adding RF functionality to a design."

Integration's EZMac is available in various licensing modes, and the EZRadio IA4420 FSK transceiver is available for less than $2 USD in low production volume. Microchip's PIC16F and PIC18F microcontrollers are available today for general sampling and volume production in a wide range of package, performance, memory and peripheral options.

About Integration Associates

Integration Associates is a fabless semiconductor company headquartered in Mountain View, California, with offices and design centers in Europe and North America. Integration Associates designs and delivers tested wafers and packaged ICs for wireless, wireline, and power system management applications for a wide range of systems. For more information about Integration Associates and its products, visit www.integration.com

About Microchip Technology

Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MCHP) is a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors, 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 www.microchip.com.

Note: Integration Associates, EZRadio, and EZMac are trademarks of Integration Associates, Inc. The Microchip name and logo, and PIC are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Inc. In-Circuit Serial Programming is a trademark of Microchip Technology Inc. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies.

Source: Business Wire

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