Atmel Launches Ultra Wideband Evaluation Kit for CAP Customizable Microcontroller

Rousset, France (ots/PRNewswire) -

- Enables rapid integration of UWB Media Access Controller with
Application-specific logic in CAP Metal Programmable block

Atmel(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML) announced today the
availability of an Ultra Wideband (UWB) Evaluation Kit for rapid,
low-cost development of UWB applications built around the AT91CAP9
ARM926EJ-S(TM)-based Customizable Microcontroller. The UWB Media
Access Controller (MAC) is implemented, together with any
application-specific logic, in the FPGA that emulates the CAP(TM)
Metal Programmable (MP) Block. The UWB Physical Access Layer (PHY) is
implemented in transmission and reception extension boards that plug
into the CAP Development Board.

The AT91CAP9A UWB Evaluation Kit consists of two AT91CAP9A
Development Kits (one for transmission and the other for reception)
each comprising three associated boards (Motherboard, Mezzanine and
3.3V Memory Extension), a CAP9 UWB PHY Transmitter Board and a CAP9
UWB PHY Receiver Board, together with UWB Video Streaming Application
Software. This configuration creates an application-ready UWB
development environment with a video streaming reference design.

The AT91CAP9A UWB Evaluation Kit interfaces with a PC running
industry-standard ARM(R) development tools for system development and
debug. This permits parallel hardware/software development that
significantly reduces the development time for the application. When
the system has been fully debugged, the UWB MAC and
application-specific logic are re-mapped into the MP block of a
customized CAP, providing a complete UWB transceiver system based on
a small part count. This low-cost, medium-volume UWB solution is
ideal for wireless medical systems and similar applications.

Michel Le Lan, Atmel's Marketing Director for ASICs, commented,
"Ultra Wideband is an energy-efficient short-range protocol that is
ideal for many industrial and medical applications that operate in
noisy, obstructed environments. Our CAP UWB Development Kit provides
a rapid, low-cost development path for customers who wish to
integrate their own IP together with the UWB MAC in a single
high-performance, low-cost system-on-chip."

About Ultra Wideband

Ultra wideband is a wireless technology for transmitting large
amounts of digital data over medium distances (10 to 50m) using a
wide spectrum of frequency bands with very low power. UWB has the
ability to carry signals through doors and other obstacles that tend
to reflect signals at more limited bandwidths and a higher power.
Ultra wideband broadcasts digital pulses that are timed very
precisely on a carrier signal that simultaneously occupies a number
of frequency channels across a wide spectrum. Transmitter and
receiver must be synchronized to send and receive pulses with
sub-nanosecond accuracy. On any given frequency band that may already
be in use, the UWB signal has less power than the background noise of
other transmission protocols, so interference is minimized.

The UWB protocol is defined, certified and supported by the
WiMedia Alliance, and has been normalized in the ECMA standards
ECMA-368 (High Rate Ultra Wideband PHY and MAC Standard) and ECMA-369
(MAC-PHY Interface for ECMA-368).

Availability and Pricing

The AT91CAP9A UWB Evaluation Kit is available now and priced at
US $8,000.

About Atmel

Atmel is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of
microcontrollers, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory
and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry's
broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is
able to provide the electronics industry with complete system
solutions focused on consumer, industrial, security, communications,
computing and automotive markets.

(C) 2009 Atmel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Atmel(R), Atmel
logo and combinations thereof, and others, are registered trademarks,
CAP(TM) and others are trademarks of Atmel Corporation or its
subsidiaries. ARM is a registered trademark of ARM Ltd. Other terms
and product names may be trademarks of others.

Information:
Atmel's AT91CAP UWB Evaluation Kit product information may be retrieved
at http://www.atmel.com/dyn/products/tools_card.asp?tool_id=4511
For further information on the AT91CAP product family, visit
http://www.atmel.com/products/AT91CAP/
Press Contacts:
Peter Bishop, Communications Manager, Atmel Rousset
Tel: +33-(0)-4-42-53-61-50, Email: peter.bishop@atmel.com
Helen Perlegos, Public Relations
Tel: +1-408-487-2963, Email: helen.perlegos@atmel.com

ots Originaltext: Atmel Corporation
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Contact:
Peter Bishop, Communications Manager of Atmel Rousset,
+33-(0)-4-42-53-61-50, peter.bishop@atmel.com; or Helen Perlegos,
Public Relations of Atmel Corporation, +1-408-487-2963,
helen.perlegos@atmel.com