TI unveils SimpleLink family of wireless processors

Devices ease integration with any embedded system.

-- Test & Measurement World, 1/30/2012 7:00:00 AM

Intended to simplify wireless design, the SimpleLink line of connectivity devices from Texas Instruments offers solutions for multiple wireless technologies, including WiFi, ZigBee, 6LoWPAN, and ANT. These wireless network processors include self-contained software stacks and require little to no RF expertise.

The SimpleLink Wi-Fi CC3000, an RF-certified IEEE 802.11 network processor, allows developers to quickly add Internet connectivity to any embedded application. It consumes only 0.5% of resources, compared to conventional W-Fi, with an ultralow memory footprint-as low as 6 kbytes of flash memory and 3 kbytes of RAM. What's more, the CC3000 runs on any low-cost microcontroller without the need for an operating system.

Other SimpleLink devices include the ZigBee CC2530ZNP network processor, with an integrated ZigBee PRO software stack, and the 6LoWPAN CC1180 sub-1-GHz RF network processor, preloaded with Sensinode's 6LoWPAN NanoBoot boot-loader for easy software downloading of the 6LoWPAN stack (NanoStack 2.0 Lite). With the majority of the ANT wireless protocol built in, the SimpleLink ANT CC2570 (one-channel) and CC2571 (eight-channel) network processors keep host microcontroller memory requirements low.

SimpleLink Wi-Fi CC3000 modules are sampling now and released to production. A CC3000 evaluation kit, based on TI's MSP430 FRAM microcontroller, is available through authorized distributors for $199. The ZigBee, 6LoWPAN, and ANT devices are all available.

Texas Instruments, www.ti.com/ww/en/simplelink