Low-power Bluetooth smart platform setting new industry standard

Atmel has unveiled an ultra low-power Bluetooth Smart solution achieving sub-1µA in standby mode, while delivering the industry’s best dynamic power consumption, increasing battery life by as much as one year for certain applications. According to recent studies, the IoT market is set for explosive growth with 69 percent of U.S. consumers planning to buy network-connected technology for their homes by 2019. With billions of devices expected in the IoT and wearables markets, designers of all levels require a very low-power platform that allows them to develop smart, connected devices in space-constrained applications. The BTLC1000 pushes the limits of space constrained areas with its unprecedented 2.1mm x 2.1mm Wafer Level Chipscale Package (WLCSP) making it ideal for the rapidly growing IoT and wearables markets, including portable medical, activity trackers, human Interface devices, gaming controllers, beacons and much more. Expanding the Atmel SmartConnect wireless portfolio, the BTLC1000 is a Bluetooth Smart link controller integrated circuit that connects as a companion to any Atmel AVR or Atmel | SMART MCU through a UART or SPI API requiring minimal resource on the host side. The standalone Atmel | SMART SAM B01 Bluetooth Smart Flash MCU leverages the embedded ARM Cortex M0 core combined with the integrated analog and communication peripherals to implement application-specific functionalities and is available as a system-in-package or a certified module. Both devices are fully integrated with a self-contained Bluetooth Smart controller and stack enabling wireless connectivity for a variety of applications to be quickly implemented without the wireless expertise typically required, says the company. “One of the primary challenges of the IoT market is system integration - connecting one or multiple devices to the gateway and cloud,” said Reza Kazerounian, senior vice president and general manager, Microcontroller Business Unit, Atmel. “Atmel’s new Bluetooth Smart solutions solve these integration issues by enabling IoT designers of all levels the ability to connect their devices to the gateway and cloud with an easy-to-use, low-power Bluetooth connectivity solution. We are excited to enable more designers to bring their connected devices to the IoT market without comprising design time.” Bluetooth Smart devices are a new breed of Bluetooth 4.1 peripherals with only a single Bluetooth 4.1 radio connecting only to Bluetooth Smart Ready devices. Bluetooth Smart is the intelligent, power-friendly version of Bluetooth wireless technology that works with an application on the smartphone or tablet you already own. The cost-effective Bluetooth Smart technology can easily give developers and OEMs the flexibility to create solutions that will work with the billions of Bluetooth-enabled products already in the market today, and is supported by every major operating system. The technology brings every day devices such as toothbrushes, heart-rate monitors, fitness devices and more to be connected, communicating through applications that reside in Bluetooth Smart compatible smartphones, tablets or other similar devices already owned by consumers, says the company.