Microchip announces the expansion of its RF Products Division wireless portfolio with the new MRF49XA Sub-GHz transceiver radio. The MRF49XA covers the 434/868/915MHz unlicensed Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) Radio Frequency (RF) band, which is ideal for low data-rate, low-power embedded wireless applications. By retaining compatibility with its existing suite of development tools, Microchip makes it easy to integrate this new Sub-GHz transceiver with any 8-, 16- or 32-bit PIC microcontroller, enabling cost-effective designs for a wide range of, bi-directional, short-range wireless applications, such as remote controls, remote meter reading and home security/alarms.
The new MRF49XA transceiver is a great addition to Microchips current rfPIC family of sub-GHz solutions and expands its overall wireless portfolio beyond the 2.4GHz IEEE802.15.4/ZigBee products. The MRF49XA transceiver radio is available on a PICtail/PICtail Plus daughter board for easy integration with the 8-bit PIC18 Explorer and 16/32-bit Explorer 16 modular microcontroller development boards. The 434MHz Daughter Board (part number AC164137-1, $39.99 for a two-pack) and 868/915MHz Daughter Board (part number AC164137-2, $39.99 for a two-pack) are both available today at www.microchipDIRECT.com.
Microchips full suite of world-class development tools further enables easy integration of the MRF49XA transceiver radio with more than 550 PIC microcontrollers. Available tools include the free MPLAB IDE integrated development environment, the MPLAB REAL ICE emulation system, the MPLAB ICD 3 in-circuit debugger, the PICkit 3 low-cost debugger/programmer and Microchips free C compilers. For additional information visit Microchips online Wireless Design Centre at www.microchip.com/Wireless.