MRF49XA Radio is Ideal for Bi-Directional, Short-Range Wireless Applications;Provides Cost-Effective, Easy Integration with PIC Microcontrollers

Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP), a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors, today announced from the Sensors Expo in Chicago the expansion of its RF Products Division wireless portfolio with the new MRF49XA Sub-GHz transceiver radio. The MRF49XA covers the 434/868/915 MHz 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 our current rfPIC family of sub-GHz solutions, and expands our overall wireless portfolio beyond 2.4GHz IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee products," said Steve Caldwell, director of Microchip's RF Products Division.

Development Tools

The MRF49XA transceiver radio is available on a PICtail^TM/PICtail Plus daughter board for easy integration with the 8-bit PIC18 Explorer and 16/32-bit Explorer 16 modular microcontroller development boards. The 434 MHz Daughter Board (part # AC164137-1, $39.99 for a two-pack) and 868/915 MHz Daughter Board (part # AC164137-2, $39.99 for a two-pack) are both available today at https://www.microchipDIRECT.com.

Microchip's 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^TM emulation system, the MPLAB ICD 3 in-circuit debugger, the PICkit^TM 3 low-cost debugger/programmer and Microchip's free C compilers.

Availability and Pricing

Samples are available now in 16-pin TSSOP packaging, and the MRF49XA Sub-GHz transceiver radio is expected to be available for volume production next month. Pricing starts at $1.63 each in 10,000-unit quantities.

For additional information, contact any Microchip sales representative or authorized worldwide distributor, or visit Microchip's online Wireless Design Center at https://www.microchip.com/Wireless.

Microchip Customer Support

Microchip is committed to supporting its customers by helping design engineers develop products faster and more efficiently. Customers can access four main service areas at https://www.microchip.com. The Support area provides a fast way to get questions answered; the Sample area offers evaluation samples of any Microchip device; microchipDIRECT provides 24-hour pricing, ordering, inventory and credit for convenient purchasing of all Microchip devices and development tools; finally, the Training area educates customers through webinars, sign-ups for local seminar and workshop courses, and information about the annual MASTERs events held throughout the world.