Nordic Semiconductor has released flash-less one-time-programmable versions of its nRF24LE1 and nRF24LU1 2.4GHz wireless microcontrollers.
Called nRF24LE1 OTP and nRF24LU1 OTP, "they target the most fiercely price sensitive consumer segments of the ultra-low power wireless market that do not require the flash memory," said Nordic. In particular: entry-level wireless PC mice and keyboards, remote controls and toys.
"Products in these sectors are currently restricted to cheap 27MHz transceivers," said Nordic.
Alongside peripherals and interfaces on-chip is the firm's nRF24L01 radio transceiver core, an enhanced 8051 controller, 16kbyte program OTP, 1kbyte data OTP, oscillators, and hardware AES security.
An integrated charge pump allows the OTP to be written by the 8051 to emulate non-volatile memory, for example during battery changes.
Consumption of the LE1 while transmitting at 0dBm is 11.1mA, and peak receive current at 2Mbit/s is 13.3mA. "Average current is in the microampere range," claimed Nordic.
The LE1 has 1kbyte of SRAM and interfaces include SPI, 2-wire, UART, 12-bit ADC, PWM and an analogue comparator.
Packages are QFN: 4x4mm 24pin with 7 I/O pins, 5x5mm 32pin with 15 I/O pins, and 7x7mm 48pin with 29 I/O pins.
The LU1 has a USB 2.0 controller, 2kByte of SRAM, and a voltage regulator that allows the chip to be powered from the USB bus. Packages are similar.