June 5, 2001 - National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE:NSM) today announced its next generation Bluetooth™ solution, a two-chip chipset designed to enable wireless communication between consumer devices such as information appliances, cellular phones, PCs and peripherals. The chipset consists of the LMX5250, a completely integrated Bluetooth radio, and the LMX5100, a baseband/link manager chip with an on-board RISC processor core and Flash ROM. Both are manufactured in 0.25 micron CMOS.
These products, designed in part at National's San Diego development center, are the first products to result from National's February acquisition of Bluetooth leader innoCOMM. National will demonstrate the chipset and other Bluetooth product offerings at the Bluetooth Congress in Monte Carlo June 5 to 8.
"With the introduction of our newest Bluetooth chipset, National Semiconductor is well-positioned to have a complete single chip product by the end of the year. Many industries are seeking low-cost, short-range wireless connectivity to enhance consumer applications. National's off-the-shelf Bluetooth modules offer an ideal solution for companies that want to buy a complete wireless system from a reliable world-class manufacturer," said William Stacy, vice president of National Semiconductor's wireless division. "With National's additional capabilities --- our all-CMOS design, in-house manufacturing and economies of scale --- National's Bluetooth chipset will hit price points that drive the widespread adoption of Bluetooth technologies."
About the LMX5250 and LMX5100
The LMX5250 is a highly-integrated 2.4GHz transceiver that utilizes an advanced radio architecture to support optimized Bluetooth communication, with very few additional components required. Key features include advanced power management and 2V supply voltage for low power consumption, internal radio calibration circuits for minimum production test time, good receive sensitivity for increased range, and serial interface for control and data communication.
Per the Bluetooth specification, the LMX5250 supports Class 2 and 3 transmit power level, making it well-suited for applications such as cellular phones, PDAs, digital cameras and headsets.
The LMX5100 is a highly-flexible RISC-based Bluetooth processor that includes a dedicated Bluetooth 'core' to significantly reduce the MIPS required to implement a Bluetooth node. The LMX5100 has sufficient on-chip Flash memory and SRAM to permit the implementation of a full functionality Bluetooth node without external memory.
The LMX5100 meets the needs of a wide range of Bluetooth applications by offering on-chip support for several Bluetooth HCI transport layer interfaces. Examples include USB, UART, CAN, SPI and Microwire. Additionally, the LMX5100 includes support for PCM linear, (/A Law and CVSD compressed audio.
When used with the LMX5250, the LMX5100 will offer a very low power, small footprint Bluetooth node solution, meeting the needs of the majority of today's Bluetooth applications. The chipset will consume less than half the power of National's first generation Bluetooth product. Both chips are packaged in 48 lead chip-scale packages.
National at the Bluetooth Congress 2001
At the Bluetooth Congress, National will be demonstrating a Bluetooth link based on its new chipset. The LMX5250 and LMX5100 will form a complete Bluetooth node, transferring data wirelessly between two points.
The Bluetooth Congress 2001 in Monte Carlo runs from June 5 to 8 and National's booth is number I11. More information about the conference is available at http://www.thebluelink.com/bluetoothcongress/flash/default.asp.
Pricing and Availability
Samples of the chipset will become available in late June 2001. Mass production should begin by the end of the year. National's second generation chipset can support a $10 bill of materials for a data-centric antenna-to-HCI node in million unit quantities. For more information on the family, visit National's web site at http://www.national.com/appinfo/wireless/bluetooth.html. To view a high-resolution downloadable photo of the chipset and Development Board, visit National's photo gallery at http://www.national.com/company/pressroom/gallery/wireless.html.
About National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor is the premier analog company driving the information age. Combining real-world analog and state-of-the-art digital technology, the company is focused on the fast growing markets for wireless handsets; information appliances; information infrastructure; and display, imaging and human interface technologies. With headquarters in Santa Clara, California, National reported sales of $2.1 billion for its last fiscal year and has about 10,000 employees worldwide. Additional company and product information is available on the World Wide Web at www.national.com.
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