February 25, 2002 - National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE:NSM), powering best-in-class technology, packaging and performance for next-generation thermal management products, today announced three new analog products that maximize processor performance in notebook computers, PC desktops, workstations and servers, as well as other CPU-based systems such as Thin Clients, PDAs and WebPAD™ devices. Offering increased accuracy, system reliability, small package size, and the ability for customization, these new temperature sensors will be on display at the Intel Developer Forum this week in booth #414 at Moscone Center in San Franciso.
"With its large offering of individual solutions, National Semiconductor has one of the industry's broadest portfolios of analog and digital temperature sensors, remote diode temperature sensors and systems hardware monitoring products," said Zaryab Hamavand, marketing manager for National's thermal solutions products. "As a leader in temperature sensor innovation, National continues to drive the market by developing products with the highest accuracy, lowest power and smallest packaging in the industry."
LM86
National's LM86 is the industry's first sub-1 degree Celsius accuracy remote diode temperature sensor, providing +/- 0.75 degrees Celsius total unadjusted accuracy. The LM86 enables system designers to minimize thermal guard bands, achieving maximum processor speeds while minimizing fan acoustical noise and extending battery life in notebook computers. The remote diode temperature sensor is capable of sensing the temperature of a diode integrated in a processor, such as a Pentium, or a diode-connected 2N3904 transistor. The LM86 also features an internal local temperature sensor with comparator outputs for T-Crit activation and alert response.
The LM86 provides an offset register that allows the system designer to adjust the thermal measurements to account for different processor non-idealities factors. This product also has a digital filter to reduce the noise in the thermal measurements of integrated diodes. This feature provides a firmware solution for spike smoothing offloading the BIOS software. National's LM86 enables system designers to develop one thermal solution for multiple systems, thereby reducing time to market.
LM85
National's LM85 is a next-generation system hardware monitoring product. It provides a local and two remote diode temperature sensors to allow thermal measurements of three locations. The LM85 can monitor one CPU, its own mounting location, plus one other location, such as HDD, DVD, or graphics chips. These sensors have +/-3 degrees Celsius total unadjusted accuracy. National's LM85 also monitors five voltages and four tachometer inputs. It also drives three programmable linear PWM outputs for autonomous fan speed control based on the temperature measurements.
The LM85 provides system designers the flexibility to establish zone control on the motherboard through multiple temperature measurement inputs and PWM outputs, driving optimal thermal system designs and reducing acoustical fan noise. This product also incorporates a programmable digital filter to reduce the noise in thermal measurement of integrated diodes. The LM85 provides system design flexibility, enabling maximum motherboard performance and reliability.
LM90
National's LM90 is a local and remote diode temperature sensor. It has +/-3 degrees Celsius accuracy. The LM90 features an offset register and a smoothing filter, as well as T-Crit activation and alert output. Additionally, the LM90 will reduce the thermal management cost on low-end notebook and desktop computers by 30%.
Pricing and Availability
The LM85 is available now in QSOP-24 packaging and is priced at $3.60. The LM86 is available in 8-pin MSOP and SOIC packaging and is priced at $1.99. The LM90 is available in 8-pin MSOP packaging and is priced at $1.20. All three product prices are for 1000-unit quantities. More information on these products is available at http://www.national.com/pf/LM/LM85.html, http://www.national.com/pf/LM/LM86.html and http://www.national.com/pf/LM/LM90.html. For more information on National's temperature sensor products, visit http://www.national.com/appinfo/tempsensors/. To view a high-resolution downloadable photo of these products, visit National's photo gallery at http://www.national.com/company/pressroom/gallery/temp.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; displays; information appliances; and information infrastructure. With headquarters in Santa Clara, California, National reported sales of $2.1 billion for its last fiscal year and has about 9,800 employees worldwide. Additional company and product information is available on the World Wide Web at www.national.com.
