NaviGadget

Atmel and u-blox Introduce Single-Chip GPS Receiver IC with Lowest Power Consumption

Feb 14, 2006 gps navigation, misc news

Atmel Corporation, a global leader in the development and fabrication of advanced semiconductor solutions, and u-blox AG, a leading provider of innovative GPS receiver technology, announced today the availability of their latest GPS technology and product generation, ANTARIS® 4, in an ultra-small form factor. The new single-chip ATR0630 measures just 7 x 10 mm and integrates a complete ANTARIS 4 GPS receiver, including ROM-based software in a 96-pin BGA package. The small size plus the extremely low power consumption (62 mW) make the ROM-based ATR0630 an excellent fit for handheld and mobile applications such as mobile phones, PDAs, smartphones, aftermarket navigational products and recreational consumer products. Other products such as GPS “plug-in” accessories for PCs, small GPS mice, Bluetooth GPS devices and other accessories equipped with GPS functionality will also enjoy the single chip’s advantages in terms of small size, reduced power need and built-in features such as the ANTARIS 4 USB port.

The 96-pin, ball grid array single chip has an excellent cost-performance ratio.The single chip also brings benefits such as simplified chipset integration and a shorter bill of materials to accelerate the development of ANTARIS 4-based products and lower design risks. Lower PCB costs are achieved thanks to not only the reduction in size and simplification of the board layout but also by reducing costs in purchasing, stocking and mounting as a result of the low number of components. Additionally, integration improves reliability by minimizing the potential number of faulty solder points. Like all ANTARIS 4 chipsets, the ATR0630 supports serial EEPROM memory, which is a cost- and space-efficient alternative to parallel Flash memories for storage of custom configuration settings. The on-chip USB connectivity eliminates the need for an expensive serial-to-RS232 or serial-to-USB converter and makes ANTARIS 4-based products plug-and-play compatible in any PC environment by emulating a standard COM port to the operating system… (visit the site here for a close up of the chip which actually looks like a piece of foam sitting on top of a highly polished expensive car)