Texas Instruments' proven Bluetooth(R) solution now enables new product designs on MSP430(TM) microcontrollers

Integrated Bluetooth capabilities marry MSP430 MCU to bring customers easier integration with embedded wireless applications

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Texas Instruments

Apr 28, 2010, 11:49 ET

SAN JOSE, Calif., April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- EMBEDDED SYSTEMS CONFERENCE -- Furthering its efforts to enable wireless connectivity technologies in portable designs, Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN), today announced it has coupled its seventh-generation Bluetooth® offering, the CC2560, with an embedded Bluetooth stack running on TI's ultra-low power MSP430™ microcontroller (MCU). Two development kits, the EZ430-RF2560 development tool and PAN1315 evaluation module (EMK), are immediately available to new and existing customers for evaluations and upgrades. These development kits accelerate customers' Bluetooth integration process from months to weeks, reduce design barriers associated with RF implementations, and place fully functional Bluetooth technology in customers' hands within minutes of unpacking the development kits. More information can be found at: http://www.ti.com/MSP430CC2560-pr.

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Designers today rely on the easy-to-use, ultra-low power MSP430 MCU to simultaneously interface to analog signals, sensors and digital components in a wide range of portable devices. Customers trust the CC2560 Bluetooth solution to provide best-in-class RF performance, running on the MCU, the unique flexibility to add future Bluetooth profiles as they emerge. Together, these technologies spark out-of-the-box Bluetooth applications in markets like medical, industrial, consumer electronics using the following kits:


Tool name	Description	Features and benefits
EZ430-RF2560 software development tool	Low cost, bundled TI Bluetooth evaluation and software development tool for MSP430 and CC2560 solutions wraps all hardware and software into a convenient USB stick	-- Helps customers evaluate and test designs in early development phases to estimate total R&D investment -- Proven Bluetooth silicon technology reduces customer product risk -- Full hardware and software solution, pre-tested with Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR support -- MindTree's pre-embedded Bluetooth stack with SPP profile for MSP430BT5x family
PAN1315 EMK	Production-ready, highly advanced software development tool helps customers design new applications with the MSP430F5438 Experimenter board using Panasonic's CC2560-based Bluetooth module	Fuller development environment includes above-listed EZ430-RF2560 features. In addition, the module: -- Couples Panasonic's HCI-based module with MSP430 MCU for more advanced designs -- Removes RF complexity to speed design cycles and reduce customer risks -- Enables advanced designs with more intelligent peripheral sets -- Eases customer-specific application integration, allows addition of Bluetooth technology with minimal effort due to MCU software foundation -- Comes with full community support for faster debugging and development cycles

"We are excited to offer a customized Bluetooth solution for thousands of MSP430 customers that are looking to integrate connectivity technology in hundreds of new and existing embedded device markets," said Doug Wilson, general manager of TI's emerging connectivity solutions business. "The EZ430-RF2560 and PAN1315 EMK tools open the doors to a simplified development process and help customers easily add Bluetooth functionality to next-generation MSP430-based designs."

Leveraging partnerships for continued market support

As with other TI-based projects, customers working with these new kits are granted full access to TI's growing partner community. For example, Panasonic provides the Bluetooth connectivity module that includes the CC2560 solution. "We are pleased to work with TI to deliver a powerful, highly flexible, cost-effective module to help push Bluetooth capabilities into new markets," said Richard Trueman, RF Product Manager, Panasonic. "The PAN1315 is the newest addition to Panasonic's ever-broadening line of RF modules. It makes connectivity between mobile devices – including cellular phones and small-button cell powered devices like sensors, watches, healthcare, entertainment and mobile accessories – to be easily implemented, creating a seamless data chain from sensors to the Web."

MindTree provides its free Bluetooth software stack and SPP profile integrated in the MSP430 MCU. "This pre-integration of MindTree's Bluetooth IP with TI's products expands our already existing, multifaceted relationship with TI, and marks another milestone in our global Bluetooth technology leadership," said Vinod P. Deshmukh, President and CEO, R&D services, MindTree. "MindTree's solutions are used in a variety of markets including headsets, handsets and automotive infotainment platforms, and today's advancement will broaden that reach. We look forward to continued collaboration in introducing TI and MindTree's Bluetooth technology to new customers."

Availability

The EZ430-RF2560 development tool and PAN1315 EMK are available today for $99. These tools, along with the MSP430F5438 experimenter board, can be ordered at www.ti.com/MSP430CC2560-estore-pr.

Find out more about the EZ430-RF2560 development tool and PAN1315 EMK:

MSP430 home: www.ti.com/MSP430CC2560-pr
EZ430-RF2560 tool: www.ti.com/ez430-rf2560-pr
PAN1315 EMK tool: www.ti.com/pan1315emk-pr
PAN1315 module from Panasonic: www.panasonic.com/rfmodules
Connectivity Wiki: www.ti.com/connectivitywikiCC2560pr
TI E2E community for MSP430: www.ti.com/MSP430CC2560-community

About Texas Instruments

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