Unigen Introduces Industry's Smallest Footprint Wireless Modules Built Around Cypress's 2.4-GHz WirelessUSB™ LP Radio System-On-A-Chip

Business Wire, Oct 26, 2006

New LETO Series Modules Are Pre-Certified to Deliver Drop-In Wireless Connectivity to a Wide-Range of Applications

SAN JOSE, Calif. & FREMONT, Calif. -- Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE:CY) and Unigen Corp. today announced a new family of wireless modules based on Cypress's 2.4-GHz WirelessUSB[TM] LP radio system-on-a-chip. Unigen's new LETO family offers the smallest module footprint in the industry at 25 mm x 16.5 mm x 4.4 mm. The LETO modules are agency pre-certified to speed time-to-market and eliminate the need for costly RF design resources. The LETO family includes solutions that target a wide-range of applications in the home automation, medical, industrial, and consumer markets.

The entire LETO product family meets all necessary Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) compliance in addition to Industry Canada (IC) certification. The modules come with Modular Approval (MA) to ease the RF compliance burden that many OEMs would otherwise face. The high-performance LETO family features ranges up to 1000 meters, DSSS data rates up to 250 kbps, GFSK (Gaussian Frequency Shift Keying) data rate of 1 Mbps, and power consumption as low as 21 mA (typical).

"The new LETO Series Modules are designed to fulfill an increasing range of applications precipitated by an unprecedented growth of the WirelessUSB LP technology," said Mark Morrissey, director of Business Development for Unigen. "Unigen has produced over a million WirelessUSB LS/LR and PSoC[R] modules for our customers and we have recognized WirelessUSB RF module expertise." Unigen started building modules based on Cypress's WirelessUSB LP (CYRF6936) chip 8 months ago and has tested and shipped over 100,000.

"Unigen's LETO family of modules featuring our CYRF6936 WirelessUSB LP product easily enables endless applications with robust Cypress RF technology," said Marcus Kramer, director of Cypress's Human Interface Devices (HID) Business Unit. "Unigen has been on the forefront of wireless module technology with Cypress and their ongoing success is a testament to both Cypress's RF technology and Unigen's know-how in module design and support."

Members of the new LETO family of wireless module solutions include:

* LETO-M - Designed specifically with size and performance in mind, its 0.98" x 0.65" x 0.175" (25 mm x 16.5 mm x 4.4 mm) footprint makes it ideal for space-limited applications. It requires only 21 mA (nominal) operating current, thus surpassing all WirelessUSB modules available today. The LETO-M features DSSS data rates up to 250 kbps, or 1 mbps with GFSK modulation when power consumption is critical.

* LETO-MBP - This reference design with Cypress comes complete with a development kit to provide a quick path from design to implementation. The LETO-MBP has the ability to operate without its USB power source, powering the MCU via an external battery cell.

* LETO-USB - Designed for HID USB applications, the LETO-USB is optionally available with a PA (LETO-USB-PA) that increases the transmission range of a USB wireless dongle to greater than 1000 feet. LETO-USB is available with an optional esthetically-pleasing plastic package and comes with complete product certification.

"In addition to the LETO modules we currently have available, we will soon be releasing the LETO-LPA, which pushes the technology envelope in WirelessUSB to a new level with the ability to transmit data up to 1000 meters with FSK bit error rates," said Morrissey. "We have also scheduled the release of LETO-WHP, specifically designed for the smart appliance market. Currently, we have provided samples for a major appliance manufacturer, and we plan to do a complete rollout of this module after the customer puts it through rigorous testing."

All modules in the LETO family use Cypress's award-winning WirelessUSB LP. Operating in the universal 2.4-GHz Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band, WirelessUSB LP eliminates the need to change the operating frequency band for different end markets. Additionally, WirelessUSB LP features direct sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) technology, which provides the industry's most robust immunity to interference from other technologies like 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, cordless phones and microwave ovens. The modules feature a data transmission rate of up to 1 Mbps with an average latency of below 2 milliseconds.

Availability

All LETO wireless modules are currently available, with pricing starting at $5.50 per unit in 1,000 unit quantities for the LETO-M. Visit www.cypress.com/unigenLPmodule to download a high-resolution photo of a LETO wireless module.

About WirelessUSB

WirelessUSB delivers the best combination of performance and cost versus competing wireless technologies. Featuring a highly integrated radio transceiver plus digital baseband on a single chip, it enables designers to significantly decrease development time, component count and system cost while improving operating range, power-consumption and latency. The DSSS-based technology is robust to interference and features a range of up to 50 meters and beyond.