Dialog Semiconductor's latest Bluetooth low power wireless multi-core MCU family

     Dialog Semiconductor Corporation announced the launch of its most advanced and feature-rich wirelessly connected multi-core microcontroller unit (MCU) SmartBond™ DA1469x family of Bluetooth low-power SoCs. The new product family, comprising four models, builds on the success of Dialog's SmartBond™ product line to deliver more processing power, more resources, greater coverage, and longer battery life for a wide range of IoT-connected consumer applications.

     The DA1469x product family is designed to help device manufacturers leverage Dialog's proven SmartBond™ technology to expand the range of applications they can create. The three integrated cores in the product family were selected for their superior sensing, processing, and interdevice communication capabilities.

     To deliver the device's processing power, the DA1469x is the first series of production wireless microcontrollers to feature a dedicated application processor based on the ARM Cortex-M33 processor. The M33 provides more processing power for compute-intensive applications such as high-end fitness trackers, advanced smart home devices and virtual reality game controllers.

     The DA1469x family provides developers with advanced connectivity capabilities that meet the needs of multiple applications and make it future-proof. Its new integrated radio offers twice the coverage of its predecessor, combined with a software-programmable packet engine based on ARM Cortex-M0+, deploys protocols and provides full flexibility for wireless communications.

     In terms of connectivity, an emerging application is for manufacturers to achieve precise positioning through the Angle of Arrival and Angle of Departure features in the newly launched Bluetooth 5.1 standard. With world-class radio front-end performance and a configurable protocol engine, the new version of the DA1469x meets this standard, opening up new opportunities for devices that require accurate indoor positioning, such as building access control and remote keyless unlocking systems.

     To enhance the sensing capabilities of the DA1469x series, the M33 application processor and the M0+ protocol engine are equipped with a Sensor Node Controller (SNC), which is based on a programmable micro-DSP that operates autonomously and independently processes data from sensors connected to its digital and analog interfaces, waking up the application processor only when needed. In addition to this energy-saving feature, its state-of-the-art power management Unit (PMU) provides the best power management in the industry by controlling different processing cores and activating them only when needed.

     Developers can take advantage of the DA1469x family of comprehensive computing power and features. Offering up to 144 DMIPS, 512 kBytes of RAM, memory protection, floating point unit, dedicated encryption engine, and more, the SoC family provides end-to-end security and scalable memory, ensuring that the chipset family can be used for a wide range of advanced smart device applications, and supports a range of key value-added interfaces to further expand functionality.

     The PMU also provides 3 regulated power rails and 1 LDO output to power external system components without the need for an additional power management IC (PMIC). In addition, the DA1469x product family is equipped with a range of key value-added interfaces, including display drivers, audio interfaces, USB, high-precision ADCs, haptic control drivers capable of driving ERM and LRA motors, and programmable stepper motor controllers.

     Sean McGrath, senior vice president and general manager of the Connected Technologies Business Unit at Dialog Semiconductor, said: "Today's consumer demand for connected devices continues to increase with each new product cycle. Our SmartBond™ wireless microcontrollers are recognized in the market for not only meeting the needs of today's users, but also anticipating the direction of the market and providing our customers with growth opportunities in their next product cycle. The DA1469x series doubles the processing power, quadruples the available resources and doubles the battery life compared to previous products, making it one of the most advanced and feature-rich Bluetooth products we have developed to date."