Chipcon launched the CC1110 System-on-Chip (SoC) solution that includes a sub 1GHz RF multi-channel RF transceiver and a single-cycle 8051 MCU. The CC1110's integrated AES-128 co-processor makes it usefull for wireless payment systems, since strong encryption can be done on the chip itself. This improves security compared to having a separate cryptography unit. Even alarm systems or monitoring systems can make use of cryptographic methods to authenticate the other side of the link so that they are sure they are communicating with a legitimate device.

The device can remotely upgrade firmware in the field, transferring software updates over-the-air for maximum convenience. This is enabled by the in-system programmable flash memory in the CC1110. Other application examples are home automation systems, automatic meter reading, remote controls, remote keyless entry (RKE) and active RFID. Chipcon will demo some of the end user applications at Booth#70622-C at CES. The SoC includes a sub 1GHz RF multi-channel transceiver, 32 kB of self-programmable Flash memory, 4 kB of RAM, a very low-power single-cycle 8051 MCU and many powerful peripheral modules. All of this fits inside a tiny 6 x 6 mm QLP-36 package. The CC1110 is pin- and software compatible with the recently released CC2510 2.4 GHz SoC, making it easy for Chipcon’s customers to offer both 2.4 GHz and <1 GHz products.

It has been designed specifically for battery-powered applications, and includes an power sleep timer that can be used to wake up the chip from power-down mode at user-programmable intervals. It has a voltage supply range of 2.0 to 3.6V, so it can be powered directly from two AA or AAA alkaline cells. The CC1110 MCU is a low-power single-cycle 8051 providing up to 26 MIPS (million instructions per second). In addition, Chipcon has included a 5-channel DMA (direct memory access) controller that can handle data transfers between peripherals and memory without CPU intervention to avoid the traditional weakness of the 8051 core in moving data. A wide set of peripherals has been included: an 8-channel 8-14 bit ADC, an AES-128 crypto co-processor, two UART/SPI interfaces, three 8-bit timers and one 16-bit timer with PWM capabilities. Together, these peripherals allow the CC1110 to perform all functions needed in a data collection or distribution system. The in-system programmable flash memory in the CC1110 means that it is possible to upgrade firmware in the field, even transferring software updates over-the-air for maximum convenience. The AES-128 co-processor can be used to encrypt and authenticate the data so that this vital data is not tampered with or decoded.

The CC1110 is supported by a set of development tools, including the IAR C compiler with full in-system debugging support, an set of libraries and examples, and an upcoming universal packet sniffer that can be configured to support any protocol. The CC1110DK development kit will be available in February. In million quantities the CC1110 will be offered at USD 2.50. Volume production will commence in Q1 2006.