Ramtron Announces New Wireless Memory Development Kit

MaxReader demonstrates dramatic write speed capabilities for RF-enabled system designs

Ramtron International Corporation (RMTR), the leading developer and supplier of nonvolatile ferroelectric random access memory (F-RAM) and integrated semiconductor products, today announced availability of its MaxReader Development Kit. Designed by Ramtron, the MaxReader Development Kit is a complete system for engineers to quickly evaluate, thoroughly test, and rapidly prototype Ramtron’s MaxArias™ wireless memory for a broad range of RF-enabled applications.

The MaxReader Development Kit features Ramtron’s MaxArias WM72016 16-Kilobit wireless F-RAM memory on a small-footprint, EPC Gen2 radio frequency reader board (interrogator) along with wireless memory transponders (also available separately) and other hardware to enable engineers to fully test and develop designs using the robust features of the MaxArias wireless memory. The kit offers a graphical user interface (GUI) and command line interface for ease-of-use as well as step-by-step, out-of-box application information and documentation to accelerate evaluation and prototyping.

“Ramtron’s MaxReader Development Kit offers an affordable and compact 1-watt Gen2 reader design that demonstrates the unique performance characteristics of our MaxArias wireless memory,” states Duncan Bennett, Ramtron wireless memory product manager. “The kit is a compelling demonstration vehicle and development platform that allows the wireless capture, transmission, and storage of data — up to six times faster than comparable EEPROM devices. In addition, MaxArias wireless F-RAM memory products, like the WM72016 included with the kit, are capable of capturing large block writes — up to 127 words— without loss of data integrity or compromising read/write speed and distance.”

MaxArias Wireless Memory Solutions: Increasing the Speed of Write

The Ramtron WM72016 wireless memory excels in applications that require swift transaction of data-rich information over a low power, wireless RF connection. By dramatically reducing the time to write data, Ramtron MaxArias products enable innovative wireless applications. From consumable product authentication and passive wireless data logging, to increasing manufacturing throughput and enabling wireless in-field firmware updates, Ramtron MaxArias wireless memory offers customers cost-saving and efficiency-driven performance. Applications that can directly benefit from Ramtron wireless products include smart utility metering, medical devices, manufacturing, inventory management systems, and maintenance/repair/operations (MRO). Unlike mainstream RFID tags that offer limited memory and exhibit inherently low performance, Ramtron MaxArias wireless memory offers expanded memory as well as fast data storage and retrieval enabled by proven, high-performance, nonvolatile F-RAM memory technology. MaxArias devices are also gamma radiation tolerant, immune to magnetic fields, and conform to the EPCglobal Class-1 Generation-2 UHF air interface protocol.

MaxReader Pricing and Availability

Offered at a suggested resale price of $399 USD, the MaxReader Development Kit (MAXREADERKIT) is available for purchase from Digi-Key at www.digikey.com and Mouser Electronics at www.mouser.com. The kit is offered in five regionally tuned frequency bands: North America (-NA), China (-CN), Taiwan (-TWN), Japan (-JPN), or Europe (-EUR). In addition, the WM72016-based wireless memory transponder board (WM72016-6-EVAL-915-ANT) is available as a standalone product from Mouser and Digi-Key for a suggested resale of $25 USD.

For more information about MaxArias wireless memory and the MaxReader Development Kit, visit www.ramtron.com/go/maxarias. For a 300-dpi product photo of the Development Kit, visit www.ramtron.com/press-center/image-bank.aspx (see MaxArias Wireless Memory).

About Ramtron

Ramtron International Corporation, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is a fabless semiconductor company that designs, develops and markets specialized semiconductor memory and integrated semiconductor solutions used in a wide range of product applications and markets worldwide. For more information, visit www.ramtron.com.

MaxArias name and logo are trademarks of Ramtron International Corporation.

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Ramtron International Corporation
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Christopher Wray, 719-481-7182
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Lee A. Brown, 719-481-7213
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