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32-bit FT930, a streamlined version of the FT900, which fits the same performance into a 40% smaller 56-pin package. It’s also gained a new hard coded USB engine, similar to FTDI’s USB bridge devices. At Electronica, the FT930 was demonstrated bridging between USB and four SPI peripherals (actually, four EVE-powered displays) simultaneously.
FTDI Chip has spun out a new company which is taking over its HMI and MCU divisions.
Founder. “Rather than being spread across a large scope of activities and thus too diluted to be truly effective, the separate entities of FTDI and Bridgetek will be able to attend to their respective markets and bring real value to customers situated there. It represents the next phase in the progression of both these pioneering technologies.” Headquartered in Singapore with
offices around the world, the product lines BridgeTek will inherit from FTDI include its human-machine interface (HMI) products and microcontroller (MCU) ranges. This includes the display graphics
controller IC ranges EVE and CleO. EVE (embedded video engine) allows designers to add high quality, full colour touch controlled displays with audio support to almost any microcontroller via SPI or USB. CleO is a more advanced version of EVE with support for larger displays and more types of interface. The HMI division also includes the smart home platform PanL. Also now available from BridgeTek
are its SuperBridge MCUs which are optimised for high speed interface bridging tasks. In Q1 2017, the company is set to launch the 100MHz
January 2017
New Bluetooth standard promises extended range, faster speeds A new version of the Bluetooth standard, version 5.0, has been ratified, with a raft of new features. The range of Bluetooth 5.0 has been quadrupled to around 120 metres, compared to the previous range of about 30 metres, with the aim of spanning whole homes and buildings. The speed of data transmission has also been doubled to 2 Mbit/s, increasing the performance of the standard to keep up with today’s high tech mobile devices. However, it’s important to note that these features can’t be used simultaneously – either the maximum range or the maximum speed can be used, or somewhere in the middle. Other features in the new version include increased broadcast message capacity, aimed at applications using the protocol in beacon applications. Beacons are small Bluetooth low energy enabled devices which broadcast information to specific apps on the smartphones of users passing by. Since the beacons are fixed in certain locations, the information broadcast is generally information about that location, such as indoor navigation data, or advertising about special offers in a retail environment. Increasing beacons’ message size to around 256 bytes (from around 30 bytes) means each broadcast can be large enough to contain an entire URL; previously an identifier linked to that URL had to be sent instead. The only thing missing is the much discussed mesh networking
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capability that would allow Bluetooth devices to expand networks beyond just point to point links. Mesh capability could allow networks of devices covering (say) a whole home, transmitting data from one end of the network to the other using other devices as intermediaries. This would dramatically extend Bluetooth’s physical range. Several vendors already have their own version of Bluetooth meshes (for example, CSR Mesh) but this capability is yet to be incorporated into the formal specification. This is reportedly due to happen this summer. Today’s Bluetooth specification
looks nothing like the classic Bluetooth of a few years ago – first they added low power operation, and now extended range and all the other features. There are so many flavours for Bluetooth connections now, it’s almost as though the Bluetooth SIG wants to take on as many wireless standards as possible, all at the same time. For example, the combination of low power operation, long range and mesh capability would put it squarely in competition with wireless home automation standards like ZigBee. Bluetooth’s one key advantage
over almost all other protocols is that it is already adopted in smartphones, pretty much without exception. As smartphones are now ubiquitous, they can act as a familiar user interface for setting up or controlling the Bluetooth device, or even as a gateway for the Bluetooth device to access the internet. Bluetooth supporters argue that the changes are intended to target the plethora of emerging applications in the internet of things, which will be more varied in nature than ever before.
To view more industry news, Mouser’s latest products and industry blogs from the experts, visit
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