Broadcom Introduces WICED Sense Bluetooth Low Energy Development Kit

Broadcom has recently announced a new development board for IoT applications using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) called WICED Sense. The kit consists of a “sense tag” powered by the company’s BCM20737S Bluetooth SIP Module with five micro-electromechanical sensors (MEMS), and Bluetooth 4.1 compatible WICED SMART software stack. The key features of WICED Sense devkit are as follows: Broadcom BCM20737 Bluetooth Smart system in package (SiP) module Five low-power MEMS sensors by ST Micro (part of the module): Gyroscope (L3GD20) Accelerometer (LIS3DSH) eCompass (LSM303D) Pressure sensor (LPS25H) Humidity Temperature sensor (HTS221) Bluetooth Smart connection covers distance of roughly 30 meters. USB – 1x micro USB connector to update applications Encryption, decryption, certificate signing, verification and various algorithms for increased privacy Secure Over-the-air (OTA) download capability to enable firmware updates from central device including smartphone, tablet and computers Misc – iBeacon, NFC, Wireless charging (Rezence A4WP) support. Power – Coin-cell battery The […]

AW4P’s Rezence Specifications Now Support Wireless Charging for Laptops up to 50W

At the end of last year I wrote about Rezence, one of the existing wireless charging standards using magnetic resonance, which does not require end-users to perfectly align their mobile devices to charge them properly. At the time, specifications to charge feature phones and smartphone were already available, but the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) was also working on defining the requirements to charge laptops wirelessly. Work is now mostly complete, and A4WP has announced specifications supporting 50W wireless charging capable of charging your laptop, smartphones, and tablets simultaneously by simply placing the device on or close to a charging surface, without having to performance any specific alignment. The organization expects publication and upgrade to the existing Baseline System Specification and certification program by the end of 2014, and they’ve also announced over 100 companies have already joined A4WP including silicon vendors such as Broadcom, Mediatek Intel and Qualcomm, as well as devices manufacturers such as Dell, Fujitsu, Foxconn, Lenovo, Logitech and […]

Rezence Wireless Charging Standard Gets Rid off Charging Pads, Leverages Bluetooth 4.0 LE

I’ve just found out via my twitter feed that Nordic Semiconductor had announced the availability of the Bluetooth LE-based S120 8-link central protocol stack and nRF51 Wireless Charging SDK for wireless charging applications based on a new wireless charging standard called Rezence. The Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) gave their wireless power technology the name Rezence a couple of weeks ago. Rezence uses magnetic resonance, instead of inductance used in first generation products, and bring several key improvements: Greater charging range – Your device does not need to be placed on a charging pad, but it can be placed anywhere within range (I could not find data yet). Multiple device charging – Ability to charge multiple devices with different power requirements at the same time, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and Bluetooth headsets. Up to 8 devices with Nordic Semi solutions mentioned in the introduction. Ready for the real world […]

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