Atmel's UHF IDIC Demo Kit Supports Long-Range RFID Applications

Heilbronn, Germany -- Atmel announced the availability of the new UHF RFID long-range demo kit for the evaluation of its TAGIDU IDIC ATA5590. The demo kit supports a range of applications including (intelligent) logistics, supply chain management, anti-counterfeiting, medical, and more.

The new demo kit allows operating distances of up to 12 meters, enabled by the asynchronous low-power design architecture and the PSK-modulation feature in the return link (backscatter). This makes it suitable for logistics applications especially where metal containers or canisters filled with liquid need to be tagged. The demo kit consists of various labels and tags using the TAGIDU IDIC ATA5590 plus deister electronic GmbH's UDL 500, a long-distance UHF reader with two integrated antennas.

Two versions of the demo kit are available: an FCC-approved version for the US with an operating frequency of 915 MHz and an output power of 4W EIRP, and an ETSI version for use in Europe which has 2W ERP at 868 MHz.

The TAGIDU IC ATA5590 is designed for intelligent passive tags and labels. It features a link mechanism, low power consumption (typically 10 microwatt RF power at 10 kbit/s), simultaneous operation of multiple tags in the field of one reader antenna (anti-collision function, up to 460 tags per second), and 1024 bits of user memory plus 320 bits of system memory.

Customers can choose to create their own unique ID or use Atmel-programmed, unique tag IDs (56 bits). Also, the TAGIDU IC ATA5590 can be configured for Tag Talks First (TTF) or Reader Talks First (RTF) operation mode.

The ATA5590 is a result of the research and development of the European-funded project Palomar and also of Atmel's long-term research in the area of RFID.

SOURCE: Atmel Corporation