Renesas achieve PRIME certification for OFDM powerline communication platform

The PRIME narrowband powerline communications specification, supporting different modulation schemes and additional integrated functionality for high robustness, provides an open, flexible, standardised basis for multi-vendor interoperability and compatibility. The Renesas PRIME solution provides further value to the user, featuring unparalleled low power consumption, further robustness enhancements, low overall BOM cost and a small PCB profile based on its high level of integration. The PRIME certification process also confirmed the excellent Rx sensitivity level of the Renesas solution.
The platform is based on a highly integrated narrowband modem system-on-chip (uPD809504), integrating a MAC controller and high performance DSP for physical layer (PHY) implementation, combined with embedded Analog Front End (AFE) that includes an adaptive gain amplifier with AGC functions and an embedded AES128 hardware security engine.

Coupled with a Renesas RX family 32-bit microcontroller, offering an impressive 1.65MIPS/MHz performance, zero-wait 100MHz Flash memory and a peripheral mix highly tuned to smart grid applications, this solution offers not only support for the most advanced communications protocols, but also complete system control.

The combined hardware architecture and software framework allows for flexible standards support. All lower layers are remotely programmable, assuring upgradeability to future versions of existing and emerging standards. The solution will be delivered with fully certified software libraries.