Plug-and-play NFC portfolio expanded

28th June 2016

Joe Bush

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The portfolio of plug-and-play (Near Field Communication) NFC solutions available from NXP has been extended with Arduino add-on boards and the release of the PN7150 NFC controller. This enhanced portfolio aims to make the integration of NFC technology in consumer electronic devices (especially in OS-based systems), easier and faster.

Leveraging its portfolio of microcontrollers, the PN71xx family now comes with various add-on boards, software examples and supports development platforms featuring an Arduino stackable header, including Kinetis, LPCXpresso, i.MX, and QorIQ, allowing for rapid NFC expansion and prototyping.

“To fulfil our vision and to create and enable NFC experiences everywhere, our products are designed for developers to explore NFC applications through the easiest possible deployment effort,” said Paul Hubmer, General Manager of NFC Infrastructure & Consumer at NXP. “NFC technology can now be easily combined with development platforms including Kinetis, i.MX, UDOO Neo and QorIQ, allowing new communities to access the world of NFC.”

Meeting the demands of the market
Equipped with embedded firmware, accompanied by Linux, Android, WinIoT drivers and several software examples, the PN7150 enables easy integration of NFC functionality in OS-based systems via the NCI interface. The new NFC controller is well suited for applications such as home network gateways, routers, set-top boxes, TVs, as well as audio and medical devices.

“NXP’s robust portfolio of NFC controllers enable an easy integration of NFC technology to consumer devices, while instantly making them smarter, more intuitive and easy to use,” said Adam Justice, Vice President at Grid Connect. “For example, with the PN7150 designed into our latest home gateway, consumers can install their smart home devices with just a tap. Additionally, maintenance tasks can be automated with cloud assistance for troubleshooting and firmware updates, which reduces our support efforts, saving us time and money.”

Each PN71xx device integrates a complete NFC front end and an advanced 32-bit microcontroller along with preinstalled certified NFC stacks. The PN7150 is the latest addition to NXP’s portfolio of plug-and-play NFC solutions. Compared to the board footprint optimised PN7120 in BGA package, first announced in 2015, PN7150 responds to the latest market requests by featuring higher output power (3.0 to 4.75V) and an easy to assemble HVQFN40 package. In combination with NXP’s connected NTAG I²C plus, the PN71xx ICs can be used for Bluetooth, WiFi or ZigBee pairing to simplify commissioning of home automation applications.

The PN71xx family was designed to easily enable NFC projects that go beyond simple NFC tag operations, leveraging the full potential of all NFC modes as card emulation, reader and peer-to-peer functionality.