Microchip Technology, best known for its low-cost families of PIC microcontrollers, has purchased ZeroG Wireless, a supplier of Wi-Fi-certified transceivers and FCC-certified wireless modules. According to Microchip, the purchase of ZeroG will let microcontroller customers purchase certified Wi-Fi I/O modules and use proven software so they can easily include Wi-Fi communication capabilities in designs.
How often have we said, "I wish I had an extra I/O pin"? Likely more times that we want to admit. Many microcontrollers include serial-communication devices such as UARTs, I2C ports, or SPI ports that communicate with peripheral devices. But those ports require more than one signal line. If you can use 1-Wire communications--developed Dallas Semiconductor--you might eliminate the need for an I2C or SPI port and gain several "extra" I/O pins for other uses.
Many parents face ordeals related to their children wandering around the house at night. A young mother in Tennessee recently experienced a harrowing night when she woke up to find her 4-year-old son missing only to learn that the boy had stolen a beer, gotten drunk, ransacked a neighbor’s Christmas presents (donning one which was a little brown dress), and was brought home by police. Luckily, most parents don’t have to worry about more than a living room covered in soap after their child’s wanderings, but it’s still a scary issue nonetheless.
Zilog, a semiconductor manufacturer, got its start selling the Z80 microprocessor popular with small-computer manufacturers in the mid '70's. You can read the interesting history of the Z80 on Wikipedia. After several setbacks, the company now concentrates on embedded systems, and its Z8 Encore! microcontrollers in particular.
In the world of ICs with zillions of transistors, it's refreshing to learn about the introduction of a simple IC. Fairchild Semiconductor now offers designers a 5-pin LED flasher device, the FAN5646, that will operate on its own and flash an LED. Engineers often use a flashing LED to indicate a device remains ready for an operation, has dropped into a low-power "sleep" mode, or to indicate a setting for a piece of equipment. Some MP3 players and Bluetooth earpieces include this type of flashing LED.
