STMicroelectronics Extends Best-In-Class Powerline-Communication Chipset into 500kHz PRIME 1.4 Protocol Standard

Customer solutions for smart grids built around ST8500 PLC platform and its latest turn-key PRIME 1.4 certified protocol on extended frequency bands displayed at European Utility Week 2018 

The STMicroelectronics ST8500 power line communication platform is the first to achieve the certification on the latest PRIME version 1.4 covering the entire 500kHz bandwidth from CH1 to CH8.

The stack also features high-performing routing algorithms to ensure superior network coverage in all application domains.

New products from lead customers in the smart-metering and industrial sectors with embedded ST8500 have been displayed at ST’s booth (B.p19) at European Utility Week, Messe Wien, Vienna, on 6-8 November.

Fully programmable, containing a dedicated real-time engine to handle the modulation and coding schemes of different PLC standards and a power-efficient Arm^® Cortex^®-M4F core for upper-layer processing and system management, the ST8500 allows product manufacturers to address multiple markets and regions with a single hardware platform, and future-proof assets in the field by remote update. Dedicated peripherals for smart-energy applications, including an AES cryptographic engine, are also integrated. Consuming less than 100mW in receive mode, the ST8500 meets the most stringent industrial specifications to minimize the grid load imposed by new smart meters.

With a complete Analog Front End (AFE) on-chip, the ST8500 connects directly to ST’s STLD1 line driver to create a complete single-vendor powerline-transceiver solution in the market. The STLD1 ensures reliable communication even across noisy cables, with high drive capability and high linearity over a wide output range of 18V in single-ended or 36V in differential mode. The two-chip set delivers best-in-class performance, ultra-low power consumption, flexibility, and cost-effective connectivity for smart-grid and IoT applications.

Driving the powerline-communication market for more than 20 years, ST is a principal member of PRIME Alliance and has supplied around 100 million powerline-modem ICs mainly for smart-metering applications.

The ST8500 in 7mm x 7mm x 1mm QFN56 and STLD1 in 4mm x 4mm x 1mm QFN24 are available now. Please contact your ST sales office for pricing options and sample requests.

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