Best-in-Class Metrology Platform Cuts Design Time for Utilities Worldwide

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Engineers can now design energy meters using one common core that meets worldwide utility standards and saves development time with the ZON™ family of metering SoCs from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: MXIM).

For hi-res images, schematics and details about the ZON family, visit http://www.maximintegrated.com/zon.

Electricity meter standards vary around the world and utility companies require different types of meters to meet customer and regional needs, so it is no surprise that meter manufacturers need to be flexible and react quickly when the utilities' requirements change. Meanwhile, metering IC designs today hint at flexibility by offering different memory capacities on the same chip, but changing memory size alone is not a family solution. It does not allow for meter optimization that meets evolving utility standards and models. The ZON family of metering SoCs is a genuine versatile solution because meter manufacturers can use one platform using the same firmware to optimize features and accommodate disparate customer needs.

The ZON family is comprised of two series of products to meet any configuration—M for mono-phase (single phase) and P for poly-phase (three phase)—that have tailored options for low-end, mid-range, and high-end meters. Both product series' use the same, high-accuracy 32-bit compute engine, which is separate from the meter's application microcontroller. This reduces the workload on the system core. It also lets customers port their application code from device to device to facilitate high IP reuse.

Key Advantages

• Versatile: one family of products with optimized peripherals, interfaces, and memory capacities address the needs of multiple markets and regions
• Unique compute engine: handles measurement independent of main system microcontroller, reducing design time and allowing engineers to focus on added-value development
• Highly integrated: includes temperature compensated real-time clock (RTC), touch sensors, and IR encoder/decoder, reducing BOM cost
• Industry proven: based on reliable measurement technology that has been deployed in more than 170 million meters worldwide

Commentary

• "The ZON family addresses all electricity meter markets, from high-end to low-end, so that customers don't have to spend a lot of R&D time to use the chips and don't have to spend more money for features they don't need," said Gregory Guez, Business Director, Energy Solutions at Maxim Integrated. "With the ZON family effect, customers get both scalability and cost-effectiveness."
• "The world market for electricity meters remains one of rapid change as demand for more accurate metrology and flexible solutions expands from established regions to developing markets," said Jacob Rodrigues Pereira, Senior Analyst, Smart Utility Infrastructure at IHS. "With the ZON family's shared firmware and common core, Maxim has introduced a unique product line so meter manufacturers can focus on country requirements instead of how to implement the design."

Availability and Pricing

• The M1/M1L, M3, and P3/P3L products are available now at Maxim's website and select franchised distributors. More products are planned for the ZON family.
• Reference designs, evaluation kits and a certified DLMS software stack are also available.
• Pricing available upon request.

European Utility Week

See ZON products and Maxim's wall of meters at European Utility Week in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, from November 4-6. Maxim will be in hall A1, booth 1.E16. For more information about Maxim's presence at the show, visit http://www.maximintegrated.com/en/aboutus/events/european-utility-week.html.

About Maxim Integrated

Maxim is the leader in analog integration. From mobile to industrial solutions, we're making analog smaller, smarter, and more energy efficient. Learn more at http://www.maximintegrated.com.

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SOURCE Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.

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