San Jose, California – February 24, 2014 – Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: MXIM) has released the Santa Cruz (MAXREFDES23#) Ambient Light Sensor (ALS) reference board. This board provides multiple RGB (red, green, and blue) and IR (infrared) ambient light sensors required for industrial applications with high accuracy, enabling rapid configuration and monitoring in factories.
Today, to maintain a competitive edge and sustain high quality in factories, it is essential to respond quickly while reducing costs and maximizing "uptime." The Santa Cruz ALS solution connects the factory into a single system. This reference board provides dynamic, wide-range data for clear light, RGB, infrared, and temperature. Santa Cruz features exceptional light sensitivity and low latency, and is tuned to the response of the human eye to enable accurate system functionality for visible light. The built-in IO-Link® software and device stack automatically configure sensors without additional programming, saving time and resources. Available on an ultra-small 6.5mm x 25mm PCB, Santa Cruz implements the industry's smallest ALS system.
David Andeen, Reference Design Manager at Maxim Integrated, stated, "The Santa Cruz system is the result of successful collaboration between Maxim, Renesas Electronics Europe, and TMG Technologie und Engineering. The Renesas® RL78 ultra-low power microcontroller and TMG's IO-Link software ideally complement Maxim's high-accuracy optical sensors and IO-Link modems. The combination of these products and Maxim's IO-Link modems creates a platform for various IO-Link sensor solutions."
Rajender Thusu, Senior Sensor and Metrology Analyst at Frost & Sullivan, stated, "The industrial sensor market is moving toward higher accuracy, chip-level integration, and miniaturization," adding, "The Santa Cruz standard design accelerates this trend, enabling the factory of the future."
The Santa Cruz system is provided on a 6.5mm x 25mm PCB and is equipped with an M12 connector, allowing for immediate IO-Link connection.
Further details on other reference boards can be found at Maxim's Reference Board Center.
High-resolution images of the Santa Cruz standard design and Santa Cruz circuit diagram are provided.