New Module Makes it Easy to Incorporate NFC as a Smart Add-on for Almost any Electronic Device; Broad Range of Products and Complementary Interface Boards Simplify Integration to Remove Barrier to NFC Adoption

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 04, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (CES 2017) – NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI) today announced the introduction of the easiest way to add Near Field Communications (NFC) technology to Hexiwear wearable devices with the new MikroElektronika NFC click, powered by NXP. The new module is a mikroBUS™ add-on board with a versatile NFC PN7120 IC controller from NXP that makes it easy to incorporate NFC, removing barriers to adoption. NFC click supports use cases such as pairing, personalization, extended user interface, maintenance, logical access control and other typical NFC uses for home appliances, wearables, accessories and other low-power devices in smart homes and Internet of Things (IoT).

“The new plug-and-play NFC click board™ powered by NXP enables the full range of NFC application for Hexiwear devices. It provides the most streamlined and easy way to take advantage of NFC infrastructure already in place," said Dr. Djordje Marinkovic, business development director, MikroElektronika.

The NFC click Module for Hexiwear removes the complexity of NFC integration by enabling developers to easily leverage the full potential of NFC in Card Emulation, Read/Write and Peer-to-Peer Modes with NXP’s PN7120 chip, which is ideal for designing prototypes intended to interact with existing NFC infrastructure or prototype new ideas. All necessary NFC drivers are included in the Hexiwear SDK.

NFC click is also compatible with other development platforms, including NXP’s Freedom development boards, which are small, low power, cost-effective evaluation and development platforms for quick application prototyping and demonstration of Kinetis MCU families.

“NXP believes in the market potential that our developer partners will bring with their innovative mindset and the new NFC click module is aimed at providing the tools necessary to quickly bring their ideas for smart NFC interactions to life,” said Paul Hubmer, General Manager PL NFC Infrastructure & Consumer with NXP. “Our range of NFC controllers, with integrated firmware, supports numerous use cases and are an integral part of our core strategy to enable NFC technology on popular rapid prototyping platforms.”

NFC click and NXP PN7120 details

Developed by MikroElektronika, in partnership with NXP, NFC click has full compliancy with NFC Forum specifications.  The new board communicates with the target board MCU through the mikroBUS™ I²C interface, in compliance with NCI 1.0 host protocols. Via its integrated firmware, NXP’s PN7120 provides a high-level API which requires fewer resources from the host MCU to enable easier integration into designs. It comes out of the box with all NFC protocols. The PN7120 removes a major source of uncertainty and complexity from the application development process. The PN7120 uses the NFC Forum’s NCI interface required for designs that use a full OS. Downloadable Linux and Android drivers and support tools enable designers to focus on system optimization and differentiation. MikroElektronika also provides NFC click code examples for Hexiwear, written in mikroC for ARM®.

NXP plans to release an additional NFC click add-on board based on NTAG I²C plus, NXP’s range of connected NFC tags, in Q1 2017.

Hexiwear information

Hexiwear is a complete open-source platform that combines the style and usability of high-end consumer devices with the functionality and expandability of sophisticated engineering development platforms, making it the ideal form factor for IoT edge node and wearable markets. At the core of Hexiwear is the low power, high-performance Kinetis K6x microcontroller, the Kinetis KW4x multimode radio System on Chip (SoC) supporting BLE, six sensors, external flash memory, a color OLED display and a rechargeable battery. Android and iOS support is straightforward with open source, customizable applications.

About MikroElektronika

MikroElektronika is a renowned producer of a wide range of hardware and software development tools for various microcontroller architectures, including compilers for three languages: mikroC, mikroBasic and mikroPascal. The company is also known as the originator of mikroBUS™ — a well-established standard for add-on boards compatible with their offering of hundreds of sensor and transceiver add-on boards called click boards™. MikroElektronika's goal is to provide software and hardware tools that are easy to use, save time and help get the job done quickly. This approach attracts both hobbyist and professionals. Learn more at www.mikroe.com.

About NXP Semiconductors
NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI) enables secure connections and infrastructure for a smarter world, advancing solutions that make lives easier, better and safer. As the world leader in secure connectivity solutions for embedded applications, NXP is driving innovation in the secure connected vehicle, end-to-end security & privacy and smart connected solutions markets. Built on more than 60 years of combined experience and expertise, the company has 44,000 employees in more than 35 countries and posted revenue of $6.1 billion in 2015. Find out more at www.nxp.com.

NXP, the NXP logo and Kinetis are trademarks of NXP B.V. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. ARM and Cortex are registered trademarks of ARM Limited (or its subsidiaries) in the EU and/or elsewhere. All rights reserved. © 2017 NXP B.V.

For more information, please contact:

Americas
Tate Tran
Tel: +1 408 802 0602
Email: tate.tran@nxp.com

Greater China/Asia
Esther Chang
Tel: +886 2 8170 9990
Email: esther.chang@nxp.com

Europe
Martijn van der Linden
Phone: +31 6 1091 4896
Email: martijn.van.der.linden@nxp.com