Solar energy harvesting kit from TI

BANGALORE, INDIAL: As wireless network systems designers look to alternative energy sources, Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) announced a solar energy harvesting (SEH) development kit that converts ambient light into power for industrial, transportation, agricultural and commercial applications.

The credit card-sized eZ430-RF2500-SEH kit combines Cymbet Corporation’s EnerChip thin-film battery technology with TI’s MSP430 microcontrollers (MCU), CC2500 radio frequency (RF) transceivers and the eZ430-RF2500 development tool.

Developers can now build self powered solar-based wireless sensor networks, eliminating system batteries, which cost time and money to periodically replace, especially in remote locations. The $149 eZ430-RF2500-SEH kit is sampling now and is available via the TI e-store or authorized distributors.

In remote or hard-to access environments, wireless sensors are becoming increasingly integrated and miniaturized. Until now, designers typically power wireless devices via storage components such as coin cell or AA batteries. However, these storage technologies do not supply the right mix of charging, storage, discharge and physical size characteristics to provide permanent power for wireless devices.

Now, the combination of Cymbet’s EnerChip batteries with TI’s MSP430 MCU and CC2500 RF technology allows energy harvesters to achieve more efficient storage, processing and transmission in both bright and low light environments. 

Shailesh Thakurdesai, Business Development Manager, Texas Instruments India, said: “The TI eZ430-RF2500-SEH kit will help in remote monitoring of equipments like water pumps and motors thereby improving efficiency and energy savings. It can help enable the exploration of new opportunities in areas such as agriculture and forest conservation initiatives. There are active players in the energy conservation space in India and this kit goes a step further in TI’s endeavour to help solve customer challenges in this area.”