Medical Device Link.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Applications of Zarlink’s ZL70101 development kit include implantable medical devices such as pacemakers, neurostimulators, and drug pumps.

Zarlink Semiconductor Inc. (Swindon, Wilts, UK) has introduced a development kit to facilitate quick design and evaluation of wireless telemetry systems that link implanted medical devices with monitoring and programming equipment. The ZLE70101 application development kit (ADK) includes hardware and firmware for testing the performance of the in-air communication link between implanted devices and external equipment. A common application microcontroller is used for the implant and base station platforms to enable rapid integration into a customer’s specific system design.

The kit includes an applications development platform board that interfaces with PCs through a USB 2.0 interface to either the implant or the base station mezzanine board. The application implant mezzanine board performs all medical implant communications services (MICS). The board includes the ZL70101 transceiver, discrete circuits including matching networks for normal data transmission and wake-up operation, an application microcontroller connected to the chip over an industry-standard SPI bus, and an SMA connector interface to a PCB-based loop antenna.

The ZL70101 radio-frequency transceiver chip delivers data rates up to 800 KB/sec and operates in the MICS 402–405-MHz band. It typically consumes 5 mA of supply current in full operation, while incorporating a “wake-up” receiver that allows the device to operate in a 250-nA sleep mode. In addition, the unit includes a media access controller designed specifically for MICS applications that provides forward error correction, cyclic reduncancy check, and retransmission to achieve a reliable data link. According to the firm, the integrated RF chip is suited for a range of implanted medical devices including pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, neurostimulators, drug pumps, and physiological monitors.

“Wirelessly enabled medical devices must meet strict performance and power demands to support new applications without affecting implanted-device battery life,” says Steve Swift, senior vice president and general manager of Zarlink’s medical communications product group. “The ZLE70101 ADK offers a complete hardware and firmware evaluation platform to support the fast development of low-power, standards-compliant medical communication systems built on MICS technology.”

For more information, contact Zarlink Semiconductor Inc., Cheney Manor, Swindon, Wilts SN2 2QW, UK; phone: +44 1793 518000; fax: +44 1793 518411; Internet: www.zarlink.com.