Microchip Technology Inc., (MCHP) a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors, announced the result of its strategic partnership with Google PowerMeter—the first Reference Implementation of the Google PowerMeter API for embedded developers.  Designers now have a quick and easy way to enter the global energy-conservation market, by creating products for the measurement and monitoring of energy usage with Microchip’s Google PowerMeter Reference Implementation and its broad portfolio of 16- and 32-bit PIC® microcontrollers, energy-measurement ICs, Ethernet controllers, and radios for ZigBee® and embedded Wi-Fi® wireless networking.

“Google is helping to foster an ecosystem of devices and utilities that will give consumers access to their energy information,” said Ed Lu, Google PowerMeter program manager for advanced projects.  “Microchip’s Reference Implementation of the Google PowerMeter API will make it much easier to create products that are compatible with Google PowerMeter.”

Wi-Fi® Home Area Network (HAN), with the MRF24WB0M module that supports the Wi-Fi® protocol

Google PowerMeter is a free software tool that allows consumers to view their energy consumption from their iGoogle™ personalized homepage.  Using information from energy-monitoring devices, Google PowerMeter helps consumers save money and use less electricity.  The open-source, standards-based Google PowerMeter API allows device manufacturers to build energy-monitoring products that work with Google PowerMeter.

Microchip makes it easy to design these energy-monitoring products, by supplying a Reference Implementation of the Google PowerMeter API.  This Reference Implementation demonstrates an energy-monitoring device’s activation, data transmission (wired or wireless) and status messages, providing a template for developers’ own designs.  Additionally, Microchip offers one-stop-shopping for all of the semiconductors and development tools needed to build a Google PowerMeter device.

The first step is to download Microchip’s free Reference Implementation code from http://www.microchip.com/get/PLC4.  For additional information, contact any Microchip sales representative or authorized worldwide distributor, or visit Microchip’s Web site.

Microchip Technology
www.microchip.com/get/PJ5T

::Design World::

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Filed Under: Semiconductor, Wireless, Energy management + harvesting, Green engineering, Software, Test + measurement • test equipment

 

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