While near field communication (NFC) is closely associated with payment functions on smartphones, the technology is an increasingly popular feature in a very broad range of applications, not just payment. NFC can now be found in everything from consumer electronics and office equipment to door locks, smart-home gateways, and even EV charging stations.
As far as the technology is concerned, few companies are as tightly linked to NFC as we are. As a co-inventor of NFC, an active member of the NFC Forum, and a leading supplier of advanced NFC solutions, we believe we are in a unique position when it comes to optimizing performance and finding ways to simplify design-in. The latest addition to our NFC portfolio, the PN7160, is a case in point, since it’s our most advanced NFC controller yet.
As the successor to our popular PN7150, it offers an optimized combination of high-performance features, and supports popular NFC use cases, including pairing, commissioning, authentication and configuration, yet is surprisingly easy to work with. Designed for quick integration, it makes a seamless addition to a very wide variety of devices, including those with an Android or Linux OS.
Simply put, the PN7160 is the fast and easy way to add NFC to just about any design. It gives developers a new way to add compelling features, even while dealing with aggressive delivery schedules.
The very high level of integration means much of the up-front work has already been done, so development teams can move quickly while differentiating products and scaling features across design variants. For example, NXP provides drivers for the smooth integration of PN7160 in Android and Linux systems, using the NCI protocol for standardized communication with the application host. Support for the NCI 2.0 protocol means the PN7160 delivers an optimal solution for OS applications and offers easy upgrades to new versions.
Compared to its predecessor, the PN7150, the PN7160 delivers a higher level of design flexibility. It adds a second host-control interface, so the NFC function can use either I2C or SPI for communication with popular MCUs, including LPC, Kinetis, and i.MX.
The PN7160 is also available in a new package. In addition to the HVQFN, which supports low-cost, two-layer PCB applications, the PN7160 is available in a tiny BGA, for space-constrained designs that need a more compact footprint.
For more information, join the upcoming webinar PN7160 Next Generation Plug and Play NFC Controller. Click to register.
As part of our commitment to quick design-in, the PN7160 is backed by a comprehensive, publicly available product support package that includes development kits, design tools, sample applications, training and support. Development Kit OM27160 includes a PN7160 standalone development board, two Arduino and Raspberry Pie interface boards allowing to interface directly with most of the industry’s MCUs, and is fully NFC Forum Certified for standards-compliant operations. All design files and Gerber files are freely available.
Developers working with the PN7160 gain access to a comprehensive set of tools and applications. That includes a very comprehensive user manual which describes the PN7160 interfaces, the modes of operation and possible configurations, an antenna design and matching guide, and an RF settings guide. For OS applications, specific documents describe how to port PN7160 in Android and Linux based systems. There are even code examples to speed development of PN7160 in RTOS and in system without an OS, and a full selection of app notes for detailed instructions on how to develop a broad range of use cases.
The PN7160 is also supported by our technical NFC community, where you can find answers, gain inspiration and discuss NFC issues. Our customers also have access to our extensive network of design partners, so it’s easy to find an NXP-certified design house if you need specialized hardware or software engineering services.
Like many of our high-demand products, the PN7160 is part of our longevity program, so embedded designers can count on us for a stable supply of products
To learn more about the PN7160 and how it makes NFC more accessible than ever, visit our dedicated product page or download the product leaflet.
Fabrice is the Head of NFC IoT Security Marketing at NXP Semiconductors. He drives the adoption of NFC, Secure Elements and Authentication tags for securely connecting people and objects and improving everyone’s life. Fabrice has more than 20 years’ experience in B2B Marketing and Business Development of semiconductors solutions in high-tech industries and held several technical and management positions at NXP. He is based in Caen, France.
