Power

A single-wire EEPROM with only two-pins (data pin and ground pin) are aimed at IoT, wearables, consumable, battery and cable identification markets. The AT21CS01 from Atmel is self-powered, eliminating the need for a power source or Vcc pin, with a parasitic power scheme over the data pin. They are claimed to provide best-in-class, low power standby of 700nA, 200µA for write current and 80µA for read current at 25°C.
The device’s parasitic power scheme over a single data pin eliminates the need for external capacitors and rectifiers, says the company. The high write endurance capability allows more than one million cycles for each memory location to meet the requirements for today’s high-write endurance applications.
A plug-and-play 64bit unique serial number in every device, makes it suitable for connected devices including smart fitness bands and healthcare devices. ESD is described as industry leading (IEC 61000-4-2 Level 4 ESD compliant), making it suitable for applications such as cables required to tolerate exposure to the outside environment or direct human contact.
Using a single pin from the MCU/MPU without the need to route the Vcc to the device saves “significant” board space saving and simplified layout.
Following the I2C protocol, the EEPROM facilitate migration from existing EEPROM with less overhead and capability to connect up to eight devices on the same bus, claims the company. In addition to a security register with a 64bit factory programmed serial number, an extra 16 bytes of user programmable and permanently lockable storage, guarantees the unique serial number for inventory tracking, asset tagging and to permanently protect the data if needed.