Ramtron Enhances Cab Produkttechnik Series Thermal Printers


F-RAM-based FM31L278 Processor Companion enables precision, operational continuity, and ease-of-control

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - Ramtron International Corporation (Nasdaq: RMTR), a leading developer and supplier of nonvolatile ferroelectric random access memory (F-RAM) and integrated semiconductor products, and cab Produkttechnik GmbH & Co KG, today disclosed how the Ramtron FM31L278 F-RAM-enabled Processor Companion offers compelling benefits to users of cab's newest series of EOS thermal label printers.

Designed with industrial e-metering, electronic point-of-sales, and inventory management products in mind, the Ramtron 256-kilobit (Kb) FM31L278 Processor Companion provides the fast read/write performance and unlimited endurance of nonvolatile F-RAM with a real-time clock, processor supervisor, and other common peripherals in a single package. The cab EOS printer takes full advantage of the FM31L278 to improve the user experience for cab customers by providing precision, operational continuity, and ease-of-control.

The convenient touchscreen is a key feature in the cab EOS series printer. The screen makes it easy to call up existing labels, add data, and print them - all without being connected to a PC. Also, complete labels can be saved to a USB memory stick or the internal memory of the printer, making the series a modern and cost-effective solution for printing labels in production, logistics, and retail.

"Ramtron is a key partner in our quest to deliver the most innovative thermal printing solutions available," said Jörg Falkenberg, cab Research and Development Manager. "Ramtron's combination of high-performance nonvolatile F-RAM memory with other essential peripherals in a single package streamlined our design and provided a platform for delivering robust features in our products."

"We value this opportunity to work with cab to provide feature-rich integrated IC solutions for their innovative thermal printer designs," said Scott Emley, Ramtron vice president of worldwide marketing. "Our mission is to provide devices that make our customers more competitive and the cab EOS printers are a good example of what results from the marriage of inspired product designs and our F-RAM enabled semiconductor solutions."

No label left behind

The F-RAM write capability embedded in the Ramtron FM31L278 device is fast enough to allow the printer - performing at speeds up to 125mm per second at 300dpi - to save the label setting, so no labels are wasted when the printer reboots, following a power interruption. The FM31L278 eliminates label waste, associated expense, and improves the operating throughput of the cab EOS printer.

Automatic job restart

In addition to saving the label settings, the F-RAM within the FM31L278 allows users to quickly and completely wipe the status of the buffered memory in the printer and start a fresh print session without sacrificing new labels. To accomplish this, cab uses the tamper protection inputs on the FM31L278 to count and interrupt the host while simultaneously writing fast zeroes to the buffer memory by leveraging F-RAM's unique fast-write ability.

Additional FM31L278-enabled-behind-the-scenes printer features

The cab EOS is a networked printer that requires each printer to have a unique serial number to distinguish it on the printer network. In addition, each printer provides a real time clock, accessible from the touch display, for easy printout of the time and date on each label. These benefits are enabled by the FM31L278 Processor Companion due to the write-locked 64-bit programmable serial number, a real time clock, and a host of other features that include low-voltage reset, watchdog timer, early power fail warning, and simple I2C interface.

About the FM31L278 Processor Companion

Ramtron Processor Companions, available with standard I2C and SPI interfaces, boast NoDelay(TM) writes, virtually unlimited endurance, and low power consumption. The FM31L278 features an enhanced trickle charger, a 12.5pF external watch crystal, a programmable low-VDD reset, a programmable watchdog timer, a manual reset function, dual battery-backed event counters, a lockable serial number, and a general-purpose comparator that can be used for early warning power-fail interrupts (NMI). The FM31L278 operates from 2.7 to 3.6 volts over the entire industrial temperature range. Additional 3- and 5-volt versions of the Ramtron Processor Companion are available in 64- and 256-Kb densities. Visit www.ramtron.com/go/processor-companion for more information on the entire line of Ramtron Processor Companion products.

Pricing and availability

Start improving your industrial design today with the FM31L278 available worldwide from Ramtron authorized distribution network, including Digi-Key Corporation, Mouser Electronics, Future Electronics, and many other valued distributors. For a complete list of worldwide Ramtron authorized distributors, please visit www.ramtron.com/sales/buy-now.aspx. The suggested 10,000-unit resale price of the FM31L278 is $3.70.

About Ramtron International Corporation

Ramtron International Corporation, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is a fabless semiconductor company that designs, develops and markets specialized semiconductor memory and integrated semiconductor solutions used in a wide range of product applications and markets worldwide. For more information, visit www.ramtron.com.

About cab Produkttechnik

cab Technology, Inc. develops and manufactures product identification equipment for the Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) market. The complete range of cab products includes thermal printers, accessories and software programs, print and label applicators, and laser marking systems, which provide the most versatile and functional solution for labelling and product identification needs. Visit www.cab.de/marking/label-printer for more information.

RAMTRON CONTACT:

Christopher Wray

(719) 481-7182

chris.wray@ramtron.com

CAB PRODUKTTECHNIK CONTACT:

Jeffrey W. Kennedy

(978) 649-0293 (USA: cab Technology, Inc.)

j.kennedy@cab.de

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