Quickfilter Technologies Launches First Product: 4-Channel Programmable Signal Converter; Easy-to-Use Software Lets Engineers Design and Implement Sensor Interface Circuits in Minutes, Not Weeks.

ALLEN, Texas -- Quickfilter Technologies Inc., a fabless semiconductor company developing mixed signal ICs for programmable analog to digital signal processing, announced availability of its first product, the QF4A512 4-Channel Programmable Signal Converter (PSC). The product allows designers to design and implement a complete four-channel signal processing and filtering solution in minutes instead of days or weeks required by using traditional approaches. A complete development kit with the Quickfilter Design Software is available.

Quickfilter's product line allows engineers to design and implement a custom circuit for signal conditioning, conversion and processing without the cost and complexity of designing a circuit board containing discrete components in addition to programming a DSP. This allows the engineer to affordably place more signal processing at the edge of a sensor network. The programmability aspect of the IC enables the performance features of the end product to be customized during design, at time of shipment, in the field by a technician or remotely across the web.

"The trend in sensor based applications requires higher levels of signal accuracy for greater precision along with greater end product flexibility," said Quickfilter Technologies CEO Bob Silco. "The initial reaction from our early customers in the industrial and medical equipment markets has been outstanding -- this is the solution they can use in almost every design."

"Our product does all of the things that a good semiconductor product should do -- it reduces component count, shortens design time, delivers better performance and lowers cost," continued Silco. "By making it extremely easy to program and re-program at any time, we are enabling our customers to personalize their products, implement just-in-time manufacturing and create new products."

Quickfilter's easy-to-use design software is the key to unleashing the power and flexibility of the QF4A512 PSC. Included with the Quickfilter development kit, the software is a Windows-based GUI that prompts engineers for all the relevant filter specifications of any common digital filter type (Lowpass, Notched Lowpass, Highpass, Bandpass, Dual Bandpass, Bandstop and Dual Bandstop). The user configures the rest of the chip for parameters such as gain, A to D sampling rate, power consumption, output speeds and run configurations. The software then loads the information into the chip and using the included white noise file, or other signal source, the engineer views the signal output on his computer screen as an FFT graph.

"Our product development kit lets engineers create a complete design, verify the performance, and go immediately to production. When people see how quick it is to create their own custom, high performance circuit for data acquisition that can be modified at any time, they begin to envision new end product features," said Quickfilter Technologies' VP of Marketing, Chris Phipps.

Features and Applications

The QF4A512 PSC features a 16-bit ADC with 4 differential or single-ended inputs. Each channel can be individually programmed for gain, anti-aliasing filter cutoff frequency, ADC sampling frequency, and the filtering requirements unique to that input (up to 512 taps per channel). The four independent FIR filters are capable of generating "brick wall" filters. As an example, a lowpass filter with a 1 kHz cutoff frequency, 80dB of rejection and a total transition band of only 5 Hz can be designed in minutes. Each channel can have a different signal bandwidth, A/D sample rate and filter function design.

Quickfilter's design software has been created for rapid configuration and filter design. Filter templates are selectable in Quickfilter's design software for a variety of applications.

The QF4A512 PSC is well suited for industrial control, machine monitoring, medical monitoring and diagnostics, industrial smart sensors, Homeland Security monitoring, and a variety of other applications.

Price and Availability

Engineering samples of the QF4A512 PSC are available immediately and production orders are being accepted. The QF4A512 is priced at $9.89 in quantities of 1000.

A complete development kit for the QF4A512 PSC is available for $199. The kit includes all hardware and software necessary to design, implement and test a complete filter design, including a development card, input and output cables, software and sample signal input files.

For more information or to place an order online, visit www.quickfiltertech.com.

About Quickfilter Technologies

From Concept to Product in Minutes, Not Days

Quickfilter Technologies, Inc. utilizes patent-pending techniques for implementing a programmable IC that allows an engineer to design a custom circuit for signal processing without the cost and complexity of programming a DSP. Using the Quickfilter solution, it is possible to create and begin operating a custom four-channel analog front end, digital converter and multi-stage digital filter in less than five minutes. Quickfilter's products are ideally suited for sensors in industrial monitoring and control, medical equipment, homeland security and engine control applications.

The Quickfilter solution combines over a dozen individual component functions, both analog and digital, into a single integrated circuit (IC) that is programmable using Quickfilter software. This enables customers to rapidly complete a design at significantly lower cost and higher performance. In addition, the IC can be reprogrammed in circuit during design, at the time of shipment or in the field.

Quickfilter Technologies Inc. is a private equity funded fabless semiconductor company founded in 2003 by Bob Silco and located in Allen, Texas. The company is developing a family of programmable mixed-signal integrated circuits that convert noisy analog signals into clean, usable digital signals.

Note to editors: Product briefs and high-resolution photographs of the Quickfilter PSC and development kit are available upon request, as well as screen shots of the Quickfilter design software in action.