Unterpremstaetten, Austria - austriamicrosystems (SWX: AMS), a leading global designer and manufacturer of high performance analog ICs for automotive, communication, industry and medical applications, supplies AS5243, a redundant magnetic rotary encoder IC for high performance automotive applications. MEGA Line RACING ELECTRONIC GmbH, a specialist in development of high performance automotive racing applications, used the AS5243 to ensure optimized gear change by measuring the absolute position of the barrel shaft. The AS5243 was successfully tested in a racecar which won the Le Mans 24 hours, one of the most ambitious races in the world.

The sensing solution developed by MEGA-Line RACING ELECTRONIC is based on austriamicrosystems’ AS5243 redundant magnetic angular position sensor device which, due to its contactless measurement method, makes the system highly reliable, especially in harsh environments. The AS5243 also monitors the abrasion over the economic life-time of the gearbox. The high performance 10-bit analog output and the extended temperature (range up to 150°C ambient) ideally meets the demands of many safety critical automotive, industrial and robotics applications.

"Our close collaboration with MEGA-Line RACING ELECTRONIC helps us to be successful with innovative solutions on the market," said Bernhard Czar, Director Marketing Automotive at austriamicrosystems.

"austriamicrosystems’ wide portfolio of magnetic angular position sensors meet a broad range of customer demands. We look forward to seeing further creative products emerging out of our partnership with MEGA-Line RACING ELECTRONIC.”

“We are excited to be working with austriamicrosystems and their new AS5243 absolute angular position sensor technology,” said Erwin Gassner, CEO of MEGA-Line RACING ELECTRONIC. “This magnetic encoder technology enables us to get an absolute feedback about the most important gearbox parameter. The barrel position is used to optimize the whole gear change sequence. This sensor has to be absolutely reliable and using the freely programmable AS5243 we do not even need any calibration procedure in the car.”

The AS5243 is a complete system-on-chip contactless magnetic angle position sensor for accurate measurement up to 360° and includes two AS5143 devices in a punched stacked lead frame. It combines integrated Hall elements, analog front end and digital signal processing in a single device. Furthermore, the AS5243 provides two separate programmable analog outputs, including user programmable angular range, adjustable output voltage range, voltage or current output, which can be configured in many ways. Additional features like CHIP-ID for traceability, programmable zero position, diagnostic modes – especially for the right adjustment of the magnet – and many other safety features have already become a standard of austriamicrosystems magnetic rotary encoder family.

A further benefit is the internal voltage regulator, which allows operation of the AS5243 from either 3.3V (reduce the power consumption, or 5.0V supplies). The AS5243 can detect 1,024 absolute positions over a full turn, 180 and 90 degrees which correspond to a resolution of minimum 0.087 degrees. austriamicrosystems’ AS5243 fulfils the automotive qualification regarding AEC-Q100 and is available in a 7x7mm QFN32 package.

Product-specific information is available at

http://www.austriamicrosystems.com/03products/25_rot_enc_automotive_applications.htm