Unlock New Possibilities with NXP NMH1000 Magnetic Switch

　　Sensors collect critical data from the environment which can be turned into useful insights in almost every industry. But they have varying capabilities, reliability and levels of innovation which ultimately determine the experiences they can deliver. Our recently launched NMH1000 Magnetic Switch is designed to meet today’s market needs. It is a rare breed of magnetic sensor that replaces traditional bulky mechanical switches which are unsuitable for difficult environmental conditions. The three reasons to consider NHM1000 for your development include its distinctive features, flexible application and ability to easily onboard.

　　Distinctive Features of the NMH1000

　　The NMH1000 is most sensitive to the magnetic fields that vertically pass through the top-to-bottom surfaces. Input consists of a magnetic field ranging in strength from earth-bound background, up to maximum BGMAX. Its input processing consists of functional blocks such as a configurable state machine, analog-to-voltage conversion of the input and comparison to generate the output, arranged in linear succession.

　　The sensor detects the absence of a magnetic field and outputs either a high or low state upon comparison with preset thresholds. It operates down to 1.2V supply voltage, which ensures longer shelf life with ultra-low power consumption (75 nA typ. @ 1 Hz sample rate). And it comprises a small DFN package, making it easy to integrate in very small areas. The NMH1000 also supports two operation modes: the standalone mode and the I2C user mode. In the standalone mode, the sensor’s interface to its host is extremely simple, while the I2C provides a more sophisticated interface to extract additional functions.

　　Use Cases for the NMH1000

　　A key differentiator of the NMH1000 sensor is its flexibility. It can be used for medical, industrial, consumer and smart home applications. These include CGMs, continuous glucose monitoring, drug delivery devices such as a Smart Inhaler, electronic wake-up systems, gas and water flow applications, anti-tampering metering, reed switch replacement and alarm systems. The sensor can add new experiences to some of these applications. For example, the NHM1000 is handy in situations where smoke detectors are out of reach with no easy way to test their functionality. In this case, the sensor can be used with a telescoping magnet for testing from ground level. This can be done by positioning the magnet near the smoke detector to put it into test mode.

　　Another interesting use case of the NMH1000 is laptop power control. In this use case, a magnet is on the laptop monitor and the NMH1000 is on the keyboard. When the lid comes down, the magnet is close to the NMH1000, so its output will change state. This notifies the controller to switch off the display and disable the keyboard. And when the lid is opened, the magnet disappears and the NHM1000 will change the state to the other direction, telling the system to turn on the display and the keyboard.

　　Onboard Easily with NMH1000 Freedom Shield Evaluation Board

　　We developed the NMH1000 Freedom Shield Evaluation Board to help our customers evaluate the NMH1000 and kickstart their development speedily. The board can be connected easily to an NXP Freedom MCU board via the Arduino headers for evaluation. It has all the necessary headers, jumpers and signal test points to quickly evaluate the NMH1000 magnetic sensor.

　　Users can connect the two boards to evaluate the NMH1000 magnetic sensor. This is possible with either a terminal program using the NXP Component Library or a standalone mode use case. These evaluation boards provide an intuitive way to change between the sensor’s standalone modes and the I²C interface for communication through jumper selections. At the same time, they provide test points that are typically used for evaluation.