Powercast and CAP-XX Team on Battery-Free Power Supply for Wireless Sensors

SAN JOSE, CA, May 18 (MARKET WIRE) --
Darnell nanoPower Forum - Today, engineers from Powercast and CAP-XX
Limited (LSE: CPX) will introduce a wireless power module reference
design combining Powercast's RF energy-harvesting technology with a CAP-XX
supercapacitor to create a perpetual, battery-free power source for
wireless sensors commonly used in environmental monitoring, building
automation, industrial controls and other condition-monitoring systems.

Low-power energy harvesting can supply the average power required by many
sensor-based systems, but cannot provide the peak power needed to collect
and transmit data over wireless networks such as IEEE 802.15.4 (Zigbee),
802.11 (WLAN) or GSM/GPRS. This is the industry's first reference design
using commercial components that harvests RF energy from low-power radio
waves, stores it in a supercapacitor, and then delivers high power bursts
when charged.

The wireless power module reference design integrates a power receiving
antenna, a Powercast Powerharvester(TM) receiver, and a CAP-XX
supercapacitor for energy storage and peak transmission power. Low-power
wireless sensors or RF modules can be added with simple "two-wire"
integration. The module measures approximately eight inches tall, one
inch wide and 1/4 inch thick at the body
(http://www.cap-xx.com/news/photogallery.htm#BritePower).

In operation, the design creates a perpetual power supply for fixed or
mobile wireless sensor nodes, such as those located throughout a building,
eliminating the need for batteries or wired power. Powercast's
Powercaster(TM) transmitter, which powers this reference design, sends
radio waves to the Powerharvester integrated into the module. The
Powerharvester converts energy received from these radio waves into DC
power, trickle-charges the supercapacitor, and then delivers power from
the supercapacitor to the wireless sensor. This cycle repeats as the
module receives additional radio waves, which can be sent continuously,
on-demand or on a scheduled basis. This design uses the 915 MHz band, but
can be adapted for other frequencies, or set to harvest environmental
radio waves from TV, radio or mobile phone networks.

The Powercaster transmitter provides controllable, 24 x 7 wireless power,
allowing wireless sensors to avoid using potentially unreliable ambient
types of energy harvesting such as solar or heat.

CAP-XX vice president of applications engineering, Pierre Mars, and
Powercast head of technology platforms, Charlie Greene, will present their
collaborative paper, "Harvesting RF Energy and Powering a Wireless Sensor
Node Using a Supercapacitor," in the energy harvesting session on Monday,
May 18 at the Darnell nanoPower Forum in San Jose, California.

"This 'fit and forget' self-generating power source guarantees that
sensors deployed throughout a building or local area will receive power
without batteries or potentially unreliable environmentally-harvested
energy such as solar or heat," said Mars.

"Wireless sensor networks are increasingly popular, but today are
predominantly powered by disposable batteries," explained Harry Ostaffe,
director of marketing for Powercast. "The RF energy harvester and
supercapacitor combination eliminates the cost and hassle of replacing and
disposing of batteries, and enables wireless sensor networks to scale to
thousands of nodes with minimal maintenance."

About CAP-XX:

Sydney, Australia-based CAP-XX is a world leader in thin, flat
supercapacitors for space-constrained electronic devices. Supercapacitors
resolve the performance limitations of batteries and other current-limited
power supplies, and provide backup power if the primary power source
fails.

CAP-XX supercapacitors enable manufacturers to make smaller, thinner,
longer-running and more feature-rich devices such as camera phones, solid
state drives, handheld PCs and battery-free condition-monitoring systems
using the company's BritePower(TM) architectures. The company is listed on
the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in London. For more information,
visit http://www.cap-xx.com or email sales@cap-xx.com.

About Powercast: (www.powercastco.com)

Powercast Corporation is a leading innovator of wireless power technology.
Founded in 2003, Powercast's proprietary core technology and related
intellectual property pioneered the model for completely untethered
electronic devices by transmitting and harvesting common radio waves
similar to those in wireless communications. Emerging applications include
wireless sensors, advanced displays, novelty lighting and other low-power
electronic devices. Contributing to a greener world, Powercast's
technologies eliminate or reduce the need for batteries, extend sensor
networks into hard-to-service locations and enable greater energy
efficiency for HVAC, lighting and other systems.

Photographs are available:
http://www.cap-xx.com/news/photogallery.htm#BritePower

Contacts:
CAP-XX:
Michelle Moody
+1 214 363 3460
Email Contact

Powercast:
Harry Ostaffe
+1 412 923 4774
Email Contact

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