Micrel and Balda Battle Escalating Gas Costs With Tire Pressure Measurement System (TPMS) IC Solution

   Balda Chooses Micrel's MICRF 112 and MICRF 211 For Advanced TPMS Apps



    SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 20 /EMWNews/ -- Micrel Inc.,

(Nasdaq: MCRL), an industry leader in analog, high bandwidth and Ethernet

IC solutions, today announced that Balda Solutions Malaysia, has chosen

Micrel's MICRF112 and MICRF211 QwikRadio(R) IC solutions as its devices of

choice for inclusion into new TPMS systems for aftermarket applications.

The system consists of a minimum of four sensor transmitters (MICRF112

used) and a Receiver Display system (RF211 used). The application senses

the tire pressure and temperature continuously and then alerts the driver

when any of the tires' pressure or temperature reaches beyond a specified

set level, potentially saving the driver significant gas and associated

tire "wear and tear" costs.



    "We are pleased to have chosen Micrel's RF solutions for use in our

most advanced applications," stated Mr. Y.M. Leong, Director of Business

Development of Balda Solutions Malaysia. "Our goal is to provide our

customers with cost effective, highly reliable solutions and Micrel's fully

integrated IC not only allowed us to eliminate extraneous parts and keep

product costs down, but the simple drop-in design enabled us to decrease

time to market. We are also very pleased with the technical support from

Micrel -- the performance of their RF devices is second to none."



    In this system, a RF link also provides the life-saving ability to

monitor the pressure and temperature of the tires and alert the driver when

tire pressure becomes abnormal (exceeding preset limit). Included in the RF

solutions are Micrel's QwikRadio(R) RF transmitter and receiver. Typically,

a receiver would consist of an array of tuned parts, but costs were kept to

a minimum with the use of Micrel's fully-integrated, single-chip solution.

A transmitter is mechanically activated to transmit a coded signal to the

Micrel receiver. Micrel's MICRF211 receives the RF signal and converts it

to a digital signal. The decoder then interrupts the digital signal to see

if an alarm situation has been reached.



    "Balda is a world-leading electronics manufacturer in the Asia-Pacific

region and supplies quality products to global brand-name customers such as

Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Novero, Hitachi and Canon. Micrel is honored to have

one of its RF solutions used by Balda in its new TPMS applications," said

John T. Lee, director of mixed-signal and RF products, Micrel. "We

anticipate TPMS applications will grow tremendously over the next few years

because the application helps improve automobile safety and helps increases

gas mileage -- a key cost savings with today's escalating gas prices."

    About Micrel, Inc.



    Micrel Inc., is a leading global manufacturer of IC solutions for the

worldwide analog, Ethernet and high bandwidth markets. The Company's

products include advanced mixed-signal, analog and power semiconductors;

high performance communication, clock management, Ethernet switch and

physical layer transceiver ICs. Company customers include leading

manufacturers of enterprise, consumer, industrial, mobile,

telecommunications, automotive, and computer products. Corporation

headquarters and state-of-the-art wafer fabrication facilities are located

in San Jose, CA, with regional sales and support offices and advanced

technology design centers situated throughout the Americas, Europe and

Asia. In addition, the Company maintains an extensive network of

distributors and reps worldwide. Web: http://www.micrel.com.



    About Balda Solutions Malaysia (a fully owned subsidiary of Balda AG)



    Balda Solutions Malaysia offers unique one-stop solution for global

brands from ODM to contract manufacturing. Balda in-house services span

from product design to high volume manufacturing of electronics products

with special focus on radio frequency (RF) and acoustics.



    Balda's strong emphasis on product quality and reliability has won

accolades from its customers and helped them achieve demanding requirements

from their end-customers. Customers are assured of lower product cost

without sacrificing product quality and performance.



    Visit us at http://www.balda.com.my



    Note: QwikRadio is a registered trademark of Micrel, Inc. The QwikRadio

ICs were developed under a development agreement with AIT of Orlando, FL.