Release
CAP-XX Supercapacitor-Based
BriteFlash LED Flash Power Architecture Honored as Finalist in EDN's 17th Annual
Innovation Awards
Sydney, Australia – February 28, 2007 –
CAP-XX Limited (AIM:CPX) today announced that EDN
has selected its supercapacitor-based BriteFlash LED flash power architecture as a finalist for
this year's EDN Innovation Awards. Specifically, the ultra-thin CAP-XX GS206 dual-cell supercapacitor was selected
in the Power Sources category for its ability to power multiple high-current LEDs in a camera phone to produce a
flash that can take clear pictures in low light or backlit conditions, such as in restaurants, bars or other places
where people socialize.
Instituted in 1990, EDN's Innovation Awards honor the people, products and technologies that have shaped the
semiconductor industry over the past year. This year's program features 17 categories. Nominees must have
demonstrated innovation that resulted in a significant advance in technology during the past 12 months. "Our 2006
roster of Innovation finalists includes great products across the analog, digital, software and test spaces,"
states EDN Editor-in-Chief Maury Wright.
EDN will recognize the winners at a ceremony on April 2, 2007 in San Jose, Calif. EDN's readers are
using an online ballot, open through February 28, to choose the winners:
http://www.edn.com/innovation
"We are honored that EDN has nominated our supercapacitors for this award," said CAP-XX CEO Anthony
Kongats. "This achievement recognizes our dedication to developing unique power solutions for mobile devices,
which continue to shrink in size but increase in functionality."
CAP-XX BriteFlash LED Flash Power Architecture for Camera Phones:
To achieve full light intensity, high-current LEDs need up to 400% more power than a phone battery can
provide. In CAP-XX's BriteFlash architecture, a thin, prismatic GS206 supercapacitor (0.55-farad,
50-milliohm) delivers 15 watts of pulse power to the LEDs, compared to a battery which can only deliver 1 - 2 watts.
This produces enough flash power to take clear pictures in low light from up to 3 meters away. The battery is only
needed to recharge the supercapacitor for 2 seconds between flashes.
"BriteFlash maximizes performance from our LuxeonŽ Flash LEDs so that cell phone users get
superior image quality," said Danny Yu, VP Business Development at Philips Lumileds.
As an alternative to LED flash, some camera phones use xenon flash tubes driven by electrolytic storage
capacitors. CAP-XX compared these flash solutions - xenon vs. high-current LEDs powered by a supercapacitor -
and showed that the light energy delivered by the BriteFlash LEDs exceeded that of most xenon
flashes. Furthermore, the bulky electrolytic storage capacitor required for xenon flash units 1) compromises slim
handset design, 2) causes safety concerns due to the high voltages involved, 3) takes a long time to recharge
between flashes (8 seconds in the Sony Ericsson K800 tested), and 4) cannot be used for other power management
needs within the phone. On the other hand, a thin supercapacitor 1) fits a slim handset, 2) has low voltage and no
safety concerns, 3) takes only 2 seconds to recharge between flashes, and 4) can offload peak power demands from
the battery to improve talk time, battery life and audio quality. For more information on this study:
http://www.cap-xx.com/news/Press_Release_Comparing_Light_Energy_from_Xenon_vs_LEDs_in_Camera_Phones.pdf
"We have seen images taken with well-known camera-phone models both with and without CAP-XX's
supercapacitor-enabled BriteFlash LED flash and the differences are dramatic," said Tony Henning, Mobile
Imaging Analyst, 6Sight Future of Imaging. "Subjects up to 10 feet from the camera are
well-illuminated with the CAP-XX solution and all but pitch black without."
About CAP-XX:
CAP-XX Ltd. is a world leader in the design and manufacture of thin, flat supercapacitors and power
architectures for portable electronic devices. Supercapacitors resolve the power and performance limitations of
batteries, bridging the gap between the power demanded and that available from a battery.
CAP-XX supercapacitors enable manufacturers to make smaller, thinner, longer-running portable electronics
such as cell phones, PDAs, medical devices, AMRs and notebooks. The company, which is listed on the Alternative
Investment Markets (AIM) in London, is based in Sydney, Australia, has additional production facilities in Malaysia,
and sales offices in London, UK, South Carolina, USA and Taipei, Taiwan. For more information,
visit http://www.cap-xx.com
or email sales@cap-xx.com.
# # #
Note: For flash comparisons, electrolytic storage capacitor and supercapacitor comparisons,
diagrams and photographs:
http://www.cap-xx.com/news/photogallery.htm.
Press Contact Michelle Moody
Moody & Associates +1-214-363-3460
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