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This month's issue:

ARM Introduces Two New ARM11 Cores

Atmel Secure Microcontroller with Full-Speed USB V2.0

Cygnal Expands Family of Flash 8051s in Tiny Package

Hitachi: 32-bit Flash Microcontroller with Dual CAN

Infineon: Two New C166 Flash Micros with Dual CAN

Microchip: LIN Bus Peripheral IC

Microchip PIC18FXX8 Family Achieves CAN2.0B Conformance

Mitsubishi: Three New M16 Flash Micros with CAN

Mitsubishi MC16C/26 Series targets 8-bit Market with 16-bit Performance

Motorola Next Generation 32-bit ColdFire Core

NEC: Sixty New 8-bit and 32-bit Microcontrollers

NEC: 8-bit MCU with LCD controller/driver

NEC unveils 800MHZ VR5500 core (MIPS)

Philips Announces ARM Based Microcontroller Line

Sharp Builds Z80 CPU on Glass

ST: New 8051 Flash Micro Family with Integrated Programmable Logic

TI: MSP430 with 12-bit A/D, dual 12-bit D/A and DMA

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ARM Introduces Two New ARM11 Cores

ARM Ltd. introduced two new microprocessors, the ARM1136J-S™ core and the ARM1136JF-S™ core at the Microprocessor
Forum, San Jose, Calif. Both products are based on the ARMv6 instruction set architecture. The ARMv6 architecture contributes SIMD instructions to accelerate multimedia performance, such as MPEG4 encoding in software, by a factor of two over the ARMv5 architecture. The new cores also feature improved real time response with a low-interrupt-latency mode, vectored interrupt support and 3x times faster interrupt entry using new stack and modechange instructions. Low-power operation is ensured by extensive clock-gating throughout the design, and two low-power modes to support system-level power management.

The ARM11 microarchitecture features a high-performance pipeline and high-bandwidth memory system which, when combined with
clock gating throughout, results in an extremely compact and power-efficient microprocessor core. With a typical operating frequency of over 533MHz in 0.13u process, the two new cores deliver a performance of over 600 Dhrystone MIPS (un-optimized) at under 200mW.

The new 'F' extension added to the ARM1136JF-S core signifies the inclusion of a floating -point coprocessor function that in addition to consumer, wireless applications, and also makes the core highly suitable for automotive applications. Floating-point coprocessors are ideal for embedded control applications such as power-train and vehicle dynamics systems, and are also a key requirement for many 3D graphics applications. Both cores include the ARM Jazelle extensions for enhanced Java™ acceleration and the ARM "E" extensions for DSP acceleration. The ARM1136J-S core and the ARM1136JF-S core are delivered in a synthesizable format and
are designed to work seamlessly with commercially available libraries and RAM compilers, which helps to speed up integration of the cores into system-on-chip (SoC) devices.

LSI Logic, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments have already licensed the new ARM11 core from ARM Ltd.

Atmel Secure Microcontroller with Full-Speed USB V2.0

Atmel announced that it received the USB V2.0 Full Speed certification for the AT90SC6464C-USB.
The AT90SC6464C-USB provides 64Kbytes of on-chip Flash memory and 64Kbytes of EEPROM. In addition, the device includes all the security features already built into the AT90SC series. In particular it provides a 16-bit RISC crypto -coprocessor for very efficient execution of the highest level encryption algorithms, RSA, AES 128/128, SHA-256. In addition, a hardware T-DES (Triple Data Encryption Standard) co-processor, a true RNG (Random Number Generator) and the support of ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) enhance the high cryptography performances of this device.

Cygnal Expands Family of Flash 8051s in Tiny Package

Cygnal is targeting the low end of the 8-bit MCU market and has been flooding potential customers with developer kits. The company has sold more than 7,000 kits, and claims to have more than 1,000 customer designs in progress. Cygnal focuses on integrating the 8051 core with data converters, sensors, buses, flash memory, and other previously discrete components to provide analog intensive system-on-chip solutions for applications such as battery management, dense wavelength division multiplexing, headset displays, bar-code readers, gas-leak detectors, and smart sensors.

Cygnal announced the C8051F311, a mixed-signal microcontroller available in the tiny 5mm x 5mm 28-pin Micro Lead-Frame Package
(MLP). In addition to the 5mm x 5mm 28-pin MLP, Cygnal’s microcontroller line is also available in a 4mm x 4mm 20-pin MLP, and a 3mm x 3mm 11-pin MLP. Each MLP is only 0.9mm in height. MLP packages are compatible with standard surface mount production equipment while offering superior electrical and thermal characteristics compared to traditional surface mount or through-hole packages.

Nine Cygnal microcontrollers will be available in MLP packages. Each microcontroller has a 25MIPS 8051 CPU, up to 16Kbytes of Flash memory, and up to 25 I/O pins. Available on-chip peripherals include a 10-bit 200KSPS ADC, temperature sensor, 2% internal oscillator, UART, SMBus, SPI bus, and up to 1280 bytes of RAM. Prices range from $3.09 to $6.27 in 1,000 piece quantities.
Each microcontroller has on-chip debug circuitry facilitating full-speed in-system debug features such as single-stepping, breakpoints, and modifying registers and memory. Development kits supporting each device sell for $99 with features typical of in-circuit emulators costing a thousand dollars or more. Both development kits and chips are available for purchase directly from Cygnal at www.cygnal.com.
 

Hitachi: 32-bit Flash Microcontroller with Dual CAN

The new SH7058F features high operating frequency of 80 MHz and the large on-chip Flash memory of 1 MB. It offers a comprehensive set of on-chip peripheral functions, including an Advanced Timer Unit-II (ATU-II) comprising ten free-running counters, 16 down-counters and eight PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) counters; a watchdog timer channel that can be used as an interval timer; and two compare match timer channels. A 10-bit resolution, multi-trigger A/D converter can achieve a conversion precision of ±2LSB and is provided with 32 input channels, enabling processing of a large number of analog signals carrying sensor information. CAN support for fast and reliable data communication is provided on the device by two Hitachi Controller Area Network (HCAN-II) channels. The SH7058F is available in a 256-pin QFP, offers a wide temperature range of -40 degrees C to +125 degrees C and includes an on-chip debugging function.

Infineon: Two New C166 Flash Micros with Dual CAN

Features of both XC167CI-16F40F and the XC164CS-8F40F include the high performance C166 S V2 core, with 25ns instruction time at 40 MHz; high-speed TwinCAN with full CAN 2.0 B, 32 messages and two communication lines ; CAPCOM6 module dedicated to PWM generation for AC and DC Motor control; and DSP support with built in advanced MAC unit to provide the signal conditioning and calculation capability required in many complex industrial, automotive and communications applications. An On Chip Debug System (OCDS) is included in both of the new microcontrollers. The XC167CI-16F40F includes a high speed, high resolving ADC; I2C interface; and 128 Kbyte Flash memory while the XC164CS-8F40F  includes 64 Kbyte  Flash or ROM memory.

The XC167CI-16F40F comes in a 144 pin TQFP package, while the XC164CS-8F40F has 100 pins. Pricing in quantities of 20,000 will be 13.50 Euro for the XC167CI-16F40F, and 9.95 Euro per unit for the XC164CS-8F40F.

Microchip: LIN Bus Peripheral IC

Microchip introduced the MCP201 device, a single-chip LIN bus interface transceiver with an integrated voltage regulator. The 8-pin SOIC device features an on-board 5 volt +/-5 percent voltage regulator with a maximum output current of 50 microamps and has the capability to provide higher current output capability with an external series pass transistor. It supports a baud rate up to 20 kb and is available in an extended temperature range (-40C to +125C). The device provides thermal and short circuit protection as well as protection against loss of ground and load dumps up to 40 volts. CPU, bus activity, and local wake-up features are also included.

Pricing in 10,000-unit quantities for the MCP201 is $1.25 each. Samples are available now and volume production is scheduled for late fourth quarter 2002.

Microchip PIC18FXX8 Family Achieves CAN2.0B Conformance

Microchip announced that its PIC18FXX8 family of high-performance, self-programmable Flash microcontrollers with an intelligent CAN 2.0B active interface has achieved conformance with the ISO DIS 16845 standard, as tested by the Communication and Systems (C&S) Group in Germany. The CAN protocol conformance test defined as ISO DIS 16845 ensures interoperability within a CAN network.

Mitsubishi: Three New M16 Flash Micros with CAN

Mitsubishi announced the M16C/1N, M16C/6N4 & M16C6N5 microcontrollers.

M16C/1N Features: 128 Kbytes Flash; 3 Kbytes RAM; shortest instruction execution time: 62.5 ns at 16 MHz; power supply voltage: 4.2–5.5V at 16 MHz; 8-bit timers: 4 with 8-bit prescaler; one 16-bit timer; Two UARTs or clock synchronous serial interface; 10-bit X 12 channels A/D; D-A converter; CAN interface; 48 pin LQFP package (7mm*7mm)
 

M16C/6N4 & M16C6N5 Features: single/dual CAN interface; 128/256 Kbytes Flash; 5/10 Kbytes RAM; Memory expansion: Up to 1 Mbyte; shortest instruction execution time: 62.5 ns at 16 MHz, 100 ns at 20 MHz; power supply voltage: 4.2–5.5 V at 16 MHz, 2.7 -5.5 V at 20 MHz; multi-function 16-bit timer: 5 output timers and 6 input timers; Serial I/O: 4 channels (3 for UART or clock synchronous, 1 for clock synchronous); DMAC: 2 channels; 10-bits X 26 channel A/D; D-A converter: 8 bits X 2 analog outputs; CRC calculation circuit; 14mm*20mm 100 pin QFP package.

Samples in December 2002, volume production Q3 2003.

Mitsubishi  MC16C/26 Series targets 8-bit Market with 16-bit Performance

Mitsubishi claims to offer the MC16C/26 series at 8-bit prices, whatever that means (pricing information was not included in the press release).

By integrating a voltage down converter, the M16C/26 is capable of operating at full rated 20-MHz speed with ultra-low power
consumption across a wide voltage range of 3.0 to 5.5 volts (10 MHz at under 3.0 volts).

Flash memory: 16-, 32-, 48- or 64-Kbytes;l RAM: 1-, 2-, 4- or 10-Kbytes; Virtual EEPROM: 4-Kbytes; 16-bit timers: 8; Watchdog timer: 1; A/D converter: 10-bit x 8-channel, including one I2C channel; UART: 8-bit x 3-channel; Programmable I/O ports: 38; Power supply: 2.7 -5.5 volts; System clock generator (also includes ring oscillator); DMA controller: 2 -channel; Three-phase motor control circuit; Brown-out detection circuit

Motorola Next Generation 32-bit ColdFire Core

Motorola introduced  the Version 5 (V5) superscalar core of its ColdFire microprocessor roadmap. At 333 MHz and 610 million instructions per second (MIPS) in 0.13 micron process technology, the V5 core offers significant performance increases over the V4 ColdFire core. The superscalar micro-architecture of the V5 core increases the number of instructions that can be executed simultaneously. With dual execution pipelines and a larger branch cache, this next-generation core provides a 2x performance increase compared to a 220 MHz MCF5407 device, a V4-based standard product.

NEC: Sixty New 8-bit and 32-bit Microcontrollers

NEC announced a whole range of new sub-series 8-bit and 32-bit micros and plans to deliver more than 60 of these devices by the end of 2002. Devices announced are summarized below:

8-bit and 32-bit Kx1 Subseries

The Kx1 series comprises the 8 -bit 78K0/Kx1™ and 32-bit V850ES/Kx1™ subseries, which employ the same registers and software to support identical peripherals and implement local interconnect network (LIN)-capable universal asynchronous receiver transmitters (UARTs). The Kx1 architecture allows designers to easily migrate designs from 8- to 32-bit microcontrollers, as the performance and serial bus speed requirements of their applications vary.

32-Bit V850ES/Kx1 Subseries

The V850ES/Kx1 subseries is based on NEC's 32-bit V850ES RISC CPU core, which enables most instructions to be executed in a single clock cycle. Features include 8 or 16 x 10-bit A/D converters; on-chip timer units with up to six 16-bit timers, four 8-bit timers, a watch timer and two watchdog timers; five CSIs; three LIN -capable UARTs; 67 I/O lines for the V850ES/KF1 microcontroller and up to 128 for the V850ES/KJ1™ controller. The devices support clock frequencies up to 20 MHz and 2.7 to 5.5V operation. Configurations include mask ROM versions from 64 KB to 128 KB and a 128 KB flash variation. Package options range from 64-pin QFP to 144-pin QFP. All devices are designed to operate from -40° to +85°C; select versions are designed for operation at -40° to +110°C. V850ES/Kx1 microcontrollers can be used for mid-end body and safety applications such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) modules, door modules and low - to mid-end passive occupancy detection systems.

Pricing for the 78K0/Kx1 microcontroller subseries ranges from the smallest 78K0/KB1 microcontroller (part number µPD780101MC-XXX-5A4) with 8KB masked ROM and 512bytes RAM in a 30-pin SSOP at US$1.03 up to the largest 78K0/KF1 microcontroller (part number µPD78F0148GK-9EU) with 60KB flash and 2KB RAM in an 80-pin QFP at US$4.89 in very low volumes. Pricing for the V850ES/Kx1 microcontroller subseries ranges from US$3.19 for the V850ES/KF1 microcontroller with 64KB masked ROM with 4KB RAM in an 80-pin QFP up to US$7.49 for the V850ES/KJ1 128KB flash with 6KB RAM in a 144-pin QFP at very low volumes.
 

32-Bit V850ES/Fx2 Subseries

NEC also introduced the new Fx2 series, with new 32-bit V850ES/Fx2™ automotive microcontrollers that use the Kx1 bus architecture and support a full controller area network (FCAN). In addition to having the same features as V850ES/Kx1 microcontrollers, these devices have one to four channels of full CAN with up to 16 message buffers per channel.

The first products in the V850ES/Fx2 subseries will begin sampling in the first quarter of 2003. Pricing for the V850ES/Fx2 microcontroller subseries ranges from US$5.49 for the V850ES/FE2 with 128KB flash, 6KB RAM and a one-channel FCAN in a 64-pin QFP up to US$9.99 for the V850ES/FJ2 with 512KB flash, 20KB RAM and a four-channel FCAN in a 144-pin QFP in very low volumes.

32-bit V850ES/Sx2 Subseries

This subsieries is targeted at automotive audio applications. It uses a fast 32-megahertz (MHz) V850ES CPU core and has a variety of other features, including a 12 x 10-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) converter; timer unit with eight 16-bit timers, a watch timer and watchdog timer; three clocked serial interfaces; two universal asynchronous receiver transmitters (UARTs); an interrupt controller and four input/output (I/O) ports. The V850ES/Sx2 subseries is powered by a three-volt (V) power supply, but also implements a 5V interface for compatibility with the legacy 5V devices. The microcontrollers in this subseries also feature on-chip emulation circuits that facilitate easy software debugging.
 

V850ES/Sx2 microcontrollers also feature up to 640 kilobytes (KB) of flash or read-only memory (ROM) and 48 KB of random-access memory (RAM). The higher memory capacities can accommodate the large file systems necessary to support today's popular compressed audio formats such as MP3 and Windows Media Audio(TM) (WMA). Additionally, V850ES/Sx2 microcontrollers offer on-chip controller area network (CAN) and J1850 bus controllers for integrated connectivity to automotive networks.

The first devices in the V850ES/Sx2 subseries, the 144-pin V850ES/SJ2(TM) and 100-pin V850ES/SG2(TM), are
sampling now, with volume production scheduled for March 2003. Pricing ranges from US$4.49 for the V850ES/SG2 general-purpose microcontroller with 256 KB MROM and 24 KB RAM in a 100-pin QFP up to US$12.99 for the V850ES/SJ2 microcontroller with 640 KB flash, 48 KB RAM, a one-channel CAN/J1850 and a one-channel CAN/IE-Bus configurable in a 144-pin QFP at very low volumes.

V850E/CA2 ROMless Microcontroller

The V850E/CA2 microcontroller is based on NEC's high-performance 32-bit V850E CPU core, enabling most instructions to be executed in a single clock cycle. The controller is available either with two CAN channels and 12 KB of random access memory (RAM) or four CAN channels and 16 KB of RAM. NEC's V850E/CA2 microcontroller offers a host of other features, including a 12 x 10-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) converter; a timer unit with five 16-bit timers, a watch timer and watchdog timer; three clocked serial interfaces; two universal asynchronous receiver transmitters (UARTs); an interrupt controller; 78 input/output (I/O) lines; a phase-locked loop (PLL) for peripherals and a separate spread-spectrum PLL for CPU operation.

The V850E/CA2 microcontroller is available in sample quantities now in a 144-pin LQFP package. Pricing for the uPD703128GJ(A)-UEN with two CAN channels and 12KB RAM is US$6.99 in very low volumes. Pricing for the uPD703129GJ(A)-UEN with four CAN channels and 16KB RAM is US$7.49 in very low volumes.

NEC: 8-bit MCU with LCD controller/driver

NEC has added a new compact 100-pin controller for up to 160 LCD segments to its portfolio of 78K microcontrollers. The device has an integrated voltage booster to ensure that the supply voltage for the LCD glass is temperature-compensated and independent of the operating voltage (1.8V-5.5V).

The µPD78F0354  features an I2C interface, A/D converter (8 x 8-bit or 8 x 10-bit), timer unit (16-bit timer; 4
x 8-bit timer/event counter with PWM output; watchdog timer), 66 digital I/Os and UART. The minimum instruction execution time is 200 ns. The µPD78F0354 has 1024 bytes RAM and 24 or 32 Kbytes Flash memory or
mask ROM.  The µPD78F0354 is supplied either in a 100-pin LQFP (14 mm x 14 mm) or an FBGA package with 113 balls.

NEC unveils 800MHZ VR5500 core (MIPS)

NEC announced it has developed an 800-megahertz (MHz) 64-bit MIPS microprocessor core, code named Sapphire, based on NEC's Vr5500(TM) 64-bit out-of-order superscalar microprocessor architecture. Developed using NEC's 0.13 micron (um) copper process technology, the new Sapphire core executes up to 1600 Dhrystone million instructions per second (MIPS) at 800 MHz. For low-power applications, the core executes 1200 Dhrystone MIPS while operating at 600 MHz and consuming power of only 2W. NEC also announced it is developing its next-generation Sapphire core, code named Star Sapphire, which enables operation at one gigahertz (GHz). The new Star Sapphire core will use NEC's 90 nanometer (nm) process and features various micro-architecture enhancements including vector operations and single-instruction multiple data (SIMD).

The flagship device of the new family, the µPSD3234A, features dual independent banks of Flash memory (256-Kbyte and 32-Kbyte) capable of concurrent read-write operation, 8- Kbyte of SRAM, and over 3000 gates of programmable logic with 16 macrocells.  Peripherals include a USB interface, two UART channels, four 8-bit PWM units, four 8-bit ADC channels, an I2C master-slave interface, a data display channel (DDC), supervisory functions such as a watchdog timer and low-voltage detect, and up to 50 general-purpose I/O pins. The 80-pin TQFP versions allow connection of the 8032-address/data bus to external parallel peripherals. A 52-pin TQFP version is available without external bus feature.

Philips Announces ARM Based Microcontroller Line

Philips is developing a range of 32-bit/16-bit microcontrollers based on the ARM7TDMI “Thumb” core from ARM Holdings plc that should be available before the end of 2002. The early devices will come in a basic form with relatively few peripherals, with 128-kbytes of flash memory, 32-kbytes or 64-kbytes of RAM, serial channels and programmable timers. A more advanced device will include a selection of analog peripherals and a CAN interface, aimed at automotive applications. Using a 0.18-micron flash process allows for up to 256-kbyte of flash and up to 64-kbyte of SRAM on chip.

Sharp Builds Z80 CPU on Glass

Sharp has managed to implement a Z80 CPU in continuous grain silicon (CGS) technology on a glass substrate. Sharp uses the CGS technology for its LCD panels. Long-term goal is to develop a "system on panel", i.e. an LCD panel with all electronics integrated on glass.

ST: New 8051 Flash Micro Family with Integrated Programmable Logic

ST Microelectronics introduced the µPSD3200 family of embedded Flash microcontrollers based on a 40MHz 8032 core. The devices feature large dual-bank Flash memories, a large SRAM, Flash-based programmable logic and JTAG in-system programming (ISP). The family offers up to 288-Kbyte of Flash memory and 8-Kbyte of SRAM. A $149 development kit coupled with third-party development tools is everything required to implement and validate a design.

The new MSP430F169 from Texas Instruments combines an 8-channel 200ksps 12-bit A/D converter, two 12-bit D/A converters and a programmable DMA controller. The device also includes 60kB Flash, 2kB RAM, a watchdog timer, a comparator, 10 channels of pulse width modulation, two USARTs, an I2C interface, a 16-bit hardware multiplier and a supply voltage supervisor.

General release of pre-production MSP430F169 samples is planned for first quarter 2003.

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