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Dear Reader, welcome to the June 2004 edition of MicroController Pros Corporation's Embedded News Digest, your source for microcontroller and embedded system news.
This month's issue: ARM Announces New AMBA 3.0 AXI System ComponentsAtmel: New secureAVR Smart Card Controller with 4k EEPROMAtmel Signs Agreement to Become Second-Source Supplier for Cypress’s WirelessUSBFreescale: New SX12 Family Enhances HCS12 ArchitectureFreescale New S12X Family and MC9S08RG Development Tools SupportFreescale: New MCS12 Micro with USB2.0Intel: New XScale ProcessorMicrochip: Baseline PICs now with FLASHMicrochip: World's First 6-pin MicrocontrollersMicrochip: Twelve New PIC18s, 28-pin to 80-pin and 8k to 64k FLASHMicrochip: Six new dsPIC ControllersNEC: New Kx1+ Microcontroller SeriesPhilips: 8-bit Micros with Two On-Chip A/DsRenesas: 32-Bit Microcontroller with Single 5V Supply and 48MHzSTMicroelectronics Enhances Capabilities of STVD7 Microcontroller Development SoftwareARM Announces New AMBA 3.0 AXI System ComponentsThe AMBA 3.0 AXI specification was developed to address performance issues by providing a high-performance, high-bandwidth interconnect whilst simplifying design at high frequency. ARM announced three new royalty-free system components compliant with the AMBA™ AXI interface specification for use with ARM11™ family-class processors: The L220 PrimeCell AXI Level-2 Cache Controller typically increases system performance by between 50 percent to over 100 percent, by storing recently-used data in high-speed on chip memory. It decreases overall system power consumption by reducing the number of power-hungry external memory accesses, and can enable the use of a less costly memory system. The PL300 PrimeCell AXI Configurable Interconnect provides a multi-layer topology that guarantees the necessary bandwidth and low latency for all connected IP blocks. The interconnect has a throughput of 1.6GBytes per master at 200MHz and no limitation on the number of masters used. The PL340 PrimeCell AXI SDRAM Controller is the first memory controller to exploit the performance of the AXI backplane and provides up to 1GByte/s of bandwidth with 32-bit DDR SDRAM. It supports a wide range of memory types including Mobile-DDR, DDR, Mobile SDR and SDR memories. ARM also announced that National Semiconductor's Advanced Power Controller (APC) Is now available for licensing from ARM. The APC macroscell, when used in conjunction with National's high-efficiency power management circuits and the ARM® Intelligent Energy Manager (IEM) technology, can reduce processor core power consumption by up to 75 percent. The APC product is a synthesizable AMBA™ methodology-compliant macrocell which includes a Hardware Performance Monitor (HPM). It automatically calibrates for process and temperature variations to reduce the system power supply to the absolute minimum necessary to meet the required level of performance at all operating frequencies. Atmel: New secureAVR Smart Card Controller with 4k EEPROMThe new AT90SC6404R, has 64K ROM, 4K EEPROM and 2K RAM. It has been fully certified for banking applications compliant with EMV™ 2000. EMV 2000 is the banking industry specification, owned by EMVCo, a company formed in February 1999 by Europay International, MasterCard International and Visa International to manage, maintain and enhance the EMV Integrated Circuit Card Specifications for Payment Systems. The AT90SC6404R has been granted MasterCard CAST and Visa Level 3 security approvals. In addition the product has been certified to Common Criteria EAL4 Augmented level (EAL4+), with vulnerability assessment AVA_VLA.4, which corresponds to today’s highest proven resistance against any security attack. Typical volume pricing is $0.85 for 100K units, supplied as die on sawn wafer. Atmel Signs Agreement to Become Second-Source Supplier for Cypress’s WirelessUSBWirelessUSB is a proprietary 2.4GHz wireless solution developed by Cypress for low data rate point-to-point (or multipoint) applications such as computer mice, keyboards and game controllers. Don't fall into the trap that "USB" means "high speed", as the 62.5kbps data rate achievable via WirelessUSB is a far cry from even USB1.1 lowest data rate of 1.5Mbps and less than 1/10 of Bluetooth's data rate. It's carries the "USB" name because the wireless connectivity is transparent to the designer at the operating system level (i.e., no special drivers need to be developed), as the WirelessUSB system acts as a USB HID class device. It competes head-on with Bluetooth, but boosts a lower price point of about $2 per node. For this lower price you sacrifice some of Bluetooth's more advanced features among others in the area of security (user authentication and encryption), which means your WirelessUSB keyboard input is an easy target for eavesdroppers (as it is with the majority of proprietary wireless keyboards on the market today). It also means you will need yet another wireless interface in your PC besides IEEE802.11 and Bluetooth. Then there is Zigbee, yet another wireless standard that targets similar markets (and is backed by a larger number of the semiconductor power houses). WirelessUSB's biggest advantage is its rapid implementation of wireless connectivity into PC environments as you don't have to worry about providing any PC drivers and with Atmel as a second source, it becomes now a less risky option. At the same time Atmel announced a new 2.4GHz transceiver chip ATR2406 that targets even lower data rate applications (up to 1kbps), but uses a proprietary protocol. Freescale: New SX12 Family Enhances HCS12 ArchitectureFreescale has introduced the first member of its advanced high-performance 16-bit microcontroller (MCU) family, the MC9S12XDP512. Based on the popular HCS12 architecture, the S12X family offers a five-times performance hike over previous HCS12 devices while retaining backward compatibility. The S12X family introduces the XGATE module. This versatile,
efficient co-processor delivers up to 80 MIPS of additional processing power to
offload from the main CPU tasks such as basic gateway activity and
peripheral-related processing. The parallel architecture enables more
deterministic handling of interrupts and allows design engineers to avoid
conflict between core functions and interrupt processing. The MC9S12XDP512 features: 512K of flash memory; 40MHz S12X enhanced CPU; XGATE module; 32 KB of RAM; 4 KB of EEPROM; 5x CAN; 6x LIN; 3x SPI; 2x IIC communication interfaces; advanced interrupt features; 24 channels of 10-bit analog-to-digital converters and eight-channel PWM; eight-channel timer with pre-scalers; four 16-bit internal counters; non-multiplexed external bus interface option; on-chip single wire debug (BDM) with trace buffer; 144-, 112- and 80-pin versions qualified from -40 to +125 degrees Celsius. Suggested resale pricing is $12.95 (USD) in 10,000-piece quantities in a 144-pin low-profile quad flat package. Freescale New S12X Family and MC9S08RG Development Tools SupportSofTec Microsystems' inDART-HCS12 BDM-based debugger/programmer now supports the new Motorola/Freescale S12X family. Based around an enhanced HCS12 core, the S12X family introduces the performance boosting XGATE module. Also new is the inDART-HCS08/RG60 Design Kit for MC9S08RG microcontrollers. It provides you with everything to quickstart your HCS08 projects. The kit includes an HCS08 in-circuit debugger/programmer and a full-featured MC9S08RG60 microcontroller specific evaluation board. Freescale: New MCS12 Micro with USB2.0The MC9S12UF32 microcontroller features an integrated universal serial bus (USB) 2.0 physical layer transceiver to provide comprehensive USB specification implementation for both full-speed (12 Mbps) and high-speed (480 Mbps) operation. 9S12UF32 features: HCS12 core; 32K Bytes flash; 3.5K Bytes RAM; Universal serial bus 2.0 controller; Integrated queue controller; 8-channel 16-bit timer with output capture, input compare, and pulse accumulator; serial communications interface. The MC9S12UF32 is available in sample quantities now. Suggested resale pricing in 10,000-piece quantities is: for the MC9S12UF32PU in a 100-pin LQFP: $4.95 (USD). Freescale plans a 64-pin LQFP version in the third quarter of 2004. Intel: New XScale ProcessorBased on Intel XScale® technology, the new Intel PXA270 is the
first embedded communications product to integrate the Intel Wireless MMX™
technology, providing additional performance for 3-D games and advanced video
while improving battery-life. Intel has also incorporated Intel Quick Capture
technology to support full motion video and cameras delivering up to four
megapixels of image quality. The Intel PXA270 processor for embedded computing is available in sample quantities today, with volume production planned next quarter. Suggested list price for 312 MHz is $32 (U.S.) in 10,000-unit quantities. Microchip: Baseline PICs now with FLASHThe new PIC16F54, PIC16F57, PIC16F505, PIC12F508 and PIC12F509 offer customers the benefits of reprogrammable Flash memory via an easy migration path from Microchip's existing OTP devices, with equivalent price points and identical pincounts in 8-, 14-, 18-, 20- and 28-pin packages. Additional enhanced features on these new microcontrollers include an improved internal oscillator, wider operating voltage of 2 - 5.5V, improved reset functionality, and smaller (MSOP) packaging for the PIC12F508 and PIC12F509. All five devices are available today for sampling. Volume production is planned for August. In 10K quantities, the PIC16F54 is $1.10 each, the PIC16F57 is $1.46 each, the PIC12F508 is $0.75 each, the PIC12F509 is $0.77 each, and the PIC16F505 is $0.94 each. The following package options are being offered:
Microchip: World's First 6-pin MicrocontrollersThe new PIC10F 8-bit Flash microcontroller family debuts with
four members, the PIC10F200, PIC10F202, PIC10F204 and PIC10F206, that offer 256
to 512 instructions (x12-bit program words) of Flash program memory and 16 bytes
to 24 bytes of data RAM memory. These devices also feature a precision 4 MHz
internal oscillator, 33 instructions, two stack levels, 25 milliAmp source/sink
current IO, low power (100 nanoAmp) sleep current, a wide operating voltage
range from 2- to 5.5-volts, one 8-bit timer, a watchdog timer, In Circuit Serial
Programming™ (ICSP™) technology, power-on reset, power-saving sleep mode and (in
the PIC10F204 and PIC10F206 only) an analog comparator module. The PIC10F family is supported by the
ICD2 In-Circuit Debugger development tool. The ICD2 is a powerful, low-cost
run-time tool that offers cost-effective in-circuit Flash programming and
debugging from the graphical user interface of the free MPLAB Integrated
Development Environment (IDE) software. This enables a designer to develop and
debug source code by watching variables, single-stepping and setting break
points. Running at full speed enables hardware tests in real-time. Microchip: Twelve New PIC18s, 28-pin to 80-pin and 8k to 64k FLASHEight new PIC18 F microcontrollers have 48 or 64K bytes of Flash program memory, 4K bytes of RAM and 1K byte of high-endurance EEPROM data memory. The new PIC18F2620, PIC18F2610, PIC18F2525, and PIC18F2515 come in 28-pin SDIP and SOIC packages, while the new PIC18F4620, PIC18F4610, PIC18F4525, and PIC18F4515 come in 40-pin PDIP, 44-pin TQFP and 44-pin QFN packages. The new controllers feature: External clock up to 40 MHz (10 MIPS); 32 KHz to 32 MHz (8 MIPS) internal oscillator; fail-safe clock monitor; voltage range of 2.0 – 5.5 volts; -40°C to +125°C temperature range; In-Circuit Serial Programming™ (ICSP™); 10-bit analog-to-digital converter with up to 13 signal channels and 100k samples-per-second; two analog comparators with programmable brownout detect and programmable low-voltage detect; SPI™, I2C™ and USART (supports RS485, RS232, LIN); two Capture Compare PWM Modules. Four other new PIC18 F microcontrollers have 8 or 16K bytes of Flash program memory and 768 bytes of RAM. The PIC18F6310 and PIC18F6410 come in a 64-pin TQFP. The PIC18F8310 and PIC18F8410 come in a 80-pin TQFP. Features are almost identical to the 8 lower pincount devices, except that the higher pincount ones feature two UARts and three Capture Compare PWM Modules. Microchip: Six new dsPIC ControllersThe new dsPIC30F6011, dsPIC30F6012, dsPIC30F6013, dsPIC30F6014 have 132K to 144K bytes of Enhanced Flash and 6 to 8K bytes of Static RAM to support large and complex applications. These products incorporate a CODEC interface and a 12-bit, 100 KSPS analog-to-digital converter. The dsPIC30F2010 has 12K bytes of Enhanced Flash memory in a 28-pin SOIC and SPDIP package. The dsPIC30F6010 finally has 144K bytes of Enhanced Flash memory and 8K bytes of Static RAM. The dsPIC30F2010 and the dsPIC30F6010 both have a motor-control Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) module and a 500 KSPS 10-bit analog-to-digital converter. All new dsPIC devices are equipped with an array of on-chip functions, including input capture, output compare and communication modules, such as UART, SPI™ interface and I2C™ interface. NEC: New Kx1+ Microcontroller SeriesThe new 78K0S/Kx1+ family offers smaller memory sizes with fewer peripherals and low pin count 8-pin flash devices; the also new, higher-end 78K0/Kx1+ family offers larger memory sizes and more on-chip peripherals for more complex applications. Some Kx1+ products also include an 8-megahertz (MHz) high-speed ring oscillator. The 78K0/Kx1+ and 78K0S/Kx1+ devices share many peripherals common to all members of the K1 family including fail-safe circuitry, on-chip clocks in addition to the main clock, a watchdog timer, device and system power-on reset (POR) circuits, and a low-voltage indicator (LVI). The 78K0/Kx1+ MCUs achieve operating speeds up to 16 MHz, resulting in a 60 percent increase in CPU processing speeds over the 10-MHz 78K0S/Kx1+ MCUs. The 78K0S/Kx1+ family offers 8-, 16-, 20- and 30-pin devices, while the 78K0/Kx1+ family offers devices with pin counts of 30 to 80 pins. 78K0/Kx1+ MCUs with pin counts of 44 or more feature an OCD function that enables in-system software development. Philips: 8-bit Micros with Two On-Chip A/DsWith two A/D converters, the new LPC935 can simultaneously convert and read data in two channels, providing designers the advantages of real-time data analysis, such as simultaneously reading voltage and current measurements. The LPC935 converts these signals in less than four microseconds. With fewer external components required and a small footprint for compact integration, each of the new LPC900 family microcontrollers – the LPC904, LPC915/6/7, LPC924/5 and LPC933/4/5 – allows customers the flexibility to select A/D conversion or high-speed digital-to-analog (ADC/DAC) output. Armed with byte-erasable flash technology for enhanced flexibility and performance, the LPC900 family is based on a high-performance 8051 architecture that executes instructions in 167 ns at 12 MHz (600 percent improvement over the traditional 80C51). The LPC900 features a real-time clock (RTC) and three other 16-bit counter/times. The family also features serial communication channels such as a 400 kHz byte-wide I˛C-bus, enhanced UART and SPI. Renesas: 32-Bit Microcontroller with Single 5V Supply and 48MHzThe new H8SX/1582F operates on a single 5 V power supply and supports 5 V interface systems. It achieves a high processing performance of 48 MIPS at its maximum operating frequency of 48 MHz. It is targeted for use in products such as copiers, multifunctional printers, and industrial control. The H8SX/1582F offers enhanced peripheral functions compared with H8SX Family 3.3 V operation models. Two 10-bit A/D converter units comprising 16 channels and two 16-bit timer pulse units comprising 12 channels are incorporated, representing twice the number of units and channels in the 3.3 V models. Each unit can operate independently. A new addition is a 3-channel synchronous serial communication unit (SSU) offering high-speed synchronous serial communication capability, with each channel capable of independent operation. The comprehensive set of peripheral functions also includes data transfer control (DTC) and a DMA controller. STMicroelectronics Enhances Capabilities of STVD7 Microcontroller Development SoftwareThe new ST7 Visual Develop 3.0 adds advanced build and programming features to earlier versions to provide a complete development environment within a common graphical user interface. The software is available as a free download for ST7 developers from mcu.st.com. STVD7 works with existing ST7 Emulators, which add their own advanced debugging features. In addition, the new software has a built-in ST7 simulator which allows development and debugging without the need for emulation hardware; an Input Simulator creates simulated analog and digital signals, and the Simulation Plotter creates an easy-to-navigate graphical display of simulated signals, system variables, or other data. About MicroController Pros CorporationMicroController Pros Corporation (µCPros) is an authorized distributor for many microcontroller tool vendors, which enables us to offer you a large selection of Microcontroller Development Tools for almost any major microcontroller architecture. Our MicroControllerShop (http://microcontrollershop.com) puts convenient and secure online shopping, feature- and price-comparison on your computer's desktop. Microcontroller Development Tools featured at the MicroControllerShop include: Emulators, EPROM programmers, FLASH programmers, microcontroller C- compilers, assemblers, emulator accessories, pin adapters, pin converters, microcontroller starter kits and embedded evaluation boards for various microcontroller architectures and manufacturers. µCPros also provides consultancy and outsourcing services in: |
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