Freescale's new MM908E621/22/26 system-in-package (SiP) devices combine the LIN physical layer with high-performance HC908 Flash microcontrollers (MCU) and SMARTMOS analog integrated circuits (IC). This allows design engineers to easily integrate power and control.

Many of today's LIN systems include a variety of different ICs and numerous discrete components. The intelligent distributed control (IDC) devices reduce the number of components used in an application, which simplifies logistics and increases reliability. Typical automotive applications include automotive seats, mirrors, window lift controls and door locks. Industrial applications include robotics, vending machines and paper printers for point-of-sale systems.

Freescale's HC908 MCU includes 16 kB of Flash and 512 Bytes of memory. The SMARTMOS analog IC provides the high-density/high-speed logic with precision analog and high-voltage/high-current power circuitry. Combining MCU and SMARTMOS functions in a single package, together with LIN, provides optimal application performance adjustments and space-saving board design.

The MM908E621 and the MM908E622 feature four half-bridges and three high-side outputs with position and temperature sensor drivers. The devices offer complete control of a high-end mirror with adjustable fold/glass position, heater, side turn-flasher, pedal lamp and temperature sensing and position memory functions. The MM908E622 adds control for electro-chrome mirrors.

With an analog IC that features four half-bridges, the MM908E626 allows for direct control of three DC motors up to 3A. In addition to running DC motors, the MM908E626 can be configured to run bipolar stepper motors in adjustable current control mode up to 600mA and is qualified for high-temperature applications up to 115°C.

Production quantities are available now for all advanced LIN intelligent distributed control devices. The suggested resale prices (USD) for 10,000-piece quantities are $4.69 for the MM908E621, $4.17 for the MM908E622 and $4.64 for the MM908E626.

Microchip Technology has announced the PIC16F946 PIC microcontroller with an integrated 42-segment LCD control module. The PIC16F946 adds to Microchip's LCD PIC microcontroller family, providing easy access to varying pin counts and levels of performance, and support for a wide selection of LCD segments.

The 5 MIPS PIC16F946 LCD PIC microcontroller features nanoWatt Technology, which meets industry low-power design requirements -- including the need to drive an LCD in standby condition. Integrated peripherals include a high-endurance data EEPROM (256 Bytes), a stable 8 MHz internal oscillator, a 10-bit A/D Converter, serial communications peripherals (SPI, I2C, AUSART) and the ability to implement a low-power real time clock. Additional features include 14 kBytes of Flash program memory, 336 Bytes of RAM, two analog comparators, three timers and two Capture/Compare PWM modules.

The PIC16F946 LCD microcontroller is available today for general sampling and volume production in a 64-pin TQFP package.

STMicroelectronics has released the SPEAr Head, a new member of the SPEAr (Structured Processor Enhanced Architecture) family of configurable System-on-Chip ICs that address a variety of applications, including digital engines for printers, scanners and other embedded control applications.

The new SPEAr Head (part number SPEAr-09-H020) integrates an advanced ARM926EJ-S core running at 266 MHz with 32 kBytes of Instruction cache, a complete set of IP (intellectual property) blocks and a configurable logic block that allows a great degree of flexibility in high-complexity system implementation. The new device makes it possible to achieve extremely fast customization of critical functions in a fraction of the time and cost required by a full-custom design approach.

The new device includes 16 Kbytes of Data cache; 8-Kbyte Data-TCM and 8-Kbyte Instruction-TCM, and three USB2.0 ports (two hosts and one device supporting high-speed mode); an Ethernet 10/100 MAC; a 16-channel 8-bit A/D converter; an I2C interface; three UARTs; SDRAM memory interfaces at 133 MHz supporting DDR and SDR; SPI interface supporting serial FLASH/ROM; one full USB-dedicated PLL and one dithered system PLL; and 200-kgate (ASIC equivalent) of configurable logic connected to four banks of 4 KBytes SRAM each. A Real Time Clock, Watchdog and four general-purpose timers complete the SoC structure. Additionally, the device supports a wide range of operating systems, including Linux, Nucleus, uItron, and Vxworks.

Samples of SPEAr Head are already available, with pricing in the range of $12 in volume quantities. Full development boards will be shipped in December. A special dual-mode development environment has been implemented to allow ST customers either to use an ASIC-like approach to design their custom logic or to develop their solution with an external FPGA, verify the solution and finally map it into the configurable logic.

STMicroelectronics has introduced the STR730F series, specifically designed to address the emerging demand for high-performance, cost-effective and off-the-shelf 32-bit microcontrollers optimized for industrial applications such as factory automation, appliances, test and measurement equipment, point-of-sale terminals, and security systems. A single 5V power rail is the preferred supply configuration for industrial applications that need robust operation, especially in terms of noise immunity, and the STR730F family is the first family of ARM-based microcontrollers to meet this need. In addition, the devices are specified over an extended temperature range of -40°C to +105°C and include a rich set of peripherals.

The new microcontroller family has been designed to implement the main controller functions in complex industrial applications. For this reason, the devices deliver very high performance via a 32 MIPS ARM7TDMI RISC processor core, full-speed (zero wait state) access to up to 256 kBytes of embedded Flash program memory, and a 16-channel DMA facility that significantly reduces the CPU load in complex applications. In addition, the integrated peripherals such as three independent CAN controllers, a fast (3µs), 16-channel/10-bit ADC, up to 16 PWM outputs capable of supporting multiple single-phase or three-phase motor-driving requirements, a full complement of industry-standard serial communications interfaces, and a Real-Time Clock, eliminate the need for external peripheral devices in most applications.

The STR730F family is offered in configurations from 64 to 256 kBytes of program memory in the initial family range; a rich set of embedded peripherals; a choice of TQFP144 (20x20), TQFP100 (14x14) and the very small BGA144 (10x10) package options; and power minimization via two embedded voltage regulators and five low-power modes.

Samples of the STR730F devices are available now, with prices in 10,000-unit quantities ranging from US$4.53 for the STR736FV0 (TQFP100, 64K memory size, no CAN, 4x UART, and 12x PWM) to US$8.99 for the STR730FZ2 (TQFP144, 256K memory size, 3x CAN, 4x UART, and 16x PWM).

Texas Instruments has announced volume production of its TMS320F2801, TMS320F2806 and TMS320F2808 digital signal controllers. Based on TI's DSP technology, these 32-bit controllers feature a highly integrated, control-optimized peripheral mix that includes a patent-pending PWM with 64 times higher resolution than the nearest competitor for faster control loops and quicker system response as well as more accurate control systems, making these controllers instrumental in applications ranging from digitally controlled power supplies and laser-based air and medical sensors to high performance, vector-based motor control.

With a DSP core and the C-language efficiency and ease-of-use of a MCU, F28x controllers offer 100 MIPS of 32-bit DSP performance. The ability to position the edge of a PWM signal with 150 ps precision or 16 bits accuracy in a 100 KHz control loop enables faster transient response and smaller ripple amplitude to eliminate "limit cycle" issues in digital power applications.

The F280x controllers integrate a number of peripherals including 128 kBytes of Flash memory, a 12-bit, 16-channel A/D Converter, 16 independent PWM channels, quadrature encoder pulse (QEP) and time stamping capture inputs for position sensing. This high integration enables a single F2808 device to control up to five independent three-phase motors simultaneously. A 32-bit wide data path ensures superior execution performance while mixed 16-/32-bit instruction achieves excellent code density. Key communication interfaces include multiple CAN, I2C, UART and SPI ports.

The TMS320F2801 controller is $4.95, the TMS320F2806 is $7.45, and the TMS320F2808 is $9.95, all in production quantities. Each device is automotive qualified and available in both a 100-pin LQFP and 100-ball BGA package.

Texas Instruments has announced that the newest MSP430F20xx low pin-count, ultra-low power MCU series will deliver a 500 nanoamp standby mode utilizing unique very low-power oscillator (VLO) technology. The VLO technology allows the MSP430F20xx MCU to be totally self-clocked in an ultra-low power standby mode with self-wakeup capability using no external components. This enables systems such as fire detectors or home thermostats to operate from the same battery for over a decade.

The 500 nanoamp standby is achieved with all device failsafe features active including zero-power brown-out reset (BOR) allowing both ultra low power and extremely reliable systems. Prior to VLO, designers had been forced to use external crystals or oscillator circuits to achieve ultra-low power standby. Using no external components, the VLO reduces systems component count and costs as well as reducing space.

The new MSP430F20xx MCUs offer a flexible clock system that allows fast operation of up to 16 MIPS with no external components using a digitally controlled oscillator (DCO). The DCO is fully programmable up to 16 MHz and stable over temperature and voltage with the ability to switch from standby to full operation in less than one micro-second. This allows applications to conserve power and use smaller, lower-cost batteries. If embedded real-time clock (RTC) function is required, the F20xx MCU can use a common 32 kHz crystal and achieve a standby mode of 0.7 microamps.

All F20xx devices operate from 1.8 to 3.6V allowing direct battery operation, and are available in a 14-pin footprint as small as 4 x 4 mm with 10 GPIO pins that include programmable pull-up/pull-down resistors that further eliminate external components. Designers can match their requirements to three pin-compatible F20xx MCU peripheral options that include an analog comparator for very cost-sensitive applications, 200 ksps 10-bit A/D Converter for real-time signal processing, or a 16-bit sigma-delta ADC for high-precision systems.

All devices include an enhanced watchdog timer for better reliability, a multi-function 16-bit timer and in-system programmable Flash that provide greater design flexibility and field upgrade capability. With 128 Bytes of RAM and a full-featured 16-bit RISC CPU, complete development in C and the re-use of existing MSP430 instruction set architecture libraries is supported. The MSP430F20xx also uses existing MSP430 USB-based tool chains.

The MSP430F20x3 and MSP430F20x1 MCUs are sampling now with full production scheduled for Q4 2005. The MSP430F20x2 MCUs will sample in Q4 2005 with production in early Q1 2006.

TI MSP430 Development Tools Up to 30% Off

MicroController Pros Corporation and Softbaugh, Inc. have entered into an agreement that provides substantial savings on selected MSP430 development boards and tool bundles exclusively to customers of the MicroControllerShop (http://microcontrollershop.com).

Development boards and tool bundles of the FT series  are discounted by 30% off regular retail prices. 
The three development boards of the FT series are based on the MSP430F169 microcontroller and feature: RS232, USB, coin cell battery back-up with supervisor IC for uninterrupted switching between USB and battery power, JTAG header , BST (bootloader) header, 4 LEDs, 2 user switches, prototyping area and IDC headers for access to all MSP430 pins.

The boards differ in the way the USB interface is connected to the MSP430 microcontroller: The FT232's USB interface chip connects to the MSP430's integrated UART, the FT245's USB connects to a MSP430 parallel port (FIFO interface); and the FT2232 version allows you to connect the  USB either to the MSP430's UART or a parallel port.

All three boards are available standalone or as bundles that include either a parallel- or a USB-port JTAG in-circuit debugger and programmer that supports all MSP430 microcontrollers and is compatible with TI's free MSP430 Kickstart software.

Development boards and tool bundles of the BFT series are discounted by 10% off regular retail prices. The two development boards of the BFT series  are also based on the MSP430F169 microcontroller, but come in a DIP module form-factor that allows you to plug it into solderless breadboards or your own board design for rapid prototyping. The boards feature USB (BFT245: parallel port; BFT232: UART), JTAG connector, voltage supervisor, 32kHz Xtal (for low speed oscillator) and LED on pin P1.0.

Both the BFT245 and BFT232 boards are also available as bundles with either a parallel- or a USB-port MSP430 JTAG in-circuit debugger and programmer.

This special offer is only available to customers of the MicroControllerShop and ends 12/31/2005.

ZiLOG has launched the Z8 Encore! MC family, a new generation of Flash MCUs targeted at sensorless Brushless DC (BLDC) and AC Induction motor control applications. Available immediately, the Z8 Encore! MC series is initially offered with a choice of 16 Kbytes (Z8FMC16100), 8 kBytes (Z8FMC08100) or 4 kBytes (Z8FMC04100) of Flash memory.

The Z8 Encore! MC family brings with it a rich set of on-chip features and peripherals, all of which have been integrated to address the challenges in the design of advanced motor control systems and architectures, while helping reduce overall system cost through the elimination of external electronic components.

The Z8FMC16100 has a number of key benefits designed to improve performance, add scalability and keep overall system cost to a minimum. For example, the chip provides for seamless operation of the motor at slower speeds, thus reducing power consumption and increasing energy efficiency. The on-chip integrated A/D Converter with its unique "Time Stamp" feature is coupled to the 3-Phase PWM output module, a feature that allows for very accurate speed control. In addition, the advanced integrated analog modules allow for current sampling, as well as on-the-fly implementation of torque or speed control.

Using the highly accurate Internal Precision Oscillator as the system clock source (one of a number of system clock options), along with a very robust chip design, provides for a very high level of electrical noise immunity. Other key features include direct routing of the current-sensing module to the PWM module, respectively, providing for very fast shutdown of the system during an overcurrent fault.

ZiLOG's microcontroller-based design permits more complex and differentiating features. The 16 kBytes of on-board Flash memory and 17 general-purpose I/Os allow for incorporating a variety of new system functions. Another benefit that the Z8 Encore! MC family offers is multiple, integrated communication peripherals: I2C, SPI, UART and LIN.

The Z8 FMC16100 Series MCUs also feature a 20 MHz CPU core, 512 Bytes RAM, 6-channel 12-bit PWM with fast shutdown, 8-channel 2.5µs 10-bit ADC with internal reference, operational amplifier, analog comparator, 5.53 MHz internal precision oscillator (2% accuracy variation), 16-bit timer, watchdog timer, voltage brown-out, and power-on reset. They come in 32-pin QFN or LQFP lead-free packages and operate at 2.7-3.6V in Standard (0° to 70° C) and Extended (-40° to +105° C) temperature ranges.

Pricing is $2.50 in volumes of 5000 units for the 16 kByte version with Standard temperature range.