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Welcome to the September 2007 edition of MicroController
Pros Corporation's Embedded News Digest, your source for microcontroller and
embedded system news.
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This month's issue:
AMD has announced the addition of three new low-power AMD Athlon 64
processors to its embedded product lineup, giving embedded systems designers the
benefits of AMD64 technology in a thermal envelope as low as 8 watts. These AM2
socket-compatible, single core processors enhance the available options for
deploying AMD64 technology in embedded systems.
The AMD Athlon 64 processor Models 2000+, 2600+, and 3100+ feature power
envelopes of 8, 15, and 25W maximum thermal design power, respectively. They
support ECC memory for high reliability data applications and are especially
applicable for systems such as Network Attached Storage (NAS), Advanced
Mezzanine Cards (AMCs) for the telecommunications market, and various
single-board computing and industrial implementations. These models will be
generally available in Q4.
[back to table of contents]
ARM Announces Low-Cost Cortex-M1 Development Kit for Altera
Cyclone III
ARM has announced the ARM Cortex-M1 Development Kit, a complete ARM design
solution optimized for Altera Cyclone III FPGAs. Complementary to the Cortex-M1
processor -- the first ARM processor designed specifically for implementation on
FPGAs -- the ARM Cortex-M1 Development Kit enables the seamless integration of
ARM processor technology with the Altera Cyclone III FPGAs using the Altera
Quartus II design software and Altera SOPC Builder tool, together with the ARM
RealView Microcontroller development Kit software development environment.
The kit is comprised of the ARM Cortex-M1 processor and ARM RealView
Microcontroller Development Kit, including compiler, debugger and RTX RTOS.
The Cortex-M1 Development Kit product features an encrypted version of the
Cortex-M1 processor and a special edition of the RealView Microcontroller
Development Kit. The RealView Microcontroller Development Kit integrates two
tools: ARM RealView Compilation Tools and the Keil µVision3 development
environment.
The Cortex-M1 Development Kit will be commercially available in the United
States and Europe in Q4 2007 through Arrow Electronics.
[back to table of contents]
Crossware has enhanced its
ARM Development Suite by adding support for the Atmel SAM7 ARM-based
microcontrollers.
The Crossware enhancements allow developers to rapidly exploit the advanced
features of these chips by providing a combination of wizards, simulation,
debugging, compiler extensions and pre-configuration. This allows the developer
to immediately take advantage of the advanced C/C++ compiler and other tool
chain components and simplifies the otherwise complex task of setting up an ARM
chip. This helps accelerate the development process and significantly reduces
new product time-to-market.
Crossware's comprehensive set of Code Creation Wizards are provided for all
on-chip peripherals and are able to generate configuration code, interrupt
routines and, for the USARTs, complete I/O handlers. The simulator simulates the
ARM core itself as well as many of the SAM7 on-chip peripherals including the
advanced interrupt controller (AIC) and the peripheral DMA controller (PDC).
This allows a developer to use the simulator to immediately test the code
created using the wizards. The simulator can also be extended using the Virtual
Workshop Interface allowing developers to construct a simulation of their
complete target system.
Virtual Components have now been introduced to take advantage of this Virtual
Workshop Interface, allowing the developer to extend the simulator without any
additional coding being required. These pre-written simulator extensions can be
integrated rapidly into the development environment and configured to customize
their interaction with the simulating microcontroller. At its simplest, a
component might just toggle a digital input to a SAM7 peripheral. A more complex
component might be a multi-line dot matrix character display together with its
display controller. In either case, a graphical user interface would allow the
developer to choose which pins of the simulating ARM chip it is connected to.
[back to table of contents]
Seiko Epson Corporation has developed the S1C17701, a new 16-bit RISC MCU
which contains 16 MB of memory space and features low power consumption and
circuit size equivalent to an 8-bit microcontroller. Shipments of samples of
this product will commence September 2007. Volume shipments, with a monthly
output of 500,000 units, are scheduled to begin in October 2007.
The S1C17701 is a single-chip microcontroller featuring on-chip Flash ROM and a
high-resolution dot-matrix LCD driver (1792 dots). With 64 KB of Flash ROM, the
product is ideal for software development and evaluation activities. Epson has
utilized the low power consumption technology developed for its watch
applications to achieve low current consumption (typically 2.5 microAmps during
standby mode) and enable high-speed operation (8.2 MHz) with low operation
voltage (1.8 V).
[back to table of contents]
Silicon Laboratories has announced the expansion of its small form-factor
family to include the C8051F336 family of highly-integrated 8-bit MCUs.
Pin-for-pin compatible with Silicon Laboratories C8051F330 family of devices,
the F336 doubles the Flash code space to 16 kB.
A pipelined, single-cycle 8051 core delivers up to 25 MIPS of CPU bandwidth.
Analog features on-chip include a highly linear SAR ADC and programmable IDAC
for analog measurement and control. The chip is packaged in a tiny 4x4 mm QFN
package.
All of Silicon Laboratories' small form factor MCUs provide four-corner
operation, which means they do not require special operating conditions to
achieve the optimal datasheet specifications. The CPU is designed to operate at
25 MHz over the entire allowed operating temperature and power supply voltage
ranges. ADC speed and accuracy are also guaranteed over the entire allowed
temperature and voltage supply ranges with the CPU operating at full speed. The
on-board precision oscillator is designed and calibrated to two percent for
worst-case temperature and supply voltage.
The C8051F336 Small Form Factor MCU family is available now with pricing
beginning at $1.77 each in quantities of 10,000 units.
[back to table of contents]
Freescale Semiconductor has added 10 highly integrated microcontrollers (MCUs)
to the company's 32-bit ColdFire portfolio.
The expanded ColdFire MCU lineup includes extensions to the MCF5223x Ethernet
MCU family, the MCF5221x USB MCU family and the MCF51QE ultra-low-power MCU
family.
Freescale has added four Ethernet-enabled devices to the MCF5223x family. These
Ethernet MCUs feature an on-chip Ethernet controller with a 10/100 Ethernet PHY.
Freescale has added four USB-enabled devices to the MCF5221x family. The on-chip
USB On-The-Go (OTG) module featured throughout the device family gives designers
the option of using the module in USB Device or Host modes. The MCF5221x family
also integrates USB transceivers on chip. The MCF5221x family has a six microAmp
current draw in standby mode and 10 micrAmp current draw in low-power run mode.
Freescale has added two 32-bit devices to the recently announced Flexis QE
family. Based on the V1 ColdFire core, the two MCF51QE32 devices offer 370 nA of
current in the lowest power stop mode.
MCF5221x, MCF5223x and MCF51QE32 family devices are available in two temperature
ranges (0 to 70 degrees Celsius and -40 to +85 degrees Celsius) for a total of
10 distinct device offerings. The products range from $1.94 for the MCF51QE32 to
$5.39 for the MCF52236 in 10,000-unit quantities.
[back to table of contents]
Freescale Semiconductor is simplifying 32-bit embedded application
development with the introduction of CodeWarrior Development Studio for ColdFire
Architectures v7.0. The next-generation software release gives designers and
programmers advanced development tools and graphical interfaces that enable them
to work more efficiently, creatively and productively.
Freescale has engineered the latest version of CodeWarrior software development
tools to include built-in features and utilities that can significantly improve
ease of use, speed and accessibility over previous CodeWarrior versions.
The New Project Wizard makes it quick and easy to create a working project in as
few as seven mouse clicks. The Device Initialization tool provides a fast and
easy way to configure on-chip registers and generate initialization code. The
CodeWarrior tools include optimized ANSI C/C++ compiler and libraries.
Processor Expert is a rapid application design tool integrated with CodeWarrior.
Developers can use the graphical interface to define the functionality needed
for their applications, and the Processor Expert tool generates tested,
optimized C code tuned for their application and the selected ColdFire device.
A complimentary Preview Release of CodeWarrior Development Studio for ColdFire
Architectures v7.0 is included in the evaluation and demonstration kits for the
MCF5221x, MCF5223x and MCF5445x ColdFire families. The Special Edition, C
Compiler Upgrade, Standard Edition and Professional Edition are planned to be
available in December 2007. The Special Edition, with limited 128 KB C compiler,
is available as a complimentary offering. The C Compiler upgrade, which allows C
code development up to 512 KB, will be available for a suggested resale price of
$995. The Standard Edition is available for a suggested resale price of $2,495,
and the Professional Edition has a suggested resale price of $4,995.
[back to table of contents]
Freescale's MCF5445x family includes 12 advanced microprocessors that
integrate a rich set of connectivity peripherals. The MCF5445x devices include
an on-chip memory management unit to support protected memory operating systems,
such as the Linux OS. The MCF5445x family supports 10/100 Ethernet, USB
On-The-Go (OTG), ATA and PCI, enabling easy integration of any PCI-based
peripheral. The new devices deliver 410 Dhrystone MIPS (DMIPS) core performance
at approximately 380 mW,
The MCF5445x microprocessors are based on the high-performance V4 ColdFire
microarchitecture featuring an enhanced multiply-accumulate (eMAC) unit,
hardware divide and a memory management unit (MMU). The MMU allows embedded
designers to run protected-mode operating systems, such as Linux OS as well as
other third-party real-time operating systems.
The MCF5445x family devices feature an on-chip DDR memory controller that
supports DDR1, DDR2 and mobile DDR memory. Affordable DDR1/2 memory support
combined with a cost-effective, non-volatile memory serial interface enables a
serial boot capability designed to minimize system cost while maintaining
exceptional system performance. The inclusion of a dual-role master/slave SPI
allows other SPI devices to communicate with the MCF5445x as a master or slave,
giving developers greater control in integrating other low-cost peripherals.
The MCF5445x family devices are available from $9.95 (suggested resale pricing)
in 10,000-unit quantities. Samples are available now. The M54455EVB evaluation
system is available now at a suggested resale price of $850.
[back to table of contents]
The new S08QD MCU family integrates a four-channel, 10-bit ADC and an
automatic compare function. The S08QD also includes an internal clock source
(ICS) module containing a frequency-locked loop (FLL) controlled by an internal
or external reference. The internal reference clock can eliminate the cost of
all external clock components, which helps reduce board space and enhances
system reliability.
The S08QD is pin-compatible with the SG and EL MCU families. Shared peripherals
and a common set of development tools help make it quick and easy for engineers
to leverage their design investments.
S08QD family devices are available now in production quantities, and the
suggested resale pricing begins at 74 cents in 10,000-unit quantities
[back to table of contents]
Microchip Technology has announced the first eight members of the PIC18F
high-performance 8-bit microcontroller. The new 28-, 40- and 44-pin
microcontrollers have an operating voltage range of 1.8V to 3.6V. Speeds
of 16 MIPS (64 MHz) can be achieved at 3V operation from the internal
oscillator.
Enhanced on-chip peripherals available with the PIC18F4XK20/2XK20 family
include a software-selectable, precision 16 MHz internal oscillator with Phase
Lock Loop (PLL), a Master Synchronous Serial Port (I2C/SPI) module with address
masking, a four-channel 10-bit Enhanced Capture/Compare Pulse-Width Modulation
module with PWM steering capability, up to fourteen 10-bit Analog-to-Digital
Conversion channels with a 1.2V fixed voltage reference, and dual rail-to-rail
comparators.
With prices starting at $1.56 each in 10,000-unit quantities, the eight-member
PIC18F4XK20/2XK20 family is offered in the following package options: 28-pin
PDIP, SOIC, SSOP and QFN, 40-pin PDIP, and 44-pin TQFP and QFN.
[back to table of contents]
NEC Electronics Europe and NEC Electronics America have introduced two
additions to their V850ES lineup of 32-bit all-Flash MCUs. The new V850ES/Hx3
and V850ES/Jx3 MCUs execute up to 69 Dhrystone MIPS at clock speeds of 32 MHz.
The V850ES/Jx3 devices integrate up to 1 MB of single-voltage Flash memory.
On-chip functions include 16-bit timers, serial interfaces, 16-channel 10-bit
A/D converter, two-channel D/A converter, four-channel DMA controller, real-time
output port, external bus, watch timer, watchdog timer and on-chip debugger.
The V850ES/Hx3 microcontrollers are designed to extend the existing V850ES/Hx
lineup. Two new internal oscillators that operate at 240 kHz and 8 MHz have been
added. Two more 16-bit timers also have been added, including one capable of
controlling a 3-phase motor, bringing the total number of timers into double
figures on larger devices. Other enhancements include an I2C interface and a
spread-spectrum clock generator that measures and manages radiant noise and
decreases EMI emissions without external components. Available in 64-, 80-, 100-
and 144-pin LQFPs, the V850ES/Hx3 microcontrollers include up to 24 channels of
10-bit A/D conversion, multiple serial interfaces, watch timer, watchdog timer,
and on-chip debugger. RAM sizes range from 8 to 32 KB. Flash memory capacities
range from 128 to 512 KB.
Samples of the 1MB and 768 kilobit variants of the V850ES/Jx3 MCUs are available
now. Sample pricing for the 1MB, 100-pin V850ES/Jx3 microcontroller is $13.50
each. Other memory and package variants are expected to be available November
2007, with mass production scheduled for the second half of 2008.
Samples of the V850ES/Hx3 products are expected to be available November 2007
with mass production scheduled for the second half of 2008. Sample pricing for
the 512KB, 144-pin V850ES/Hx3 MCU is $11.30 each.
[back to table of contents]
NXP Semiconductors has announced the introduction of three ARM9
microcontrollers in the LPC2900 series: the LPC2919, LPC2917 and LPC2915.
The NXP LPC2900 microcontrollers are based on 80-MHz ARM968E-S MCUs with two CAN
controllers and two LIN controllers. With the help of an on-chip power
management unit, the LPC2900 can also consume power more efficiently for
low-power applications. Peripherals such as high-speed PWM and UARTs can be
clocked independently at different clock rates to provide further flexibility in
minimizing power consumption.
Features also include standard serial buses, a sophisticated PWM and two ADCs.
The LPC2917 and LPC2919 have 32-bit external memory controllers that support
static memory devices, including RAM, ROM, Flash, burst ROM, and external I/O
devices. The system can support up to 768 KB of on-chip Flash and 80 KB SRAM.
The unique 128-bit wide Flash provides the highest performance accessing four
words each fetch comparing to others that fetch one word at a time. The SRAM is
subdivided into a 16 KB Tightly Coupled Memory for data and 16 KB TCM for code
as well as 48 KB general-purpose SRAM. Integrated CAN 2.0B controllers offer
FullCAN mode for message reception, triple transmit buffers with automatic
priority scheduling, and extensive global CAN-acceptance filtering for
high-performance gateway functionality. For compatibility with existing tools,
each device uses the standard ARM test/debug JTAG interface.
The NXP LPC2900 family of microcontrollers is available immediately in
industrial temperature range. Higher temperature products will be available in
2008. Packages come in 144-pin LQFP and 100-pin LQFP.
[back to table of contents]
Renesas Technology has announced the SuperH Family SH77650, an SoC product
providing image-recognition processing functions for vehicle information
terminals, such as next-generation car navigation systems, and peripheral
devices to assist safe driving. Sample shipments will begin in November 2007 in
Japan.
The SH77650 incorporates the SH-4A, the top-end CPU core in the SuperH Family.
Its processing performance is 540 MIPS at its maximum operating frequency of 300
MHz. The on-chip FPU also operates at a maximum of 300 MHz. The FPU supports
single- and double-precision calculations, delivering a maximum operating
performance of 2.1 GFLOPS in single-precision mode.
The SH77650 also incorporates many peripheral functions suitable for image
recognition applications. In addition to a high-performance image recognition
processing accelerator, there is a three-channel video input interface, a
display function supporting a screen of maximum WVGA size (850 x 480 pixels), a
dedicated six-channel DMA controller, three timer channels, a two-channel serial
interface, and a two-channel CAN interface for in-vehicle LANs. This variety of
on-chip peripheral functions covers the main tasks performed by in-vehicle image
recognition systems.
In addition, there is an on-chip bus arbitrator circuit that sets the priority
of attempts by the modules to access the bus. This circuit supports three access
priority levels and makes it possible for multiple internal modules to access
external memory efficiently. The priority levels can be changed by the user to
meet requirements for CPU or image processing performance.
Furthermore, a 32-bit dedicated bus is provided as an external bus allowing
connection to high-speed DDR1-SDRAM, and a 32-bit expansion bus enables
connection to Flash memory or SRAM.
The package used is a 376-pin BGA (19 mm x 19 mm).
[back to table of contents]
Silicon Storage Technology has announced a new addition to their popular
SuperFlash-based FlashFlex family of 8-bit, 8051-compatible microcontrollers,
the SST89V54RD-33-C-QIF.
In addition to the tiny 6mm x 6mm footprint, the ST89V54RD's WQFN package offers
an extremely low-profile maximum total thickness of 0.8mm.
Like all of SST's FlashFlex microcontrollers, the SST89V54RD supports both IAP
and ISP, enabling the user to update the Flash device in the field or in an
application.
Samples of the SST89V54RD-33-C-QIF FlashFlex microcontroller are available now.
Pricing starts at $1.20 in 10,000-unit quantities.
[back to table of contents]
STMicroelectronics has announced a new family of secure microcontrollers
based on a 0.13-micron process technology. This advanced family is based on the
new ST23 secure platform, which takes advantage of the most recent improvements
in security technology and offers optimized computing power for advanced secure
applications.
The ST23YS02 and ST23YS08 integrate 2 and 8 kBytes of EEPROM, respectively. Both
MCUs embed an eDES (enhanced DES) accelerator and support AES cryptography, and
are certified to meet current EMVCo requirements. They provide ISO and IART
interfaces, with planned additions to the family including crypto-processor and
contactless products.
Samples of the ST23YS08 will be available from September 2007, with volume
production planned for November; the ST23YS02 will sample in December 2007 and
will be available in volume from January 2008. Both devices are supplied in
wafer form or as micro-modules.
Pricing for the ST23YS08 is $0.80 in quantities of 100,000 units.
[back to table of contents]
Zilog has unveiled its new 32-bit high-security, high-performance Zatara
single-chip solution for the rapidly growing secure transactions marketplace.
The launch of Zilog's first 32-bit family of ASSPs follows more than 14 months
of collaboration with partners and customers to achieve greater security and
performance for next-generation secure transaction applications such as global
electronic funds transfer (EFT) point-of-sales (POS) payment systems.
The Zatara device is a fully integrated, system-on-chip ASSP that offers four
key advantages over the conventional two-chip solutions that use a general
processor and a secondary security co-processor. These include the highest level
of security and intrusion protection, lower overall system cost, a simplified
design that achieves better performance in a smaller footprint and quicker
time-to-market.
[back to table of contents]
MicroController Pros Corporation (µCPros) is an authorized
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The
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MicroController Pros Corporation
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