» A joint venture between Toshiba and SanDisk produced the top product in this category -- an 8-Gb NAND flash memory chip. Voters gave it high marks for its technical significance and top marks for "likelihood of use" as well. First reviewed on February 28, on eeProductCenter.
(1) TOSHIBA AND SANDISK Toshiba and SanDisk develop 8-gigabit NAND flash memory chip eeProductCenter's Marty Gold says: "Innovative circuit design techniques were utilized to improve chip area efficiency resulting in an 8-Gb chip size that is less than 5 percent larger than the previous generation 4Gb chip on 90 nanometer. " Readers say: » "It will be very useful for many consumer applications when this thing comes online."
» "Important because of innovative MLC technology."
USABILITY RANK: 1
(2) OKI SEMICONDUCTOR ARM7-based MCU touts tiny size eeProductCenter's Marty Gold says: "The miniature size of the 406x WCSP takes advantage of Oki's packaging technology by providing a packaged part with a footprint no larger than the die itself, enabling designers to develop extremely compact consumer, industrial and medical devices. " Readers say: » "Perfect part for size constrained yet processor hungry applications."
» "With the miniaturization of many consumer, industrial and medical electronic products, designers are now looking for powerful general purpose MCUs with a small footprint,low in-power consumption, a wide variety of software and tools support, and is readily available. Oki's 406x MCU fulfills this emerging design need."
» "Possible connections to automotive busses would be nice (like CAN & FlexRay (on chip support as well)."
USABILITY RANK: 2
(3) TEXAS INSTRUMENTS TI boosts TMS320C6412 DSP to 720 MHz eeProductCenter's Marty Gold says: "The C6412's new performance levels enable developers of high-end, multi-channel communications systems to replace multiple DSPs in production systems with a single C6412, and utilize an on-chip Ethernet MAC (media access controller) and/or PCI interface for efficient communications.
" Readers say: » "Hopefully, TI will make the TMS328 core faster as well."
» "Clearly a very exciting product with a multitude of applications."
USABILITY RANK: 6
(4) SHARP MICROELECTRONICS ARM9-based MCUs decode up to 24 to 30 frames/sec. of MPEG4 encoded content eeProductCenter's Marty Gold says: "Operating at clock speeds of 250 and 266MHz respectively, the LH7A400 and LH7A404 ARM9-based microcontrollers from Sharp Microelectronics provide the extra boost in performance that's now needed to support portable media players, audio jukeboxes, gaming products and other handheld devices. " Readers say: » "I'm already using the part; great to know about the speed upgrade."
» "We aren't interested in MPEG decoding and our applications don't require the benefits claimed. Still, the clock speeds are pretty impressive."
» "DSP functional blocks integration would give this product wider applications."
USABILITY RANK: 8
(5) MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY PIC MCU targets intelligent power conversion designs eeProductCenter's Marty Gold says: "This 8-bit flash MCU has a large complement of onboard analog peripherals, including analog-to-digital converters, two high-speed comparators, a voltage reference and two operational amplifiers, which also appeals to a broad range of sensing and closed-loop control applications.
" Readers say: » "I could have used this part 15 years ago."
» "Product appears to be well-designed."
» "Would love to see a CAN module added."
» "Right product for a market that should explode."
USABILITY RANK: 3
(6) RENESAS TECHNOLOGY AMERICA 32-bit MCUs boast speed, integration for embedded apps eeProductCenter's Marty Gold says: "The four new devices -- SH7083, SH7084, SH7085 and SH7086 deliver the over 100 MIPS throughput and the high peripheral functionality required for industrial products such as inverters and AC servos. The devices are also optimized for enhanced office automation equipment and consumer devices such as improved networked home appliances, digital audio/video products, and liquid-crystal slide projectors.
" Readers say: » "Needs a CAN module or two."
» "Another product that one would have to see as an incremental improvement though the DACs running at full clock and the ADC independence make the product interesting to us."
USABILITY RANK: 7
(7) ZILOG ZiLOG's MCU fits in 8-pin package eeProductCenter's Marty Gold says: "The Z8 Encore! XP family of microcontrollers now comes in the small 8-pin footprint. The new device packs all the punch of the company's larger 20- and 28-pin XP family members, but uses 80 percent less space on the printed circuit board." Readers say: » "WOW! Great Product!"
» "I would like to rate this up one notch in the innovation."
» "It doesn't provide the features I currently need, but I could see it being the right fit for some other apps."
» "There are lots of 8 pin micros with flash and analog. This adds a bit more functionality for special purpose applications."
» "I have used other members of this family in the past and would consider this one if we had a suitable application."
» "I'm giving this a fairly high mark for technical significance..."
USABILITY RANK: 4
(8) ATMEL 8-bit MCU boasts 12x speed from single-cycle 8051 core eeProductCenter's Marty Gold says: "The AT89LP family of 8-bit microcontrollers is based on a single-cycle 8051 core which the company says is twelve times faster than the standard 8051 core. " Readers say: » "Looks promising but it is a very competitive market. They would have an edge if the parts are readily available for small manufacturers."
» "Analog Devices has been doing this for a while. What makes the Atmel offering worth looking at isn't the technical significance, it's the price!"
» "Atmel looks to be keeping up with Philips LPC series. Why don't either have a version with USB?"
USABILITY RANK: 5
(9) WHITE ELECTRONIC DESIGNS 16Mx72 Registered SDRAM for Increased Space Savings eeProductCenter's Marty Gold says: "The 128MB (1Gb) Registered SDRAM is organized as 16M x 72, packaged in a 25mm x 25mm, 625mm2, 219 plastic ball grid array (PBGA) and weighs 2.5 grams (typical). Benefits include a 59% space savings versus Thin Small Outline Package (TSOP), 40% I/O reduction, reduced part count and reduced trace lengths for lower capacitance. " Readers say: » "Great for cell phones."
USABILITY RANK: 10
(10) FUJITSU MICROELECTRONICS AMERICA 32-bit MCU line targets network-enabled appliances eeProductCenter's Marty Gold says: "The MB9140x series of 32-bit microcontrollers from Fujitsu Microelectronics America, Inc. pack a full range of networking security features, on-board ROM and RAM, and support for IPv6, the next-generation Internet protocol.
" Readers say: » "Pretty special purpose. Maybe it should be marketed as a smart MAC instead of a 32 bit MCU."
USABILITY RANK: 9
