» A beefed-up, 32-bit, ARM-based
microcontroller family from ST Microelectronics led all the other
candidates in this category by a wide margin, both in terms of
technical significance and for usability.
(1) ST MICROELECTRONICS ARM-based MCU line targets embedded apps eeProductCenter's Marty Gold says:
"STMicroelectronics has beefed-up its 32-bit ARM-based STR710F
microcontroller family for high-performance, cost-sensitive
applications needing fewer on-chip facilities and to embedded systems
that will benefit from increased on-chip RAM. The new MCUs are ideal
for embedded systems requiring a compact but powerful MCU, and for
scalable solutions such as user interfaces, factory-automation systems
and point-of-sale (POS) applications. " Readers say: » "Very nice part. It's
nice to see a 32-bit processor at a price close to that of an 8- or
16-bit processor."
» "Great CPU! We passed several lab tests at South West Research in San
Antonio TX. The only draw back was replacing a few bad BGA CPU chips."
» "Very good feature set for peripherals and power consumption."
» "Good integration of interfaces with a nice range of low to medium
cost offerings."
» "Would like to know if they are working on a 64 bit microcontroller."
» "Sounds like a good solution for certain projects."
» "I work in the appliance controls industry. Designs are very costs
sensitive, I would never consider a 32 bit processor, but I see from
these costs that some high end products these processors are getting
into the ball park to be considered using."
» "CAN bus is a big plus."
» "Mapping of the I/O pins to peripheral not that flexible. A crossbar
switch would make it more flexible for user to find the ultimate
combination."
» "Power consumption is very important for this type of product. It
should be highlighted."
» "Wide selection of flash/ram choices makes family useful in more
designs."
» "A powerful chip at a good price. Worth further investigation."
» "I would use the 128-kbyte flash version for its flash memory/ram
combinations for future designs."
USABILITY RANK: 1
(2) FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR Automotive processor boasts 885 MIPS performance eeProductCenter's Marty Gold says: "
Touting 885 MIPS of processing power, Freescale Semiconductor's
MPC5200B processor meets the performance needs of telematics and
automotive infotainment systems. The company is also offering its
Media5200 development platform and Lite5200B evaluation board, as well
as an expanded ecosystem of third-party support, to help speed system
development and time-to-market. The processor handles audio jukebox
applications and next-generation 3D navigation systems and is capable
of supporting audio compression decode/encode, as well as video decode.
These capabilities are particularly important as emerging technologies
gain traction in the automotive industry. Soon, video decode for rear
seat entertainment may be as important to consumers as audio
compression and DVD playback are today.
" Readers say: » "I am currently using the MPC5200"
» "Ah, the automotive industry?"
» "Price is on high end, but could be cost effective on some products."
» "What about power consumption?"
USABILITY RANK: 4
(3) FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR Application processors use ARM11 for multimedia eeProductCenter's Marty Gold says:
"Freescale Semiconductor has turned to the popular ARM11 processor core
for its new 532 MHz i.MX31 and i.MX31L line of multimedia processors.
The two units are said to be able to maximize the effective cycles per
instruction (eCPI) for power-performance mobile entertainment
solutions. The i.MX31 processors use Freescale's Independent Platform
Security Architecture, a combination of hardware and software security
features that provide a high level of confidence for carriers, content
providers and consumers. The security architecture can help save
millions of dollars caused by such events as loss of services,
copyright infringement and identity theft, according to Freescale.
" Readers say: » "The marketing blurb
sounds nice - I'd have to read the data sheet to really understand most
of what they are talking about."
» "I'm surprised that the article made such little mention of the
chip's 3D engine, supporting OpenGL ES and Direct3D. This level of
performance at this price point is impressive."
» "Interesting platform"
» "Any operating system support?" » "Multimedia tecnology looks for
these advances." » "Very versitile yet efficent."
» "No current requirements."
USABILITY RANK: 2
(4) TEXAS INSTRUMENTS MCU family touts signal-chain-on-chip functionality eeProductCenter's Marty Gold says: "With
the raft of new microcontroller announcements that come to my desk
almost daily, increasingly I see very little that differentiates one
from another. In most, if not all cases, vendors have embedded more
peripherals on-chips and increasing the amount of flash memory and
SRAM. Another key common denominator are the hardware and software
support tools which have become critical as design engineers select one
embedded processor over another. In this latest microcontroller product
launch from Texas Instruments, the company focuses on the
"signal-chain-on-chip functionality" of its new MSP430F42x0 family of
16-bit MCUs. TI also emphasizes the "ultra-low power" features of the
device.
" Readers say: » "A very promising device for specific application specially in portables."
» "Could be useful in a voice operated thermostate we developed. Too pricy."
» "This would be really nice for a battery powered instrument."
» "No current requirements."
» "84dB SINAD? typo?"
USABILITY RANK: 3
(5) MACRONIX INTERNATIONAL New technology doubles storage capacity in NOR flash devices eeProductCenter's Ismini Scouras says: "
Designers of set-top boxes, PDAs, or any other system that requires
high-density NOR flash can get twice the memory density in the same die
size vs. conventional technologies with Macronix's latest family of
devices that employ the company's newest technology called NBit.
<P>
NBit is a nitride-based multiple bits/cell technology that stores two
bits of information per cell. With alternative technologies, like
multi-level cell (MLC), four cell levels are needed to store two bits
of information. " Readers say: » "Considering making a new type of flash/ram plug-in.
This could be significant."
» "Not currently"
» "Will give a very nice capacity increase at an attractive price."
» "Impressive performance characteristics. The industry is moving toward higher bits."
USABILITY RANK: 5
(6) SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS First 90-nm, 512-Mbit xDR DRAM sampling for multimedia applications eeProductCenter's Ismini Scouras says:
"Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is sampling the first 512-Megabit xDR
DRAM manufactured using 90-nanometer process technology.
The advanced manufacturing process can produce a 512-Mbit xDR DRAM that
delivers higher speeds than standard parts. The 512-Mbit XDRAM is
12-times faster than mainstream DDR400 memory devices, and six-times
faster than devices that are designed with Rambus' previous-generation
technology, RDRAM, said Mueez Deen, director of DRAM/graphics at
Samsung. " Readers say: » "Testing is good."
» "Reconfigurable bus width is a good feature."
» "No current requirements."
USABILITY RANK: 7
(7) MICRON TECHNOLOGY DDR SDRAMs geared for mobile market feature new proprietary technology eeProductCenter's Ismini Scouras says:
"Micron Technology has launched a family of DDR SDRAM devices tailored
specifically for the mobile market. The DRAM maker had previously
offered memory devices for mobile applications, but the technology was
"borrowed from the PC market," said Deb Matus, product-marketing
manager for mobile memory at Micron. "We were not able to offer a
premier solution for customers."
Using a Micron-developed technology called Endur-IC, the latest devices
offer more aggressive power specifications than what the company has
been able to provide. Endur-IC encompasses both Micron's process
technology and design methodologies, she said. " Readers say: » "Excellent working temp
range. Self refresh is a good thing."
» "This technology continues to evolve rapidly."
» "With my function closer to end products (integrated CPUs &
microcontrolers), I can appreciate but am not immediately interested in
DDR progress. I am eager is seeing it used in micrcocontroler bundles."
» "No current requirements."
» "Very aggressive power management feature, I like it."
USABILITY RANK: 6
(8) ZILOG 8-bit MCU targets IR remote control applications eeProductCenter's Marty Gold says:
"Microcontroller veteran ZiLOG, Inc. has shown once again there is lots
of life left in the mature 8-bit microcontroller market. This time
around ZiLOG is aggressively attacking the high volume, low price,
universal infrared remote control application space, which looks to me
to be a huge driver of the well established MCU devices. ZiLOG's
strategy called "Remote on a chip" pulls together all the elements for
the infrared remote control market under one umbrella. In addition to
its IR-specific silicon, ZiLOG also offers comprehensive IR code set
databases, a wide selection of application-specific firmware and
software, development tools and design and engineering services, all
tailored to the customer's individual requirements. " Readers say: » "I am in this business.
A 1k or 2K product is not suitable for large library universal remote
controls but can find use in non-library products if the price is
right."
» "Low power assumes lower heat output also?"
USABILITY RANK: 8
(9) MOSYS INC 1-T SRAM macros are pre-configured for fast integration in SoC designs eeProductCenter's Ismini Scouras says: "
The pioneers of single transistor, 1-T SRAM technology are at it again
with an off-the-shelf solution that will cut SoC design time by at
least two months. MoSys has developed a family of pre-configured memory
macros called CLASSIC, which takes on the characteristics of its
flagship customized embedded 1-T SRAM technology. MoSys is targeting
CLASSIC at two segments of the marketılow-power handheld consumer
devices and high-speed, high-bandwidth applications, such as routers,
switches and other types of networking applications.
" Readers say: » "Interesting."
» "Really like the low power numbers."
» "We are not using these at the moment but they have a definite
niche."
» "Prior experience showed that there were yield problems w/Mosis 1T
cells where charges were not held. This may have been addressed for .13
TSMC LVOD process."
USABILITY RANK: 9
(10) ATMEL 4-Mbit SRAMs offer fast access time for radiation-hardened systems eeProductCenter's Ismini Scouras says: "
Designed to meet the stringent radiation, size and weight requirements
of space applications, two new sub-20-ns 4-Mbit SRAMs combine radiation
hardened capabilities with fast access time over the full military
temperature range.
From the existing 3.3-V, AT60142E SRAM, Atmel Corp. has derived two new
versions, the AT60142F with improved speed and power consumption, and
the AT60142FT, a 5-V variant. Both devices are very low power CMOS
asynchronous SRAMs organized as 512-K X 8 bits. Their
radiation-hardened capabilities include a latch-up threshold and a
total dose up to 70-MeV and 300-Krad, respectively. " Readers say: » "Fine."
» "Limited target audience." USABILITY RANK: 10
