Philips Launches Integrated Microcontroller Solutions
Philips Semiconductors has released a pair of integrated microcontrollers for wireless applications at this week's Embedded Systems Conference.
The first product, dubbed the 87LPC74, is designed for applications that require low power and low overall system cost. Based on the 80C51 architecture, this microcontroller features 4 KB of one-time programmable memory and 128 B of static random-access memory (RAM).
The 87LPC764 provides five user-programmable modes that tune its performance and power consumption to meet the needs of a variety of applications. One of the modes can use the internal RC oscillator for a clock source for speeds up to 6 MHz. By doing this, two pins are released for use as additional input/outputs (I/O), increasing the total I/O pin count to 18.
A range of assemblers, compilers, and emulators support the 87LPC74. In Internet-enabled evaluation kit is also available. This kit comes with a demonstration board and a demonstration version of emWare's EMIT 3.0 Lite gateway software.
16-b Microcontroller
Philips second new microcontroller, the XA-SCC, is a 16-b serial device designed for wireless application. This integrated solution features four serial communication channels that are each capable of supporting a variety of protocols with data rates up to 4 Mb/s, and an on-board direct-memory access (DMA) controller for efficient data movement.
An on-chip hardware autoband function allows the XA-SCC to self-configure its baud rate and other serial communication parameters. In addition, the microcontroller's IDL interface, which is tine division multiplexed, supports 8 or 10 b frames for glueless connection to a U-chip, ST-chip, and other standard physical interface devices.
The XA-SCC operates at +3.3 or +5 VDC and at speeds up to 30 MHz. It also works across the –40 to +85°C temperature range.
Availability
The 87LPC764 is supplied in 20-pin SOIC and PDIP packages. Samples of this microcontroller are available. Volume production will begin in April 1999. It will be priced at $1.10 in 10,000 piece quantities.
The XA-SCC is available now in sample and production quantities and is housed in a 100-pin LQFP package. It is priced at $17.06 1000 piece units.