Embedded World, Nuremberg - Silicon Laboratories Inc., which has supplied 8-bit MCUs since its purchase of Cygnal Integrated Products in 2003, has has applied its characteristic analog/mixed-signal expertise to expand it portfolio with 32-bit devices based on the ARM Cortex-M3 processor.
The Precision32 family provides 32 SiM3U1xx and SiM3C1xx MCU variants with footprint-compatible USB and non-USB options.
The Precision32 family is designed for use with a wide range of applications including portable medical devices, point-of-sale peripherals, motor control, industrial monitoring, barcode scanners, optical touchscreen interfaces, sensor controllers and home automation systems.
The company says a bill of materials (BOM) savings of up to $1.34 on systems can be provided by integrated precision oscillators with an advanced phase-locked loop (PLL) eliminate the need for a costly 8 MHz crystal by providing the clocking accuracy necessary for crystal-less USB operation while running the core independently at any frequency from 1 to 80 MHz. An internal 5 V voltage regulator enables the MCU to be powered directly from USB or a 5 V source without the need for an external regulator.
Six high-drive I/Os (up to 300 mA each) can directly drive high-power LEDs, small motors, buzzers and power MOSFETs, as well as serve as a boost converter controller while up to 16 capacitive touch channels eliminate the need for separate touch sensor ICs in applications requiring buttons, sliders or wheels.
The Precision32 family provides a complete USB 2.0 PHY and analog front-end interfacing directly to the USB connector, removing the need for an external USB pull-up resistor and termination circuit.
The devices use Silicon Labs’ patented dual-crossbar technology and a drag-and-drop GUI, to enable the choice of analog and digital peripherals and pin locations for these peripherals. An alternative approach can see preset peripheral locations and pinouts leading to pin conflicts that force developers to alter their designs or move to larger, costlier packages.
