Bengaluru: Microchip Technology Inc., a leading provider of microcontroller, analog and Flash-IP solutions, has announced a new, six-member family of 32-bit PIC32MX5/6/7 microcontrollers that provides the same integrated Ethernet, CAN, USB and serial connectivity peripherals with new, more cost-effective memory options. Additionally, design enhancements have been made that provide lower power consumption of 0.5 mA/MHz active current, higher Flash memory endurance of 20k read/write cycles and better EEPROM emulation capability. And, by maintaining common pin outs, the PIC32 portfolio provides designers with a seamless migration path to achieve the correct balance of memory and cost for their high-performance applications.

Embedded designers are constantly looking for ways to lower their costs without sacrificing performance or functionality. Microchip’s newest 80 MHz PIC32 microcontroller family meets these needs by maintaining best-in-class performance of 1.56 DMIPS/MHz, and integrating Ethernet, CAN, USB and multiple serial communication channels, while offering more cost-effective memory options. Specifically, the family offers 32 Kbytes of RAM and up to 140 Kbytes of Flash. “We are committed to building upon the success of the PIC32 portfolio by offering six new microcontrollers, each available in five different pin-compatible packages,” said Sumit Mitra, vice president of Microchip’s High Performance Microcontroller Division. “These new high-performance, connectivity-rich MCUs give our customers lower-cost memory options that support scalability and seamless migration with the rest of our growing 32-bit product line.”

“Microchip has maximized the raw performance of the MIPS32 M4K core, while taking advantage of its high flexibility, to create a 32-bit microcontroller architecture that exceeds the requirements of demanding embedded designs,” said Art Swift, vice president of marketing and business development, MIPS Technologies, Inc. “Microchip is offering great value to designers through the price to performance ratio of this new PIC32 family, combined with its extensive set of integrated peripherals.” Example applications for this new PIC32 family include: Communications (point-of-sale terminals, Web servers, multi-protocol bridges); Industrial/Medical (automation controllers, medical devices, security monitoring); Consumer/Appliance (audio, MP3 decoders, displays, small appliances, fitness equipment); Automotive (aftermarket, car alarms, GPS).