RF integration coming to a MCU near you
29
Apr
2016
Keremi expands its portfolio to cover products that have an analog front end to address the growing need for wireless connectivity. So from sub-GHz to 2.4GHz, expect us to discuss more about Bluetooth Smart, low power, ANT, Zigbee, Thread, RF4CE than ever before. We are starting with Dialog Semiconductor, Nordic Semiconductor and a another product line from TI, the SimpleLink. We will be tracking protocol, bands, RX/TX power consumption and a few other parametrics along the way. Hope you will join join us for this exciting journey.
The SAME70 got Tray versions added while the D20 and D21 added an UFBGA package. Interestingly the D21 showed some undocumented L variants (D21E16L and D21E15L). The AVR camp was pretty quiet this month.
We are initiating the coverage for the Dialog SmartBond family this month. The family further splits into 5 segments for an overall of 12 part numbers. All products are equiped with a 16 MHz Cortex-M0 core and a 2.4GHz RF analog front-end and support Bluetooth 4.1. The latest and higher end DA14680 supports Bluetooth 4.2 and is clocked at 96MHz. Although the majority of the portfolio is Flashless (serial Flash), 2 devices have 128kB while the DA14680 embeds 1MB. Prices range from roughly $1.5 to $2.25@1k at major eDistributors.
Infineon had no changes this month.
Microchip added just one product, the PIC12F1572T-E/MS, a 125C version of the existing PIC12F1572T-I/MS.
We are just starting to look at Nordic integrated RF+MCU portfolio this month. The BT Smart / BT Low Energy portfolio is larger than Dialog’s with 36 part numbers advertized. 2.4GHz RF, 16 MHz Cortex-M0 and 64 MHz Cortex-M4 are on the menu with support for BT4.1 and ANT protocols.
There are no flashless parts but rather a range of sizes from 128 to 256 and 512 kB parts. Prices range from $1.9 to $2.6 at 1ku at major edistributors.
Beyond a few datasheet updates, Nuvoton had no product change this month.
With multiple document types, sometimes inconsistent navigation flow / html table results and cryptic URL schemes, it is becoming increasingly difficult for users to go through the NXP portfolio. Nevertheless, we manage to find new pearls, namely the MKL17Z256CAL4R and the MKL26Z128CAL4R, WCLSP version of existing parts. There were also undocumented /3D suffixed parts in the LPC18 family.
The RL78 portfolio was steady while RX received a few additions in the form of a new group, the RX24T. The RX24T Group targets dual inverter control with a built-in FPU. For improved noise immunity, it operates from 2.7 V to 5.5 V. 6 devices are available from 256/16 to 128/16 kB of Flash/RAM and 80 to 100 LQFP. Prices start at $2.40/10k.
Silicon Labs EFM8 and EFM32 were quiet this month.
Spansion was quiet this month.
ST released 10 new STM8 products, mostly 125C versions of existing parts. On the STM32 front, 33 products appeared with either new packages or high temperatures. ST however unveiled the STM32F412 product line at the top of the (low end) access line.
The F412 features 256kB RAM and 1024 kB Flash, 1 USB port. Prices range from $4.5 to $5.5@10ku.
TI launched the MSP430FR599x, an FRAM based MCU with a Low Energy Accelerator (LEA_SC), a co-processor optimized for digital signal processing, no prices were given yet.
No changes for Tiva and F2823 families.
This month, we are also initiating the coverage for the TI Simple Link families. These embed an MCU core with an analog RF front end. We chose to focus our attention on the Cortex-M based SimpleLink since there are 8051-based products as well.
The SimpleLink comes in 3 flavors.
The CC1 supports sub GHz bands with a 48MHz Cortex-M3 core and 802.15.4g, 6LoWPAN, wM-bus, Zigbee.
CC2 uses the same core for 2.4GHz and 802.15.4, Zigbee, 6LoWPAN and RF4CE while CC3 is a 80 MHz Cortex-M4 fitted with a 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz (Wifi) analog RF and stack.
RF, software and Rock’n roll
25
Mar
2016
With South by Southwest behind us, beyond the Rock’n roll, the interactive part left us with the feeling that less and less of our lives will be left unmonitored. SoftBank emotion-sensing robot now connects to IBM Watson ecosystem to better understand you, while Neuroon – the first intelligent sleep mask (sic) – wants you to sleep better. A common theme: a host of crazy ideas competiting for our attention where connetivity is a must. The next Google or Amazon is in the making, the semiconductor world is a the heart of it with interesting trends.
We are adding a new announcement bit to our newsletter to keep our readers abreast of new development at Keremi. Next month, we will add a few manufacturers and product lines to our portfolio.
This move answers customer demands in a few areas of the market.
First, with the rise of the industrial internet, there is a constant need for connectivity, wireless in particular to bridge the gap between the field (think sensors and actuators on the production floor or embedded in equipment) and the intelligence (think server farms and AI). You probably haven’t escaped the plethora of alliances and consortia vying to address the connectivity problem – aka how does sensor/actuator from manufacturer X talks to intelligence back end from company Y). As standards progress, and you can already see a few, we will experience more integration on the silicon. Remember GSM in 1995, when our cell phones counted 10s if not 100s of components? Years later, radio, power management and application are integrated into a few components. This trend is already happening with MCU and RF. So starting in April, we will cover integrated MCU+RF components from Dialog Semiconductor, Nordic Semiconductor, Qualcomm, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments. Our data will show protocols and RF bands supported as well as some element of power consumption for the RF function.
Second, the industrial internet will happen thank to security. More MCUs are integrating crypto accelerators: a lot of value… at a cost. We will provide more details to the algorithms whether they are AES or SHA.
Finally, field equipment needs to communicate with humans, if only to provide status information. One effective way is LCD displays. Whether these are graphical or segment has impact on the value provided. We will track more precisely starting in April.
That’s all for this month.
There were 17 new products in the D20, SAM4E families, all of themm revision B of existing silicon.
Atmel also launched the ATTiny102 and 104: 1kB Flash, 32 Bytes SRAM, 5-chan 10b ADC. The 104 offers a larger package.
The ATUC03 family is shrinking with 10 products lost, while the ATMEGA16H and ATMEGA8H have been pulled out. They were a monitoring and protection circuit for 1-cell and 2-cell Li-ion applications with focus on high security/authentication, accurate monitoring, low cost and high utilization of the cell energy with secure authentication features. Maybe a lost opportunity?
Infineon had no changes this month.
Microchip added close to 200 products:
The DSPI33EV gained new packages, so did the PIC(L)F171x
Most of the activity however happened with the PIC32MZ who got many new package and temperature options, in all 168 on top of the 252 existing.
Beyond a few datasheet updates, Nuvoton had no product change this month.
This month, the MKL got 2 new part numbers with WLCSP package while the MKV3x, the motor control family, started to add software to its offering in the form of a bundle. Dubbed KMS (Kinetis Motor Suite), the software enables the rapid configuration of BLDC and PMSM motor drive systems. The markup is $0.41@10k for the MKV31F256VLH12 that is initially $2.06: the KMS seems like a critical piece of the puzzle.
This follows an interesting trends that Renesas is part of with its Synergy platform. The customers are proposed silicon and software IP in exchange for a higher recurring price. That saves them the hassle of shopping for software and doing the risky and lenghly integration themselves. Shorter time to market but a slightly higher cost $4,100 for 10k, not a bad deal at this volume.
The LPC18xx and LPC43xx got P suffixes unfortunately, they do not come with documentation we could find.
Finally, the LPC54 family welcomed the new LPC541xx Cortex-M4-based 100MHz series:
– LPC54101-LPC54113: Cortex-M4
– LPC54102-LPC54114: Cortex-M4+Cortex-M0+
5 devices were announced.
Both RX and RL78 portfolio were stable.
Silicon Labs EFM8 and EFM32 were quiet this month.
Spansion was quiet this month.
ST released 12 products, mostly TR versions of existing parts.
TI launched the “world’s first microcontroller with a configurable low-leakage transimpedance amplifier” aka the MSP430FR231x. The new MCU is deemed to offer “20 times lower leakage than alternative voltage and current sensing solutions” according to TI. The MSP430FR231x comes in 12 flavors with 16MHz, 2 or 3.75kB of Flash in TSSOP or VQFN packages.
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