Date: 25/10/2011
Atmel AVR XMEGA MCU feature on-chip LCD controller
Atmel Corporation has added an LCD controller feature to its AVR XMEGA microcontroller (MCU) family. Atmel explains that the integrated LCD controller in the AVR XMEGA family includes an SWAP mode that enables internal re-routing of the LCD signals to make PCB designer easy and less complex for developing
and low power consumption due to Atmel pico Power technology uses less than a third of the current compared to existing megaAVR LCD controllers, requiring only 3ľA to run the LCD display in sleep mode.
The integrated LCD controller supports up to 4x40 and 4x25 segments on the 100-pin and 64-pin AVR XMEGA microcontrollers. For designs that do not require all the LCD segments, up to 16 segment pins can be used as general-purpose I/O pins.
"Integration and lower system cost are key differentiators for MCU designers in a variety of applications," said Ingar Fredriksen, sr. director of AVR products, Atmel Corporation. "The new features in the latest AVR XMEGA devices address these needs by including an LCD controller and USB to offer designers a higher level of integration and reduced complexity, resulting in overall lower system cost. Several of the new devices also include two 12-bit analog-to-digital converters that can be synchronized, making the devices ideal for electricity metering and other high-precision applications."
Pricing and Availability
The new Atmel AVR XMEGA devices with an integrated LCD controller and USB are available in production quantities in 64- and 100-pin TQFP packages. Pricing for 10,000-piece quantities follow:
ATxmega64B1 - $2.90 USD
ATxmega128B1 - $3.10 USD
ATxmega64B3 - $2.70 USD
ATxmega128B3 - $2.90 USD
For more information, visit www.atmel.com/xmega.