Date: 26/11/2009

Freescale extends 8-bit MCUs portfolio for embedded applications with LCDs

Freescale semiconductor has announced the expansion of its liquid crystal display (LCD) S08LL 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) portfolio, which are suitable for personal diagnostic and portable health care products that require low-power operation and advanced display capabilities.

The S08LL64 MCUs are designed to speed up the development of low-cost medical, industrial and consumer devices. The S08LL64 MCUs are suggested for applications such as glucose meters and pulse oximeters. Due to its low standby power consumption these MCUs enable medical devices to continue functioning for approximately six years using two AAA batteries, Freescale claims.

The key features of the MC9S08LL64 device are,

Two low-power stop modes
New low-power run and wait modes
Six microsecond wake-up time
Low-power oscillator
Configurable 8 x 36 or 4 x 40 segment display
Internal charge pump
Software selectable frontplane and backplane

The S08LL family eliminates the need for separate display driver ICs for standard 3V and 5V LCD glass applications. On-chip LCD drivers support up to eight backplanes, to drive more segments with fewer pins, reducing system cost and design complexity. The S08LL family supports an LCD blink mode that operates without waking up the controller core, which helps reduce overall power consumption.

"The growing number of portable applications with LCD displays is driving the need for longer battery life and more memory options," said Aiden Mitchell, director of industrial and multi-market microcontrollers at Freescale. "Freescale's LL64 MCU family meets this need and widens the range of cost-effective, ultra-low-power solutions within Freescale's extensive LCD MCU portfolio, giving customers tremendous freedom of choice in addressing their application needs."

Price:
MC9S08LL36: Starts at $1.96 for 10k pieces
MC9S08LL64: Starts at $2.31 for 10k pieces

Availability:
MC9S08LL36/64: Now in samples

For more details visit www.freescale.com