Date: 27/01/2011

While TI expands in low bit MCU market microchip expands in high bit market

TI expands its 16 bit microcontroller chip line MSP430 with 64 MCUs as an alternative to 8-bit developers developing embedded systems for low cost applications such as consumer, lighting and touch pads.
The key features of MSP430G2xx2 MCUs include:
Integrated capacitive touch IOs to interface directly with capacitive touch interface pads.
Supported by TI's $4.30 LaunchPad development kit and free embedded development software.
Flash memory range up to 8KB Flash and 256B of SRAM
20-pin TSSOP and PDIP package option
Low standby power of 0.4 microamps
Less than 1 microseconds wake-up time
Integrated intelligent peripherals, such as 10-bit ADCs, UART, comparator and serial communication.

Availability: Now in samples
Price: $ 0.33 each in 100 K pieces
Editorial Product Rating: * (Average) Lot of options are available in the market in both 8 bit and 16 bit in this price range.

While TI expands in the low bit market of 16 bit, 8 bit MCU market leader Microchip has expanded its feature-full 32 bit MCU family by announcing new, six-member family of 32-bit PIC32MX5/6/7 microcontrollers that provides integrated Ethernet, CAN, USB and serial connectivity peripherals with cost-effective memory options of 32 Kbytes of SRAM and up to 140 Kbytes of Flash memory.

The key features of this family based on MIPS32 M4K processor core include:
Provide lower power consumption of 0.5mA/MHz active current.
Higher Flash memory endurance of 20k read/write cycles and better EEPROM emulation capability.
Offer a performance of 1.56 DMIPS/MHz

"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."

Applications targeted 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).

Development Tools offered by Microchips are: PIC32 Ethernet Starter Kit at $72, PIC32 USB Starter Kit II at $55. Owners of the Explorer 16 Development Board can buy a $25 plug-in module for development with this new PIC32 family.

Availability: Now
Price:
PIC32MX534F064H: $3.71 each for 10K units
PIC32MX764F128L: $4.93 each for 10K units
Package option: 100-pin TQFP 12x12mm, TQFP 14x14mm and BGA packages, as well as 64-pin TQFP and QFN packages.
Editorial Product Rating: * (Average). Even in 32 bit plenty of products available in the market, MIPS lovers can go for this with the advantage of lot of wired interfaces on the chip.