Date: 08/09/2011

Automotive sensor kit with 8-bit MCUs and MEMS sensors

Freescale Semiconductor has announced new automotive sensor modules for its popular Tower System development platform for designing and building innovative automotive applications, such as airbags, electronic stability control, electric parking brakes, tilt angle measurement and engine control systems.

The Tower System automotive sensor development kit combines 8-bit microcontrollers (MCUs), micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)-based sensors and analog products into a single stand-alone development board. The kit supports the full range of Freescale Xtrinsic automotive sensors.

"The new automotive sensor modules for Freescale's Tower System provide engineers with ready-to-use tools and software that help reduce development time for automotive systems," said Seyed Paransun, vice president and general manager of Freescale's Sensor & Actuator Solutions Division. "We're extending our automotive MEMS leadership by delivering easy-to-use, affordable development tools that encourage innovative design."

The Tower System automotive sensors development kit includes a full range of interchangeable sensors modules:

Low-g XY accelerometer (MMA6900)
Medium-g XY accelerometer (MMA6500/MMA6800)
High-g X and Z sensors with PSI5 protocol (MMA5000)
High-g X and Z sensors with DSI protocol (MMA1600/MMA2600)
Development boards for PSI5 (MC33789) and DSI (MC33781) communication protocols

The Tower System for automotive sensors development kit has an on-board S08 8-bit MCU with 6K of RAM and 96K of flash memory.
Pricing and availability: Individual automotive sensor modules compatible with the Tower System main board can be purchased ranging from $20-$90 (USD) MSRP.

For more information visit: www.freescale.com