Cost Sensitive MCU Devices for Niche Markets

While generic microprocessor products grab the headlines, the more cost sensitive end of the market continues to flourish with new devices. The more cost sensitive an application, the more likely a device is targeted specifically at that market. The specific demands of many markets make this necessary. Smartcards are an obvious example, but there are more.

In automatic meter reading, for example, Texas Instruments has a single-chip micro-controller for electronic flow measurement and motion detection.

The on-chip scan interface state machines are fully programmable and can automatically perform functions previously accomplished in software. It saves power in electronic water, heat and industrial flow meters, anemometers and other rotation detecting applications.

The processor is designed to work directly with a number of sensor types, including resonant circuits, Hall-effect and giant-magneto-resistive. On-chip are a watchdog timer, the 96-segment LCD driver, brownout protection, supply voltage supervisor, two multi-channel pulse width modulation timers and an analogue comparator.

Renesas Technology has six models in its M16C/Tiny series of devices with on-chip flash in 64 and 80-pin packages. These have dedicated functions for the motor control market. On-chip peripherals are aimed at 3-phase motor control, and include an input capture/output compare function in timer functions, and a single-shunt control function. The single-shunt current detection methd is expected to be widely used in white goods motor control.

There is a hardware multi-master PC bus function, an on-chip ring oscillator frequency selectable function, and a startup function from ring oscillator after a reset. The 16-bit processor runs at up to 20MHz between 3.0V and 5.5V.

Meanwhile, Cypress Microsystems has created an electronic ballast design using its programmable system-on-chip device, which combines a mixed signal array with micro-controller.

The MCU conforms to the digital addressable lighting interface standard that allows fluorescent lighting to be dimmed in response to ambient lighting.

The trend toward specialisation is just as important at the higher end of the market.

-> Taken from an article from 'Electronic Weekly' Issue 2126,pg46.

Siti Sarah Herman (2007239704)