January 25, 2011 - Microchip Technology enhanced its 32-bit PIC32MX5/6/7 microcontrollers for Ethernet, CAN, USB and serial connectivity peripherals. Enhancements provide lower power consumption of 0.5 mA/MHz active current, higher Flash memory endurance of 20k read/write cycles and better EEPROM emulation capability. And, by maintaining common pin outs, the PIC32 portfolio provides designers with a seamless migration path to achieve the correct balance of memory and cost for their high-performance applications.Embedded designers are constantly looking for ways to lower their costs without sacrificing performance or functionality.
Microchip’s newest 80 MHz PIC32 microcontroller family meets these needs by maintaining performance of 1.56 DMIPS/MHz, and integrating Ethernet, CAN, USB and multiple serial communication channels, while offering more cost-effective memory options. Specifically, the family offers 32 Kbytes of RAM and up to 140 Kbytes of Flash.Example applications for this new PIC32 family include: Web servers, multi-protocol bridges, Industrial automation controllers, and security monitoring.
Development Tools
The PIC32 Ethernet Starter Kit (part # DM320004) was designed to enable easy Ethernet-based development, and the PIC32 USB Starter Kit II (part # DM320003-2) does the same for USB designs. Owners of the Explorer 16 Development Board (part # DM240001) can purchase a plug-in module for development with this new PIC32 family (part # MA320003).
