Atmel expands ARM based mcu product line
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Atmel has added five devices to its SAM9 range of ARM based microcontrollers. The parts are targeted at a range of applications, including industrial control, human machine interfaces and M2M.
Frederic Gaillard, product marketing manager, said the five parts shared common feature – such as the 400MHz ARM926 core and a 10bit a/d converter – but noted the launch was 'all about the peripheral mix'. Depending upon the device selected, designers have access to CAN interfaces, Ethernet MACs and support for resistive touchscreens.
Gaillard said the CAN derivative had been introduced to meet demand from the industrial control market, while the Ethernet interfaces would suit application being developed for the smart grid.
The launch also builds on Atmel's long term relationship with Conexant by providing a soft modem in all models. "This gives the ability to connect to a Conexant line driver using just a small IP block and two I/O pins," Gaillard claimed.
Two of the new SAM9 devices include graphics lcd support with hardware acceleration, making them suitable for user interfaces in industrial applications. Four graphics layers are supported, with the cpu only reprocessing the layer that changes. "This will reduce the processing load," Gaillard said.
