Farnell adds NXP microcontrollers and FRDM development boards to portfolio

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Farnell has announced the addition of NXP Semiconductors’ all-purpose MCX-series of industrial and IoT microcontrollers to its portfolio, along with new FRDM development boards.

NXP MCUs and development boards added to Farnell's portfolio Credit: Farnell

The MCX A series includes the MCX A13x, MCX A14x, and MCX A15x which are easy-to-use MCUs that come with a power architecture and software compatibility that are suitable for embedded applications, such as industrial sensors, motor controls, battery or handheld power system controllers and IoT devices.

Powered by the Arm Cortex-M33, the MCX A series are general-purpose MCUs designed to address a wide range of applications with scalable device options, low power and intelligent peripherals. The device’s power architecture is designed to support high I/O utilisation and power efficiency with a simple supply circuit in a small footprint.

The MCX C series MCUs are powered by Arm Cortex-M0+ up to 48 MHz and are intended for energy efficiency and cost effectiveness, making them suited for a wide variety of applications. Featuring USB and segment LCD options, these MCUs cater to diverse needs, providing flexible and scalable memory and packages.

The MCX N series of highly integrated Arm Cortex-M33 microcontrollers are designed for high performance and low power consumption. This series includes intelligent peripherals and on-chip accelerators providing multitasking capabilities and performance efficiency. Select MCX N families include NXP's eIQ Neutron neural processing unit (NPU) for machine learning applications.

Finally, the MCX W series are secure, wireless MCUs designed for more compact, scalable and innovative designs for the next generation of smart and secure connected devices.

The MCX W series, based on the Arm Cortex-M33, offers a unified range of pin-compatible multiprotocol wireless MCUs for Matter, Thread, Bluetooth Low Energy and Zigbee. MCX W enables interoperable and innovative smart home devices, building automation sensors and controls and smart energy products.

According to Justin Mortimer, NXP MCU Global Product Marketing Manager, “The NXP MCX portfolio is foundational for the future of power-efficient edge devices across industrial and IoT markets. The new MCX MCUs use the improved MCX + FRDM platform to integrate essential features that give engineers the freedom to design without limitation.”

The MCX series is accompanied by NXP’s newly enhanced FRDM development boards, a low-cost, scalable hardware platform supported by the MCUXpresso Developer Experience toolset.

Designed to encourage greater creative freedom, these compact boards promote flexible and rapid prototyping, with industry-standard headers providing easy access to the MCU’s I/Os. With the on-board MCU-Link debug probe and USB-C cable included, engineers can develop, program and debug more easily.

Developers can work with either MCUXpresso for Visual Studio Code, the Eclipse-based MCUXpresso IDE from NXP, or with IDEs from IAR and Keil that also offer safety certification. NXP provides drivers and middleware with examples ready to work out of the box for any of these IDE choices, along with additional tools for device configuration, security and specialist applications.

“The microcontrollers have been designed to cater to a broad range of edge applications and will become a popular choice among design engineers due to its focus on scalability,” said Jose Lok, Global Product Category Director, Passives and Semiconductors at Farnell. He concluded, “These additions reflect our commitment to empowering our customers and partners to succeed in the ever-evolving technological landscape.”

The MCX series and enhanced FRDM boards can be ordered online from Farnell.