NXP’s latest mcu range integrates USB drivers in rom

"We talked about this last year, when we introduced the Cortex-M3 based LPC1300 range. That has been well received and customer feedback highlights the ease of use," said Jan Jaap Bezemer, director of marketing for NXP's microcontroller business. "Designing low power products with USB connectivity is now simpler than ever." By integrating USB drivers in rom, NXP has freed valuable flash space. According to Bezemer, up to 16k of code space will be made available. "The benefits of the LPC11U2x range will include ease of use and better use of flash." Ease of use is also supported by NXP's decision to sub license its USB Vendor ID and to offer product ID numbers to its mcu customers free of charge. This step is said to eliminate 'a significant start up cost'. The LPC11U2x range will run at up to 50MHz and comes in versions with up to 10k of sram and 32k of flash. A further 4k of eeprom is available for storing critical system data. And Bezemer noted a variant with 128k of flash will be introduced in 2012. Responding to demand for more GPIO, NXP has added a 64pin package option. the LPC11U2x range is NXP's smallest mcu. "If you extrapolate," Bezemer continued, "we may see a chip scale package option being made available."