Embedded System Product News

Microchip Technology Introduces Four New Cost Effective PIC18F Microcontrollers

HANDLER, Ariz., June 21, 2004 [NASDAQ:  MCHP] — Microchip Technology Inc., a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors, today announced four 64- and 80-pin PIC18F Flash 8-bit microcontrollers targeting cost-constrained applications requiring additional I/O, such as industrial, computing, telecommunications and consumer.  These cost-effective microcontrollers feature 8 or 16K bytes of program memory and nanoWatt Technology for optimum power management.

Designers of embedded control applications have a growing need for 8-bit microcontrollers with increased I/O, balanced with a requirement to consume less power, over a broad range of applications.  These new PIC18F microcontrollers help solve these design concerns with up to 70 pins of I/O, 8 or 16K bytes of Flash program memory, 768 bytes of RAM and nanoWatt Technology low-power modes.

“Microchip is increasing its presence in the 64- and 80-pin space of the 8-bit microcontroller market,” said Ganesh Moorthy, vice president of Microchip’s Advanced Microcontroller and Memory Division.  “These new Flash PIC microcontrollers provide designers with cost-effective high pincount options.”

In addition to offering maximum I/O flexibility, these new PIC microcontrollers offer the programming versatility of Flash memory.  Flash enables reprogrammability, resulting in reduced time to market via a shorter development cycle, low-cost emulation and the flexibility to make functional code changes in the field.

Example applications that could benefit from the increased I/O present in the PIC18Fxx10 include:  building security systems, appliance controls, video control panels, home automation systems, and data collection for multiple sensors.  Additionally, with the unique nanoWatt Technology, these microcontrollers offer power-managed modes that make them ideal for battery and low-power applications.
 
Additional features include:

• PIC18 Core has 8-bit ALU with 16-bit Performance
• External clock with up to 40 MHz (10 MIPS)
• 32 Khz to 32 MHz (8 MIPS) internal oscillator
• Fail-safe clock monitor
• Wide voltage range of 2.0 – 5.5 volts, and a -40°C to +125°C temperature range
• In-Circuit Serial Programming (ICSP™)
• 10-bit analog-to-digital converter with up to 12 signal channels and 100k samples-per-second
• Two analog comparators with programmable brownout detect and programmable low-voltage detect
• SPI, I2C and two USARTs (support RS485, RS232, LIN)
• Three Capture Compare PWM Modules

Development Tools
All four microcontrollers are supported by Microchip’s high-performance development systems, including:  MPLAB™ Integrated Development Environment (IDE), MPLAB C18 C Compiler, MPLAB SIM tool, MPLAB ICD 2 In-Circuit Debugger, and MPLAB ICE 2000 In-Circuit Emulator.

Availability
The four microcontrollers are available today for general sampling and volume production is expected in July, in the package options listed below.  For pricing or additional information, contact any Microchip sales representative.
· PIC18F6310 and PIC18F6410:  64-pin TQFP
· PIC18F8310 and PIC18F8410:  80-pin TQFP

About Microchip Technology
Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:  MCHP) is a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors, providing low-risk product development, lower total system cost and faster time to market for thousands of diverse customer applications worldwide. Headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, Microchip offers outstanding technical support along with dependable delivery and quality.