New Embedded Ethernet on Microchip PIC18 Microcontrollers

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Sept. 11, 2006 Microchip Technology Inc has introduced a new family of 8-bit microcontrollers with Embedded Ethernet on-chip. Microcontrollers in the new Microchip PIC18F97J60 family have IEEE 802.3-compliant 10Base-T on-chip Medium Access Controller (MAC) and Physical Layer Device (PHY).

"The need to access embedded applications remotely using Ethernet can be fully realized through the selection of the PIC18F97J60 family," said Mitch Obolsky, vice president of Microchip’s Advanced Microcontroller Architecture Division.  "Combined with our free TCP/IP stack, the introduction of the high-performance PIC18F97J60 family enables microcontroller-based applications to be cost-effectively monitored or controlled from a remote location."

Ethernet is, by far, the leading wired standard for embedded networking technology for embedded control. Ethernet is used to network microcontrollers to each other, and when TCP/IP is used over Ethernet, microcontrolers can be networked to local computer systems, as well as the internet.

Applications
Targeted applications for the PIC18F97J60 microcontroller family with embedded Ethernet include:

• Industrial Automation:
  - Industrial Control
  - Power-Supply Monitoring
  - Networked Server Monitoring
  - Environmental Monitoring
• Building Automation
  - Fire & Safety
  - Access Control
  - Security Panels
  - Lighting Control
  - VoIP Intercom
• Commercial Control
  - Kitchen Appliances
  - Drink Dispensers
  - Hotel Minibars
  - POS Terminals
• Home Control
  - Security
  - Networked Appliances

All members of the PIC18F97J60 8-bit embedded Ethernet microcontroller family have a dedicated 8-Kbyte SRAM buffer between the Ethernet MAC and the internal data bus to efficiently handle high-speed applications.

Development Tools 
Embedded Ethernet projects an be prototyped and tested using Microchip's PIC18F97J60 PICDEM.net™ 2 Demo Board.  A free TCP/IP stack for Microchip's PIC18 is also available. A complete suite of development tools is available, including Microchip's MPLAB® VDI visual device initializer, Application Maestro™ software, MPLAB ICD 2 in-circuit debugger and the MPLAB C18 C compiler.

Availability and Pricing
Members of the PIC18F97J60 embedded Ethernet microcontroller family are available now starting at $4.24 each in 10,000-unit quantities.
• PIC18F97J60/96J65/96J60:  100-pin TQFP
• PIC18F87J60/86J65/86J60:  80-pin TQFP
• PIC18F67J60/66J65/66J60:  64-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.