Motorola Introduces Industry's First 32-bit MCU with Ethernet, Flash and CAN

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Building on years of expertise in industrial control and networking communications, Motorola (NYSE: MOT) has developed the first 32-bit microcontroller (MCU) with on-chip Ethernet and CAN networking interfaces, plus 512KB of Flash memory. This new device, the ColdFire MCF5282 MCU, gives designers a powerful, cost effective option for developing embedded networked systems.

With its integrated 10/100 Mbps Ethernet media access controller (MAC) and network-ready applications software, the MCF5282 can bring standards-based networking to a variety of traditional MCU applications including food service equipment, security systems, vending machines, exercise equipment and industrial controllers. It also has an ideal feature set for the emerging home automation market.

Applications in all of these areas will benefit from the software included for networking functions such as web-based user interfaces, network time synchronization, and router/gateway functionality for legacy serial protocols.

"In surveys with our customers, embedded Ethernet has consistently ranked as one of the top features they wanted to be integrated into 32-bit MCUs," said Dr. Franz Fink, general manager of Motorola's 32-Bit Embedded Controller Division. "We've taken that feedback to heart and combined Ethernet, CAN, Flash, UARTs and other popular MCU peripherals together in one of our leading microcontroller architectures. This device will make it easier for designers to network traditional MCU applications, and to create new applications in markets as diverse as security systems and lighting control to home automation and enterprise networking."

In the home networking market alone, the demand for Ethernet-enabled ICs is projected to hit $740 million in 2003, according to Gartner Dataquest. Ethernet is also the standard in connecting personal computers and office equipment. CAN, on the other hand, is widely used in automotive and industrial environments because of its low cost and robust performance in harsh environments.

Traditionally, microcontroller networks have used CAN and UART serial interfaces that have distance and bandwidth limitations. Ethernet -- the standard upon which the Internet is built -- provides an order of magnitude more bandwidth than common serial network interfaces, and can be used to connect devices over virtually unlimited distances. By combining 32-bit MCU processing power with Ethernet capabilities, the MCF5282 MCU can operate as a web server on any Ethernet network running TCP/IP.

For example, when running as an embedded web server, the MCF5282 MCU can serve up simple text and graphic pages to any client machine running a web browser: PCs, UNIX workstations, PDAs, cell phones and even other embedded processors running a web browser in specialized client access equipment. The MCF5282 device can also act as a gateway or router for networks running over CAN or RS-485 interfaces. By connecting these networks to Ethernet networks, the devices they control can be monitored and controlled from a PC host residing anywhere on the Internet. In home networks, the MCF5282 MCU can act as a web server for X-10 or other power line networks, providing a friendly user interface for scheduling lighting, heating/cooling, lawn watering and security system tasks.

ColdFire MCF5282 MCU Features

The MCF5282 is the first microcontroller based on the Version 2 (V2) core from Motorola's 32-bit ColdFire family. With advanced communications features, a rich peripheral set and a variety of supporting software and development tools, the MCF5282 MCU is designed to simplify embedded Ethernet-networked microcontroller applications. Features include:

    -- V2 ColdFire core capable of delivering 59 Dhrystone 2.1 MIPS at 66 MHz
       executing from the on-chip Flash and RAM

    -- 512KB embedded Flash memory

    -- 64 KB of static RAM accessible to core and DMA/Ethernet

    -- 10/100 Ethernet MAC with built-in DMA engine

    -- FlexCAN controller area network interface with 16 message buffers

    -- 8-channel 10-bit queued analog-to-digital converter (QADC)

    -- Four 32-bit timers with DMA capability

    -- Eight 16-bit timers for capture, compare, and pulse width modulation

    -- Three UARTs with DMA capability

    -- Queued serial peripheral interface (QSPI) with four peripheral chip
       selects

    -- Inter-integrated circuit (I2C) bus controller

    -- Four periodic interrupt timers (PITs) for alarm and countdown timing

    -- 17mm x 17mm x 1.6mm 256-ball (1mm pitch) mold array process
       ball grid array (MAPBGA) package

    -- Operation from -40 deg C to +85 deg C at 66 MHz

    -- RTXC Quadros embedded networking software suite including real-time
       operating system and network protocol stack with support for IP, UDP,
       TCP, ARP, DHCP, ICMP, SNTP, HTTP, and TFTP protocols

    -- Full Metrowerks CodeWarrior(TM) support and third party tools support

Price and Availability

The MCF5282 MCU will be available in sample volumes in February 2003, with production volumes available in the second quarter of 2003. Suggested list pricing per unit in 10,000-piece quantities starts at $17.86 (USD).

About Motorola

As the world's #1 producer of embedded processors, Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector creates DigitalDNA(TM) system-on-chip solutions for a connected world. Our strong focus on wireless communications and networking enables customers to develop smarter, simpler, faster and synchronized products for the person, work team, home and automobile. Motorola's worldwide semiconductor sales were $4.9 billion (USD) in 2001. www.motorola.com/semiconductors

Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) is a global leader in providing integrated communications and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 2001 were $30 billion. For more information, please visit: www.motorola.com .

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