Microchip Technology Continues 16-bit dsPIC Digital Signal Controller

Microchip Technology Continues 16-bit dsPIC Digital Signal Controller Rollout, Two More Added for Motor Control and Power Conversion Applications

    Business Editors/High-Tech Editors

    CHANDLER, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 14, 2005--

Fourteen dsPIC Digital Signal Controllers Released to Production in the Past 12 Months
    Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP), a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors, today announced that it has begun volume production of two 16-bit dsPIC(R) Digital Signal Controllers (DSCs) that offer designers performance speeds of 20 and 30 Million Instructions Per Second (MIPS), self-programming capabilities via Flash memory, and industrial and extended temperature ranges. The dsPIC30F3010 and dsPIC30F3011 motor control and power conversion family DSCs feature 24 Kbytes of Flash program memory and can operate at full speed using an internal oscillator. The devices are offered in 28-pin (dsPIC30F3010) and 40/44-pin (dsPIC30F3011) packages as small as 8x8 mm QFN, and are ideal for power-conversion and motor-control applications that require higher precision, higher-speed operation or sensorless control.
    The use of sensorless motor control is growing because it eliminates the cost and reliability implications of mechanical sensors. However, sensorless motor control requires increased computing horsepower at cost-effective price points. In addition, these DSCs have a motor-control PWM and a quadrature encoder interface that are ideal for electronic control of brushed permanent magnet, switched reluctance, brushless DC (BLDC) and AC induction motors (ACIM).
    The on-chip PWM is also well suited for power-conversion applications, such as uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) and for controlling LED arrays.
    Microchip's dsPIC DSC combines the high-performance of a 16-bit Flash microcontroller with the computation and throughput capabilities of a digital signal processor (DSP). The dsPIC DSCs have the "heart" of a 16-bit microcontroller with robust peripherals and fast interrupt handling capability, and the "mind" of a DSP that manages high-computation activities, creating the optimum single-chip solution for embedded system designs. This allows designers to integrate functions and save board space.
    "These two new dsPIC30F devices demonstrate Microchip's commitment to the Digital Signal Control arena," said Sumit Mitra, vice president of Microchip's Digital Signal Controller Division. "The dsPIC DSC is rapidly becoming the controller of choice for applications demanding high performance and microcontroller attributes."
    Microchip's self-programming Enhanced Flash features the capability to remotely upgrade the Flash program memory, allowing code revisions in end users' applications. This feature provides flexibility, reduced development time, increased manufacturing efficiency and faster time to market.
    The dsPIC30F3010 and 3011 are able to operate at five volts, which is valuable for noise immunity and minimizing voltage-translation logic. Additional key features include:

--	24 Kbytes of Flash program memory, which can withstand 100,000 erase/write cycles and has 40-plus years of data retention over a wide operating-voltage and temperature range
--	One Kbyte of SRAM and One Kbyte of high-endurance EEPROM data memory
--	Six-channel motor control PWMs
--	10-bit analog-to-digital converter with up to nine signal channels and 1 million samples-per-second
--	Five 16-bit timers
--	SPI(TM), I2C(TM) and up to two UARTs (1 UART on dsPIC30F3010)
--	Quadrature Encoder Interface
--	2.5 to 5.5 Volt operation

    Development Tools and Resources

    All dsPIC30F DSCs are supported by Microchip's high-performance development systems, including: MPLAB(R) Integrated Development Environment (IDE), MPLAB C30 C Compiler, MPLAB SIM 30 Software Simulator, MPLAB ICD 2 In-Circuit Debugger, MPLAB ICE 4000 In-Circuit Emulator and MPLAB Visual Device Initializer. Two application notes, AN901 and AN908, are posted on Microchip's Web site that provide instruction on how to utilize the dsPIC30F for sensorless BLDC control and vector control of an ACIM, respectively. In addition, Microchip has a dedicated Motor Control Design Center (located at www.microchip.com/motor) that provides engineers with a comprehensive guide to utilizing Microchip's broad motor control product portfolio, offering a complete system solution for electronic motor control applications using Stepper motors, Brushed DC motors (BDCs), ACIMs, BLDCs, and Switched Reluctance (SR) motors.

    Availability and Pricing

    The dsPIC30F3010 and dsPIC30F3011 are available today for general sampling and volume production in the package options listed below. Pricing for the dsPIC30F3010 is $5.45 each in 10,000-unit quantities, and the dsPIC30F3011 is $6.24 each in 10,000-unit quantities. For additional information, contact any Microchip sales representative or authorized worldwide distributor, or visit Microchip's Web site at www.microchip.com/dspic.

    -- dsPIC30F3010: 40-pin PDIP, 44-pin QFN or TQFP

    -- dsPIC30F3011: 28-pin SDIP or SOIC, 44-pin QFN

    About dsPIC Digital Signal Controllers

    The dsPIC digital signal controller is a 16-bit (data) modified Harvard RISC machine that combines the control advantages of a high-performance 16-bit microcontroller with the high computation speed of a fully implemented DSP to produce a tightly coupled single-chip, single-instruction stream solution for embedded systems design. All dsPIC DSCs integrate Flash program memory and most have EEPROM data storage. For more information on the dsPIC DSC family, please visit: www.microchip.com/dspic.

    About Microchip Technology

    Microchip Technology Inc. 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, Ariz., Microchip offers outstanding technical support along with dependable delivery and quality. For more information, visit the Microchip Web site at www.microchip.com.

    Note: The Microchip name and logo, dsPIC and MPLAB are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Inc. in the United States and other countries. I2C is a trademark of Philips Corp. SPI is a trademark of Motorola. All other trademarks mentioned herein are property of their respective companies.

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CONTACT: Microchip Technology Inc. Eric Lawson, 480-792-7182 (Editorial) eric.lawson@microchip.com Reader/Literature Inquiries, 888-MCU-MCHP www.microchip.com/dspic

KEYWORD: ARIZONA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: HARDWARE MANUFACTURING PRODUCT SOURCE: Microchip Technology Inc.

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