STMicroelectronics has added four new 16bit microcontrollers (MCUs) to its ST10 family (ST10F27x). The new MCUs offer up to 832Kb of embedded Flash memory and up to 68Kb of RAM, plus other enhancements, while maintaining upward hardware and software compatibility with earlier devices, such as the ST10F168 and ST10F269. The family is one of few product ranges to combine embedded Flash and the temperature range of -40°C to 125°C.
The new ST10F271, ST10F272, ST10F273 and ST10F276 provide a range of Flash memory densities from 128- to 832Kb, enabling ST10/C16x users to choose the optimum configuration for their application, and offering the possibility of reducing costs with a single-chip design where external Flash devices might previously have been required. Total linear address space for code and data is 16Mb. The new devices are intended for industrial applications including motor control, vector drives and inverters, power converters, positioning systems, lift control, factory automation, circuit breakers and electric vehicles. ST10 is also usable in medical applications such as endoscopes and breathing aids.
The requirements of industrial control systems are supported by the new devices' high-quality embedded Flash memory, guaranteed for 100,000 Program/Erase cycles and specified for 20-year data retention, and produced in the company's latest 0.18µm process technology for longer device lifetime and optimized cost; by operation over the -40° to 125°C temperature range; and by operation on a single 5V power supply, with 5V I/O levels. Internally, an on-chip 1.8V voltage regulator supplies the CPU core and logic. Memory protection guards against software piracy. The new devices also feature an I2C interface, improved real-time clock (RTC) with a 32kHz on-chip oscillator, and 24-channel A/D converter inputs.
All the new MCUs are produced in both the LQFP144 20-by-20mm package and the PQFP144 28-by-28mm package, and are supported by mature development tools from multiple sources. The ST10F273 and ST10F276 are already in volume production while the ST10F271 and ST10F272 are sampling with volume production planned for Q3 2006. The ST10F27x family is also available and qualified for automotive applications with specific automotive part numbers.
Prices for the LQFP144 devices range from $9.30 (ST10F271, 128KB Flash) to $14.85 (ST10F276, 832KB Flash) in quantities of 10,000; PQFP144 devices are priced at $9.85 (ST10F271) to $15.63 (ST10F276), also in quantities of 10,000.
