Microchip announces a new series of low-pin, 32-bit PIC32 microcontrollers achieving 61 DMIPS in a package as small as 5x5 mm, designed for space-constrained and cost-sensitive applications. The 'MX1' and 'MX2' PIC32 microcontrollers are the smallest and most cost-effective PIC32 microcontrollers to date, and are the first to include a dedicated audio function and capacitive sensing peripherals. These new microcontrollers also include a suite of additional features, making them well-suited for the consumer, industrial, medical, and automotive markets.
The PIC32 MX1 and MX2 microcontrollers, which can operate at temperatures up to 105°C, include up to 32 KB of Flash and 8 KB of SRAM; two I2S interfaces for audio processing; Microchip's CTMU (Charge Time Measurement Unit) peripheral for adding mTouch™ capacitive touch buttons or advanced sensors; and an 8-bit PMP (Parallel Master Port) interface for graphics or external memory. The new devices also integrate a 10-bit, 1 Msps, 13-channel A/D converter, as well as USB 2.0 and serial communication peripherals. The microcontrollers are available in eight new packages within the PIC32 line, ranging from 28 to 44 pins, with dimensions starting at 5x5 mm and a 0.5 mm pitch. Microchip's Peripheral Pin Select feature further streamlines design by allowing developers to reconfigure most of the chip's digital function pins, significantly simplifying layout and design modifications. For easy compatibility with other devices, the PIC32 MX1 and MX2 are compatible with Microchip's 16-bit PIC24F product line and are supported by the MPLAB® X IDE integrated development environment, which is also compatible with all Microchip 8-, 16-, and 32-bit microcontrollers.
Microchip has also introduced the MPLAB Starter Kit (DM320013), priced at $109.99, for the new PIC32MX1XX/2XX microcontrollers. This USB-powered kit includes a PIC32MX220F032 with 32 KB of Flash and 8 KB of SRAM, as well as a 2-inch color TFT display (220 x 176 dots), capacitive touch cursor and buttons, SD storage card, and 24-bit audio playback. In addition, there is a new PIC32MX CTMU evaluation board (AC323027) priced at $24.95 and the PIC32MX220F032D plug-in module (MA320011), also priced at $24.95, for the Explorer 16.
The PIC32MX110-FO16B and PIC32MX220FO32 microcontrollers are available in 28-pin SPDIP, SSOP, SOIC, and QFN packages; 36-pin VTLA packages with a 0.5 mm pin pitch; and 44-pin QFN, VTLA, and TQFP packages.
