Product category: Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and DSPs
News Release from: Freescale Semiconductor | Subject: HCS12 MCUs
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 19 March 2002
Flash MCU family keeps expanding
Motorola has released ten further Flash MCUs based on its 16bit HCS12 architecture
The company has also unveiled its roadmap for the HCS12 family designed to meet a range of performance and price requirements. It includes devices with 32 to 512Kbyte of embedded Flash memory. Each HCS12 MCU offers 25MHz (bus speed) performance, code efficiency, on-chip debugging capability and code compatibility with Motorola's 68HC11and 68HC12 architectures, giving existing Motorola customers a logical next step to higher performance microcontrollers.
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 19 March 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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The HCS12 devices feature Motorola's third-generation Flash memory technology, which is manufactured in a 0.25-micron process.
The third generation Flash technology offers very fast programming times (16bit in up to 20us) and flexible block protection and security features to help guard customers' intellectual property contained in software code.
Additionally, Motorola's Flash MCUs are in-circuit and in-application programmable, designed to give customers the flexibility to program late in the manufacturing cycle and make upgrades remotely in the field.
Existing users of the HCS12 architecture, which is optimised for C language, have reported up to 50% increase in code efficiency over other 16bit architectures.
A key benefit of higher code efficiency is the requirement for less memory either integrated onto the MCU or stand-alone that can result in reduced component count and overall reduced system costs.
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The HCS12 architecture's code efficiency is made possible by use of many 8bit operation codes rather than fixed 16bit operation codes used in other architectures, and by the HCS12 device's advanced addressing modes, such as multi-byte pre-decrement/post-increment indexed addressing.
Unlike most architectures that either do not have this feature or only allow single byte/word increment/decrement, this addressing mode is designed to automatically update a pointer by a user specified value to eliminate extra instructions required for looping and pointer manipulation.
Many of the addressing modes that are designed to result in more efficient application code development were specified in conjunction with leading independent C compiler vendors, with whom Motorola has close associations.
The Background Debug Mode (BDM) on HCS12 MCUs uses a single-pin interface and is engineered to enable real-time, non-intrusive, in-circuit emulation without traditional emulator limitations related to speed, voltage, capacitance or mechanical interfaces.
Embedded system design engineers may emulate a system in real time while viewing and modifying memory.
This allows tuning of system performance by monitoring results and changing parameters.
To ease application development, evaluation and debug, Motorola offers a number of development tools, including simple, low-cost BDM emulators, kits for code development and evaluation, and stand-alone programmers.
Motorola has also worked closely with many independent tool vendors to help ensure the availability of hardware and software development tools from the industry's leading suppliers.
The new HC9S12A256 includes: 256Kbyte Flash memory; 4Kbyte EEPROM (byte-erasable); 12Kbyte of RAM; and three synchronous serial peripheral interfaces (SPI).
The new HC9S12A128 has: 128Kbyte Flash memory; 2Kbyte EEPROM (byte-erasable); 8Kbyte RAM; and two synchronous serial peripheral interfaces (SPI).
Both devices include: a 25MHz HCS12 core (40 ns minimum instruction cycle); a 16-channel 10bit ADC; an eight-channel, 16bit timer with capture and compare; either a four-channel 16bit or eight-channel 8bit pulsewidth modulator; two asynchronous serial communication interfaces (SCI); an I2C communication port (IIC); and bothfeature low electromagnetic emissions and RF noise susceptibility.
The HC9S12DP256, HC9S12DT256, HC9S12DJ256, HC9S12DG256, HC9S12DB128, HC9S12DT128, HC9S12DJ128, and HC9S12DG128 are available now in production quantities.
Samples of the new HC9S12A256 and HC9S12A128 are available now, with production quantities expected in late second quarter 2002.
Suggested list price in 10,000-piece quantities is (US) $11.88 and $9.13 for the HC9S12A256 and HC9S12A128, respectively, in 112-pin low-profile quad flat packages (LQFPs).
Both devices are expected to be available in 80-pin quad flat packages (QFPs) later this year.
Motorola plans to announce other HCS12 derivatives throughout 2002 aimed at communications, industrial and consumer applications.
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