Product category: Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and DSPs
News Release from: STMicroelectronics | Subject: STM32
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 29 May 2008
More memory and peripherals for 32bit
MCUs
Microcontroller family now includes up to 512Kbyte of on-chip Flash, larger SRAM and extra features for displays, sound, storage and advanced control.
STMicroelectronics has increased both the scalability and peripheral options of its breakthrough 32bit STM32 MCU family Unveiled by ST in June 2007, the STM32 MCU has since reaped significant success with design wins and production ramp-up at many industry leaders in a wide range of high-volume applications
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 12 Jun 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Microcontrollers exhibit core benefits
32bit Flash microcontrollers are based on ARM Cortex-M3 core for embedded applications requiring a combination of high performance, low power and low cost.
Development kits support microcontroller
Starter kits, from Hitex, IAR, Keil and Raisonance make it quick and easy for users to explore the STM32's features with a minimal investment of time and money.
The company is now expanding the family to provide up to 512Kbyte of on-chip Flash, larger SRAM and extra features for displays, sound, storage and advanced control.
The STM32 family is built on the 32bit ARM Cortex-M3 CPU, and combines low power consumption with multiple power-saving modes for optimal performance in products such as industrial equipment, building-services controllers, medical devices and computer peripherals.
ST has added 28 new devices to the STM32 family, including devices in 36-pin packages at the low end and 144-pin packages at the high end.
Further reading
Development package eases programming
The STM32 Primer hand-held evaluation and development tool is designed to provide an easy introduction to the features of the STM32.
Stick starts microcontroller development
Compact tool provides easy introduction to the STM32 Flash microcontroller, with a graphical view of its performance characteristics under different conditions.
Motor control kit suits consumer applications
The STM32 uses the ARM Cortex-M3 core, developed to address the requirements of cost-sensitive home-appliance and industrial applications
Compatibility of pin assignments, peripherals and software across all STM32 devices remains a core technical feature throughout this extended family of microcontrollers.
The latest MCUs provide 256, 384 or 512Kbyte of embedded Flash for code and data storage, enabling developers to implement new features and enhance the capabilities of existing product platforms.
Embedded SRAM has also been increased, to 64Kbyte for the 72MHz Performance Line variants, and 48Kbyte for the 36MHz Access Line devices.
The Access Line is engineered to encourage entry to 32bit design for cost-constrained applications, or 16bit designs.
Extra peripherals embedded in MCUs with 256Kbyte and larger Flash memories include a flexible static-memory controller (FSMC) supporting NOR and NAND Flash, SRAM, and CompactFlash memories.
The FSMC also supports Intel 8080 and Motorola 6800 modes for parallel interface with LCD controllers.
These MCUs also feature a host interface for removable media including SD (Secure Digital), SDIO (Secure Digital Input/Output) and MMC (MultiMediaCard), meeting MultiMediaCard System Specification 4.42 for 8bit data transfer at 48MHz.
In addition, an I2S port supporting master and slave modes and audio-sampling frequencies from 8 to 48kHz has been added, as well as a dual-channel 12bit DAC and an embedded trace macrocell (ETM) to enhanced debug capabilities.
Additional standard peripherals are included with a combination of up to five UARTs/USARTs and three SPI and two I2C bus interfaces.
This new combination of peripherals allows the STM32 family to address new markets that require superior connectivity and additional control.
The new STM32 devices are available in LQFP64, LQFP/BGA100 and LQFP144/BGA144 packages.
For lower memory-density versions, featuring 32 or 64 Kbyte of Flash, a new QFN36, the smallest 6 x 6mm package in the STM32 family, has also been introduced, thereby supporting extended platform scalability for developers seeking a cost-effective common-hardware strategy for multiple market opportunities.
In addition, the new Performance Line MCUs, with 256 to 512Kbyte of Flash, now include an extra PWM timer, offering two timers with seven outputs and dead-time control.
These two PWM timers combine up to four standard 16bit timers to allow support of up to 28 PWM signals using the largest package.
With an extra 12bit ADC, these devices provide up to 21 channels of ADC with triple sample-and-hold capability.
This gives the STM32 dual motor-control capabilities, to enable it to drive two three-phase brushless motors at the same time for air-conditioning units and applications requiring four-wheel drive, for example.
All Performance Line MCUs also include a USB port and CAN interface.
In all, the STM32 product range now comprises 46 different Performance Line and Access Line devices.
The STM32 environment allows developers to build applications on a standard core, drawing on a large ecosystem of software and tools.
Support for developers includes a new ST evaluation board for the latest models introduced, software and firmware libraries, and a wide variety of compatible third-party tools.
The latest STM32 MCUs in the QFN36 package are in volume production and devices with 256Kbyte and larger Flash memories are currently being sampled.
Distribution pricing, in quantities of 10,000, for the STM32 MCUs is: US $3.72 for 256Kbyte of Flash in an LQFP64 and US $5.88 for 512Kbyte of Flash in an LQFP144 (Access Line); and US $4.31 for 256Kbyte of Flash in an LQFP64 and US $6.51 for 512Kbyte of Flash in an LQFP144 (Performance Line).
The full family starts at 32Kbyte and distribution pricing in quantities of 10,000 is: US $1.80 for a 32Kbyte Flash MCU (Access Line) and US $2.20 for a 32Kbyte Flash MCU (Performance Line) in a QFN36 package.
• STMicroelectronics: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Electronicstalk email newsletter
• Electronicstalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
