Microchip introduces a new function-safe AVR DA series of microcontrollers

     As the Internet of Things (IoT) provides greater connectivity for industrial and home applications, and the Internet of vehicles improves cab and control functions, the industry needs higher performance microcontrollers for better real-time control and enhanced human-machine interface applications. Microchip Technology announced the next generation of its AVR DA family of microcontrollers (MCUS), its first feature-safe AVR MCU family with a peripheral touch controller (PTC).

     Greg Robinson, Microchip's 8-person assistant vice president of marketing, said: "The new AVR DA MCU family builds on Microchip's high performance and high code efficiency devices, addressing new needs across multiple industries with advanced analog and kerre-independent peripherals and more capacitive touch channels than existing devices. The new SCM family is used in applications such as smart home security, building automation, sensor systems, as well as automotive and industrial automation, enabling developers to design more powerful, accurate and responsive applications."

     Microchip's functional safety certification applies to devices with the latest safety features, along with safety manuals, failure mode, Impact and Diagnostic Analysis (FMEDA) reports, and, in some cases, diagnostic software, reducing the time and cost of end-application safety certification. The AVR DA MCU family includes several integrated safety features to ensure robust operation, such as power-on reset, undervoltage detector and voltage level monitor to ensure adequate supply voltage. Cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scanning ensures that the application code in flash memory is valid. By ensuring the integrity of your code, you avoid unexpected and potentially unsafe behavior of your application.

     Microchip's new AVR DA series MCUS deliver 24 MHz CPU speeds, memory densities up to 128 KB of flash memory, 16 KB of SRAM, and 512-byte EEPROM across the full power supply voltage range, with a 12-bit differential ADC, 10-bit DAC, analog comparator, and zero-cross detector. PTC supports capacitive touch interface design, buttons, sliders, rollers, touchpads, smaller touch screens, and gesture control for a wide range of consumer and industrial products and vehicles. The AVR DA series supports up to 46 self-capacitors and 529 mutual capacitive touch channels and features the latest generation enhanced drive shield PTC and boost mode technology to provide enhanced noise resistance, water resistance, touch sensitivity and response time.

     In addition, the AVR DA series MCUS bring additional value to embedded real-time control systems. The integrated event system enables communication between peripherals without CPU. Events are without delay and information is not lost, providing enhanced real-time performance and predictability for reliable and secure design. By reducing the amount of time the CPU needs to be activated, the overall power consumption of the application is reduced.

     Configurable custom logic peripherals support internal logic function Settings without the need for external components, reducing board space and material costs. With advanced analog features such as 12-bit differential ADCs, AVR DA series MCUS measure small amplitude signals in noisy environments, making them ideal for sensor node applications in hash environments. The high storage density and SRAM to flash ratio of AVR DA Series MCUS make AVR DA series products attractive for both wireless and wirelessly connected sensor nodes, as well as other protocol stack intensive applications.