Texas Instruments introduces new microcontrollers that enhance system-level flexibility

     Texas Instruments has introduced new communications capabilities for the C2000 family of microcontrollers (MCUS). With the C2000 F2838x 32-bit microcontroller, designers CAN connect AC servo drives and other industrial systems on a single chip, including EtherCAT, Ethernet, and Controller Local Area Network (CAN FD) with flexible data rates.

     Systems with communication interfaces often require an external application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a dedicated host-controlled microprocessor, but this reduces the flexibility of the design architecture, increases complexity, and takes up space on the board. The new C2000 F2838x microcontroller does not rely on an external ASIC, reducing the size of the overall solution and reducing the number of materials used.

     The F2838x microcontroller integrates three industrial communication protocols, enabling designers to customize a microcontroller to the specific needs of each system. The key component needed to achieve this goal is a new connection manager based on the Arm® Cortex®-M4 subsystem, which reduces some of the process-intensive communications and optimizes connectivity. In addition to these features, the C2000 F2838x microcontroller offers greater real-time control performance and greater flexibility than the previous generation of C2000 series microcontrollers.

     Key features and benefits of C2000 F2838x series microcontrollers. EtherCAT, Ethernet and CAN FD in one: In terms of electrical isolation architecture, the new microcontroller uses a fast serial interface with eight receiving channels, enabling inter-chip communication at speeds of up to 200 Mbps with a minimum of pins. Designers CAN take advantage of this high integration in their CAN FD designs to quickly increase the number of available CAN FD ports by pairing the F2838x with the TI System Foundation Chip (SBC), such as the TCAN4550 SBC with an integrated CAN FD controller and transceiver.

     Maximize real-time control performance: Thanks to a 64-bit floating-point unit and fast divisible hardware, C28X-based control enables differential functionality and high-precision design. For servo-drive applications, fast current loop technology handles field-oriented control in less than 500 nanoseconds for more precise position control.

     Flexible integration of sensing technology for improved real-time control: The C2000 F2838x series also incorporates a single-ended 16-bit analog-to-digital converter that doubles the number of available channels compared to the previous generation of C2000 microcontrollers, minimizing external components and system latency and maximizing control loop accuracy. Extended configurable logic blocks enable designers to customize peripherals and eliminate or reduce the need for field programmable gate arrays.