Atmel Expands ARM926-based MCU Family

Leading in microcontroller and touch technology solutions, Atmel® Corporation announced that five new devices were added to Atmel SAM9 ARM926TM-based microcontrollers (MCUs) family. The target applications of new SAM9 devices are in various fields, including industrial and building control, HVAC, Point of Sale (POS) terminals, printers and medical devices, smart grid with data concentrators, human machine interface (HMI) and machine-to-machine (M2M) market fields.Besides expanding Atmel's existing ARM®-based portfolio, the new SAM9G15, SAM9G25, SAM9GX35, SAM9X25 and SAM9X35 support a broad range of key technology features demanded for present applications. As for these key features, they contain DDR2memory replaced SDRAM for more memory-intensive applications, NAND flash supported with 24-bit ECC for reducing system cost, as well as more communication channels, like dual 10/100 Ethernet, dual CAN and up to 3x USB ports to meet a number of application requirements. Cooperated with Conexant, Atmel enables soft modern implementation on the new SAM9 devices to lower the whole bill of materials (BOM) through eliminating external components. With operation frequency up to 400MHz, the core and peripherals of these five new ARM92-based MUCs consume only 100mW at maximum performance.Conexant president and chief executive officer, Sailesh Chittipeddi PhD said, "We are delighted to collaborate with microcontroller leader Atmel. Soft modems play an essential role in a range of applications from POS terminals, alarm systems, telecare and others requiring a publicly switched telephone network (PSTN) line. Now designers have access to a highly efficient and streamlined approach for deploying a soft modem while lowering the overall system cost."Additionally, the new Atmel SAM9 devices include an advanced LCD controller, which equips with hardware acceleration function, for more modern user interfaces. The enhanced LCD controller contains overlays, alpha blending, image scaling, rotating and color space conversion, which allow a more intuitive interface, while reducing the CPU load."Atmel continues to expand its 32-bit ARM-based portfolio to support our changing customer requirements," said Jacko Wilbrink, director of ARM products, Atmel Corporation. "The new SAM9 devices are ideal host processors for applications requiring DDR2 and NAND flash support, a rich combination of wired and wireless communication interfaces plus advanced LCD support for a modern user experience. We are a leader in the 32-bit microcontroller segment and will continue to bring innovative electronic component products to the market to meet our customers' needs."