National Introduces New 8-Bit Microcontroller

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(04/23/01, 02:33:55 PM EDT)

The new 8-bit COP8FLASH microcontroller from National Semiconductor has multiple power save operating modes, so the device can be operated with greater power efficiency. With two on-chip oscillators, six operating modes, and several other features, the COP8CBR can monitor a system's environment, including temperature, humidity, voltage, current, pressure, and power.

This versatility works well in analog sensor applications in white goods, security systems, information appliances, and mobile phones. The COP8CBR is also a good IC for Personal Access Device (PAD) touch screens and applications requiring power management, user interface, LCD brightness and contrast control, and battery charging.

The dual on-chip oscillators and multiple operating options enable performance in a variety of high and low speed modes, consuming dynamic currents at 3.0V from 3.3mA down to 24microamps. The product also features 32KB of on-chip FLASH and a 16-channel, 10-bit A/D with an input filter path and multiplexer output feature.

“The dual clock feature, with its low power consumption, gives system designers the ability to customize their products for long-term power savings,” said John Phelps, Vice President of National's Analog Microcontroller Group. “With six operational modes, the COP8CBR is actually several devices in one. Armed with the ability to optimize the power-versus-performance curve, designers can select the mode that is best suited to a given task, while minimizing time to market.”

With its unique filter path, the COP8CBR's integrated 10-bit successive approximation analog-to-digital converter (ADC) allows designers to insert external circuitry, such as a low-pass filter, between the 16 input-channel analog multiplexer's output and the direct A/D input.

By connecting a single external programmable-gain operational amplifier (op amp) between the analog multiplexer and the ADC's direct input, designers can program different amplification factors for each of the 16 analog input channels, eliminating up to 14 external op amps, reducing board space and lowering system costs.

The COP8CBR is in volume production now in two different package configurations. The COP8CBR9HVA8 in a 44-pin PLCC is priced at $4.00 each in quantities of 1,000. The COP8CBR9LVA8 in a 68-pin PLCC is $4.22 each, also in quantities of 1,000. Versions in 48-pin TSSOP, 56-pin TSSOP, and 44-pin Chip Scale Package (CSP) are sampling now and will be released to production in Q2. The 44-pin CSP packs the industry's highest pin counts in just 1/3 the size of a 44 QFP package.