Microchip Opens Registration for 17th Annual Worldwide MASTERs

The MASTERs Conference is a valuable resource for designing with Microchip’s products that provides design engineers with an annual forum for sharing and exchanging technical information on the Company’s 8-, 16- and 32-bit PIC microcontrollers, high-performance analog and interface solutions, dsPIC digital signal controllers, wireless and mTouch sensing solutions, memory products, and MPLAB development systems—including the industry’s only singular IDE to support an entire 8-, 16- and 32-bit microcontroller portfolio.

MASTERs is an in-depth, bi-directional exchange of technical information between Microchip subject-matter experts and the Company’s technical partners, including customers, third parties, distributor FAEs and design partners.

There is a broad range of class offerings for 2013 to meet the growing needs of software and hardware design engineers and engineering managers, with more than 100 classes being offered—46 of which are new this year. In addition to lecture-based classes, there are 43 ‘hands-on’ classes that enable attendees to learn more about specific applications by using development tools and writing code in the classrooms. Classes are available for engineers with advanced experience or little knowledge in the concepts and basics of the technology being discussed.

Based on its overwhelming success at previous MASTERs, Microchip is again offering a two-day Pre-Conference for those who wish to attend as many classes as possible during the week. These classes are also designed for beginner through advanced attendees. For example, “Introduction to Embedded Programming Using C” is a two-day, 16-hour step-by-step crash course in C, with practical hands-on exercises.

MASTERs classes cover the gamut of electronic-engineering topics, including connectivity sessions on Ethernet, TCP/IP, USB, CAN and wireless (e.g., ZigBee and Wi-Fi), graphics and capacitive-touch interface development, intelligent power supplies, firmware development, motor control, selecting op-amps for sensor applications, using an RTOS, DSP and transmitting wireless audio using Bluetooth.

“Technical training courses specifically designed for embedded systems engineers are crucial to reducing development time,” said Ken Pye, Microchip’s vice president of worldwide applications. “It is critical that embedded engineers are trained in all aspects of the environments in which they work, and that they walk away with the valuable knowledge needed to solve today’s most challenging design issues. Our annual series of global MASTERs Conferences are offered with these goals in mind.”

Additional activities include networking sessions between third-party partners and attendees to discuss relevant design topics, meeting with third-party development tool experts and a simulated wafer fab plant tour. Extracurricular events include a robot race, the ‘build an electronic guitar’ event, a Texas Hold-em card tournament, a FIRST robotics exhibition match, and sports-bar and video games that are suitable for the whole family.