'Graphics-centric' MCUs use ARM Cortex-M7 processors
Featuring rich memory, graphics and communication peripherals, the STM32F767/769 MCUs from STMicroelectronics bring ARM Cortex-M7 processing power and efficiency to applications such as consumer electronics, smart-building and industrial controllers, smart appliances and personal or point-of-care medical equipment.
Particularly well suited to simplifying the design of high-performance controls and user interfaces, the latest members of the extensive STM32 MCU family feature a 216MHz/462DMIPS/1082 EEMBC CoreMark Cortex-M7 core with double-precision floating-point unit and DSP instructions. Integrated alongside the core are up to 2MB of dual-bank Flash, ST’s Chrom-ART Accelerator for powerful graphics performance, a hardware JPEG accelerator, TFT-LCD controller and MIPI-DSI host controller.
The generous on-chip resources enable graphics applications to benefit from richness and rendering beyond the capabilities of other MCUs. There are also powerful audio features including an I2S interface, Serial Audio Interface (SAI), audio PLLs and Digital Filter for Sigma-Delta Modulators (DFSDM) for connecting a digital microphone or external Sigma-Delta ADC.
The STM32F767/769 feature 512kB of integrated RAM, as well as large 16kB Data and Instruction caches, while the Flexible Memory Controller (FMC) and Quad-SPI interface simplify off-chip memory expansion allowing practically unlimited application code size. In addition, the on-chip Flash allows read-while-write for seamless application performance and continuous operation even while simultaneously updating software.
The STM32F767/769 extend the performance potential of the STM32F7 series and provide the option of a crypto/hash engine (with STM32F777/779 devices) for security-conscious applications. As Cortex-M7 devices, they also provide an upgrade path from STM32F469/479 Cortex-M4 devices that have similar graphics and memory features. The associated ecosystem has features that help developers achieve high graphics performance for applications such as HMIs.
The STM32F767/769 MCUs are sampling now and will enter mass production in May 2016. Pricing for 10,000 unit orders starts at $10.95 each for the STM32F779NIH6 (2MB Flash, 512kB RAM, TFT, MIPI-DSI, Crypto, TFBGA216) or $7.96 each for the entry-level STM32F767VGT6 (1MB Flash, 512kB RAM, TFT, LQFP100).