MCUs deliver energy efficiency in ARM Cortex-M4 Class

According to the EEMBC ULPBench tests for low-power microcontrollers, the STM32L4 devices achieve 176.70 ULPMark-CP, vaulting over the scores of other major brands, without the help of a buck converter that adds external components such as a coil and capacitor. The EEMBC CoreMark score of 273.55 at 80MHz shows thatthe STM32L4 series delivers an unrivalled combination of high peak performance and energy efficiency.

The performance and efficiency advantages come from smart architectural features such as independently adjustable peripheral supply voltages and a programmable multi-speed internal clock, as well as Batch Acquisition Mode (BAM) and ST’s Adaptive Real-Time Accelerator (ART Accelerator). In addition, multiple power-management modes, including ultra-low-power 8nA shutdown, help maximise energy savings.

Designers can now access these advantages in six new STM32L4 lines that offer economy, a range of application-targeted features, and extra package choices. The STM32L471 combines up to 1MB Flash with rich analogue and audio features for projects that require no LCD controller or USB connectivity. The STM32L475 has a USB OTG Full Speed controller and both devices have multiple timers, clock sources and communication interfaces including CAN, SDMMC, USART, SPI and I²C. The analogue peripherals include 12-bit ADCs with 5 MSPS capability and power-saving modes, as well as two 12-bit DACs, two op-amps with built-in Programmable-Gain Amplifier (PGA) and two ultra-low-power comparators.

The STM32L432 and STM32L433 bring 100DMIPS ARM Cortex-M4 core performance to lightweight applications that require up to 256KB Flash. Analogue and audio features combine with a crystal-less USB controller in the STM32L432. The STM32L433 additionally features an LCD controller. Both lines support extra package options, from 7x7mm UFBGA100 to 3.14x3.13mm WLCSP49, including the small-footprint UFQPN32 for customers without WLCSP-assembly capability.

In addition, the STM32L442 and STM32L443 lines offer designers the same strong feature sets and flexibility as the STM32L432/433, with the addition of a cryptographic accelerator in each device.

The extra choices in the STM32L4 series enhance choice and flexibility for designers who need to secure smart connected IoT devices, such as wearables or home-automation controllers, or need versatile peripherals and connectivity for industrial or medical devices. In addition, guaranteed product availability for more than 10 years makes the STM32L4 series ideal for smart meters, also benefiting from the wide temperature range and high on-chip memory density to achieve a robust single-chip solution.