High Speed Low Power Atmel AVR Microcontroller With 10-bit ADC

29th May 2007

ES Admin

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Rapid has introduced a new addition to the stocked range of AVR Flash Microcontrollers, targeting battery chargers, sensor end-points and low-end motor control applications. The ATtiny44, Rapid code 73-4332, has 4 KB of Self-Programmable Flash memory and delivers 20 MIPS throughput when running at 20 MHz. It is available ex-stock at Rapid in a 14-pin surface mount plastic package.

ATtiny44 excels in battery-powered equipment due to the inherent low power consumption and three individually selectable low power sleep modes. The application software can adjust the system clock frequency to achieve top performance when needed, and then slow down the clock during idle times.

Additional power saving is achieved by using the AVR Power Stop System allowing the user to turn off timers, USI, and/or ADC when not in use. As a result, the ATtiny44 consume less than 100nA in Power Down mode.

We received requests for 14-pin AVR devices by customers who need the unmatched performance and the rich peripheral set of the AVR, said Jukka Eskelinen, Marketing Director for tinyAVR products.

ATtiny44 devices complement existing tinyAVR range that now offers 8-pin, 14-pin, 20-pin and 28-pin devices, he added.

ATtiny44 have internal EEPROM, pull-up resistors and an 8 MHz, high precision calibrated RC Oscillator, leaving 12 general I/O pins available for application use. The I/O pins can alternatively work as ADC inputs or PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) outputs depending on the application requirements.

Interfacing to ATtiny44 is made easy by using the Universal Serial Interface (USI), which can be configured to work as an SPI, UART or TWI.

Sensor applications benefit from the internal temperature sensor that accurately monitors chip temperature, allowing reliable system parameter calibration. A wide range of high performance microcontroller peripheral functions are readily integrated. The devices include one 8-bit timer and one 16-bit timer, which can control two 8-bit and two 16-bit PWM outputs, respectively. A total of twelve 10-bit, differential A/D converter input channels with programmable gain and a fast analogue comparator allow a wide selection of peripherals to be connected when used in sensor and control applications.

Complete evaluation and debug tools are available for the ATtinyAVR microcontrollers. The parts are supported by the professional debug environment AVR Studio(R), which is free of charge. This can be downloaded from www.atmel.com.

The STK500 Starter Kit, Rapid order code 73-4302 (£67.50), offers all the necessary hardware to evaluate programs and test the capabilities of the ATtiny44. Prices for the ATTINY44, Rapid 73-4332, start at £1.12 for 100+ pcs.