Atmel unrolls new 8051-based low pin-count MCUs

Posted : 20 Jul 2006

Atmel Corp. has introduced four new 14-pin and two new
16-pin microcontrollers (MCUs) based on the its 8051
single cycle core. The company said its single cycle core
architecture executes each byte fetch in a single clock cycle,
resulting in 70 percent of all instructions being executed in a
single clock cycle. Compared to the traditional 8051
devices, this can either increase performance up to 12 times
or reduce power consumption by up to 80 percent.

Low pin-count MCUs have emerged as a fundamental building block of many general
purpose applications. Atmel said the AT89LP213/413, AT89LP214/414 and
AT89LP216/416 devices are cost-effective 8bit MCUs suitable for applications requiring
not only low-pin count but also low power and high performance in a small footprint.
These new MCUs reduce system cost with a variety of on-chip features, the company
said, enabling faster time-to-market for products such as white goods, remote controls,
smart sensors and disposable electronic products.

The AT89LP214 and AT89LP213 have 2Kbytes of In-system Programmable Flash

whereas the AT89LP414 and AT89LP413 have 4Kbytes of Flash. The 16-pin versions are
the AT89LP216 and AT89LP416 that have 2- and 4Kbytes of Flash memory, respectively.
These devices feature on-chip debug, on-chip hardware multiplier, PWM, analog
comparator, internal RC oscillator and 12 general purpose I/Os for application use. They
are suitable for motor control, battery management and other general purpose
applications.

In addition, the MCUs achieve a 20MIPS throughput when running at 20MHz and
consume very low power when running at a lower frequency, the company said. Typical
power consumption in 3.6V active mode at 1MHz is 1.1mA and less than 0.45mA in idle
mode. They can operate down to 2V at 10MHz and 2.4V at 20MHz.

The AT89LP214 and AT89LP213 are available in 14-pin TSSOP and PDIP packages
while the AT89LP216 is available in 16-pin TSS0P, SOIC and PDIP packages. The
10,000-unit price is 87 cents for AT89LP214 and AT89LP213 91 cents for AT89LP216.
Samples for AT89LP414, AT89LP413 and AT89LP416 will be available in Q4 2006.