Microchip Technology's Family of Certified Full-Speed USB 2.0

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Microchip Technology Inc. has announced new Flash PIC microcontrollers with certified Full-Speed USB 2.0 connectivity and 48 megahertz (MHz) operation, for 12 megabits-per-second (Mbps) data-transfer rates. In combination with a wide variety of on-chip peripherals and nanoWatt Technology power management, these features provide a complete embedded-control solution for designers working with USB in industrial, medical and many other embedded applications. The majority of USB-capable microcontrollers are optimized exclusively for applications in the personal computing (PC) peripherals and consumer markets, leaving a real void for embedded designs.

Microchip's USB PIC microcontroller family makes the benefits of Full-Speed USB available to a broader range of embedded applications that operate in harsh environments and only occasionally connect to personal computers. The new PIC18F4450/2450 Full-Speed USB microcontrollers help to address these needs by integrating USB as one of the primary serial interfaces, as opposed to the prevalent approach that adds a serial-to-USB patch on top of a legacy design.

Example embedded applications that benefit from these Full-Speed USB PIC microcontrollers include: industrial (manufacturing tools, data loggers, scanners, smart displays, micro fuel cells, gambling-machine peripherals, RFID readers, robot-controller interfaces, industrial timers, gas-flow analyzers, cable-test fixtures); medical (voice-activated applications, advanced wheel chairs, research equipment automation); automotive (vehicle-network bus diagnostic tools, vehicle trace recorders (black boxes), ultrasonic sensors); battery-powered (handheld tools, sensors, security applications, remote controls, home automation); consumer (business-card scanners, white-board digitizers, voice recorders, uninterruptable power-supply systems, MP3 players, fire alarms, security-system programmers).

The two new USB PIC microcontrollers feature 16 Kbytes of self-programmable Enhanced Flash memory, which allows field upgrades for end applications via the USB port. Microchip's advanced PMOS Electrically Erasable Cell (PEEC) Flash technology provides high endurance of up to 100.000 erase/write cycles and long data retention of more than 40 years. In addition, their Full-Speed USB 2.0 interface includes an onboard transceiver for direct data transfers to external peripherals with minimum CPU overhead. Other key features include:
* 768 bytes of RAM, 256 bytes of which can be a dedicated USB buffer
* AUSART for RS232 and RS485 serial interfaces
* 10-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter with high accuracy (+/- 1 LSB) and up to 13 input channels
* Capture/Compare/PWM module with 16-bit capture and resolution
* Three Timers (2 x 16-bit, 1 x 8-bit)
* Programmable Brownout Reset and Low Voltage Detect circuits
* Enhanced In-Circuit Debugging capabilities with up to three hardware breakpoints.

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