Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry’s broadest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, today announced it is the first to stock NXP’s LPC11C2x series; industry’s first integrated CAN microcontroller and transceiver solution.

This new product is now available for purchase on Digi-Key’s global websites and will be featured in future print and online catalogs.

CAN is recognized as a robust and reliable communication channel for rugged environments. The LPC11C22 and LPC11C24 with integrated high speed CAN physical layer transceiver and easy to use on-chip CANopen drivers offers complete CAN functionality in a low-cost LQFP48 package. Typically, CAN transceivers can cost as much as or even more than the microcontroller itself. Integrating the CAN transceiver on board increases system reliability and quality, reduces electrical interconnect and compatibility issues, and reduces board space by over 50 percent while adding less than 20 percent to the MCU cost.

“With the introduction of the LPC11C2x series, NXP now offers seamless integration of CAN into a wide variety of industrial and automation applications for factories, buildings, and the home.” said Shelley Unruh, Regional Marketing Manager, Microcontrollers, NXP Semiconductors. “The integrated CAN microcontroller transceiver solution in a unique System-in-Package with on-chip CANopen drivers extends NXP’s plug-and play system approach to help customers save time and cost in their designs.”

CANopen drivers are provided in on-chip ROM with easy-to-use APIs enabling users to rapidly adopt the LPC11C22/C24 into embedded networking applications based on the CANopen standard. This standardized layer (EN 50325) is especially well suited for embedded networks in all kinds of control, such as machines and elevators, making proprietary or application-specific application layers obsolete. Incorporating CANopen drivers in on-chip ROM reduces overall risk and effort while providing design engineers with the added advantage of reduced operating power, as well as secure and safe bootloading via CAN.

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Mouser Electronics, Inc., regarded as a top global engineering design resource for semiconductors and electronic components, today announced it is stocking new product from Texas Instruments | Microcontrollers.

The Texas Instruments MSP430BT5190 mixed-signal microcontroller features three 16-bit timers, a high performance 12-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) converter, up to four universal serial communication interfaces (USCI), hardware multiplier, DMA, real-time clock module with alarm capabilities, and up to 87 I/O pins. The TI MSP430BT5190 MCU is designed for commercial use with TI CC2560 based Bluetooth solutions in conjunction with MindTree’s Ethermind Bluetooth stack and Serial Port Profile (SPP). This MSP430BT5190+CC2560 Bluetooth platform is ideal for applications needing a wireless serial link for cable replacement, such as remote controls, thermostats, smart metering, blood glucose meters, pulse oximeters, and many others. The TI MSP430BT5190 is part of the MSP430 ultralow-power MCU family, which consists of several devices featuring different sets of peripherals targeted for various applications.

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Mouser Electronics, Inc. – a wholly-owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. and a leading international distributor of semiconductors and electronic components – heralded their global distribution partnership with Energy Micro. Energy Micro is the industry’s recognized source for the world’s most energy-friendly microcontrollers.

Going forward, the new agreement allows Mouser to stock and deliver all Energy Micro products, energyAware™ software, and supporting development kits directly into the hands of design engineers worldwide. Moreover, the agreement confirms Mouser’s long-time stance of providing design engineers instant access to the most advanced technology at the earliest stages of product design and prototype development.

Suiting a range of energy sensitive applications including metering, security, portable medical and lifestyle products, the EFM32 Gecko microcontroller architecture has been designed to dramatically reduce total system energy consumption. Based on the energy efficient 32-bit ARM® Cortex™-M3 core and through the use of unique autonomous peripherals and efficient energy modes, the Gecko microcontrollers are capable of consuming a quarter of the energy of other 8-, 16- and 32-bit microcontrollers. The EFM32 Gecko microcontrollers are supported by a comprehensive development environment comprised of Energy Micro’s own energyAware™ software tools and code libraries, starter kits and development kits. A broad range of third party IDE/compliers, debug adapters and programmers from Keil, IAR Systems and Olimex are also available from Mouser.

“The demands on reducing power consumption and extending battery life are critical to today’s design engineers,” expressed Mike Scott, Mouser Vice President of Semiconductors. “Energy Micro’s line of ultra-low power, energy-efficient ARM Cortex-M3 MCUs provide an excellent solution for battery-operated applications, allowing engineers the ability to provide clear differentiation in their MCU-based designs.”

Geir Forre, Energy Micro President and CEO, comments, “Giving design engineers easy access to the energy friendly EFM32 Gecko microcontrollers is important. With this worldwide agreement, engineers can get ultra-low power MCUs delivered at their door with just a few clicks. With the broad and effective offering of Mouser, this new partnership will help spread the Energy Micro ultra-low power microcontrollers to engineers worldwide.”

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Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry’s broadest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, announced today a worldwide agreement with Energy Micro for the distribution of its ultra low power EFM®32 Gecko microcontroller products.

Energy Micro’s energy friendly product range, comprising 32-bit ARM® Cortex™-M3 based microcontrollers, energyAware tools and companion development kits are now available from Digi-Key’s global websites and will appear in future print and on-line catalogs.

Dave Doherty, Digi-Key’s Vice President of Semiconductor Products said, “We’ve already seen, through our North American agreement with Energy Micro, that there is strong market interest in their low power microcontroller solution. Design engineers around the world are under pressure to extend battery life, and we’re delighted to support them with this global distribution agreement.”

Geir Førre, Energy Micro’s President and CEO said, “Digi-Key has already demonstrated to us its ability to reach design engineers with some very real energy management problems to solve. We now look forward to working together with Digi-Key on a worldwide basis to promote the ideals of true energy-friendly design.”

Suiting a range of energy sensitive applications including metering, alarm/security, portable medical and lifestyle products, the EFM32 microcontroller architecture has been designed to dramatically reduce total system energy consumption. The unique advanced energy monitoring (AEM) facility of the EFM32 development kits provides designers with a graphical energy debugging tool enabling early identification and removal of adverse energy drains.

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The MB87S2090-F is a powerline communication SoC (System-on-Chip) with a fivefold-accelerated 8051 core and was developed in collaboration with ADD Semiconductor. It is pin-to-pin compatible with ADD Semiconductor’s design and is produced by Fujitsu. The product combines an improved 8051 microcontroller, a hardwired medium access controller (MAC) and a C band CENELEC FSK modem in one chip. It is available at distributor Rutronik now.

Five serial communication interfaces secure communication to the outside. The integrated PWM timers can be used to switch and dim lights or for other functions. The MB87S2090-F SoC only requires a simple coupling circuit and drastically reduces the number of components of PLC applications. This simplifies home and building automation and intelligent lighting and control and makes the use of PLC as a control network affordable for a broad range of applications.

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Microcontroller Solutions magazine provides current, in-depth information about MCUs

Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation today announced its inaugural Digi-Key Tech Zone magazine is now available for online viewing. The first issue focuses on Microcontroller Solutions, which is also one of four featured Technology Zones on Digi-Key’s website, www.digikey.com.

With editorial content provided by well-known writers in the electronic components industry, information about the latest microcontroller products from world-class suppliers, and Digi-Key educational resources, the inaugural issue of Digi-Key Tech Zone magazine is a valuable resource for design engineers interested in microcontrollers.

Additionally, Digi-Key Tech Zone magazines and Digi-Key’s online Technology Zones feature exclusive editorial content from writers affiliated with Electronic Products magazine, published by Hearst Corporation.

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16-bit performance at 8-bit prices

Mouser Electronics, Inc., known for its rapid introduction of the newest products, today announced it is stocking the new Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) MSP430™ Value Line family of ultra-low cost 16-bit microcontrollers (MCUs).

The TI ultra-low power MSP430™ MCU Value Line offers superior 16-bit MCU performance and industry-leading ultra-low power consumption for cost sensitive applications that have traditionally depended on low-cost 8-bit microcontrollers. TI MSP430G2x01, MSP430G2x11, MSP430G2x21, and MSP430G2x31 Value Line MCUs ensure 8-bit developers no longer need to sacrifice performance, power efficiency, or scalability because of price. The TI MSP430 MCU Value Line series is an ideal fit for a broad range of cost-sensitive applications, including safety and security, low-cost touch pads, remote controls, and intelligent sensors. The TI MSP430G2x01, MSP430G2x21, and MSP430G2x31 include a built-in 16-bit timer and 10 I/O pins. The MSP430G2x11adds an on-chip comparator, while the MSP430G2x31 provides an on-chip 10-bit ADC and built-in communication capability using synchronous protocols.

The MSP-EXP430G2 LaunchPad experimenter board is a complete USB-based development and experimenter tool providing everything you need to launch your own MSP430 MCU Value Line applications.

Mike Scott, Mouser Vice President of Active Products, is confident about the TI Value Line’s ability to fill the cost and performance requirements of engineers’ prototyping with MCUs and give them an advantage over low-cost 8-bit MCUs. Scott says, “The Texas Instruments’ MSP430 MCU Value Line blurs the line between low price and high performance, yet remains compatible across the MSP430 platform.”

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Mouser Electronics, Inc., known for its rapid introduction of the newest products, today announced it is stocking new product from NXP Semiconductors. The NXP Semiconductors LPC1769 and LPC1759 microcontrollers (MCUs) operate at 120 MHz, the fastest ARM Cortex™-M3 MCUs.

The high-performance NXP Semiconductors LPC1759 and LPC1769 make integration of MCU control and signal processing a reality for cost-constrained applications and eliminate the need for dedicated DSP hardware. With 256-point 16-bit FFT execution time of less than 190 μs, these NXP Semiconductors MCUs are 54 percent faster than the nearest Cortex-M3 alternative and challenge low-cost DPSs in performance. The LPC1759 and LPC1769 feature 512 Kb Flash, 64KB SRAM, USB 2.0 Host/On-The-Go/Device, CAN 2.0B interfaces, and 12-bit ADC, 10-bit DAC, and other peripherals.

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Mouser Electronics, Inc., known for its rapid introduction of the newest products, today announced it is stocking new product from Actel.

The Actel SmartFusion is the industry’s first intelligent mixed signal FPGA and the only device to integrate a flash FPGA, hard ARM® Cortex™-M3-based microcontroller subsystem, and programmable analog. The Actel SmartFusion FPGA is based on Actel´s flash technology and offers full customization, IP protection, and ease-of-use. The SmartFusion FPGA is ideal for hardware and embedded designers who need a true system-on-chip solution that gives more flexibility than traditional fixed-function microcontrollers and without the excessive cost of soft processor cores on traditional FPGAs. The Actel SmartFusion is an innovative solution for the industrial, medical, energy, communications, and military markets in diverse applications, including system management, power management, motor control, industrial networking, and display. To learn more, visit http://www.mouser.com/actelsmartfusionfpga.

Known for its focus on design engineers with its broad product line, unsurpassed customer service, advanced on-line catalog and innovative product marketing, Mouser continuously offers customers the newest products and latest technologies for their new design projects.

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Mouser already has it! The Silicon Labs Single Chip MCU with Integrated Sub-GHz RF Transceiver

Mouser Electronics, Inc., known for its rapid introduction of the newest products, today announced it is stocking new product from Silicon Labs. The Silicon Labs Si100x / Si101x device family is the industry’s lowest power single chip microcontroller (MCU) with integrated sub-GHz RF transceiver. The Silicon Labs Si100x / Si101x single chip MCU is designed to address the specific requirements of low power embedded systems requiring an RF bidirectional communication link such as metering, in-home utility monitoring, wireless security panels, wireless sensor, home building automation, and access control.

The Silicon Labs Si100x / Si101x single chip MCU features lowest power consumption with RTC (32.768 kHz) active – 650 nA, lowest power consumption with RTC (LFO) active – 350 nA, and fastest wake from sleep time – 2 us. The high efficiency RF transceiver integrated into this device family provides 2.5x output power and 15x receive sensitivity with the same current consumption for great range with no increase in power budget.

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