EMBEDDED WORLD: ST intros Cortex-M3-based MCU at $0.85

EMBEDDED WORLD: STMicroelectronics has released a 32-bit microcontroller based on a24MHz ARM Cortex-M3 processor core with low end price starting at $0.85. And its is developing a evaluation kit which should be available for under $10 in the second quarter of 2010.

Volume production of the STM32 Value Line is due to start this month and the headline price is for 16 kbyte device in 48-pin LQFP48 while a MCU with 64 kbyte in a 64-pin LQFP64 being available for $1.44.

The family has a peripheral set optimized for typical 16-bit applications such as home-entertainment products, appliances, and industrial equipment. At 24MHz with zero wait state embedded flash memory access, the MCU family delivers up to 30 DMIPS which STM says will outperform most of the 16-bit processors.

Application-focused features embedded in the family include up to 12 16-bit timers, including a PWM timer for motor-control applications. As many as 26 timer channels are available, with package options providing up to 100 pins, as well as a 12-bit high-speed analog-to-digital converter (ADC), for a range of industrial control applications. Free software support includes a complete 3-phase motor-control library for appliance and motor-control applications and free VDE-certified libraries to help household appliances achieve necessary approval to EN/IEC60335-1 Class B.

The family also embeds hardware support for the consumer electronics control (CEC) protocol included in the HDMI standard, thereby simplifying CEC implementation in products such as TVs, Blu-ray players, PVRs and home cinema equipment.

CEC allows up to 10 HDMI devices to discover each other and communicate to manage user-convenience features such as one-touch control of multiple devices via a single remote. Implementing CEC in hardware also frees the processor core to perform extra high-level functions, thereby adding further value to developers' applications.

In addition, a 12-bit digital-to-analog Converter (DAC) allows developers to add audio support in a variety of applications such as security devices or home automation systems, and to address wider opportunities requiring analog waveform generation and control.

The STM32 Value Line extends ST's STM32 family to five product lines with over 110 devices available with pin and software compatibility across all devices.