Infineon Expands Its 16-Bit Microcontroller Offering with New Low Cost Devices; Provides the Industry’s Most Scalable Real-Time Signal Controller Portfolio

2011-03-21 11:00
BANGALORE, India, March 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — Infineon Technologies announced new additions to its successful 16-bit XE166 Real-Time Signal Controller portfolio to address low-end and ultra low-end industrial applications. The new XE16xL and XE16xU Real-Time Signal Controllers provide 16-bit performance at 8-bit cost, supporting design of cost-effective electric drive systems for energy efficiency and mass market applications. Featuring excellent real-time performance, high computing power and optimized peripherals, the new 16-bit devices further broaden the huge application bandwidth of the XE166 16-bit MCU family, reaching from low-cost to high-performance with the industry’s most scalable Real-Time Signal Controller portfolio.

In response to demand for improved energy efficiency, manufacturers of electric drives are adding variable speed systems to their product portfolios. With the new XE16xL and XE16xU real-time signal controllers, Infineon is exactly addressing the needs of low cost consumer market producers, while customers will benefit from significant cost savings with hardware and software reuse.

The new MCU series aim at cost-efficient motor control units (i.e. 3-phase BLDC motors) which have mostly been addressed by high-end 8-bit MCUs or low-end DSPs. Typical applications include solar inverters, low-end drives, intelligent sensors (factory and building automation), fitness equipment and home appliances, and low-cost blowers and fans. Performance-wise, the new devices extend Infineon’s 8-bit microcontroller family thanks to an efficient MAC unit for DSP operations, accompanied by a powerful peripheral set.

Features of the new 16-bit XE16xU and XE16xL series

Key features include a high DSP performance, a superfast 12-bit A/D converter with up to 19 channels and a conversion time below 1µs; and an efficient capture/compare unit (CCU6) to drive any industrial 3-phase motor. The new series deliver a computing power of up to 80 MIPS, 32KB to 160KB embedded flash, up to 12KB RAM and up to four universal serial interface channels (USICs) configurable as UART, LIN, SPI, IIC or IIS. Package offering comprises versions with 38, 48 and 64 pins. All family members of the XE16xU and XE16xL series are opcode and peripheral compatible allowing for simple scalability and re-use of existing software.

Main differences between the XE16xL (L for low-end) and XE16xU (U for ultra-low-end) series are the flash capacity (160KB vs. 64KB), the 12 bit A/D converter (up to 19 channels vs. 10 channels), PWM units (two vs. one) and USICs (up to four vs. two). The XE16xL version features a high-speed MultiCAN module with 2 nodes and 32 message objects.

Complete tool chain

The new XE166 devices are supported by comprehensive development tools and software solutions, including evaluation boards, application kits, debuggers, compilers and corresponding documentation. To provide an easy start for new customers, Infineon emphasizes free development tools and related software. A free complete tool chain including C compiler, debugger and Eclipse-based, easy-to-use Integrated Development Environment (IDE) has been developed with Altium. Peripheral configuration software and low-level drivers can be created with DAvE (Digital Application Virtual Engineer). With the DAvE Drive auto-code generator it is possible to generate even the most complex motor control code automatically and quickly. For example, just 15 minutes to generate the code for sensorless field-oriented control of a PMSM motor.

Prices and Availability

Engineering samples are available, with volume production in Q3 2011. The XE160FU (TSSOP-38), XE161FU (QFN-48), XE161FL (QFN-48) and XE162FL (QFP-64) are specified for ambient temperature of -40 degrees Celsius to 125 degrees Celsius. Prices start below 1 Euro for volume orders. Easy Kits are available at Infineon partners EBV, Arrow and Rutronik.

Further information on Infineon’s XE166 families is available at http://www.infineon.com/XE166.

SOURCE　Infineon Technologies