Microchip Debuts Flash PIC® Microcontrollers with Full-Speed USB 2.0 Connectivity

Microchip announced the first Flash PIC® microcontrollers with Full-Speed USB 2.0 connectivity and 48 megahertz (MHz) operation, for 12 megabits-per-second (Mbps) data-transfer rates. Combined with a wide variety of peripherals and nanoWatt Technology power management, these features provide a complete solution for designers working with USB in industrial, medical and many other embedded applications.
Most USB-capable microcontrollers are optimised for personal computing (PC) and consumer applications, rather than embedded designs. Microchip's new USB PIC microcontroller family offers the benefits of Full-Speed USB to a broader range of applications that may operate in harsh environments and connect to personal computers less often.
Target applications for these products include the industrial, medical and automotive markets as well as advanced consumer applications and other PC-connected, battery-powered devices. The Full-Speed USB 2.0 interface featured includes an onboard transceiver and a Parallel Streaming Port for direct data transfers to external peripherals with minimum CPU overhead. Another of the family's key features is its 24 or 32 Kbytes of self-programmable Enhanced Flash memory, supporting field upgrades via the USB port. Using Microchip's PMOS Electrically Erasable Cell (PEEC) Flash technology, the devices provide high endurance of up to 100,000 erase/write cycles and long data retention of more than 40 years.
Other key features include:

2 Kbytes of RAM, 1 Kbyte of which can be a dedicated USB buffer 256 bytes of EEPROM data memory EUSART module supporting RS232, RS485 and LIN serial interfaces Master Synchronous Serial Port (MSSP) supporting I2C™ and SPI™ communication 10-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter with up to 12 channels, Two Analog Comparators Capture/Compare/PWM (CCP) module with 16-bit capture and resolution Enhanced Capture/Compare/PWM (ECCP) with dead-time control and fault-protection inputs Four Timers (3 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

One key consideration for USB-application designers is the availability of firmware support. Microchip offers an extensive set of libraries for the most common application classes, including the Human Interface Device (HID), Communication Device Class (CDC) and custom drivers. Microchip is also publishing an application note illustrating how to replace a serial port with a Full-Speed USB link in a few easy steps.
The new USB PIC microcontrollers are supported by Microchip's world-class development systems, including: MPLAB® Integrated Development Environment (IDE), MPLAB C18 C Compiler, MPLAB ICD 2 In-Circuit Debugger, MPLAB ICE 2000/4000 In-Circuit Emulators and MPLAB PM3 Universal Device Programmer. In addition, the PICDEM™ Full-Speed USB Demo Board (part # DM163025), and the MP-USB Wizard 2.0, a free application to guide the designer through the creation of descriptor tables, are expected to be available in December.