Microchip Technology Offers 16-bit dsPIC30F Digital Signal Controllers with High-Performance PWM for Motor Control, Lighting and Power Conversion; Two More dsPIC(R) Digital Signal Controllers Now In Production.

CHANDLER, Ariz. -- Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP), a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors, today announced that it continues the relentless production rollout of its 16-bit dsPIC(R) Digital Signal Controllers (DSCs) with two devices that offer designers performance speeds of 30 Million Instructions Per Second (MIPS), self-programming capabilities via Flash memory, and industrial and extended temperature ranges. The dsPIC30F5015 and dsPIC30F5016 DSCs feature an advanced PWM designed for power-conversion, motor-control and lighting applications; an associated 1 MSPS 10-bit A/D converter; 66 Kbytes of Flash program memory; and full-speed operation using an internal oscillator (no crystal required). These DSCs are offered in 64-pin (dsPIC30F5015) and 80-pin (dsPIC30F5016) packages, and are ideal for applications that drive power FETs and require advanced algorithmic processing.

"Our customers are learning that our DSCs are, foremost, world-class embedded controllers -- the signal-processing capability is a bonus used to enable new features, reduce system cost or improve performance," said Sumit Mitra, vice president of Microchip's Digital Signal Controller Division. "With the recent announcement of the PIC24 and dsPIC33 16-bit families, designers can select a low-cost PIC24F, a high-performance PIC24H, or add DSP capability with a dsPIC DSC, using the same core instructions and development tools, with pin-out and peripheral compatibility on similar devices."

Microchip's dsPIC DSCs combine the high performance of a 16-bit Flash microcontroller with the computation and throughput capabilities of a digital signal processor (DSP). dsPIC DSCs have the "heart" of a 16-bit microcontroller, with robust peripherals and fast interrupt handling capability, and the "mind" of a DSP that manages high-computation activities. This combination creates the optimum single-chip solution for embedded system designs, allowing designers to integrate functions and save board space.

Microchip's Enhanced Flash self-programming capability permits a remote upgrade to the Flash program memory, allowing code revisions in end-users' applications. The dsPIC30F5015 and dsPIC30F5016 operate from 2.5 to 5.5 volts, which is valuable for analog noise immunity or minimizing voltage-translation logic. Additional key features include:

--66 Kbytes of Flash program memory, which can typically withstand 100,000 erase/write cycles and has 40-plus years of data retention over a wide operating-voltage and temperature range

--2 Kbytes of SRAM 

--8-output PWM, with complementary or independent modes, 4 duty-cycle generators and programmable dead time

--10-bit analog-to-digital converter with up to 16 signal channels, 1M samples per second, 4 sample and holds for simultaneous sampling, and trigger option from advanced PWM

--Quadrature Encoder Interface for motor-control applications

--Five 16-bit timers

--Four standard PWMs

--CAN, SPI, I2C(TM) and UART peripherals

Development Tools and Application Notes

All dsPIC30F DSCs use the same MPLAB(R) Integrated Development Environment (IDE), which contains a motor-control GUI and is shared by Microchip's PIC(R) microcontroller family. Additionally, the dsPIC30F is supported by Microchip's high-performance development systems, including: MPLAB C30 C Compiler, MPLAB SIM 30 Software Simulator, MPLAB ICD 2 In-Circuit Debugger, MPLAB ICE 4000 In-Circuit Emulator and MPLAB Visual Device Initializer.

Availability and Pricing

The dsPIC30F5015 and dsPIC30F5016 are available today for general sampling and volume production in RoHS-compliant, 64- and 80-pin TQFP packages, respectively. Unit pricing in 10k quantities starts at $6.00 each for the dsPIC30F5015, and $6.47 each for the dsPIC30F5016 at www.microchipdirect.com. For additional information, contact any Microchip sales representative or authorized worldwide distributor, or visit Microchip's Web site at www.microchip.com/dspic.

About Microchip's dsPIC Digital Signal Controllers

The dsPIC digital signal controller is a 16-bit (data) modified Harvard RISC machine that combines the control advantages of a high-performance 16-bit microcontroller with the high computation speed of a fully implemented DSP to produce a tightly coupled, single-chip, single-instruction-stream solution for embedded systems design. All of Microchip's 16-bit MCU and DSC families share the same core instructions (DSCs add DSP instructions), peripherals and development tools, and have compatible pin outs. For more information on the dsPIC DSC family, please visit: www.microchip.com/dspic.

Microchip Customer Support

Microchip is committed to supporting its customers by helping design engineers develop products faster and more efficiently. Customers can access four main service areas at www.microchip.com. The Support area provides a fast way to get questions answered; the Sample area offers free evaluation samples of any Microchip device; microchipDIRECT provides 24-hour pricing, ordering, inventory and credit for convenient purchasing of all Microchip devices and development tools; finally, the Training area educates customers through webinars, sign-ups for local seminar and workshop courses, and information about the annual MASTERs events held throughout the world.

About Microchip Technology

Microchip Technology Inc. is a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors, providing low-risk product development, lower total system cost and faster time to market for thousands of diverse customer applications worldwide. Headquartered in Chandler, Ariz., Microchip offers outstanding technical support along with dependable delivery and quality. For more information, visit the Microchip Web site at www.microchip.com.

Note: The Microchip name and logo, dsPIC, PIC, and MPLAB are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Inc. in the United States and other countries. I2C is a trademark of Philips Corp. All other trademarks mentioned herein are property of their respective companies.