Microchip Technology packs 16-bit microcontroller performance in low-cost 8-bit OTP microcontroller family.

CHANDLER, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 10, 1997--Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MCHP), a leading supplier of 8-bit microcontrollers, serial EEPROMs and specialty nonvolatile memory products for embedded control applications, Monday introduced the PIC17C75X family of high performance 8-bit one-time programmable microcontrollers (OTP) with a 10-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) converter in 64- and 68-pin packages.

The first family member, the PIC17C756, sets a new price/performance point for high-end 8-bit microcontrollers for computational-intensive applications requiring OTP flexibility and precision analog interface. The PIC17C75X family provides design engineers with a higher-performance PIC16/17 8-bit microcontroller solution versus Motorola's MC68HC11 and Hitachi's H8 products.

The PIC17C756 features high precision peripherals, industry-leading performance of 8.25 MIPS CPU at 33 MHz with a single cycle (120 nanoseconds) 8 x 8 hardware multiply, and high-speed communications capability of two channels with 8.25 million bits per second USART. The PIC17C756 offers up to 16 K x 16 OTP on-chip EPROM program memory and up to 902 x 8 bytes of user RAM for longer and more complex software algorithms.

"The PIC17C75X family represents a critical link in achieving Microchip's newly announced Act III corporate strategy of increasing our served available market," said Steve Sanghi, Microchip's president and chief executive officer.

"With more than 12 product families from the world's smallest microcontrollers (8 pins) to the high-performance 68-pin PIC17C75X devices, Microchip's PIC16/17 8-bit microcontrollers provide design engineers with a broad product portfolio, safe and easy migration path for their code investment, a suite of peripherals, development systems support and the flexibility and time-to-market advantages of OTP.

"This level of support is unmatched in the industry and further positions Microchip as a preeminent supplier of 8-bit microcontrollers."

The PIC17C756's high precision (plus/minus 1 LSB accuracy) 10-bit 12-channel A/D converter extends Microchip's patented low-power, A/D technology into industry-leading specifications. The A/D offers a high-speed conversion rate and ability to convert while in sleep mode, targeting power management for battery operations.

Other peripheral features include: up to 50 I/O pins with individual direction control; four pins that can be configured as capture input (120 nS resolution); three pins can be configured as PWM output (1-10 bits resolution with 130 KHz at 8 bits and 32 KHz at 10 bits); local communications capability for peripheral expansion (I2C(TM)/SPI(TM) compatible); and four timers (two 8 bit and two 16 bit).

The large program and data memory in the PIC17C756 allow very sophisticated system implementations in high level languages, such as C, for decreased development time and future flexibility for semi-custom solution. These features make the PIC17C756 ideal for demanding real-time embedded control applications where high 8-bit performance is critical, including motor control, air bag controllers, data encryption, set-top boxes, network switches and a growing list of other applications.

"The PIC17C756's high-precision peripherals, such as A/D and PWM, combined with the fast CPU capability allows for improved system performance as well as an upward migration path from our PIC16CXX and PIC17C4X families," said Ron Cates, Microchip's strategic marketing manager. "Microchip now brings its cost-effective OTP technology into the 16-bit microcontroller performance arena with low 8-bit microcontroller prices."

"The affordable, one-time programmable (OTP) capabilities offered by the PIC17C756 and the PIC16/17 family solve a range of critical business problems for our customers," said Cates. "Engineering managers can react faster to code changes and reduce the time required to fix bugs or respond to special customer requests for changes.

"OTP also reduces the design verification cycle, which can be as long as 16 weeks with competitive ROM-based devices. OTP and on-board programming address procurement issues by reducing and limiting WIP liability and facilitating code revision," Cates explained. "Microchip's worldwide distributors stock OTP devices, allowing customers to meet any up-side sales opportunities or accommodate engineering changes off the shelf."

Pricing for the PIC17C756-16/P commercial temperature (PDIP) version is $13.28 each in 1,000-unit quantities. Samples are available today with volume shipments planned for June 1997. Development systems support detailed below will be available May 1997. For more information, contact any Microchip sales representative or authorized worldwide distributor.

The PIC17C756 is supported by PICMASTER(R)-17B Universal Development System, the industry's most complete, fully-integrated programming development and emulation system. Operating in the Microsoft Windows(R) environment, the comprehensive PICMASTER-17B is available July 1997 for $2,490 without the PRO MATE(R) II device programmer ($3,345 with PRO MATE II).

The development system features the MPLAB(TM) Integrated Development Environment, which gives users the flexibility to edit, compile and emulate all from a single user interface -- at no additional cost. A CE-compliant version of PICMASTER is available for European applications.

Low-cost PIC16/17 MCU development is provided by PICSTART(R) Plus, the MPLAB(TM) development software suite and a programmer supported by assembler and simulator software tools. Other PIC17C756 support and development tools include the MP-DriveWay(TM) Automatic Applications Code Generator, MPLAB-C compiler, fuzzy logic tools, programming support and a software simulator.

Microchip Technology Inc. is a leading supplier of field-programmable 8-bit microcontrollers, serial EEPROMs and related specialty memory products, KEELOQ(R) code hopping devices and the QuickASIC(TM) family of masked ASICs for FPGA/CPLD conversions. These products target high-volume embedded control applications in the consumer, automotive, office automation, communications and industrial markets.

The company focuses on high volume applications that feature the industry's most economical OTP (one-time-programmable) as well as EEPROM, FLASH and ROM memory capability. ISO 9001 certified, the company is headquartered near Phoenix in Chandler and operates wafer fabrication facilities in Chandler and Tempe, Ariz..

Assembly and test operations are performed in Taiwan, Thailand and other locations. Microchip employs approximately 1,800 people worldwide and has sales offices throughout Asia, Europe, Japan and North America. -0-

NOTE TO EDITORS: The Microchip name and logo, PIC, PICMASTER, PRO MATE, PICSTART and KEELOQ are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Inc. in the United States and other countries. I2C is a trademark of Philips. SPI is a trademark of Motorola. SQTP is a servicemark of Microchip Technology Inc. in the United States and other countries.

MPLAB and QuickASIC are trademarks of Microchip Technology Inc. in the USA and other countries. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. -0-

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