Freescale shows single-chip, fast Ethernet microcontroller at summit event

Austin, TX— To reduce system complexity and design costs, Freescale Semiconductor Inc. has introduced what it reports is the industry’s first complete, single-chip, 10/100 Mbps Ethernet device. The company says its 16-bit MC9S12NE64 microcontroller replaces more complex, multi-chip, Ethernet offerings.

Freescale is exhibiting the new microcontroller at its first Embedded Connectivity Summit , Oct. 4-6, at the Hilton Austin Hotel.

“Designers choosing MC9S12NE64 gain the benefits of a single-chip, fast Ethernet solution that increases reliability and reduces the size of the Ethernet control‘footprint’ in a system,” says Daniel Hoste, Freescale’s 8/16-bit products division VP and GM. “These benefits help make Ethernet connectivity an easy option for new applications and low-cost systems where it may not have been practical in the past.”

MC9S12NE64 is the first in Freescale’s series of 16-bit microcontrollers with embedded Ethernet connectivity. It provides a complete, cost-effective solution for industrial control applications and embedded systems that could benefit from network connectivity.

“MC9S12NE64’s on-chip Ethernet was a key factor for Ebtron,” says Len Damiano, sales and marketing VP for Ebtron, which manufactures sensors for HVAC and irrigation control. “Our web-based, demand-controlled irrigation system uses a web-enabled device to remotely program and monitor water valves or pumps. MC9S12NE64 reads the sensors, calculates soil moisture and temperature, and then determines the control action required based on this data and programmed input. In short, the system is smart enough to prevent watering soil that doesn’t need it.”

MC9S12NE64 is based on Freescale’s HCS12 central processing unit (CPU) platform. It offers everything needed for Ethernet connectivity in one low pin-count package, including a communications stack, flash memory, random access memory (RAM), a media access controller (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) transceiver.

MC9S12NE64 specific features include:

Embedded 10/100 Mbps Ethernet PHY and MAC, compliant with the IEEE 802.3 specification;

Dedicated, deeply embedded digital signal processor (DSP) functionality to facilitate rapid operation of the PHY transceiver;

64 kb的第三代闪光;

High-performance 25MHz HCS12 core;

10-bit, eight-channel analog-to-digital converter;

Clock generation module with a phase locked loop;

Four-channel 16-bit timer;

Two serial communication interfaces (SCIs) and a serial peripheral interface, running at up to 6.25 Mbps, and an inter IC bus; and

8 Kbytes of static RAM

Freescale manufactures embedded semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial, networking and wireless markets. It became a publicly traded company in July 2004, after more than 50 years as part of Motorola Inc. The company has design, R&D, manufacturing and/or sales operations in more than 30 countries. Freescale’s sales for 2003 were $4.9 billion.

For more information: www.freescale.com .

Control Engineering Daily News DeskJim Montague, news editorjmontague@reedbusiness.com

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