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Single-chip graphics LCD microcontrollers and freescale mobile

Freescale Semiconductor has introduced an ARM Cortex-M4 core based microcontroller family, the Kinetis K70, designed for single-chip, graphics LCD applications. The microcontrollers are suitable for applications that require a sophisticated graphics LCD user interface and advanced connectivity and security functionality. Supporting the microcontrollers is the company’s portable embedded GUI (graphic user interface) graphics development suite, a visual layout and design tool that accelerates the design process. The microcontrollers feature 1Mbyte of flash memory and 128kbyte of static random-access memory, enabling it to drive LCD panels at 8bit Quarter VGA resolution. If needed, displays of up to 24bit SVGA resolution can also be supported with external memory. With a 120 and 150MHz microcontroller, hardware floating point unit and crossbar architecture, the family also provides the headroom to manage the performance demands of graphics processing while simultaneously managing real-time control, communication and connectivity functions typically required by human machine interface applications, says the company.The PEG design tool, WindowBuilder, provides a simple drag-and-drop interface that enables the layout of GUI screens and controls in a PC environment exactly as they would appear on the end product display. The resulting C++ source code is then automatically generated and ready to be compiled and linked into the end application. All Kinetis microcontrollers are supported by the company’s CodeWarrior 10.x IDE with Processor Expert auto code generator, as well as the expansive ARM ecosystem that includes tools from IAR Systems, Keil, Atollic and Segger. The company claims that the microcontrollers feature up to 150MHz CPU speed and increased cache capabilities, floating point unit, multiple timers and 16bit ADCs with fault control and programmable delay block support for driving stepper, brushless DC, and permanent magnet AC motors with sensor or sensorless algorithms, high-speed USB host and device that supports 480Mbit/s data transfer using an external universal transceiver macrocell low pin interface transceiver, and DRAM and NAND flash controllers. The microcontroller is housed in a 256 mold array process-ball grid array package.The company has also introduced Freescale Mobile, which enables the engineers or anyone who needs immediate access to Freescale information to easily access and navigate through information on the company’s portfolio of embedded processing solutions from the convenience of a mobile device. The mobile presents product data and other content in an easy-to-use mobile format, creating a refined and easy-to-navigate customer experience. The full product information and download documents, as well as set personal preferences and purchase products can be searched and viewed in the mobile site without downloading an app, update or upgrade, says the company. The site allows targeting the needs by geography and device and provides accurate user analytics, making the Mobile a valuable tool for product selection and support, claims the company.