Cortex-M3-based flash MCUs improve impedance matching, lower power up to 50%

Atmel Corp.’s SAM3S series of general-purpose Cortex-M3 based Flash microcontrollers improves impedance matching, simplifies PCB design, and saves 50 percent power at 1MHz operation with a consumption of only 2.3mW. At maximum operating frequency of 64MHz, the device consumes 1.45mW/MHz. These MCUs enable ARM7TDMI-based SAM7S customers to migrate to a 50 percent more powerful and feature-rich MCU, while preserving hardware and software investments.

The SAM3S is a member of Atmel’s Flash microcontroller family based on the 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 RISC processor. It provides processing power and features such as system control, sensor interfaces, 64kB to 256kB Flash memory options, an optional external parallel bus interface, connectivity capabilities and user interface support. Additional features include On-Die Termination, SDIO, Parallel PIO signal capture, 12-bit ADC and DAC, dual I2C, I2S, unique chip ID, and power and reset management. The SAM3S’s supply voltage ranges from 1.62V to 3.6V. The devices are available in package options of 48-pin QFP and QFN to 100-pin QFP and BGA.

Atmel Corp.