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MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY DEBUTS

HIGH-PERFORMANCE 8-BIT FLASH MCUs,

MPLAB( IN-CIRCUIT DEBUGGER

CHANDLER, Ariz., March 2, 1999 [NASDAQ: MCHP] — Microchip Technology Inc. today expanded its PIC16F87X family of 8-bit Flash microcontrollers (MCUs) with the 28-pin PIC16F873 and 40-pin PIC16F874 which offer highly flexible memory options for maximum system performance and design flexibility. To support these 8-bit Flash MCUs, the company also launched the innovative MPLAB( In-Circuit Debugger (ICD) Evaluation Kit.

MPLAB-ICD Evaluation Kit

MPLAB-ICD uses the in-circuit debugging capability of the PIC16F87X family and Microchip’s In-Circuit Serial Programming( (ICSP() to debug source code in the application, debug hardware in real-time and program a target PIC16F87X device. Operating under Microchip’s MPLAB Integrated Development Environment (IDE), MPLAB-ICD offers real-time code execution, in-circuit debugging, built-in programmer and 3.0-5.5V operating range. Components of the system include an in-circuit debugging module, header, demo board and MPLAB software. Available at $159, MPLAB-ICD shipments are planned for April 1999.

PIC16F873/874 High Performance Flash Solution

With 4K x 14 bits of cost-effective Flash memory and 128 bytes of EEPROM data memory, the PIC16F873 and PIC16F874 feature a low operating voltage of

2.0–5.5 volts, making them ideal for programmable or battery-powered applications. The devices also provide a 5- to 8-channel 10-bit (+/- 1 LSB) A/D converter, RS-485 type UART for multi-drop data acquisition applications, up to 5 MIPS performance at 20 MHz, I2C( or SPI( communications capability for peripheral expansion, two 8-bit timers and one 16-bit timer.

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ADD ONE – PIC16F873/874 8-BIT FLASH MCUs

Precision timing interfaces are accommodated through two CCP modules: capture at 12.5 nanoseconds maximum accuracy at 16-bit resolution, compare at 200 nanoseconds maximum accuracy at 16-bit resolution and pulse-width modulation at 20 KHz accuracy at 10-bit resolution. Microchip’s Flash technology offers the leading endurance performance in the industry at 1,000 erase/write cycles for program memory and 100,000 erase/write cycles for data EEPROM memory.

Microchip’s PICmicro( Flash and one-time-programmable (OTP) MCUs feature ICSP, which allows the MCU to be programmed after being placed in a circuit board. This offers tremendous flexibility, reduces development time and manufacturing cycles, and improves time to market. ICSP also enables reduced cost of field upgrades, system calibration during manufacturing, the addition of unique identification codes to the system and calibration of system in the field. The PIC16F87X also supports low voltage self-programming, allowing the user to program the device in-circuit at the user’s operating voltage. Requiring only two I/O pins for most devices, Microchip offers the most non-intrusive programming.

The in-circuit debugging feature allows the designer to “emulate” the PIC16F87X MCU without the need of an in-circuit emulator. The MCU itself is the “emulator.” The in-circuit debugging feature utilizes the ICSP interface, allowing the user to emulate and program the PIC16F87X through a single interface. The PIC16F87X, when used in in-circuit debugging mode, requires that two I/O pins be dedicated to debugging. These two pins are the same as the ones used for ICSP. The in-circuit debugging interface also requires control of MCLR/Vpp and Vdd for reprogramming the device.

PIC16F873 and PIC16F874 Applications

Applications for the PIC16F873 and PIC16F874 range from body controllers, programmable machine controls, network maintenance, feature phones and field-upgradable pointing devices. Smart sensors can use the enhanced Serial Communications Port (SCI) that supports the RS-485 multidrop protocol used in distributed control. For IEEE1451 sensors, the Synchronous Serial Port can be used in the standard SPI mode with software control of the remaining signals. The performance of the PICmicro architecture allows software to replace hardware requirements in many applications.

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Flash-based MCUs continue to grow in usage for selected applications. Flash memory technology can provide a quick and easy process for maximizing ICSP. If the application already has an existing communications structure, the engineer can use this to program correlation coefficients or unique identification codes into the data memory. Flash technology also allows users to test and run circuit board diagnostics following the manufacturing process. Once the board is working, then the final product code can be downloaded into the system via ICSP. And, systems using Flash MCUs can be reprogrammed in the field with new features, code revisions or service upgrades, if required.

Flash memory is an ideal solution for engineers designing products for emerging market applications where product specifications can change rapidly, upgrades in the field are required and the flexibility of re-programmability justifies the additional cost. Once the product matures, they can easily switch to a drop-in compatible OTP or ROM MCU for a lower-cost solution.

Migratable Memory( Technology

To provide the highest design flexibility possible, PICmicro microcontrollers including these Flash devices feature Microchip’s innovative Migratable Memory technology, which provides a roadmap for socket and software compatibility among all of equivalent ROM, OTP and Flash memory MCUs in the PICmicro family. Microchip features the exact same electrical specifications for logic transistors in ROM, OTP and Flash at 0.7 (m. The Migratable Memory technology allows customers to match the selection of MCU memory technology to the product life cycle of their application, providing an easy migration path to a lower-cost solution whenever appropriate.

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Development Systems Support

In addition to the MPLAB-ICD Evaluation Kit, the PIC16F873 and PIC16F874 are supported by the MPLAB-ICE 2000 Universal In-Circuit Emulator. This high-performance real-time in-circuit emulator also features the sophisticated MPLAB-IDE. Interchangeable processor modules and device adapters allow the emulator system to be easily configured to emulate different processors. MPLAB-ICE 2000 emulates voltages as low as 2.0V and can emulate at full speed. Operating in the Microsoft Windows( environment, MPLAB-IDE gives users the flexibility to edit, compile and emulate all from a single user interface—at no additional cost. Pricing for MPLAB-ICE 2000 starts at $1,995. Other support and development tools include programming tools, a software simulator and fuzzy logic tools.

Pricing and Availability

Available in PDIP and PLCC packages, pricing for the 28-pin PIC16F873-04/SP is $7.39 each in 1,000-unit quantities and for the 40-pin PIC16F874-04/P is $7.99 each in 1,000-unit quantities. Samples are expected April 1999 with volume production planned for second quarter 1999. Available at $159,

MPLAB-ICD shipments are planned for April 1999. For more information, contact any Microchip sales representative or authorized worldwide distributor.

Microchip Technology Inc. manufactures the PICmicro( family of 8-bit RISC-based microcontrollers—with OTP, Flash, and ROM memory technologies; serial EEPROMs and related specialty memory products; microID( family of RFID products and KEELOQ( code hopping devices. These products target thousands of embedded control applications in the consumer, automotive, office automation, communications and industrial markets. Microchip’s quality systems are ISO 9001 certified. Headquartered near Phoenix in Chandler, Ariz., Microchip employs approximately 2,050 people worldwide and has sales offices throughout Asia, Europe, Japan and the Americas.

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Note: The Microchip name and logo, PIC, PICmicro, PICSTART, PRO MATE and KEELOQ are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Inc. in the USA and other countries. Migratable Memory, ICSP, In-Circuit Serial Programming, MPLAB and microID are trademarks of Microchip Technology Inc. in the USA and other countries. I2C is a trademark of Philips Corporation. SPI is a trademark of Motorola. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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