Freescale Semiconductor has extended its 16-bit MC9S12SXE family of microcontrollers, which target automotive applications such as central body control, instrumentation, door modules, and chassis nodes.
The extensions enable users to retain the value of their investment in software and systems design while providing the greater functionality required by the next generation of vehicle electronics systems, according to Freescale, which also said that the S12XE family’s 0.18 µ process technology allows larger memory areas and more peripheral modules to fit on smaller die sizes.
The product line offers a 50 MHz central processor; an XGATE co-processor module; from 16 KB to 1 MB of flash memory with error correction code; 64 KB of RAM; 4 KB of EEPROM, and a plethora of communication interfaces (five CAN, eight LIN, three SPI, and two IIC, plus an optional non-multiplexed external bus interface). Freescale said the XGATE co-processor can be used for display driving, pulse with modulation, and interrupt handling.
A memory protection unit guards against systematic errors in software that can cause modules to interact incorrectly. Freescale said the memory protection unit is especially useful in systems composed of microcontroller software modules supplied by multiple vendors. Other features in the S12XE family include 32 12-bit A/D converter channels, an eight-channel PWM, an eight-channel timer with prescalers, and four 16-bit internal counters. A single-wire debug module with a trace buffer is included on the chip, which is available in 208-, 133-, 112-, and 80-pin versions.