8051 MCU Gives Ferroelectric Memory A Try

The 8051-based VRS51L3072 microcontroller from Ramtron offers 2 kbytes of F-RAM nonvolatile ferroelectric memory. F-RAM memory was added to the Versa 8051 family for a quick and reliable nonvolatile data storage and processing system that's ideal for saving system status, data logging, and storing nonvolatile variables for applications ranging from sensors and meters to industrial controls, instrumentation, and medical devices.

F-RAM simplifies the design cycle by eliminating the code overhead associated with integrating flash memory. It also significantly increases the number of write cycles while reducing the cycle time. And unlike flash, F-RAM bytes can be modified without first erasing an entire sector. The VRS51L3072 also features a 40-MIPS, single-cycle 8051-core; 64 kbytes of flash; 4 kbytes of SRAM; support for DSP extensions; and a robust digital peripheral set. It operates at 3.3 V over the entire industrial temperature range. Engineering samples are available now in 64-QFN packages. Pricing starts at $4.50 for quantities of 10,000 units.

Ramtron International Corp. www.ramtron.com/vrs3xxx/