electronica: Microchip expands portfolio with four 8bit AVR based MCUs

1 min read

Following its acquisition of Atmel, Microchip has unveiled a new generation of 8bit tinyAVR MCUs at electronica. The four devices in the family range from 14 to 24pins and offer either 4kbyte or 8kbyte of flash. The parts are also the first tinyAVR MCUs to feature Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs).

“This announcement is very important to Microchip,” said Steve Sanghi, CEO and chairman, “as it represents the coming together of the two most powerful 8bit MCU brands under one roof.”

The ATtiny817/816/814/417 devices come in small, low pin count packages. Amongst their features are: a core independent Peripheral Touch Controller; an Event System, for peripheral co-operation; custom programmable logic blocks; self programming for firmware upgrades; non-volatile data storage; and a 20MHz internal oscillator.

The parts also boast a USART and will operate from a supply in the range from 1.8 to 5.5V. A 10bit A/D converter is also included and the parts are said to consume less than 100nA in power down mode with SRAM retention.

The new devices will be supported by START, an innovative online tool for intuitive, graphical configuration of embedded software projects.

Microchip is adding support for the new AVR family in START, its online tool which configures software components and tailors embedded applications.