Freescale Combats Excessive Energy Consumption with Next-Generation Digital Signal Controllers

The new MC56F84xx family of products providing smart energy management solutions in the power supply and motor sectors.

June 22, 2011, San Antonio, USA (Freescale Technology Forum) — As the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts that global energy demand will increase by more than 35% over the next 20 years, the importance of intelligent energy management solutions is rising. While global interest in eco-friendly technologies is largely focused on the design and implementation of smart grids, another significant opportunity for energy saving can now be leveraged. Even a slight increase in the efficiency of power supplies, motors, and lighting systems—which are the source of massive energy demand—using digital control systems can have a significant impact on global energy consumption. Freescale Semiconductor (NYSE: FSL, www.freescale.co.kr ) is addressing this need through its high-performance Digital Signal Controllers (DSCs).

Freescale announced today the MC56F84xx, the first product family of its next-generation DSC portfolio, which combines high-speed analog capabilities with an efficient 32-bit digital signal processor core to provide precise and accurate digital control for power supplies (digital power conversion) and motors. The performance, precision, accuracy, and control capabilities of the MC56F84xx family contribute to enhancing system stability in these types of applications.

In motor control applications, increased system stability allows motors to operate more quietly and efficiently (e.g., in dishwashers and other appliances). In power supplies, the benefits of improved system stability include reduced energy consumption and heat generation. Reduced heat generation enables designers to lower costs and system size. For example, if a power supply in a server room generates less heat, the energy required for cooling is reduced. Furthermore, circuit boards with less heat dissipation can be designed to be smaller (improving power design density), thereby reducing system size and cost and enabling the "miniaturization" of applications.

"As awareness and concern regarding global energy usage increase, designers are seeking ways to minimize energy consumption," said Reza Kazerounian, Executive Director and General Manager of Freescale's Microcontroller Solutions Group. "Digital signal controller technology is ideal for supporting improved energy efficiency, and Freescale's next-generation DSC is leading this effort. To provide customers with faster and more intelligent ways to manage energy usage, Freescale has reviewed and improved every aspect of the DSC in the MC56F84xx family, including upgrading the core to 32-bit, enhancing peripheral flexibility and precision, and simplifying design methodologies."

Energy saving in cloud computing
The MC56F84xx product family was developed with the goal of providing high-performance digital power supplies, similar to those used in data center servers. As enterprises and consumers continue to migrate to cloud computing, improving energy efficiency in data centers is becoming increasingly important. As cloud usage grows over the next few years, the average size of data centers housing cloud infrastructure will also increase significantly, resulting in higher energy consumption. With electricity prices rising and the typical electricity cost for server racks reaching nearly 20% of the total cost of ownership, data center owners are constantly seeking energy-efficient solutions to reduce total costs.

The MC56F84xx product family is an ideal solution for reducing energy waste in existing industrial applications and lighting systems, as well as in next-generation energy sources such as solar power generation.

MC56F84xx DSC Product Family Information
The MC56F84xx DSC family provides the fastest signal processing performance in the microcontroller industry. In addition, it provides ease of use for the MCU through the advanced high-speed arithmetic operations of the DSP core.

The features of this product family are as follows.
• The perfect combination of high performance and precision with a 32-bit core, high-resolution PWM (Pulse Width Modulation), and ADC (AC/DC conversion).
o Optimized for digital signal processing, enhanced control loop execution with a 100MHz/100MIPS 32-bit core
o High-speed control loops driven by single-cycle arithmetic operations, support for fractional arithmetic and translation, supported in Harvard-style architecture
o Provides precise and stable control over a wide temperature range with high-resolution PWM of 312 picoseconds (0.312 μsec).
o Enhanced real-time control with dual 12-bit ADCs featuring built-in PGA and up to 3.3 million samples per second enables more efficient designs.
• Ensures a stable solution with memory protection features that restrict access to core modules
• On-chip comparator that reduces system component costs and improves design convenience
• Programmable flash memory expandable from 64KB to 256KB
• Freescale FlexMemory EEPROM feature supporting frequent event capture
• Direct Memory Access (DMA) that guarantees fast data transfer without core interrupts
• 5V-compatible I/O enables flexibility and reduces system costs

Freescale boasts a history of providing long-term product support for its products. The MC56F84xx family is included in Freescale’s product life extension program and is guaranteed to be supplied for a minimum of 10 years. For more details, contract terms, and a list of available products, please visit www.freescale.com/productlongevity .

Price and supply situation
The MC56F84xx product family is scheduled to be available in sample quantities from Freescale and its distribution partners starting in the fourth quarter of 2011. The suggested retail price starts at $2 USD for a quantity of 10,000 units. Further details on Freescale DSC products can be found at www.freescale.com/dsc . Further details on the MC56F84xx product family can be found at www.freescale.com/MC56F84xx .

Freescale Tech Forum Information
Established to foster a spirit of innovation and collaboration, the Freescale Technology Forum (FTF) has established itself as the premier annual event for developers in the embedded systems industry. Since its inception in 2005, the forum has attracted over 40,000 customers from around the world to the FTF event. Freescale’s annual flagship event, FTF Americas, is scheduled to be held from June 20 to 23, 2011, at the new facility in San Antonio, Texas.