TI Reconfigures Embedded Control with New Concerto™ Dual-Core Microcontrollers for a Greener World

New Concerto 32-bit microcontroller based on C28x and ARM® Cortex™-M3 cores,
Provides 13 times higher performance real-time control and excellent connectivity

TI Korea (CEO Jaejin Kim, www.ti.com/ww/kr ) June 16, 2011 – TI has launched the new C2000™ Concerto dual-core microcontroller (MCU) series to enable developers to create more environmentally friendly and highly connected applications. These new Concerto 32-bit microcontrollers provide a cost-effective single product combining TI's high-performance C28x cores with ARM Cortex-M3 cores for peripheral control capabilities, offering an architecture that clearly separates the roles of real-time control and connectivity. To facilitate the use of Concerto microcontrollers, controlSUITE™ software supports a more intuitive software infrastructure and application and connectivity libraries. Products in this series include numerous safety and security features and are code-compatible with other products on the C2000 platform, allowing for the extension and reuse of existing code in eco-friendly applications such as intelligent motor control, renewable energy, smart grids, digital power, and electric vehicles. (For more information, please refer to www.ti.com/concerto-lp-pr )

Eco-friendly applications require microcontrollers with real-time control capabilities capable of executing complex algorithms necessary for the precise and efficient power conversion essential for high-efficiency motor control, renewable energy, and smart grid technologies. However, to elevate this efficiency to a new level and achieve significant energy savings, these applications must be connected to enable remote data sharing, diagnosis, monitoring, and control. The Concerto MCU enables both real-time control and connectivity with a single microcontroller, eliminating the need to choose between optimal performance and high connectivity as was the case previously.

Key Features and Advantages of the Concerto F28M35x Microcontroller Series
• Real-time control subsystems based on TI's C28x cores, which support floating-point operations and VCU (Viterbi Complex Math Unit) performance, provide 13 times the performance of existing microcontrollers and superior control peripheral capabilities, enabling the design of efficient, reliable, and eco-friendly applications.
• Provides a robust host communications subsystem based on Cortex-M3 and connectivity peripheral features including Ethernet, USB On-The-Go, dual CAN, and multiple serial communication ports.
• Performance can be customized according to the application, as 150/75MHz, 100/100MHz, and 60/60MHz are selectable on C28x and Cortex-M3 cores, respectively.
• Provides up to 1MB Flash and 132KB RAM, along with safety and security features such as error correction, parity checking for CAN and interrupt registers, redundancy, and lock protection.
• Provides free turnkey applications and a connectivity software library including Ethernet and USB (digital power, motor control, and renewable energy libraries scheduled for Q3 2011)
• Reduces design time by providing a simple development environment that allows each subsystem to be programmed individually
• Roadmap for customized devices meeting the requirements of specific smart grid applications, such as smart electric meters and connectors

Tools and training support to get started on the design quickly
The new Concerto F28M35x experimenter kit includes the F28M35x controlCARD and a docking station, allowing developers Evaluation and development can be conveniently started. The modular controlCARD is hardware compatible with TI's C2000 application-centric development kit, and software to support development with these kits is planned to be provided in the second half of this year. Free online Concerto MCU on-demand training is currently available, through which developers can examine the optimized architecture, customized features, and easy-to-use software infrastructure of these device products in more detail.

Supply timing and price
The Concerto microcontroller, available in a 144 QFP package, starts at $6.99 for quantities of 1,000