Microchip and Digilent Announce First Arduino-Compatible 32-Bit Microcontroller Development Platform

- A platform integrating development boards and open source software
- Supports enthusiasts and students in all fields to integrate electronic engineering elements into their projects with 32-bit performance and low cost.

Microchip Technology (Country Manager for Korea: Byung-Don Han), a global leader in microcontroller, analog, and flash IP solutions, and Digilent, Inc. jointly unveiled today the first 32-bit microcontroller-based open-source development platform compatible with Arduino™ hardware and software. Designed and manufactured by Digilent, an official design partner of Microchip, the chipKIT™ platform is the industry's first and only 32-bit Arduino solution that enables enthusiasts and students across various fields to easily and affordably integrate electronics elements into their projects, even without a background in electronics. The platform consists of two PIC32-based development boards and open-source software compatible with the Arduino programming and development environment. Notably, this compatibility was achieved through the remarkable research results of Mark Sproul and Rick Anderson at the FUBAR (Fair Use Building and Research) Labs. The chip kit hardware is compatible with existing 3.3V Arduino shields and applications, and can be developed using modified versions of the Arduino IDE and existing Arduino resources (e.g., code examples, libraries, references, tutorials). This platform offers exceptional specifications for the Arduino community and four times better performance than existing Arduino solutions, while being more affordable.

You can view a video online ( http://www.microchip.com/get/D268 ), and you may freely embed this video on your own site.

Enthusiasts and students active in many fields, ranging from mechanical engineering and computer science to even the humanities, are looking for convenient and affordable solutions for project production. The PIC32-based chip kit board delivers 80 MHz of performance and provides up to 512 KB of flash and up to 128 KB of RAM. This board is equipped with peripherals for connectivity functions such as Ethernet, CAN, and USB (Full Speed Host, Device, and OTG), as well as peripherals including multiple timers, a 16-channel 1 MSPS analog-to-digital converter (ADC), two comparators, and multiple I2C™, SPI, and UART interfaces. The chip kit is the first Arduino-compatible platform to provide 32-bit performance, and Microchip's PIC32 microcontroller is a 32-bit microcontroller that boasts best-in-class performance, featuring the industry-leading MIPS32® M4K® core from MIPS Technologies, Inc.

Significant effort was invested in software engineering for this development to maximize compatibility with existing Arduino shields, applications, and courseware. Additionally, the Arduino programming environment was modified and expanded to support not only existing Arduino boards but also PIC32-based chipkit boards. Furthermore, the Arduino standard library was modified to support both chipkit boards and existing Arduino boards. All of these efforts also contribute to the advancement of the open-source Arduino community. As a result, the majority of existing Arduino hardware and software drafts are compatible with the chipkit platform without any modifications, with the exception of a few shields that require 5V operation.

Derek Carlson, Vice President of Microchip’s Development Systems business unit, emphasized, “Many students, educators, and enthusiasts want affordable solutions that allow them to easily integrate electronics elements into their projects, regardless of their knowledge of electronics. The chipkit board and software address these needs by providing far more specifications, features, and superior performance at a lower price than any other Arduino solution currently on the market.”

“The ChipKit platform is the industry’s first and only 32-bit solution among comparable products,” said Clint Cole, President of Digilent. “Students and enthusiasts will be able to connect this board to their designs, download open source software, and run their projects in just a few minutes.”

MIPS Technologies' Marketing and Business Development division