Infineon Adds New Low-Cost Device to 16-Bit Microcontroller Family

– Providing the industry's most comprehensive family of real-time signal controllers

March 8, 2011, Seoul – Infineon Technologies (Korea Representative Director Seung-soo Lee) announced the addition of products targeting low-end industrial applications to its successful 16-bit XE166 real-time signal controller family. These new XE16xL and XE16xU real-time signal controllers provide 16-bit performance at an 8-bit price, supporting the design of cost-effective electric drive systems for energy-efficient and popular applications. These products are specifically intended for industrial customers seeking solutions with a wide range of performance and cost using common microcontroller platforms. By offering outstanding real-time performance, high computing power, and optimized peripherals, these 16-bit devices further expand the application range of the XE166 16-bit MCU family, providing the industry's most comprehensive real-time signal controller products to meet diverse demands ranging from low cost to high performance.

Many electric drive system manufacturers are adding variable speed systems to their product portfolios to meet the demand for improved energy efficiency. This applies equally to manufacturers in the low-cost electronics sector and high-end companies seeking to leverage the technical expertise of innovative solutions used in the low-end sector. Infineon’s new XE16xL and XE16xU real-time signal controllers meet these demands, enabling customers to achieve significant cost savings through the reuse of high-level hardware and software.

The new MCU products are intended for economical motor control units (such as 3-phase BLDC motors) that have previously mainly used high-end 8-bit MCUs or low-end DSPs. Applications include solar inverters, low-end drives, intelligent sensors (factory automation and building automation), exercise equipment and home appliances, and low-cost blowers and fans. The new performance-oriented devices expand the Infineon 8-bit microcontroller family and utilize efficient MAC units and powerful peripherals for DSP computation.

Peter Schaefer, Vice President and General Manager of Microcontrollers at Infineon Technologies, said, “Infineon’s C166 device family, with over 500 million units sold to date, is the most widely used family of 16-bit devices on the market and sets the standard for 16-bit architecture. By adding low-end products optimized for energy-efficient and cost-effective designs, we are able to further expand the application range of the scalable XE166 family.”

Features of the 16-bit XE16xU and XE16xL series

Key features of the XE16xU and XE16xL series include high DSP performance, an ultra-fast 12-bit A/D converter with up to 19 channels and a conversion time of less than 1 μs, and an efficient capture/compare unit (CCU6) capable of driving all types of industrial 3-phase motors. These new low-end series of the XE166 family provide up to 80 MIPS of computing power, 32KB to 160KB of embedded flash, up to 12KB of RAM, and up to four USICs (configurable via universal serial interface channels, UART, LIN, SPI, IIC, or IIS). Package options include 38-pin, 48-pin, and 64-pin versions. Since all products in the XE16xU and XE16xL series are opcode and peripheral compatible, migration to other products is easy.