Freescale to support Power Architecture® processors and microcontrollers
Expansion of Tower System Development Platform

A feature-rich module that supports rapid and cost-effective prototyping and provides an easy migration path across Freescale Power Architecture products.

September 27, 2011, Seoul, Korea — Freescale Semiconductor (NYSE: FSL, www.freescale.com ) has expanded its popular tower system modular development platform to include a series of high-performance solutions based on Power Architecture® technology.

The new tower system module based on Power Architecture technology features the MPC8309 PowerQUICC communication processor, which is ideal for industrial, factory automation, and entry-level networking applications. This new solution will be introduced to the industrial, networking, automotive, and HMI (Human-to-Machine Interface) markets alongside the existing MPC5125 module. Future Power Architecture technology-based tower system series modules are planned to include Freescale QorIQ MPUs (microprocessors) and Freescale PX series MCUs (microcontrollers).

Freescale has established an industry-leading position in networking, automotive, industrial, and other growing markets by leveraging the scalability, energy efficiency, and superior performance of Power Architecture technology. This technology is at the heart of Freescale’s wide range of advanced products, from precision multicore processors designed to meet or exceed the stringent performance requirements of next-generation networking to ultra-low-power, high-reliability microcontrollers designed for the world’s most price-competitive embedded market.

Freescale’s Power Architecture technology-based Tower System modules offer the richest combination of features in the Tower System specification. The Tower System provides a common development platform applicable to Power Architecture devices with a performance range from 60 to 2,550 DMIPS (Dhrystone million instructions per second). Since the Tower System solution shares the MQX RTOS (Real-time Operating System) and CodeWarrior IDE (Integrated Development Environment), it is reusable across a wide range of Power Architecture MPUs and MCUs, enabling development companies to optimize their software investments.

"The latest tower system module based on Power Architecture technology combines Freescale's embedded control and networking expertise to support the cost-effective and rapid development of prototypes for industrial applications," said Dhiraj Handa, General Manager of Freescale's Customer Service Unit (CSP). "The MPC8309 processor module is an easy-to-use prototyping solution for applications such as robotic systems, industrial networking, and factory automation."

Tower system module equipped with MPC8309 processor
The latest tower system, the MPC8309, includes the following two core modules.
• The MPC8309 processor module (TWR-MPC8309), measuring only 64mm x 110mm, supports comprehensive connectivity features including dual 10/100 Ethernet ports supporting the IEEE® 1588 standard, dual USB 2.0 connectors, a pair of RS-485 headers supporting PROFIBUS, audio ports for headphone and microphone jacks, a mini PCI connector, and an SD card slot.
• The touch LCD daughter card (MPC830x-TLCD) consists of a 3.2" QVGA color LCD display and a 12-key capacitive touch keypad.

The TWR-MPC8309 main processor module can be used standalone with the MPC830x-TLCD daughter card, or as a Single Board Computer (SBC) for applications such as Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), gateways, and operator interface terminals. This module also supports the development of various factory automation applications, including robotics and test/measurement.

The core of Freescale's latest tower system product is the PowerQUICC MPC8309 communications processor, which boasts exceptional versatility. The e300 Power Architecture core of this processor provides double-precision floating-point capabilities, 16KB of instruction and data cache, and performance of up to 835 DMIPS (at 417MHz) while consuming less than 1.6W of power. Additionally, communication protocols such as PROFINET, PROFIBUS, and EtherNet/IP™, which previously required external ASICs or FPGAs, can be executed using the QUICC engine controller embedded in the processor, thereby reducing cost and design complexity.

Tower System PX Series Module Announcement Imminent
A new tower system module adopting the Freescale PX series Power Architecture MCU is scheduled to be available in early 2012.

Freescale PX Series MCUs are designed for complex industrial control applications such as motion control, power generation, medical, aerospace, defense, motor drives, renewable energy conversion, and robotics. These devices are designed to meet the stringent requirements of the industrial market for processing performance, safety, and integration. Based on the e200 Power Architecture core, PX Series MCUs offer up to 600 DMIPS of single-core performance, multi-core options, and up to 4 MB of embedded flash memory. A single PX Series MCU can simultaneously control up to six motors, process complex arithmetic algorithms, and manage more than three typical communication connections.

Supply situation and prices
The TWR-MPC8309 processor module ($199 USD, MSRP) and the MPC830x-TLCD touch LCD daughter card ($99 USD, MSRP) are available for order starting this month, with supply scheduled to begin in November. The TWR-MPC8309 processor module includes a Quick Start CD containing the complete schematic and Gerber design files, as well as cables. The software provided with the TWR-MPC8309 processor module includes Uboot, diagnostic and debug utilities, as well as support for Linux® OS and MQX RTOS.

The TWR-MPC8309-KIT package, scheduled for the first quarter of 2012, will include the TWR-MPC8309 processor module and the TWR-INDCTRL and TWR-ELEV peripheral modules. TWR-INDCTRL is a solution that expands the industrial connectivity options of the TWR-MPC8309 by adding a third 10/100 Ethernet port, four CAN ports, two SPI ports, one I2C port, and four motor control ports.

Components for the TWR-MPC8309 can be ordered individually from Freescale or authorized distributors. The MPC8309 processor is currently shipping for less than $9 (USD, MSRP) in 10,000-unit quantities. For more information, please visit www.freescale.com/TowerPower .

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