Ultra-low-power dual-core MCU with FPU and BLE 5.2
The MAX32666, says the company, enables designers of wirelessly connected, coin cell-operated internet of things (IoT) products to reduce bill-of-materials (BOM) costs by one-third while also saving space and battery life. The ultra-low-power dual Arm Cortex-M4 MCU is offered as being able to extend a device’s battery life by combining robust memory, security, communications, power management, and processing functions traditionally performed by multiple MCUs into a single device.
As IoT applications become more advanced, more MCUs are typically added to the system – usually including a dedicated processor to handle the application, another processor acting as a sensor hub, a separate standalone BLE microcontroller to handle the wireless connectivity function, and in many cases, a power management IC (PMIC) to efficiently provide supply voltages to the MCUs. However, says the company, this approach is proving to be unsustainable for IoT applications that are growing in complexity while still demanding smaller size and longer battery life.
“It’s possible to keep adding microcontrollers to any IoT application, but frequent battery replacements conflict with end-user utility and convenience,” says Kris Ardis, executive director for the Micros, Security and Software Business Unit at Maxim Integrated. “By applying the power-saving advantages of wearable technology to the broader spectrum of IoT applications, this new family of processors reduces battery replacements and improves computing performance.”
The latest device in the company’s DARWIN family of high-performance MCUs, the MAX32666 MCU reduces form factor and design footprint, enabling IoT device designers to lower BOM costs by consolidating up to three sockets found in their current designs. The dual Cortex-M4F MCU provides efficient computation of complex functions, operating at up to 96 MHz, which speeds up data processing by 50 percent over the closest competitor, says the company.
To replace the need for a separate PMIC, the MAX32666 features an integrated single-inductor, multiple-output (SIMO) regulator, which extends the life for small-sized battery applications. The MCU offers BLE 5.2, supports up to 2 Mbps of data throughput and long range (125kbps and 500kbps), and offers transceiver output power of +4.5 dBm programmable down to -95 dBm.
It also protects applications from cybersecurity threats with trust protection unit (TPU) and big math acceleration for fast Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA). The IC’s hardware accelerators provide AES-128, -192 and -256 encryption, while TRNG seed generator and SHA-2 accelerator enhance security. It also protects IP firmware with secure bootloader.
The MAX32666 has up to 1 MB flash memory and 560 KB of SRAM with optional Error Correcting Code (ECC) for the most robust applications, as well as multiple high-speed peripherals. It can manage more data and accommodate bigger applications without running out of code space through efficient operation – all within a best-in-class power profile.
Key advantages are offered as the following:
- Reliability: Adds an extra level of robustness with integrated ECC on Flash, SRAM and Cache memories, preventing undesirable bit flips.
- Low Cost: Combines two microcontroller cores, a Bluetooth radio with dedicated stack core, power management, security and significant memory into one IC. Reduces BOM costs by making use of dual 96MHz Cortex-M4 with FPU as well as large on-board memory of 1 MB Flash and 560 KB SRAM.
- Saves Board Space: Integrates multiple functions into a single IC with small 3.8 mm x 4.2 mm WLP footprint.
- Low Power: Preserves battery life of coin-cell battery devices through low active-mode power; Offers dynamic voltage scaling for minimized active core power consumption; Enables 27.3 uA/MHz at 3.3V executing from cache memory; Multiple power down modes support longer battery life, achieving 1.2 uA at 3.3 V in the lowest power mode.
The MAX32666GWPBT+ is available for $5.22 (1000-up, FOB USA). An evaluation kit – the MAX32666EVKIT – is available for $157.50.
If you enjoyed this article, you will like the following ones: don't miss them by subscribing to :
