EDN -- 06.06.96 Microcontroller line doubles offerings, adds tools

Out in Front: June 6, 1996

Microcontroller line doubles offerings, adds tools

The TMS370 microcontroller family from Texas Instruments has doubled in size, with new additions bringing the number of family members to 135. The family members share a common CPU core having a register-to-register architecture that simplifies code development. The family divides into 13 subfamilies that share common peripheral sets but offer differing amounts of SRAM and ROM on chip. Most ROM-based devices have EPROM or one-time-programmable versions available for development or pilot production use. The prices for the microcontroller family start at less than $2.

The influx of new family members adds capabilities to the TMS370 line, including onboard ADCs with four to 15 channels, a programmable acquisition-and-control timer to set sampling patterns, and as many as three countdown timers on one chip. In addition, the new family members use a PLL to derive the device's internal four-phase clock from an external crystal. The inclusion of the PLL lowers the crystal frequency to run the device, reducing EMI.

Tools for the TMS370 family are plentiful. The tool suite begins with a $99 starter kit that includes a software simulator, an assembler and linker, and a board for programming the on-chip memory. Also available is a compact development tool (CDT), which costs less than $1000 and supplements the starter kit with a PC-based in-circuit emulator. Another tool, the full-scale XDS emulator, includes all the capability of the CDT, adds trace timing and breakpoint setting, and sells for less than $8000.

—by Richard A Quinnell

Texas Instruments Inc, Denver, CO. (800) 477-8924, ext 4500.