If the product introductions featured at this year's Embedded Systems show in Nuremberg, Germany, are any guide, the architecture to watch in the embedded space is ARM. For example, Philips announced five new chips in its LPC2000 family (ARM7-based) that will provide a smooth migration path from 8 bits to 32 bits. Features include 60-MHz clocks, 1.8V operation, as much as 256 kbytes of embedded flash, a four-channel/10-bit ADC, and an on-chip boot loader for in-system and in-application programming. Philips is using the ARM7TDMI-S core, with the "Thumb" instruction set. Noting that the series benefits from the availability of widespread support from third-party tool vendors and ARM's own development tools, Philips has also introduced a low-cost starter kit that is priced from €150. The devices are the first in 0.18-micron CMOS with flash, says the company, and the flash itself operates with "near-zero" wait states. Small package sizes are also a feature, and the chips will start at around €5 (50,000).

If you need a precision data converter alongside an ARM core, Analog Devices offers the ARM7TDMI-based ADµC702x family. The company, which bases an existing range called MicroConverter on the 8052, also cites the market migration from 8 to 32 bits (and to a lesser extent 16 bits) as a reason for the move. (The company was already an ARM licensee.) The series of parts will pair the 32-bit core with 12-bit, fast ADCs and DACs for use in automotive, industrial, and communications applications. Analog Devices will run the core at 45 MHz in this series and include functions such as flexible ADC inputs with low-drift on-chip reference voltages, three-phase PWM outputs, and uncommitted comparators. There will also be a small area of SRAM-based programmable logic where you can implement logic functions independent of the processor, to avoid the need for small amounts of external signal-steering logic. These 32- to 80-pin parts will offer 12-bit ADCs running at 1M sample/sec; the converter itself will be a multimode device. Once again, you can turn to third-party tool support with a complete chain from Keil or IAR, and Analog Devices offers a starter kit for $249.

A further ARM alternative is Cirrus Logic's ARM9-based family, which adds 10 new parts to the EP93xx family. At the lower end of this introduction is a less-than-$10 ARM9 chip with a 166-MHz core and a 66-MHz bus. It includes LAN connectivity and USB 2.0 and suits low-cost Web-enabled applications. At the other end of the scale is a $25 processor with Cirrus' system-on-chip configuration plus a PCMCIA interface and 2-D graphics engine. The entry-level, 208-pin EP9301 contains a five-channel, 12-bit ADC and numerous peripherals; a low-cost evaluation kit is available for $350. High-end parts have 200-MHz cores with 100-MHz external buses and also host a math coprocessor. The corresponding $2745 evaluation kit includes a TFT touchscreen and a software package with Windows CE.

The parts include Cirrus' MaverickKey, which lets you give each processor individual hardware ID codes that, in conjunction with encryption, can both secure design data and implement digital rights management.

Philips Semiconductor, www.semiconductors.philips.com.

Analog Devices, +32 11 300 635, www.analog.com.

Cirrus Logic +44 1491 414030, www.cirrus.com.