ON Semiconductor Introduces Q32M210 Precision Mixed-Signal Microcontroller

ON Semiconductor, a supplier of silicon solutions for energy efficient electronics, has introduced the Q32M210. It is the first in a new family of mixed-signal microcontrollers for precision measurement and monitoring. Designed for use in portable sensing applications and built with the ARM (News - Alert) Cortex-M3 processor, the highly integrated Q32M210 combines high precision performance and predictable operation with exceptional power efficiency.

Specifically designed for portable sensing applications that demand high precision, Q32M210 features dual 16-bit ADCs. The dual 16-bit ADCs is an accurate voltage reference, triple 10-bit DACs and 32-bit core. The ultra-low-noise ADCs offer true 16-bit performance unlike typical converters, where non-linearity and noise can reduce the number of effective bits.

Predictable operation is important for many applications, including portable medical devices such as patient monitors, wireless ECGs and blood glucose meters, as well as other sensing applications that require improved flash memory reliability. Q32M210 features on-chip power supervision with dedicated brown-out protection circuitry and low battery detection for predictable operation under all battery conditions. On-chop flash memory is monitored by integrated error checking and correction circuitry which detects and corrects single bit errors, and alerts when larger errors are detected.

Operating at less than 400 microamperes / Megahertz (µA / MHz), Q32M210 is said to be extremely power efficient, helping to extend the battery life of end products. It is equipped with the ultra-low-power sensor interface, flexible clocking architecture, multiple operating modes (active, standby and sleep) and intelligent power-supply monitoring feature.

The integration of a highly configurable analog front-end with programmable 32-bit core and 256 kilobyte (kbyte) of flash memory form an extremely flexible and scalable measurement engine. To reduce complexity and external component count, all critical functions are included on the chip, including a real-time clock, power management, a 112-segment LCD interface, on-chip low resistance switches, uncommitted op-amps, a precision voltage reference (< 50 PPM (News - Alert)/°C), and an RC oscillator. Housed in a 140-pin TLLGA package, the microcontroller supports an extensive range of data interfaces, including UART, dual-SPI/SQI, I2C, I2S and a USB 2.0 full speed interface with integrated PHY.

To simplify development, an evaluation and development kit is available with a hardware board and easy-to-use software. The kit includes firmware libraries and sample code, as well as the KickStart edition of IAR Embedded Workbench which provides an integrated development environment for building and debugging Q32M210 applications.