Read our full coverage of the latest news from Embedded World 2008

Once seen as the definitive general purpose device, the entry level 8-bit microcontroller is due for an application specific make-over and some might say not before time.   

That is what the STM8 platform from STMicroelectronics does. It is manufactured using a 130nm embedded non-volatile memory technology and will consist of distinct product families with application specific peripherals and feature set aimed at design areas such as automotive, industrial, low voltage and battery-operated products.

The chip’s Harvard architecture with 16-bit index registers and stack pointer, a 16Mbyte linear address space and advanced addressing modes are designed to support effective and efficient C-programming. The core reaches an average of 1.6 cycles per instruction with 20MIPS of peak performance at 24MHz using a 3-stage pipeline.

There should be cost benefits from the level of integration and the embedded non-volatile data memory. Another feature is the design of the I/O pads which can withstand a high signals levels without the need for external protection elements.

The use of embedded EEPROM, with a performance in endurance and retention comparable to those of external components, will have distinct advantages over flash-based emulation. There is also on-chip flash program memory up to 256k.

Automotive grade products will support operating temperatures of up to 145 deg C. The first members of the STM8 family will appear in the first half of 2008.