Freescale Semiconductor is looking to catch up with NXP and STMicroelectronics through a new Kinetis family of controllers based on ARM's Cortex M4 processor core and a new sensor platform, writes Nick Flaherty.
"The M4 has been a significant change for our group as we have always designed our own cores, but from requests from our customers we have decided to introduce this ARM family," said Jim Stuart, European marketing manager for industrial and multi-market MCUs.
He is aiming to poach existing Cortex M3 users from companies such as NXP as well as stop existing Coldfire users migrate to other suppliers.
The key is having MQX real time operating system and the Code Warrior development environment from Freescale so that a code can be ported to any 8-bit, 16-bit, or 32-bit Coldfire or ARM device, with any combination of peripherals as the low level drivers are generated in real time.
This stops any 'finger pointing' that comes from having an RTOS and development environment from different users, he says, although the Kinetis parts are also supported by tools from ARM's Keil division and IAR.
Version 2.2 of Code Warrior will be launched at the Electronica show in November.
Freescale is launching over 200 variants of the ARM controller and 40 variants of a new higher performance 90nm V1 Coldfire+ controller over the next year.
The $1 Coldfire+ chips are aimed at appliances and consumer applications while the ARM devices are aimed at industrial control, medical, power management and audio and video applications, although Stuart admits there is substantial overlap in general purpose, energy and metering and consumer applications.
All have a common set of peripherals and use a new 90nm proprietary flash memory technology called Flex Memory that uses a state4 machine and redundancy to provide EEPROM storage with a lifetime of up to 10 million cycles, 1000 times the lifetime of existing cells.
The first parts ARM controllers will be available to the mass market in November.
Freescale is also launching a 'sensor hub' called Xtrinsic that combines a three-axis accelerometer on top of a die with power management, 14bi data converter and a V1 Coldfire controller in a single 1mm high 3x3mm package. This can process signals from other sensors around a system or around the body without having wake up a central controller, reducing power.
It can also be used for gesture control with different flicks or to wake up the system with a tap, says Stephane Gervais-Ducouret, director of global marketing for sensors.
Freescale is looking to catchup with STMicroelectronics' iNEMO sensor platform and gyro being used in the new Apple iPhone.