Automotive-grade ARM Cortex-M0+-based MCUs with capacitive touch hardware support

Atmel has launched its next-generation family of automotive-qualified ARM Cortex-M0+-based MCUs with an integrated peripheral touch controller (PTC) for capacitive touch applications. The new SAM DA1 is the first series in this Atmel |SMART MCU automotive-qualified product family, operating at a maximum frequency of 48MHz and reaching a 2.14 Coremark/MHz. The SAM DA1 series is ideal for capacitive touch button, slider, wheel or proximity sensing applications and offers high analog performance for greater front-end flexibility. The new devices are available down to a very compact QFN 5mm x 5mm package with wettable flanks for automated optical inspection, says the company. Eliminating external components and offering more robust features, devices in the SAM DA1 series come with 32 to 64 pins, up to 64KB of Flash, 8KB of SRAM and 2KB read-while-write Flash and are qualified according to the AEC Q-100 Grade 2 (-40C to +105C). "As a leader in both automotive touch and LIN solutions, we are committed to bringing innovative, cost-effective solutions to next-generation vehicles," said Matthias Kaestner, automotive vice president, Atmel. "With a comprehensive peripheral set for connectivity and state-of-the-art touch support, the SAM DA1 series allows system designers to perfect the human-machine interface in the automobile with capacitive touch. We are committed to offering a wide range of cost-optimized auto-qualified products for in-vehicle networking, infotainment connectivity and body electronics." To accelerate design development, the ATSAMDA1-XPRO development kit is available to support the new devices. The new SAM DA1 series is also supported by AtmelStudio, Atmel Software Framework and debuggers.