A new series of MCUs has been announced by Atmel, it includes 18
general-purpose Cortex-M3 based Flash microcontrollers that simplify PCB
design and save 50 percent power at 1MHz operation with a consumption of
only 2.3mW.
At maximum operating frequency of 64MHz the device consumes 1.45mW/MHz.
Inspired by the market's best-selling ARM7TDMI-based SAM7S series, the MCUs
enable SAM7S users to migrate to a 50 percent more powerful and feature-rich
MCU, while preserving hardware and software investments. Atmel's SAM3S also
expands market opportunities in applications including consumer, industrial
control, metering, toys, medical, test and measurement, 802.15.4 wireless
networking, PC, cell phone and gaming peripherals.
The SAM3S is a member of Atmel's Flash microcontroller family based on the
high-performance 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 RISC processor. It provides processing
power and features such as system control, sensor interfaces, 64k to
256kByte Flash memory options, an optional external parallel bus interface,
connectivity capabilities and user interface support. Additional features
include On-Die Termination (ODT), USB Device, SDIO, Parallel PIO signal
capture, 12-bit ADC and DAC, 4 UARTs, dual I2C, I2S, timers, unique chip ID,
and power and reset management. The SAM3S's supply voltage ranges from 1.62
to 3.6V operation and package options from 48-pin QFP and QFN up to 100-pin
QFP and BGA.
On-die termination (ODT) simplifies PCB Design - Termination resistors are
conventionally added externally to improve impedance matching in
transmission lines and avoid signal reflection which can result in erroneous
data transmission and current peaks degrading the EMI behavior of the
system. ODT consists of integrating the termination resistor inside a
semiconductor chip instead of on a printed circuit board. The SAM3S has
integrated series resistors on the outputs with a typical value of 35ohm,
which result in a reduced BOM cost, real estate savings and facilitate PCB
design.
Power optimization at reduced operating frequency - Atmel has taken steps to
minimize the dynamic power consumption of the SAM3U devices in operating
modes up to 10MHz reaching an estimated power consumption reduction at 1MHz
of 50 percent, these include:
1) Extended supply range from 1.62V to 3.6V
2) Sense amplifiers of the Flash memory are automatically put to sleep after
completion of the read cycle
3) The Flash memory can be read in x64 mode instead of x128 without
compromising performance
4) A self-adapting regulator scales current consumption as a function of
current draw without any software handling
Parallel IO Capture Mode - The SAM3S is the first ARM MCU with parallel data
capture mode on PIOs and DMA support. The parallel data capture mode on the
PIOs complements the external bus interface for data collection from
external devices not compliant with standard memory read protocols, such as
low-cost image sensors. Read control signals and the clock are user
programmable and data is transferred to memory by DMA offloading the CPU.
The security market is moving towards the integration of camera
functionality in PIR sensors. The parallel PIO capture mode can interface to
image sensors, making them ideal low-cost MCUs for next-generation PIR
cameras.
Improved safety and security - The SAM3S significantly improves the safety
and security features. The Memory Protection Unit (MPU) ensures code
protection and secures multi-application/task execution. The hardware CRC
with DMA checks the memory integrity in the background, and triggers an
interrupt in case of corruption. The ECC detects and corrects single-bit
failures on the embedded Flash memory. A 128-bit unique ID and the scrambled
external bus interface ensure external software confidentiality while the
security bit ensures internal software confidentiality. A mechanism detects
clock failure and automatic
SWITCHes on internal RC oscillator while
configuring the outputs of the PWM in a defined state.
Pin-to-pin compatibility between SAM3S and SAM7S MCUs - The SAM3S series is
seen as the ideal Cortex-M3 upgrade path for the SAM7S and SAM7SE, Atmel's
best-selling ARM Flash MCU. With the Cortex-M3 core running at a maximum
clock rate of 64MHz at 1.8V, 85C, the SAM3S Flash MCU brings a 50 percent
raw performance increase over the SAM7S series. In its 64-pin version, the
SAM3S is pin-to-pin compatible with the SAM7S, enabling customers to upgrade
performance while hardware remains unchanged to preserve investments
previously made.
Near-recompile-and-go code portability - The Cortex-M3 core has a completely
new instruction set architecture, different from previous ARM7 and ARM9
cores. The 32-bit ARM instruction set has been replaced by a variable length
Thumb-2, offering similar performance and 26 percent better code density.
Migrating legacy ARM assembly code to the CM3 requires a complete re-write.
Atmel has taken steps to ensure maximum code portability between its ARM7-,
ARM9- and Cortex-M3-based microcontrollers. Atmel's SAM7, SAM9 and
Cortex-M3-based SAM3 devices have identical hardware abstraction layers and
a unified programming model, as well as common peripherals that provide
near-recompile-and-go code portability between devices.
Renewed peripheral set - The SAM3S integrates up to 16 channels on the one
mega samples per second (Msps) 12-bit Analog to Digital
CONVERTER (ADC) with
support for both single-ended and differential inputs. A programmable gain
amplifier increases the range of small signals that can benefit from the
full-scale 12-bit ADC resolution. Small signals can be amplified up to 4
times. The SAM3S also features a 2-channel 12-bit Digital to Analog
Converter (DAC), one analog comparator and a temperature sensor.
Connectivity to standard multimedia cards is possible due to the integration
of a high-speed SDIO/SD/MMC interface. The USB device with its integrated
transceiver have been upgraded with 8 endpoints, a 2688 bytes FIFO, a
dedicated PLL, integrated resistors, and is available in 48-pin package for
space constraint applications. The SAM3S is hardware-ready for motor control
with its advanced PWM, quadrature decoder on 16-bit general-purpose timers,
gray counter and hardware synchronization between timers and ADC.
High data speedway architecture - The combination of a 4-layer AHB system
bus matrix natively supported by the Cortex-M3 processor, distributed memory
and 21-peripheral DMA channels ensures uninterrupted data flows in parallel
with minimum processor overhead. The DMA is tightly integrated in the
peripheral programmer's interface, greatly simplifying driver development
and reducing processor overhead in data transfers.
Comprehensive support eco-system and In-System-Programming - Atmel's SAM3S
flash MCU is supported by a rapidly-growing number of development tools,
real-time operating systems (RTOS), middleware products and technical
support services from industry-leading third parties that include IAR(TM),
Keil(TM), Micrium and Segger. The automatic reboot from the on-chip ROM
after Flash memory erase facilitates In-System production programming. Atmel
provides a software package with register descriptions and device drivers
for all peripherals, along with project examples that create an easier use
of the microcontroller.
The SAM3S is available in Flash memory densities of 64k, 128k
