High-performance 32-bit MCU family now offers integrated floating point units

Microchip has announced a new series within its high-performance PIC32MZ family of 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) that features an integrated hardware floating point unit (FPU) for high-performance and lower latency in intensive single and double-precision maths applications. The new 48-member PIC32MZ EF series also offers a 12-bit, 18 MSPS analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) for a wide array of high-speed, wide-bandwidth applications. In addition, the PIC32MZ EF supports an extensive DSP instruction set. This combination of DSP instructions, a double-precision FPU and a high-speed ADC improves code density, decreases latency and accelerates performance in process-intensive applications. The PIC32MZ EF series is powered by Imagination's MIPS M-Class core at 200 MHz/330 DMIPS and 3.28 CoreMarks/MHz, integrated with dual-panel, live-update Flash (up to 2MB), large RAM (512 KB) and the widest selection of connectivity peripherals in the entire PIC32 portfolio, including a 10/100 Ethernet MAC, Hi-Speed USB MAC/PHY and dual CAN ports. Many embedded applications are adding better graphics displays, and the PIC32MZ EF, in the LCCG configuration, can support up to a WQVGA display without the added cost of external graphics controllers. An optional, full-featured hardware crypto engine is also available with a random number generator for high-throughput data encryption/decryption and authentication using AES, 3DES, SHA, MD5 and HMAC. Accelerating product cycles and rapidly evolving customer demands are increasing time-to-market pressures on designers. Microchip's award-winning MPLAB Harmony Integrated Software Framework provides a modular, pre-tested and easy-to-use GUI-based development ecosystem that helps to ease integration, reduce testing and speed adaptation to quickly changing market demands, enabling designers to focus on product development. The new PIC32MZ EF series is also supported by Microchip's free MPLAB X Integrated Development Environment (IDE), within which Harmony operates, as well as the MPLAB XC32 Compilers. Also available are the MPLAB ICD 3 In-Circuit Debugger (DV164035) and MPLAB REAL ICE In-Circuit Emulator System (DV244005). Four new PIC32MZ EF development tools are also available. The complete, turn-key PIC32MZ Embedded Connectivity with FPU EF Starter Kit (DM320007); the PIC32MZ Embedded Connectivity with Floating Point Unit and Crypto Starter Kit (DM320007-C); the PIC32MZ2048EF PIM Explorer 16 Plug In Module (MA320019) and the PIC32MZ EF Audio 144-pin PIM for BluetoothR Audio Development Kit (MA32001). The PIC32MZ EF series is also featured in the new version of the Arduino compatible Digilent chipKIT Wi-FIRE development board. This board provides easy access to professional applications and libraries targeting new PIC32 users. It enables rapid-prototype development and eases migration into professional integrated development environments, such as Microchip's MPLAB X IDE. All 48 members of the PIC32MZ EF series are available now for sampling and volume production. The crypto engine is integrated into 16 of the PIC32MZ EF MCUs, and there are 12 MCUs with 512 KB of Flash, 24 MCUs with 1 MB of Flash and 12 MCUs with 2 MB of Flash. The superset family members and their package options are 64-pin QFN (9x9 mm) and TQFP (10mm x 10 mm) for the PIC32MZ2048EFH064; 100-pin TQFP (12mm x 12mm and 14mm x 14mm) for the PIC32MZ2048EFH100; 124-pin VTLA (9mm x 9mm) for the PIC32MZ2048EFH124; and 144-pin TQFP (16mm x 16mm) and LQFP (20mm x 20mm) for the PIC32MZ2048EFH144. The superset MCUs with an integrated crypto engine are the PIC32MZ2048EFM064, PIC32MZ2048EFM100, PIC32MZ2048EFM124 and PIC32MZ2048EFM144.