Latest PIC32 family increases performance while reducing power consumption

Microchip announces a new family of eXtreme Low Power (XLP) technology 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs).  The PIC32MX1/2 XLP family offers current PIC32MX customers an easy migration path to achieve higher performance at much lower power, enabling both increased functions and longer battery life in portable applications.  The PIC32MX1/2 XLP family increases performance in small pin-count devices with little code rework for existing customers.

Microchip’s XLP technology is designed for wearable technology, wireless sensor networks and other smart connected devices and offers low current operating modes for Run and Sleep, where extreme low-power applications spend 90 to 99 percent of their time.  XLP technology will enable Sleep and Deep Sleep shutdown states on the PIC32MX1/2 XLP devices, enabling Deep Sleep currents down to 673 nA.  The devices offer over 40 percent higher performance than the existing PCI32MX1/2 portfolio while reducing average run currents by 50 percent.

The PIC32MX1/2 XLP family offers a range of memory configurations with 128/256 KB Flash and 32/64 KB of RAM in packages ranging from 28 to 44 pins.  They also include a diverse set of peripherals at a low cost including I²S for digital audio, 116 DMIPS performance for executing audio and advanced control applications, a 10-bit, 1 Msps 13-channel ADC and serial communications peripherals.  The PIC32MX2 series also supports USB Device, Host and OTG functionality.

In addition to the hardware peripheral features, the series is supported by Microchip’s MPLAB^® Harmony Software Development Framework, which simplifies development cycles by integrating the licence, resale and support of Microchip and third-party middleware, drivers, libraries and RTOSs.  Specifically, Microchip’s readily available software packages such as Bluetooth^® audio development  suites, audio equalizer filter libraries, decoders (including AAC, MP3, SBC), sample rate conversion libraries  and USB stacks will rapidly reduce the development time of digital audio, consumer, industrial and general-purpose embedded control applications.

Development support

The PIC32MX1/2 XLP family is designed to work with Microchip’s MPLAB Harmony, which offers access to software support for digital audio and Bluetooth applications.

Development tool support for the PIC32MX1/2 XLP family includes:

A PIC32MX XLP Starter Kit (DM320105) for $100, a PIC32MX254F256 PIM for Explorer 16 (MA320021) for $25 and a PIC32MX274F256 PIM for Bluetooth Audio Development Kit (MA320022) for $45. All development tools are available today.

The PIC32MX1/2 XLP family parts are available today: PIC32MX274F256D, PIC32MX274F256B, PIC32MX254F128D, PIC32MX254F128B, PIC32MX174F256D, PIC32MX174F256B, PIC32MX154F128D, PIC32MX154F128B.