The ST7FLITEU0 8-bit microcontroller offers more memory and system features than its predecessors in STMicroelectronics’ ST7 UltraLite family while maintaining the series’ small size. The new device comes in 8-pin SO, DIP, and 0.9-mm-thick DFN packages, with temperature qualification up to 125°C. These MCUs target simple motor drives and include features such as an embedded 12-bit auto-reload timer, which operates over a 2-kHz to 4-MHz range and can generate four independent pulse-width modulation (PWM) signals, with output-compare function.
The new chip has 2 kbytes of flash program memory, twice as much as previous units, and 128 bytes of data EEPROM. It also includes a trimmable 8-MHz RC oscillator, with prescaler ratios down to 500 kHz, and a very stable and accurate low-voltage and auxiliary voltage detector. Other key system peripherals are an 8-bit Lite timer with prescaler, watchdog, real-time base and input capture, and a very fast, 5-channel, 10-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) with 3.5-µs overall conversion time. Five power-saving modes—Halt, Auto Wake-Up from Halt, Active Halt, Wait, and Slow—offer designers the flexibility to minimize overall consumption in power-critical applications.
Development support includes a complete set of hardware and software tool chains from STMicroelectronics and from third parties. The inexpensive tools—such as ST’s Stick Programmer and the Raisonance ReVA Evaluation kit and R-lick USB Debugging and Programming Tool—enable developers to rapidly and efficiently create, build, and debug low-cost MCU-based systems. Samples of the ST7FLITEU0 are available now. Production will start this quarter. Prices start at $0.55 each in quantities of 10,000. For more information, go to www.st.com.