Atmel’s Low-Power MCUs Integrate High-Speed Timers

Adding to the tinyAVR microcontroller family, the 20-pin ATtiny261, ATtiny461, and ATtiny861 pair 2 KB, 4 KB, and 8 KB of flash memory, respectively, with high-speed timers. Each operates at 20 MHz and delivers up to 20 MIPS of throughput. Power consumption in 1.8V active mode at 1 MHz is less than 400 µA. An internal 8-MHz RC oscillator and on-chip PLL run their 10-bit timer/counters at speeds up to 64 MHz. The timer/counters employ three independent PWM generators and feature programmable dead times. Other shared features include EEPROM, pull-up resistors, and 12 general I/O pins. Samples of the three MCUs are available in 20-pin SOICs and PDIPs, and 32-pad QFN packages with volume prices of $0.80, $0.90, and $1.15 each/10,000, respectively. Evaluation/debug starter kits—the STK500 and STK505—are available at $79 each. ATMEL CORP., San Jose, CA. (408) 441-0311.