MCU boasts high speed communication

Featuring Atmel's 91 DMIPS AVR32 CPU, the AT32UC3A3 includes hi-speed USB interface with On-The-Go, a dual high speed SD/MMC card interface plus SDRAM and NAND flash interface with single level cell (SLC), multilevel cell (MLC) and ECC. The AT32UC3A3 also fits a wider range of embedded applications where fast transfer of large amounts of data is a requirement.

Feature-rich MCU
AT32UC3A3 features Atmel's peripheral DMA controller in combination with a multilayer databus. This offloads the CPU by automating the transmission of large packets of data. In addition to the dual port SRAM found in all AVR32 MCUs, the AT32UC3A3 introduces a distributed SRAM architecture that eliminates latency and potential delay for data flowing through the controller. The 128Kbyte of on-chip SRAM is split into 3 regions, each offering a separate memory interface to the memory and peripheral DMA controllers. This allows multiple hi-speed data transfers to run simultaneously.

The AVR32 is unique in that it offers a wide range of DSP instructions usually only found in high-end CPUs and DSPs. Its high performance eliminates the need for custom audio decoder hardware and it is capable of decoding a stereo MP3 stream at less than 25MHz. With a maximum speed of up to 66MHz, this means there is plenty of CPU performance left to handle "heavier" audio formats such as AAC.

High speed, high quality
The AVR32 MCU also offers an integrated stereo 16bit bitstream DAC. This requires only a small external power amplifier to generate the output voltages required for line, headphones or external speakers. Playback in four channel audio or full surround sound requires an external audio codec, usually connected to the microcontroller's IIS interface.

Streaming a single digital audio track requires a bandwidth of 320Kbit/s or less but the consumer demands much faster communication for fast synchronization of a large music library with cover art. The AVR32 AT32UC3A3 offers multiple high speed communication interfaces, including a hi-speed USB interface with 480Mbit/s, a NAND flash controller with support for MLC error correction, and an MMC/SD port with support for up to two SD card slots with more than 12MBps transfer speed.

The AT32UC3A3 consumes less than 2mW/MHz in active mode. This allows the AVR32 MCU to deliver more than 150hrs of audio playback from two AA batteries. In standby mode with only Real Time Clock running, a device can stay in the drawer for more than 9 years.

Digital docking
To demonstrate the digital audio capabilities of the AVR32 MCUs and reduce the time to market for potential customers, Atmel has designed the ATEVK1104 reference design. The kit demonstrates playback from USB mass storage device, SD card or NAND flash, and shows how music can be downloaded or streamed from a PC through the hi-speed USB interface. Later this year, Atmel will introduce Bluetooth and Zigbee radio connectivity add-on kits. The reference design also demonstrates Atmel's capacitive touch solutions.

More than 100 million iPod and iPhone devices have been sold in the market, and consumer and automotive audio equipment manufacturers are adding iPod docking capability to their existing products. To registered Apple "Made for iPod" licensees, Atmel will provide an iPod docking extension kit to the ATEVK1104 and ATEVK1105. The extension kit contains the hardware, firmware and source code required to access and controls the iPod and iPhone via the USB port.

Samples of the AT32UC3A3 are available now. The devices are priced at $4.41 for 10K units. The ATEVK1104 development kit is available now. The kit is priced for $169.

Keywords: MCU   communication high speed   microcontroller