31 Dec 11

Microchip’s PIC24 “F” series microcontrollers and the dsPIC33 “F” series Digital Signal Controllers which are used in the Digilent Cerebot MC7 motor controller have recently been upgraded to the PIC24 “E” and the dsPIC33 “E” series. In November, these enhanced core 16-bit “E” families have been upgraded again to include on-chip op-amps and Microchip’s Charge Time Measurement Unit peripheral (CTMU), which is used in mTouch capacitive touch-sensing user interface applications, such as keypads, buttons and sliders. The dsPIC33 and PIC24 “E” devices also offers larger memory capacity, greater I/O capability, a USB 2.0 OTG interface, and expanded motor-control, graphics, audio, and real-time embedded-control capabilities over the previous-generation of devices. These new “E” series MCUs and DSPs can support high-end industrial and commercial applications, such as multiple servo motor control, solar inverters, and running dual 3-phase motors in parallel. 

The new dsPIC33 and PIC24 “E” series feature 70 MIPS of DSP performance and an independent 6-channel Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) mode which can support multiple stepper motors and provide dead-time compensation, which reduces software overhead.  The on-chip op amps and comparators can be used in a variety of sensing applications where signal conditioning is needed, and reduce the number of external components required. This results in more efficient, smaller, and lower-cost designs, as a single DSC or MCU can be used to control the entire system.

Microchip’s dsPIC33E DSCs and PIC24E MCUs are fully compatible with the existing portfolio of dsPIC33F DSCs and PIC24H/PIC24F MCUs, software libraries and tools for easy migration. The new devices are available in many package sizes, including a small 5 mm x 5 mm 36-pin VTLA package. A new auxiliary Flash module enables designers to program or erase Flash data without slowing normal CPU operation, which is critical for motor-control, power-conversion and many other applications that require on-the-fly programming.

Microchip provides the dsPIC33E USB Starter Kit (DM330012) and PIC24E USB Starter Kit (DM240012 for the development of new applications. The dsPIC33E and PIC24E devices are also supported by Microchip’s standard development tools, including the MPLAB IDE, MPLAB ICD 3 In-Circuit Debugger, the REAL ICE In-Circuit Emulator, and the MPLAB C30 C Compiler. Additionally, several Plug-In Modules (PIMs) are available for the development kits. High-performance designs can now be created in much less with these new devices and comprehensive support packages.