MPUs and MCUs
domain. Additionally, the second voltage rail can be divided down to be available for input to the ADC as a voltage reference. Configurable Logic Cell (CLCs): The user can configure this peripheral as one of several different logic configurations which, dependent on the device, includes the following gate configurations: AND, NAND, AND-OR, AND-OR-INVERT, OR-XOR, OR-XNOR. The user can also select from the following latches and flip-flops: S-R latch, J-K Flip-Flop with Reset, Clocked D-latch with Set and Reset, Transparent D latch with Set and Reset. The user can leverage Microchip’s graphical configuration tools to create custom peripherals more easily for their application requirements. This could be something as simple as a button debouncer, or more involved such as a hardware driver for WS2812B Individually Addressable RGB LEDs which combines SPI, PWM, and CLC to create a custom driver peripheral. Traditionally the drivers for these Individually Addressable LEDs, which use a custom communications protocol, are software driven requiring a high-speed system clock, and result in a heavy CPU load. However, by using Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs), the system clock can be reduced, the CPU can
spend more time in lower-power modes or even be used to run other tasks concurrently. Using CIPs also gives the user increased responsiveness compared to using a CPU. This is because peripheral propagation delay tends to typically be in nanoseconds, while interrupt or other latency due to software-centric processing tends to be orders of magnitude greater.
Low power
Microchip 8-bit MCUs offer three lower-power (sleep) modes: Idle, Standby, Power-Down, as well as a Configurable Standby mode where peripherals can be configured as on or off. With all peripherals off and in Power- Down mode the AVR-DB consumes only 700nA, making it ideal for ensuring long battery life in low-power remote sensing edge node applications.
The user can utilize the AVR Event System to pass signals between peripherals without waking the CPU. This results in predictable response times between peripherals, which allows for autonomous peripheral control and interaction, and synchronized timing of peripheral actions.
The integrated CIPs are also highly interconnected so that signals can be directly
routed between peripherals, making the transfer of data between peripherals much simpler to achieve all while using less power than in a software-centric design.
Security
In recent years there has been a shift away from sensor nodes that do all their processing in the cloud, and towards edge nodes that do most or all of their processing locally before sending the results to the cloud. This reduces the ongoing costs associated with cloud services by reducing the frequent bidirectional data transfers and computational processing, as well as the increased sensor node power usage by having frequent larger data transfers due to sending raw unprocessed data to the cloud. Embedded systems designers can pair up a lower power 8-bit MCU that is used for directly interfacing with sensors, with a more powerful 16- or 32-bit device that can be used for the heavier computational load and increased memory requirements associated with more complex and secure communications stacks. By reducing the overall number of data transfers between the edge node and the cloud service, both the ongoing cloud costs and battery usage
can be significantly reduced. Additionally, by leveraging a second, more powerful MCU into their design, engineers can even perform Machine Learning (ML) at the edge, making their system design far more powerful for uncovering patterns in data and yielding useful insights.
Designers can also take advantage of Microchip’s secure elements including the ATEC608B which uses the ECDSA (Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm) sign- verify authentication for the Internet of Things (IoT) market, making it suitable for robust sensor edge nodes.
Conclusion
By using 8-bit PIC and AVR MCUs, embedded system engineers and designers can more easily and quickly develop robust low-power sensor edge nodes than ever before while making fewer compromises. Designers can leverage Core Independent Peripherals, including creating custom peripherals, while using hardware functions that traditionally required power consuming CPU intervention, all while remaining in a lower power (sleep) mode.
https://www.microchip.com/
www.cieonline.co.uk
Components in Electronics
April 2023 41
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