Motorola Expands Support of Microcontrollers That Support CAN Multiplexing Protocol; Choice of 8-, 16- and 32-Bit Devices Now Offered By Market Leader Motorola

Business Wire, Oct 1, 1997

BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 1, 1997--Users of the Controller Area Network (CAN) multiplex protocol in automotive, industrial and consumer applications now have a choice of 8-, 16- or 32-bit microcontrollers from Motorola with the introduction of its latest 68HC12 16-bit devices.

The two new highly integrated 68HC12 microcontrollers, the 68HC912D60 and 68HC912BC32, that combine Flash EEPROM and CAN controller enable developers of CAN systems to match their optimum price/performance ratio by selecting from Motorola's comprehensive and industry-leading portfolio.

Motorola, which has been the No. 1 worldwide supplier of microcontrollers for four years running (source: In-Stat, Dataquest), has further enhanced its range of CAN solutions with the announcement of real-time operating system software, consultancy and training services (see separate announcement on OSEK-OS software).

Integrating CAN onto the microcontroller rather than using stand-alone chip offers lower system cost, reduced burden on the central processor unit, increased system reliability and reduced power consumption.

Demands from the automotive and industrial markets require CAN microcontrollers to cover applications ranging from simple comfort functions like seat control to very complicated algorithm-based functions, such as gasoline and diesel engine management or complex motor control applications. In the industrial arena, applications benefiting from CAN include automated manufacturing control systems, banking machines and industrial control and data logging equipment.

The 68HC912BC32 (BC32) and 68HC912D60 (D60) combine Motorola's low-power, highly code-efficient 68HC12 core (CPU12) with the company's msCAN (Motorola Scaleable CAN) controller module, which is optimized for real-time applications. Both devices are well-suited to applications whose program code and data fit entirely in on-chip memory.

The integration of Flash EEPROM on-chip allows equipment manufacturers to shorten design and manufacturing time, resulting in faster time-to-market. With code in Flash memory, designers can customize products at the end of the production line and even modify products already in the field. The high level of integration also reduces system component count, increases reliability and simplifies sourcing.

The msCAN module is a CAN 2.0A ("Standard CAN") and CAN 2.0B ("Extended CAN") compliant protocol controller with five message buffers. The module implements the CAN 2.0 specification Part A with 11 bit identifiers and Part B with 29 bit identifiers and supports bus speeds up to the maximum of 1Mbit/s. Its novel feature set simplifies the programmer's interface and increases the real-time performance and predictability of CAN applications.

Development Support

Motorola offers an Evaluation Board (EVB) and OSEK-OS real-time operating system software. Third-party support includes in-circuit emulators from iSystems and Lauterbach and C compilers from Hiware, Cosmic and IAR Systems.

Price and Availability

Pre-production samples of the BC32 in an 80-pin QFP package and the D60 in a 112-TQFP package are available now. The BC32 is priced at $17.70 and the D60 at $22.20 (U.S. suggested list) for sample quantities. Evaluation boards are available now for $150 (U.S. suggested list).

About Motorola

With 1996 worldwide sales of $7.9 billion, Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector is committed to enabling its customers' success by providing systems solutions, processes and services to anticipate and respond to changing technologies and market dynamics. As the largest U.S.-based, broad-line semiconductor supplier, the Sector delivers global resources, product design and development expertise and the highest quality technology solutions to its customers. Motorola semiconductors power communications and computing systems, automobiles and millions of other consumer products.

In the global marketplace, Motorola is a leading provider of wireless communications, advanced electronic systems, components and services. Major equipment businesses include cellular telephone, two-way radio, paging and data communications, personal communications, automotive, defense and space electronics and computers. Corporate sales in 1996 were $28 billion.

Background Information

68HC12 Architecture Overview

Both the 68HC912BC32 and 68HC912D60 are based on a low-power microcontroller (MCU) core (CPU12) that provides an enhanced superset of 68HC11 instructions at a 16-bit performance level. The 68HC12 architecture is optimized for high level languages, fast math operations and is extremely code efficient, typically offering 20 to 30 percent code size reduction as compared with the 68HC11 CPU. It also includes fuzzy logic instructions, making the 68HC12 the first general-purpose MCU architecture with support for fuzzy logic.

The patented Background Debug Mode found on all 68HC12 derivatives allows non-intrusive, real-time read and write of the target system and memory, plus offers a complete set of debug primitives. As with each 68HC12 derivative with on-chip program memory, there are two hardware breakpoints included for debug and future ROM code patching.