Atmel‘s 32-bit MCUs with on-chip LCD / TFT Controller

TFT / STN Support up to 2048 x 2048 Pixel at 32-bit RISC ARM® and AVR32® MCUs

Show what you have…

Visualization of data and graphics is more and more convenient even in embedded applications. Here user expects the same look and feel as he is used in his „big“ personal computer, means animated window techniques at resolutions QVGA and more. In addition there is often demand for integrated touch screen support.

System designer are now confronted with the problem to leave their used 8-bit or 16-bit MCU technologies and to start with Linux or embedded Windows®. If then requirements for Ethernet and USB support comes on top, developer mandatory has to use powerful 32-bit MCUs with MMU and 200 DMIPs and more.

Limit the costs…

Is customer really willed to pay this additional comfort in operation? Of course main coarse is reducing manufacturing costs, this means costs of MCU, system components and display module. Ideally a MCU system for a small embedded Windows® or Linux system looks as follows:  

• 32-bit MCU ca. 200 DMIPS
• Low cost boot memory (NAND Flash, serial DataFlash™ e.g. 16MByte, SD-Card)
• Low cost execution memory (SDRAM e.g. 16 MByte)
• Integrated on-chip communication interfaces (Ethernet, USB..)
• Integrated STN/TFT Controller for direct control of unexpensive display modules
• ADC with touch screen support

If Linux or Windows are not focused, program memory sizes up to few megabytes are mostly sufficient.

32-bit solutions from Atmel…

According to the needs of the application, 32-bit RISC MCU product families with ARM926EJ-S and AVR32 AP7 core exists.

Softwaretools…

To reach the goal a valuable package of tools exists

• Board Support Packages (BSP) for OS of your choice
• Integrated tool chains (Compiler, Debugger)
• Debug and Flash tools
• inexpensive evaluation boards

Hassle-free graphics thanks to DMA…

DMA supported integrated display controller with resolutions up to 2048 x 2048 pixel at 24 bit color depth, graphic accelerator and virtual screenbuffer enable simple and cheap graphical systems. MCUs with a dedicated bus for the framebuffer, like AT91SAM9263, increase graphical performance up to 25-30% against common approaches with shared framebuffer.