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Control your design investment with Atmel security products
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Atmel AVR UC3 and ARM-based SAM3 families offer efficient RISC architectures for more complex signal
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maXTouch – the touchscreen controller that stands up to environmental challenges
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Atmel AVR UC3 and ARM-based SAM3 families offer efficient RISC architectures for more complex signal
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Process instruments include the electronics required to measure process variables, such as temperature, pressure, level and flow, using a variety of sensors and methods. Power consumption in active mode is critical for these products, as most field instruments are powered though a 4-20mA current loop interface, which strongly limits the available power budget for the electronics. Process instruments must often be able to operate in hazardous areas, and cannot buffer energy.
Atmel® has become a leading supplier of microcontroller for the manufacturers of industrial process instruments.
Features and Benefits
- Atmel 32-bit microcontrollers can operate down to 1.62V and achieve sub 1mW/DMIPS power consumption figures.
- Process instruments often operate the microcontroller at low frequencies to reduce power consumption. Atmel has optimized the Flash read accesses in these conditions.
- The Atmel AVR 32-bit microcontroller and the Atmel ARM® Cortex™-M3 processor-based SAM3 family provide modern and efficient RISC architectures, supporting more complex signals.
- Embedded DSP functionalities (MAC, saturating arithmetic) and FPU, along with middleware libraries to support them, considerably simplify signal conditioning.
- Complex signal algorithms, field bus or industrial Ethernet support, functional safety test routines, and multi-language menus, require increasingly large embedded Flash support. Atmel offers 32-bit microcontrollers with embedded Flash up to 512KB.
- Atmel microcontrollers integrate dedicated hardware mechanisms to support the implementation of the IEC61508 safety standard. Learn more about Atmel microcontroller safety functions.
- Wireless communication is attractive for industrial sites with instruments dispersed over a large area. The Atmel wireless microcontroller product line provides the required hardware platform to build products compatible with the popular Wireless HART protocol. The Atmel best-in-class RF properties help increase range and make RF links more robust, yet highly efficient.
- The Atmel CryptoAuthentication™ family of hardware security products provides easy-to-implement, cost-effective and low standby power solutions for secure communication to/from process instruments.
The Atmel SAM3, SAM7 and the AVR UC3 32-bit families deliver a unique combination of low power and excellent signal processing capabilities.
- Low power consumption
- Efficient signal processing (DSP and FPU)
- Wide Flash size availability
- Sensor element and field bus connection
- Safety functions according to IEC61508
- Capacitive touch
- Wireless microcontroller
Atmel Products
Overview of the Atmel Safety Features
| | Features | Atmel SAM3 Family | Atmel AVR XMEGA Family | Atmel AVR UC3 Family |
|---|
| Code Integrity | Flash with write protection | Selectable flash regions | Application and boot section | Selectable flash regions |
| Dual Bank | Yes (SAM3U) | | |
| Flash Checksum | CRC unit (SAM3S) | CRC Unit | Software |
| Watchdog | Running from an internal RC oscillator | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lock function | Locked after first write | Locked per fuse | Key protected |
| Window mode | Yes | Yes | Yes (AVR UC3) |
| Software Runaway | Memory Protection Unit | Yes | No | Yes |
| Lock function for the IO register | Yes, using the MPU | Yes | Yes, using the MPU |
| Lock function for the Clock Configuration | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lock Event System Configuration | N/A | Yes | Yes |
| Clock Failure | Start-up from internal RC oscillator | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Main clock failure detection | Yes (SAM3S) | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic switch to the internal RC | Yes (SAM3S) | Yes | Yes |
Atmel AVR and ARM Comparison
| CPU | AVR Family | ARM-based Solutions |
|---|
| Product Family | AVR XMEGA 8/16-bit microcontroller | AVR UC3 32-bit microcontroller | SAM3 microcontroller | SAM9 MPU |
| CPU Feature | Best-in-class 8/16-bit RISC hardware multiplier | 32-bit RISC with DSP support (Single cycle MAC, saturation) | Cortex-M3 with MPU | ARM926-EJ |
| Active Mode | 0.5 mW/MHz | < 1mW/MHz | 1 mW/MHz | 0.125mW/MHz |
| Wait Mode | 0.55µA | 70µA | 4.6µA | 8mA |
| RTC Mode | 0.55µA | 1.6µA | 1.6µA | 9µA |
| Power Down | < 100nA | 100nA | 100nA | |
| Field Instrument | Temperature, Low-end Pressure & Flow | Temperature, Pressure, Flow, Level, Analysis | Temperature, Pressure, Flow, Level, Analysis | Level, Flow, Liquid Analysis |
Learn more about the Atmel solution Application Notes, Devices, and Tools and Software.
