Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. has released an ultra-low-power dual Arm Cortex-M4 MCU with a floating-point unit (FPU) and Bluetooth Low Energy 5.2 (BLE 5.2). The MCU named MAX32666 is the latest addition to Maxim Integrated’s smart, function-rich DARWIN family of high-performance MCUs.
With the ability to reduce the form factor and design footprint, this newly introduced MCU enables IoT device designers to lower bill-of-material costs by one-third consolidating up to three sockets found in their current designs, thereby saving space too. It provides efficient computation of complex functions, operating at up to 96MHz, which speeds up data processing by 50 percent over the closest competitor.
The MAX32666 features an integrated single-inductor, multiple-output (SIMO) regulator, which extends the life for small-sized battery applications eliminating the need for a separate PMIC. The MCU supports up to 2Mbps of data throughput and long-range (125kbps and 500kbps) and offers a transceiver output power of +4.5dBm programmable down to -95dBm. It also protects applications from cybersecurity threats with the trust protection unit (TPU) and big math acceleration for fast Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA).
The MAX32666 has an impressive onboard memory capacity with up to 1MB flash memory and 560KB of SRAM with an optional Error Correcting Code (ECC) for the most robust applications, as well as multiple high-speed peripherals. The IC’s hardware accelerators provide AES-128, -192, and -256 encryption. Besides, TRNG seed generator and SHA-2 accelerator enhance security. It also protects IP firmware with a secure bootloader. Moreover, it can manage more data and accommodate bigger applications without running out of code space through efficient operation, all within a best-in-class power profile.
Besides offering reliability by adding an extra level of robustness with integrated ECC on Flash, SRAM, and Cache memories, preventing undesirable bit flips. Besides this, the MCU comes has added advantages like:
- Low Cost: It combines two microcontroller cores, Bluetooth radio with dedicated stack core, power management, security, and significant memory into one IC. Reduces BOM costs by making use of dual 96MHz Cortex-M4 with FPU as well as large on-board memory of 1MB Flash and 560KB SRAM.
- Saves Board Space: It integrates multiple functions into a single IC with a small 3.8mm x 4.2mm WLP footprint.
- Low Power: It preserves battery life of coin-cell battery devices through low active-mode power, offers dynamic voltage scaling for minimized active core power consumption. It also enables 27.3uA/MHz at 3.3V execution from the cache memory and multiple power-down modes support longer battery life, achieving 1.2uA at 3.3V in the lowest power mode.
The MCU is available at the company website itself and comes with a price tag of $5.22 (1000-up, FOB USA). It is also available from authorized distributors. You can get the MAX32666EVKIT# for $157.50.
