Complete portfolio of flexible PSoC ARM solutions to replace 8-16 bit platforms

Cypress Semiconductor has introduced a new series from its PSoC 4 programmable system-on-chip architecture that completes its platform for seamless migration of 8- and 16-bit MCU-based embedded systems to 32-bit ARM platforms. Engineers have had limited options to upgrade to the performance and flexibility of 32-bit ARM-based products that also offer the ease of use and broad array of features found in 8-bit products. With the new PSoC 4 S-Series, Cypress offers the broadest portfolio of 32-bit ARM Cortex-M0 and Cortex-M0+ products with accompanying on-chip resources for engineers to complete new designs. The PSoC 4 S-Series devices are ideal for a broad range of industrial systems, wearable electronics, home appliances and consumer applications, leveraging the ease-of-use and flexibility of the PSoC architecture to quickly design new products and accommodate last-minute feature changes. PSoC 4 S-Series integrates an ARM Cortex-M0+, 16KB to 64KB flash memory, up to 36 general purpose I/Os and Cypress’s industry-leading CapSense capacitive-sensing technology. The series marks the debut of the fourth generation of CapSense, which consumes half the power of the previous generation and enables the world’s most reliable and differentiated user interfaces, as well as contactless, capacitive-sensing solutions such as liquid level sensing. The series includes options that are cost-competitive with 8- and 16-bit products, while providing engineers with 9 programmable analog blocks and 7 programmable digital blocks to create new, differentiating features. PSoC 4 S-Series, and the scalable PSoC 4 architecture, are complemented by Cypress’s easy-to-use PSoC Creator Integrated Design Environment (IDE), which simplifies system design and accelerates time-to-market by enabling concurrent hardware and firmware design, says the company. “With PSoC 4 S-Series, Cypress’s PSoC 4 portfolio now delivers a complete portfolio of solutions from 8KB to 256KB flash, and priced between 25 cents and three dollars, that replace 8- and 16-bit MCU-based products and allow for seamless migration to a 32-bit ARM platform,” said John Weil, vice president of MCU marketing at Cypress. “The PSoC 4 platform enables design engineers to select an optimal mix of on-chip programmable analog and digital blocks for their products, along with the added differentiation of our industry-leading CapSense technology for elegant and durable user interfaces.” PSoC 4 S-Series includes up to 36 CapSense I/Os to implement buttons, sliders and proximity sensors. Cypress’s fourth generation CapSense features a low average current consumption of 3 µA per sensor. With a robust Signal-to-Noise Ratio greater than 300:1, it enables home appliance designs to pass IEC 610001 standards on electromagnetic compatibility by delivering robust noise immunity and liquid tolerance three times stronger than previous CapSense solutions. The PSoC 4 S-Series provides 9 programmable analog blocks including up to 2 high-performance opa-mps, 2 current-output digital-to-analog converters (IDACs), up to 4 low-power comparators and up to 2 analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). Its 7 programmable digital blocks include 5 timer/counter/PWM blocks and 2 serial communication blocks. Additionally, PSoC 4 S-Series includes 16 Smart I/Os, providing a programmable interconnect and routing subsystem that can be configured in the PSoC Creator IDE to implement pin-level Boolean operations on input and output signals, even when the device is in deep sleep. Together with PSoC Components—free embedded ICs represented by an icon in PSoC Creator, the IDE enables rapid prototyping of end applications while minimizing PCB spins and firmware changes that are typically required, says the company. More - For designers of connected devices from smart home appliances to wearable fitness trackers to factory automation equipment, the interconnectivity of the Internet of Things (IoT) is largely outweighed by the specific application requirements they must address. In response, Cypress has also announced it is addressing the diversity of the IoT, and common design concerns such as time to market and power consumption, with its expanded portfolio of ARM-Cortex-M-based PSoC programmable system-on-chip devices, microcontrollers (MCUs) and Bluetooth Low Energy solutions.