New 8-bit MCUs offer increased functionality in sensor nodes

Microchip has expanded its tiny AVR MCU series with two new devices which offer advanced analogue features and the largest memory variants in the family. Created for reliable operation in harsh environments, the ATtiny3217 and ATtiny3216 provide built-in safety functions to enable designers to produce robust and safe systems. AVR MCUs have long been used to build highly responsive sensor nodes because of their cost-effectiveness and ease of implementation. To improve the capability and responsiveness of sensor applications, including capacitive touch interfaces, the devices bring the benefit of two ADCs that allow systems to implement touch control simultaneously with other analogue measurements. One ADC can be utilised with the PTC for touch signal acquisition, while the second one monitors other inputs such as thermistors and pressure sensors, or both ADCs can be used for faster sampling of different types of sensors. Microchip’s tinyAVR family of MCUs, including the ATtiny1617 and the ATtiny817, are optimised for performance, power efficiency and ease of use in small packages. All of the series devices are supported by the Atmel Studio 7 IDE and the Atmel START code configurator. For evaluation purposes, the ATtiny3217 Xplained Pro evaluation kit is also available.