Crossware 8051 Development Suite Supports Silabs C8051F9xx (C8051F930, C8051F931, C8051F920, C8051F921) Mixed Signal Microcontrollers

Crossware recently announced that its 8051 Development Suite now support the Silabs’ C8051F9xx mixed signal microcontrollers. The  C8051F9xx  family (C8051F930, C8051F931, C8051F920, C8051F921) features 25 MIPS (at 25 MHz clock), 64/32 KByte flash program  memory, 4352 (256 + 4096) bytes of RAM,  0.9–3.6 V operation voltage (suitable for battery operated devices), Single/Dual Battery mode, 10-Bit ADC, 32-bit smaRTClock (Real Time Clock) and many other features.

The Crossware 8051 Development Suite provides a combination of wizards, simulation, debugging, compiler extensions and pre-configuration. The tools allow developers to rapidly exploit the advanced features of the microcontrollers and accelerates development process. Switching to on-chip debugging allows the developer to exploit the debugging capabilities integrated into the C8051F9xx chips and run programs interactively on the target hardware. The code creation wizards are able to generate application code, interrupt routines and configuration code. The simulator simulates the 8051 core and the on-chip peripherals. A little more about Crossware 8051 Development Suite.

At the company website (http://www.crossware.com/8051/tutorials/silabs/index.htm), Crossware provides a series of video tutorials how to access C8051F931 counter, timer, ADC, temperature sensor and SPI interface. The tutorial show how to the use of the code creation wizards, simulator, virtual workshop interface and debugger using the Silabs’ C8051F9xx Toolstick as the hardware target.

Silabs C8051F9xx USB Toolstick

Features and Specs of Silabs C8051F9xx Microcontroller family:

Silabs C8051F9xx (C8051F930, C8051F931, C8051F920, C8051F921) - Sub-System Block

• 8051 Core
  • Pipelined instruction architecture; executes 70% of instructions in 1 or 2 system clocks
  • Up to 25 MIPS throughput with 25 MHz clock
  • Expanded interrupt handler
• Memory
  • 4352 bytes internal data RAM (256 + 4096)
  • 64 kB (‘F93x) or 32 kB (‘F92x) Flash; In-system programmable in 1024-byte sectors—1024 bytes are reserved in the 64 kB devices
• Clock Sources
  • Internal oscillators: 24.5 MHz, 2% accuracy supports UART operation; 20 MHz low power oscillator requires very little bias current.
  • External oscillator: Crystal, RC, C, or CMOS Clock
  • smaRTClock oscillator: 32 kHz Crystal or internal
  • Can switch between clock sources on-the-fly; useful in implementing various power saving modes
• Digital Peripherals
  • 24 or 16 port I/O; All 5 V tolerant with high sink current and programmable drive strength-Hardware SMBus (I2C Compatible), 2 x SPI, and UART serial ports available concurrently
  • Four general purpose 16-bit counter/timers
  • Programmable 16-bit counter/timer array with six capture/compare modules and watchdog timer
  • Hardware smaRTClock operates down to 0.9 V and requires less than 0.5 μA supply current.
• Supply Voltage 0.9 to 3.6 V
  • Single/Dual Battery mode
    • One-Cell Mode supports 0.9 to 1.8 V operation
    • Two-Cell Mode supports 1.8 to 3.6 V operation
  • Built-in dc-dc converter with 1.8 to 3.3 V output for use in one-cell mode
  • Built-in LDO regulator allows a high analog supply voltage and low digital core voltage
  • Built in brownout detectors
• 10-Bit Analog to Digital Converter
  • Programmable throughput up to 300 ksps
  • ±1 LSB INL; no missing codes
  • Up to 23 external inputs
  • 16-bit Auto-Averaging Accumulator with Burst Mode provides increased ADC resolution.
  • On-Chip 1.65 V ±TBD Voltage Reference
  • On-Chip PGA allows measuring voltages up to twice the reference voltage.
  • Data dependent windowed interrupt generator
  • Built-in temperature sensor (±3 °C)
• Two Comparators
  • Programmable hysteresis and response time
  • Configurable as wake-up or reset source
  • Up to 23 Capacitive Touch Sense Inputs
• 6-Bit Programmable Current Reference
  • Up to ±500 μA. Can be used as a bias or for generating a custom reference voltage.
• On-Chip Debug
  • On-chip debug circuitry facilitates full-speed, non-intrusive in-system debug (No emulator required)
  • Inspect/modify memory and registers
  • Provides breakpoints, single stepping
  • Complete development kit
• Packages
  • 32-pin QFN (5 x 5 mm)
  • 24-pin QFN (4 x 4 mm)
  • 32-pin LQFP (7 x 7 mm, easy to hand-solder)
• Temperature Range:
  •  –40 to +85 °C

References:

• http://www.crossware.com/press/july08/c8051f9xx.htm (press release)
• http://www.crossware.com/8051/tutorials/silabs/index.htm (tutorial, using C8051F9xx Toolstick)
• http://www.silabs.com/tgwWebApp/public/web_content/products/Microcontrollers/LowVoltage_LowPower/en/lowvoltagemcu.htm (C8051F9xx)
• http://www.silabs.com/public/documents/tpub_doc/dsheet/Microcontrollers/LowVoltage_LowPower/en/C8051F93x-92x.pdf ( C8051F9xx data sheet, about 6 MB).