Microcontroller features ARM Cortex M3 and dual 24-bit sigma-delta ADCs

June 07, 2012 // Paul Buckley

Analog Devices has introduced the ADuCM360, a fully integrated, 4-kSPS, 24-bit data acquisition system-on-a-chip incorporating dual, high-performance, multi-channel sigma-delta A/D converters, a 32-bit ARM Cortex M3 MCU, and flash/EE memory.

The device draws 1-mA of operating current and is designed for direct interfacing to external 4- to 20-mA loop-powered precision sensors in industrial process control. Low sleep current further enhances ADuCM360 use in battery-powered applications.

The ADuCM360 microcontroller core is a low power 32-bit ARM RISC machine and  incorporates a flexible 11-channel DMA (direct memory access) controller supporting wired (SPI, UART, I²C) communication peripherals. In addition there are 128k bytes of non-volatile flash/EE and 8k bytes of SRAM, all integrated on-chip.

The ADuCM360 analog sub-system consists of two A/D converters connected to a flexible input multiplexer (with up to 11 input channels) and each with its own programmable gain amplifier. Both converters can operate in fully differential or single-ended modes. The ADuCM360 is ideal for applications where the second A/D converter is needed for temperature compensation on the sensor or for dual-sensor applications. Available in August will be the ADuCM361, which contains all the features of the ADuCM360 but includes only one A/D converter.

“The ADuCM360 consumes just 1 mA in full operation, with both A/D converters and programmable gain amps active, making them ideal for use in 4- to 20-mA loop-powered systems,” said Leo McHugh, director Precision A/D Converters, Analog Devices. “The ADuCM360/361 delivers the industry’s highest accuracy analog conversion and more processing-per-mW of power than any other analog microcontroller solution for industrial smart sensor applications.”

The ADuCM360 is a complete, single-chip analog front-end including input signal conditioning, dual PGAs, voltage reference, dual 24-bit sigma-delta A/D converters and a buffered voltage-output D/A converter resulting in  higher accuracy, reduced board space and lower power consumption.

An integrated, low power, 32-bit, 20 MIPs ARM Cortex M3 core enables advanced diagnostics at a sensor node – wired or wireless – for higher accuracy measurements.

The device is supported with the low-cost QuickStart Development Kit, which includes sample code, function libraries, compilers and emulators for faster and less expensive software development.

On-chip factory firmware supports in-circuit serial download via a serial wire interface (2-pin JTAG system) and UART while non-intrusive emulation is also supported via the serial wire interface. These features are incorporated into the low-cost QuickStart Development Kit supporting this precision analog microcontroller family.

This new data acquisition system is available in a 48-lead, 7mm x 7mm LFCSP package and operates from a 1.8-V to 3.3-V supply.

Availability and Pricing

The ADuCM360 is available now priced $7.26 each per 1,000.  The ADuCM361 is available now priced $3.95 each per 1,000.
    
More information about the ADuCM360 at
www.analog.com/en/processors-dsp/analog-microcontrollers/aducm360/processors/product.html

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