Houston, Tex. — Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) has unveiled the C2000 Concerto dual-core microcontroller (MCU) series, aimed at helping product development teams deliver “green” and more connected applications. The Concerto 32-bit microcontrollers combine TI’s C28x core and control peripherals with an ARM Cortex-M3 core and connectivity peripherals that supports real-time control and advanced connectivity in a single device.
The Concerto MCUs are supported by an intuitive software infrastructure as well as application and connectivity libraries within controlSUITE software. The series includes multiple safety and security features and is code compatible across the C2000 platform to enable scalability and code reuse in green applications such as intelligent motor control, renewable energy, smart grid, digital power and electric vehicles.
TI says greener applications require the performance of a real-time control MCU to execute complex algorithms needed for precise, efficient power conversion, which is at the heart of efficient motor control, renewable energy and smart grid technologies.
However, these applications must also be connected for remote data sharing, diagnostics, monitoring and control to achieve new levels of efficiency to dramatically save energy, said TI.
“Concerto MCUs enable developers to do both real-time control and connectivity within one microcontroller, eliminating the traditional need to choose between optimal performance and advanced connectivity,” said TI.
The Concerto F28M35x Experimenter Kit includes a F28M35x controlCARD and docking station. The modular controlCARD is hardware compatible with TI’s C2000 application-specific development kits. Software to further support development on the kits will be available later this year. Free, on-demand training for Concerto MCUs is available online.
Availability: Samples can be ordered at www.ti.com/concerto-es-lp-pr. There is an estimated 4 week lead time for samples and kits.
Pricing: Available in a 144 QFP package, pricing for the Concerto MCUs start at $6.99 at 1K. The Concerto F28M35x Experimenter Kit is priced at $139. The Concerto F28M35x controlCARD is also available individually for $99.
Resources: Concerto MCU overview whitepaper, controlSUITE software and TI smart-grid solutions