Availability of ARM Cortex-M3 USB Microcontrollers From NXP

NXP Semiconductors announced availability of the LPC1340 series microcontrollers with full-speed USB 2.0 device connectivity enabled by on-chip USB drivers certified by USB-IF, making them the easiest to use USB MCUs in the industry.

The LPC1340 is supported by VDE IEC 60335 Class B test libraries to support customers in the Class B certification process. In addition, NXP will offer an easy-to-use, comprehensive development tool platform for under US $30.

"Having introduced the first Cortex-M0 based LPC1100 MCU series just weeks ago, we are now adding easy-to-use USB connectivity to our pin-compatible Cortex-M3 series,” said Geoff Lees, vice president and general manager, microcontroller product line, NXP Semiconductors. “In addition we’ve created the industry’s first virtually free fully integrated open-source development tools for the ARM Cortex platform.”

The USB 2.0 device controller is fully certified and supports all 4 transfer types including isochronous transfer which is a key requirement for USB-based audio applications. Double buffering is supported on both isochronous and bulk end-points. The on-chip USB drivers support both the Mass Storage Class (MSC) and Human Interface Device (HID) class. Furthermore, these drivers are incorporated in ROM, saving customers approximately 5-6 K bytes of user code. ROM-based firmware drivers offer the dual advantage of low power operation as well as secure and safe bootloading via USB or other on-chip serial channels. The LPC1340 series is enumerated and recognized by any Windows® or Linux PC as a mass storage device. Flash programming is enabled by a simple drag-and-drop action.

VDE Class B Certified Libraries
These license- and royalty-free libraries have been approved by the VDE (Verband der Elektrotechnik Elektronik Informationstechnik e.V.: German Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies) testing and certification institute, which is globally recognized as a leader in this field. Now, when a designer uses these libraries, the application will not need to be completely re-evaluated by VDE as part of the final product certification – saving valuable time for the manufacturer. These free NXP libraries eliminate the need for the designer to develop their own self-test routines, which require in-depth knowledge of the microcontroller architecture and assembler programming skills.

NXP Low-Cost Development Tool Platform
The LPC1340 series is supported by NXP’s low-cost development tool platform, providing customers with an end-to-end solution from initial prototype evaluation to final production. The platform includes an Eclipse-based IDE using the latest Galileo release, customized GNU tool chain, JTAG/SWD debugger, and a development board offering compatibility with the mbed rapid development tool ecosystem. These development tools specifically focus on ease-of-use and faster product development time and supports all derivatives of Cortex-M0/M3 families and specific devices from the LPC2000 and LPC3000 families.

The LPC1340 series microcontrollers are also supported by industry-leading comprehensive development tools from IAR, Keil, Hitex, Code Red, and many others.

Pricing and Availability
Parts are available now from NXP distributors worldwide with recommended distribution pricing in 10,000 quantities starting at US $1.49.