1997-02-03 , S/IC-590/451

Philips Semiconductors has introduced a new range of 80C51 and derivative microcontrollers that feature a 50% increase in speed and up to 75% reductions in power consumption compared to existing 80C51 devices. Coupled with a 2.7 V to 5.5 V operating voltage range, these dramatic improvements in speed and power make this new family of microcontrollers ideal for hand-portable battery-powered applications such as pagers, PCMCIA cards and mobile phones.

"By redesigning our 80C51 core we've not only been able to improve performance," said Product Marketing Manager David Fair, "we've also been able to cut the price of our 80C51-based microcontrollers by up to 30%."

The redesigned 80C51 core increases the maximum clock frequency of these code-compatible microcontrollers from 24 MHz to 33 MHz, and makes the parts fully static in operation. As a result, the system clock can be stopped in order to reduce standby power consumption without losing the contents of memory registers or affecting the state of the microcontroller.

The operating power consumption of these microcontrollers, which on a 5 V supply is already half that of existing 80C51 devices, can be further reduced by taking advantage of their low-voltage capabilities. Consumption can be halved again by operating at 3 V, giving overall savings of up to 75 % compared to existing devices. Moving to a 3 V supply incurs no speed penalties. In addition, because designers are no longer restricted by a 3.5 MHz lower limit to the clock speed, power can be saved by running systems at lower clock frequencies.

The first members of the redesigned 80C51 family are now available in masked ROM form 80C51, 80C52, 80C54, 80C58 and 83C51FA, 83C51FB, 83C51FC). OTP and ROM-less versions will be available in the second quarter of 1997. Philips' entire family of 80C51 microcontrollers will be migrated to the new core design by the end of 1997.

Late masking for ROM code means that masked ROM versions can be delivered in 6 to 8 weeks.

The world-wide microcontroller market exceeded US$ 10.8 billion in 1995, according to figures from Semico Research. The largest portion of this market, consisting of 8-bit microcontrollers, amounted to approximately US$ 5.7 billion - a figure that is expected to double by the year 2000. Sales of 16-bit and greater microcontrollers reached US$ 1.7 billion in 1995 and are expected to reach US$ 6.2 billion by the year 2000.

Philips Semiconductors is the world's leading supplier of the most popular 8-bit architecture, the 80C51, offering more than 75 derivatives. In-Stat, an independent semiconductor research firm, reported Philips' 80C51 sales of US$ 463 million for 1995 as a 42% share of the 80C51 market. With the introduction of the XA range, Philips extends its 80C51 leadership into the 16-bit market.

Philips Semiconductors, a division of Philips Electronics NV, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the eleventh largest semiconductor supplier in the world and the third largest supplier of discretes in the world. Philips Semiconductors' innovations in digital audio , video, and mobile technology position the company as a leader in the consumer, multimedia and wireless communications markets. Sales offices are located in all major markets around the world and are supported by systems labs.