Nuvoton Technology Corporation launches a brand new low power, robust security M261/M262/M263 series microcontroller designed for IoT applications. It is based on Arm Cortex-M23 secure core for Armv8-M architecture, running up to 64 MHz with 512 KB Flash in dual bank mode supporting Over-The-Air (OTA) Firmware update and 96 KB SRAM. Nuvoton provides a rich product portfolio for new generation IoT applications.
The brand new M261/M262/M263 series adopts advanced low power and security technology with high-performance connectivity interface. The power consumption in the normal run is down to 45 μA/MHz in DC-DC mode and it implements a secure boot function and hardware crypto acceleration to achieve the security of IoT device. M261/262/263 series satisfies the IoT applications in both low power and high-security requirements. For IoT connectivity and sensor, it integrates SDHC 2.0, USB 2.0 FS OTG, CAN Bus 2.0B high-performance communication interface, and a 3.76 MSPS ADC for sensing data from sensor devices to fulfill a variety of application scenarios. Those features make it a great choice for smart home and IoT node device product design.
The NuMicro M261/M262/M263 series is based on Arm Cortex-M23 core for Armv8-M architecture and the code is downward compatible with Nuvoton Arm Cortex-M0 microcontrollers. It runs up to 64 MHz with 512 KB embedded Flash in dual bank mode supporting Over-The-Air (OTA) Firmware update and 96 KB embedded SRAM. The low supply voltage ranges from 1.8V to 3.6V and operating temperature ranges from -40℃ to 105℃.
Low power and robust security are two major requirements for the Internet of Things (IoT) applications. In terms of low power consumption, NuMicro M261/M262/M263 series provides multiple power modes for different operating scenarios, integrating RTC with independent VBAT to support low power mode. The power consumption in normal run mode is 97 μA/MHz (LDO mode) and 45 μA/MHz (DC-DC mode). Standby power-down current is down to 2.8 μA and Deep power-down current is less than 2 μA. The low power, low supply voltage, and fast wake-up (9 μs from Fast-wakeup Power-down mode) features make M261/M262/M263 series suitable for battery-powered IoT applications.
The robust security functions of NuMicro M261/M262/M263 series include secure boot function to ensure that a device boots using only trusted software through a series of digital signature authentication processes. The M261/M262/M263 series integrates complete hardware crypto engines such as AES 256/192/128, DES/3-DES, SHA, ECC, and True Random Number Generator (TRNG). Furthermore, it provides 4-region programable eXecute-Only-Memory (XOM) to secure critical program codes and up to six tamper detection pins against outer physical attack, which significantly improves the product security.
The NuMicro M261/M262/M263 series is equipped with plenty of peripherals such as Timers, Watchdog Timers, RTC, PDMA, External Bus Interface (EBI), LPUART, Universal Serial Control Interface (USCI), Qual SPI (QSPI), SPI/I²S, I2C, Smart Card Interface (ISO-7816-3), GPIOs, and up to 24 channels of PWM. Those peripherals make it highly suitable for connecting comprehensive external modules. It integrates one set of Secure Digital Host Controllers (SDHC) compliant with SD Memory Card Specification Version 2.0, achieving a transfer rate of 200 Mbps at 3.3V and 50 MHz operations. The SD card for fast data storage is therefore available. For high performance analog front-end circuit blocks, it integrates up to a 16-channel 12-bit 3.76 MSPS SAR ADC, two 12-bit 1 MSPS voltage type DAC, two rail-to-rail analog comparator (ACMP), temperature sensor, low voltage reset (LVR), and brown-out detector (BOD) to enhance product performance and reduce both external components and form factor.
NuMicro M261/ M262 / M263 series consists of three series:
- NuMicro M261 series – suitable for classic IoT node devices and wireless communication modules applications.
- NuMicro M262 USB 2.0 FS OTG series – integrating 1 set of USB 2.0 FS OTG interface (crystal-less design), suitable for connecting USB host/device for data transfer.
- NuMicro M263 USB/CAN series – integrating 1 set of CAN Bus 2.0B and 1 set of USB 2.0 FS OTG interface (crystal-less design), suitable for industrial and automotive applications requiring CAN Bus for data communication.
The NuMicro M261/M262/M263 series provides 9 product part numbers. The package types include QFN33 (5mm x 5mm), LQFP64 (7mm x 7mm), and LQFP128 (14mm x 14mm). Pin compatibility in the same package makes optimizing product features and performance easy.
Two types of evaluation boards, NuMaker-IoT-M263 and NuMaker-M263KI, are available for selecting the suitable development environment to speed-up product design based on the NuMicro M261/M262/M263 series. NuMaker-IoT-M263 board is a new platform focusing on IoT products design, it integrates 9-axis sensor, environmental sensor, and popular wireless communication modules including Bluetooth module, Wi-Fi module, and LoRa module. A 2G/3G/4G-LTE/NB-IoT module with GPS function is available for purchase. With the IoT software package provided by Nuvoton, connecting the cloud of Arm Pelion, Amazon AWS, and Ali-Cloud is hazard-free. And the development of IoT products can be completed quickly.
Besides, Nu-Link debugger is available for evaluation and product development. Third-Party IDEs such as Keil MDK, IAR EWARM, and NuEclipse IDE with GNU GCC compilers are also supported.
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