Maxim Integrated Releases MAX32666 MCU for Reduced BOM Costs

By Perry Cohen

Associate Editor

Embedded Computing Design

July 27, 2020

News

Maxim Integrated Releases MAX32666 MCU for Reduced BOM Costs

Maxim Integrated released the MAX32666 microcontroller (MCU) to help reduce COM costs for IoT applications.

Maxim Integrated released the MAX32666 microcontroller (MCU) to help reduce BOM costs for IoT applications. The ultra-low-power dual Arm® Cortex®-M4 MCU features a floating-point unit (FPU) and Bluetooth Low Energy 5.2 for extended battery life. It combines memory, security, communications, power management, and processing – all functions that typically require multiple MCUs.

The MAX32666 is the newest member of that company’s DARWIN family of MCUs. Due to the reduced form factor and design footprint, IoT device designers are able to lower COM costs.

Key advantages per a company press release:

  • Reliability: Adds an extra level of robustness with integrated ECC on Flash, SRAM and Cache memories, preventing undesirable bit flips.
  • Low Cost: Combines two microcontroller cores, a Bluetooth radio with dedicated stack core, power management, security and significant memory into one IC. Reduces BOM costs by making use of dual 96MHz Cortex-M4 with FPU as well as large on-board memory of 1MB Flash and 560KB SRAM. 
  • Saves board space: Integrates multiple functions into a single IC with small 3.8mm x 4.2mm WLP footprint.
  • Low Power: Preserves battery life of coin-cell battery devices through low active-mode power; Offers dynamic voltage scaling for minimized active core power consumption; Enables 27.3µA/MHz at 3.3V executing from cache memory; Multiple power down modes support longer battery life, achieving 1.2µA at 3.3V in the lowest power mode.

As far as Bluetooth Low Energy 5.2 goes, it supports up to 2Mbps of data throughput and long range (125kbps and 500kbps). Further, it is capable of transceiver output power of +4.5dBm programmable down to -95dBm.

For more information, visit https://maxim.click/MAX32666_Product.

Perry Cohen, associate editor for Embedded Computing Design, is responsible for web content editing and creation, podcast production, and social media efforts. Perry has been published on both local and national news platforms including KTAR.com (Phoenix), ArizonaSports.com (Phoenix), AZFamily.com, Cronkite News, and MLB/MiLB among others. Perry received a BA in Journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State university.

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