8-Bit MCUs Extend Choices

STMicroelectronics extends feature integration in low-cost, low-power 8-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) with the STM8L050. As the latest in the ultra-energy-conscious STM8L series, it embeds rich analog peripherals, a DMA controller, and separated data EEPROM, all in an inexpensive SO-8 package with up to six user I/Os. Leveraging an STM8 core running at speeds up to 16 MHz, the STM8L050 delivers economy and performance for resource-constrained products like industrial sensors, toys, access cards, e-bike controllers, home-automation or lighting products, smart printer cartridges, or battery chargers.

 

The integrated DMA (Direct Memory Access) controller streamlines data transfers between peripherals and memory, or from memory to memory. The 256 bytes of separated EEPROM allows applications to store program data when the MCU is powered down, while allowing maximum utilization of Flash for code storage.

 

Alongside two comparators, the STM8L050 has a 4-channel 12-bit analog-digital converter (ADC) and a low-power real-time clock (RTC) with programmable alarm and periodic wakeups. In addition, support for either an external or internal clock at up to 16MHz further enhances flexibility to balance performance with bill-of-materials (BOM) savings. Other features include 8 Kbytes of Flash memory, 1 Kbyte of RAM, two 16-bit timers, one 8-bit timer, and connectivity and debug interfaces including SPI, I2C, UART, and SWIM.

 

The STM8L050J3 is in production now, and available in the SO-8 package, priced from $0.25 each/10,000. For further information, checkout the datasheet.