CHANDLER, Ariz., June 14, 2011 [NASDAQ: MCHP] — Microchip Technology Inc., a leading provider of microcontroller, analog and Flash-IP solutions, and Digilent®, Inc., today announced the availability of a PIC32 32-bit microcontroller (MCU)-based development kit through Digilent, Inc. The Digilent® Cerebot™ 32MX7 Development Kit addresses the growing interest in embedded-control and networking applications from the academic and hobbyist markets, and is ideal for learning about microcontrollers and solving real problems. The kit includes a demonstration board providing a 10/100 Ethernet interface, dual CAN and I2C™ interfaces, the ability to use Digilent Pmod™ peripheral modules, and an integrated programming/debugging circuit that is compatible with the free MPLAB® IDE. Example applications include university embedded-systems and communications classes, senior capstone projects, and numerous other academic and hobbyist projects.
A video demo of the kit can be viewed on YouTube at: http://www.microchip.com/get/4Q21.
The Cerebot 32MX7 board features numerous I/O connectors, and power-supply options including USB power, giving users the flexibility to utilize it for a variety of embedded networking and control applications. The onboard PIC32 MCU operates at 80 MHz, and features 512 Kbytes of Flash program memory and 128 Kbytes of RAM, as well as numerous peripherals, such as a full speed USB On-The-Go (OTG)/Host/Device controller, Ethernet controller, dual CAN controllers, timer/counters, serial-interface controllers, Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC), and more. The Cerebot 32MX7 board combines three push buttons, four LEDs, Ethernet, CAN and I2C bus connectors, and six connectors for Digilent Pmod peripheral modules, including H-bridges, ADCs, Digital-to-Analog Converters (DACs), RF transceivers, speakers, switches, along with converters for easy connection to RS-232, servo motors and more.
“The Cerebot 32MX7 is an ideal embedded-control and networking platform for academics and hobbyists,” said Clint Cole, president of Digilent Inc. “It’s our latest entry in the engineering education market.”
“Digilent continues to be a premier design partner for Microchip, helping us to build awareness and traction in academic institutions around the globe,” said Mitch Little, Microchip’s vice president of Worldwide Sales. “The Cerebot 32MX7 kit makes it easy for students to incorporate networking into their student projects with Microchip’s industry-leading PIC32 MCU product family.”
Microchip Development Tool Support
The free versions of Microchip’s MPLAB IDE and C Compiler for PIC32 MCUs can be downloaded today, from http://www.microchip.com/get/BG6A.
Development Kit Pricing & Availability
The Cerebot 32MX7 Development Kit is available today, for $99.It can be purchased from Digilent at http://www.microchip.com/get/6J50 or from microchipDIRECT (part # TDGL004). To learn more about Microchip’s Academic Program, visit (http://www.microchip.com/get/L4H5) or email academic@microchip.com.
About Digilent Inc.
Digilent Inc. is a leader in providing academic and research solutions in high end electronics fields. Their headquarters are in Pullman Washington, with offices in Taiwan, China, and Romania. Currently, over 1000 universities, training centers and research laboratories in more than 70 countries use Digilent products and services. For more information, please visit the Digilent Web site (http://www.microchip.com/get/7B30) or contact Joe Harris at joe@digilentinc.com or 509-334-6306.
About Microchip Technology
Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP) is a leading provider of microcontroller, analog and Flash-IP solutions, providing low-risk product development, lower total system cost and faster time to market for thousands of diverse customer applications worldwide. Headquartered in Chandler, Ariz., Microchip offers outstanding technical support along with dependable delivery and quality. For more information, visit the Microchip Web site (http://www.microchip.com/get/UXJN).
