As the embedded market continues to evolve, developers may need to transition from a microcontroller (MCU) to a microprocessor (MPU) to handle increased processing requirements. To help with this transition and reduce design complexities, Microchip has expanded its portfolio of MPU-based system-on-modules (SOMs) with the SAM9X60D1G-SOM ARM926EJ-S-based embedded MPU running up to 600 MHz. Software for the SAM9X60D1G-SOM is available with bare metal or RTOS support through MPLAB Harmony3 or complete Linux mainlined distributions.
The SOM, based on the SAM9X60D1G System in Package (SiP), is a small 28 mm × 28 mm hand-solderable module that includes the MPU and DDR in a single package, along with power supplies, clocks, and memory storage. The SAM9X60D1G-SOM is Microchip’s first SOM equipped with 4 Gb SLC NAND Flash to maximize memory storage of data in application devices, while the on-board DDR reduces the supply and price risks associated with memory chips. The small-form-factor SAM9X60D1G-SOM also includes an MCP16501 power management IC (PMIC), which simplifies the power design effort to a single 5V voltage rail to enable lower-power systems.
To offer the features an Ethernet-connected system might require, the SAM9X60D1G-SOM contains a 10/100 KSZ8081 Ethernet PHY and a 1 Kb Serial EEPROM with pre-programmed MAC address (EUI-48). Customers can further customize their design based on the level of security protection required such as secure boot with on-chip secure key storage (OTP), hardware encryption engine (TDES, AES and SHA) and True Random Generator (TRNG).