CHANDLER, Ariz., June 28, 2018 — AVR® microcontrollers (MCUs)have long been used to create highly responsive sensor nodes because of theircost effectiveness and ease of implementation. To enhance the capability andresponsiveness of applications in these settings, Microchip Technology Inc.(NASDAQ: MCHP) has expanded its tinyAVR MCU series to include two new deviceswith advanced analog features and the largest memory variant in the family.Designed for reliable operation in harsh environments, the devices come withbuilt-in safety functions to help designers create robust and safe systems.

Ideal for sensor applications including capacitive touchinterfaces, the ATtiny3217 and ATtiny3216 bring the benefit of two Analog-to-DigitalConverters (ADCs) that enable systems to implement touch control simultaneouslywith other analog measurements. One ADC can be used with the Peripheral TouchController (PTC) for touch signal acquisition, while the second one monitorsother inputs such as thermistors and pressure sensors, or both ADCs can be usedfor faster sampling of different types of sensors. Additional benefits of theATtiny3217 and ATtiny3216 MCUs include:

.Improved real-time performance and accuracy: The dual ADC canbe used for synchronous sampling of analog signals, such as voltage andcurrent, thus improving the overall system real-time performance and accuracy.Additionally, the devices feature a hardware-based Event System that enablesinter-peripheral communication without CPU involvement, reducing latency andensuring faster system response.

.Robust and reliable performance: Both devices come withbuilt-in safety functions to help designers detect and respond to voltagesupply variations or drops, including the Power On Reset (POR), programmableBrownout Detect (BOD), Voltage Level Monitor (VLM) and Windowed Watchdog Timer(WWDT).

.mproved noise immunity and functionality in extremeenvironments: The devices operate at up to 5V and come available in 125°Cvariants.

.Increased functionality with more room for application code:With 32 KB of Flash, designers have plenty of room for their application codewhile retaining a small physical footprint on the PCB.

“We continue to invest in bringing new AVR MCUs to the market with advancedfeatures that meet our customers’ needs while easing the development process,”said Steve Drehobl, vice president of Microchip’s MCU8 division. “Thecombination of responsive touch sensing and built-in safety functions make iteasier for designers to improve the user experience in applications such ashome appliances, automotive and industrial automation.”

The ATtiny3217 and ATtiny3216 are the latest devices inMicrochip’s tinyAVR family of MCUs, including the ATtiny1617 and the ATtiny817, which are optimized forperformance, power efficiency and ease of use in small packages.

source：http://www.atmel.com