Freescale application proccessors expand connectivity, smart touch

AUSTIN, USA: The latest family of i.MX applications processors from Freescale Semiconductor is bringing a new level of connectivity, touch control, security and cost-saving integration to a wide range of industrial and automotive infotainment applications.

The i.MX25 family, based on the ARM9 core, is Freescale’s first line of applications processors that integrates liquid crystal display (LCD) and touchscreen controllers, DDR2 memory support, and controller area network (CAN), Ethernet and USB connectivity.

This high level of on-chip integration minimizes the need for additional discrete components, reduces board space and ultimately helps save development and product cost.

The low-power i.MX25 portfolio includes five products (three optimized for industrial and general embedded designs and two for automotive applications).

The i.MX253 and i.MX257 applications processors provide flexible connectivity options for a wide range of industrial designs that often require LCD and touchscreen support. These applications include residential smart meters, graphical keypads and security panels, human machine interface (HMI) designs, barcode scanners, factory automation and robotics, and printers.

A third industrial device, the i.MX258, is designed for the industrial security market. Featuring an on-chip security engine, the processor is ideal for developing exceptionally secure products for which it is critical that software code intended for the device will run only on that device.

Highly specific tamper detection circuitry is engineered to quickly erase confidential information if a device threat is detected. The i.MX258 processor’s security and connectivity capabilities provide a robust and cost-effective solution for point-of-sale (POS) systems.

The i.MX251 and i.MX255 applications processors are tailored for in-vehicle infotainment systems requiring many features of a high-end infotainment system but without the associated cost. The devices have achieved full AECQ-100 automotive qualification.

“Freescale designed the i.MX25 family to help embedded designers reduce the cost of adding connectivity, touchscreen, DDR2 memory and security features to their applications,” said Paul Marino, general manager of Freescale’s Multimedia Applications Division. “We are providing a superior level of on-chip integration and software development support to help our industrial and automotive customers create cost-competitive products and get them to market quickly.”