Fujitsu Semiconductor releases 52 new FM3 products powered by 32 bit ARM Cortex-M3 core

SINGAPORE: Fujitsu Semiconductor Asia Pte Ltd (FSAL) announced the release of 52 new FM3 products based on the ARM Cortex-M3 core.

These new products, including MB9AF316NBGL from the MB9A310 Series and MB9AF116NBGL from the MB9A110 Series, will soon begin shipping in sample quantities.

The MB9A310 Series and the MB9A110 Series feature high performance-price ratio and low power consumption, and are primarily used in inverter controls of home appliances, printer motor controls and other electronic devices like copy machines.

The FM3 family, which employs the high-performance ARM Cortex-M3 core, combines Fujitsu Semiconductor's wealth of experience in implementing ASIC products using ARM cores with peripheral features cultivated through the FR microcontroller family, which has gained broad market acceptance.

With the addition of these 52 additional products, Fujitsu Semiconductor has expanded the FM3 family's basic product line to a total of 96 products, including both the high-performance and basic product lines.

The lineup has been expanded with a focus on home appliances (air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, etc.), digital consumer devices, and office automation devices.

The basic product line is based on the ARM Cortex™-M3 core, which was designed to enable a balance between superior processing performance and low power consumption, combining peripheral functions from the FR family of microcontrollers.

Equipped with advanced peripheral functions inherited from the high-performance product line of high-end chips, the FM3 product line is able to achieve the balance between low cost and dramatically reduced power consumption. By increasing the series' flash memory from 64KB to 512KB and expanding the package lineup from 64 pins to 112 pins, Fujitsu Semiconductor has developed a line of microcontrollers that enable superior freedom of choice and improved cost effectiveness.

With high-speed CPUs and flash memory, the microcontrollers can respond without wait states at 40MHz. In addition, using a high-speed 12-bit A/D converter (1.0μs), as well as a rich array of timers, USB2.0 Host, and the ability to operate with a wide range of voltage (5.5 to 2.7V), these microcontrollers are suited for applications in a diversity of devices, especially major home appliances (external air conditioner units, refrigerators, washing machines, air purifiers, etc.), digital consumer devices, audio devices, and office automation devices.

With the increased need for inverter control products in markets around the world, Fujitsu believes the FM3 Series will help manufacturers improve performance and quality of their products while being more cost-efficient, and in the end benefit consumers globally through better, longer-lasting and more energy-efficient appliances and devices.