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Product category: Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and DSPs
News Release from: Zilog | Subject: Z8 Encore!
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 17 December 2004

MCUs cut down on memory to save costs

A new series of small memory devices are particularly suitable for designing into low cost, general purpose 8bit microcontroller applications.

Zilog has expanded its Z8 Encore! Flash microcontroller family to include devices with smaller memory sizes The additional Z8 Encore! devices support up to 4Kbyte of Flash program memory and 1Kbyte register RAM

The Z8 Encore! family now supports a full range of memory sizes ranging from 1 to 64Kbyte.

These new small memory devices are particularly suitable for designing into low cost, general purpose 8bit microcontroller applications in markets such as home appliances, security systems, sensors, personal electronic devices, motor control and electronic lighting.

Ramesh Ramchandani, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Zilog, commented: "The Z8 Encore! family of Flash microcontrollers, we believe, is superior to what is currently being offered in the marketplace by our competitors".

"Its flexibility and high performance, along with a robust set of features, provide the components necessary for design engineers to tackle today's most demanding applications".

"This addition to the Z8 Encore! family means that Zilog offers the most comprehensive coverage of the 8bit MCU market".

"We are already seeing great demand for low-cost, small memory devices, primarily in Asia, where we feel the new lower memory densities will have a significant impact".

Key features of the new Z8 Encore! devices include Zilog's easy to use register-to-register based architecture, an on-chip internal oscillator (this eliminates the need for external components), and up to 1Kbyte RAM (as all RAM locations are accumulators, there is also no single-register bottleneck).

In addition, the devices feature an optional eight-channel 10bit A/D convertor, a new single-pin debugger and programming interface that simplifies code development and allows easy in-circuit Flash programming and debugging, and a full-duplex UART that provides serial communications and IrDA encoding and decoding capabilities.

The 4K Series also has a 2.7 to 3.6V operating voltage (with 5V-tolerant I/Os) in both a standard (0 to 70C) and extended (-40 to +105C) temperature range, making the devices suitable for even the harshest of operating environments.

As with the other members of the Z8 Encore! Family, the 4K Series is available in the standard 28 and 20-pin SOIC, PDIP and SSOP packages.

To support these new Z8 Encore! devices Zilog offers a very affordable development kit including a development board, Smart Cable, 5V DC power supply and software on CD-ROM containing ZDS II Z8 Encore! IDE with ANSI C-Compiler, sample code and a document browser.

Full product documentation is also supplied.

The new Z8 Encore! devices will sell for $0.85 for a 1Kbyte device in 20-pin SOIC and $1.00 for a 4Kbyte device in 28-pin SOIC - each in 10,000-unit quantities.

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