TechBlog

Freescale has launched the ColdFire V1 core, which it claims blends 32bit performance with the ease of use of an 8bit microcontroller. The move is a response to increasing performance and memory requirements in such applications as medical, industrial and motor control.
The 68K/ColdFire V1 core will provide the engine for 32bit devices that are not only compatible with 8bit microcontrollers – allowing easy migration between architectures – but which also use the same peripheral modules and development tools as products based on the S08 architecture.
“The 68K/ColdFire V1 core is Freescale’s next step in delivering the Controller Continuum, our roadmap for 8 and 32bit product compatibility that will give designers the ability to move effortlessly between 8 and 32bit microcontrollers,” said Mike McCourt, vice president and general manager of Freescale’s Microcontroller Division.
Early supporters of the 68K/ColdFire V1 core include Opto 22, a developer of hardware and software products for applications in industrial automation and remote monitoring.
Matt Chang, Opto 22’s engineering manager, said: “The introduction of the V1 core will allow us to use both 8 and 32bit technology in a formerly 8bit only space, without the development discontinuities imposed by multiple architectures.”
The 68K/ColdFire V1 core has the lowest power consumption of any 68K/ColdFire product to date, while offering more performance than 8bit microcontrollers.
The V1 core uses the S08 bus structure, which enables the use of similar peripheral and memory modules. For package pin compatibility, the V1 uses the S08’s single pin background debug mode to create simple interface configuration.
Freescale intends to introduce multiple products based on the 68K/ColdFire V1 core throughout 2007