Mouser Ahead of Trends for Embedded Processing & Dev Tools
Mansfield, Texas, USA - In keeping with its philosophy of delivering What's Next to the engineering marketplace, Mouser Electronics, Inc. is staying ahead of trends in embedded processors and development tools by stocking the latest solutions, helping design engineers make our lives smarter, greener, and more convenient. Mouser is known as a leading global design engineering resource and distributor for semiconductors and electronic components.
The need for ultra low power continues to dominate engineering discussions. Microchip's XLP families of products reduce current draw to a mere 20 nA in sleep mode, while the ARM Cortex(TM) M0 based LPC1100L from NXP Semiconductors has recently been clocked at an astonishing 130 uA/MHz in active mode. Texas Instruments' 16-bit MSP430 microcontrollers and Atmel's AVR MCUs with PicoPower technology are also among the stingiest around. In addition, relative newcomers including Energy Micro's ARM Cortex M3 based Gecko microcontrollers continue to push the envelope on ultra low power capabilities.
"In today's world, convenience means portable, which in turn means low power systems running on batteries," says Mike Scott, Mouser Vice President of Semiconductors. "Although low power has always been a goal almost since the inception of embedded design, the trend towards microcontrollers with ultra low power consumption has accelerated in recent years."
Being green doesn't necessarily just mean low power. To reduce the carbon footprint, one needs to make the most efficient use of the power they use, Scott emphasizes. In processor designs, the technique of using multiple cores to increase processing efficiencies is maturing with results like fine wine. Texas Instruments' new TMS320C66x DSP family boasts as many as eight independent cores in a single die with both fixed and floating point DSP capability. Freescale's recently announced Kinetis and i.MX processor families are highly integrated ARM Cortex M4-based and Cortex A8-based microcontrollers, respectively, that feature multiple core types and up to ten operating modes for low power operation based on specific application requirements.
As microcontroller hardware designs have advanced, the development tools that enable engineers to effectively evaluate and test them in their newest designs have kept pace.
In fact, many semiconductor companies are aligning with third party development tool manufacturers for their expertise in designing low cost solutions that are highly functional and adaptable. To support the new Freescale Kinetis "Tower" system, software tool maker IAR has bundled their J-Link Lite JTAG emulator and software with Freescale's Kinetis K60 Tower kit and has made it available directly through Freescale sales channel including Mouser.
ARM development tool company, Keil Tools, is rising to the occasion when it comes to complex debug tools, having recently announced multi-core debug capabilities for the new NXP LPC4000 ARM processor. With a plethora of high quality development tool suppliers such as Future Design, Inc, Elprotronic, Olimex, Beagleboard, Arduino, Code Red Technologies, Signum Systems, and Spectrum Digital, Mouser is establishing itself as the go-to place for the latest embedded design products.
"With the requirements of the consumer and industry for embedded design increasing so rapidly, every link in the chain from semiconductor manufacturer to development tool maker to distributor must constantly be on the cutting edge," interjects Russell Rasor, Mouser Electronics' Vice President of Advanced Technology. "Our goal is to help the design engineers around the world get their products to market faster. We do that by offering the most state-of-the-art products from the top suppliers. Customers know they can count on Mouser to deliver not only what's new, but What's Next in embedded processors and development tools."
A trusted source of electronic components since 1964, Mouser Electronics operates 14 global customer support locations, including offices across Europe. Mouser provides a complimentary catalogue, along with an award-winning multicurrency, multilingual website www.Mouser.com that features the newest embedded products from top suppliers. There's a full suite of development tools including starter kits, evaluation boards, programmers, debuggers, and emulators, required for rapid evaluation and testing of designs. Product numbers are updated daily and labeled as new technology or flagged NRND (Not Recommended for New Design) and/or EOL (End of Life).
"With technology advancing so rapidly, it's an exciting time to be in the electronics industry, particularly embedded solutions. Our mission is to be the global source most preferred by engineers and buyers," concludes Rasor.
About Mouser
Mouser Electronics, Inc., a subsidiary of TTI, Inc., is part of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies. Mouser Electronics is an award-wining semiconductor and electronic component authorized distributor, focused on the rapid introduction of the newest products and technologies to electronic design engineers and buyers. Mouser.com features more than 1.8 million products online from more than 400 manufacturers. Mouser publishes multiple catalogues per year providing designers with up-to-date data on the components now available for the next generation of electronic devices. Mouser ships globally to over 300,000 customers in 170 countries from its 492,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility in Mansfield, Texas. For more information, visit www.mouser.com.
For press inquiries contact:
Kelly DeGarmo
Manager, Corporate Communications and Media Relations
Mouser Electronics, Inc.
Tel: +1 817.804.7764 ; Email: kelly.degarmo@mouser.com
