Starter Kit adds digital audio to embedded designs.

Press Release Summary:




Based on USB-powered Digital Signal Controller board with integrated debugger and programmer, MPLAB® Starter Kit for dsPIC® DSCs comes complete with MPLAB IDE and MPLAB C30 C complier software, and sample programs and hardware for demonstrating speech and audio applications. Operating at 40 MIPS, DSC board has 256 KB of Flash program memory and 16 KB of RAM, 12-bit ADC, peripherals that support audio PWM, and 16-/24-/32-bit audio CODEC with sampling frequencies up to 48 kHz.



Original Press Release:



Microchip Technology Makes Adding Digital Audio to Embedded Designs Easy With New MPLAB® Starter Kit for dsPIC® DSCs



$59.98 Kit Provides Complete dsPIC Digital Signal Controller Development System With Debugger, Programmer, Integrated Development Environment and C Compiler

CHANDLER, Ariz., March 17, 2008 [NASDAQ: MCHP] - Microchip Technology Inc., a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors, today announced the MPLAB® Starter Kit for dsPIC® DSCs (part # DM330011), which comes with complete development software and hardware for only $59.98, including the USB-powered Digital Signal Controller (DSC) board with integrated debugger and programmer, the MPLAB IDE and MPLAB C30 C complier software, and sample programs and hardware for demonstrating speech and audio applications. The board is populated with a 40 MIPS dsPIC33FJ256GP506 DSC, which has 256 KB of Flash program memory and 16 KB of RAM, a 12-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and peripherals that support audio pulse-width modulation (PWM). Additionally, the board has 4 Megabits of serial Flash memory to store audio messages and a 16-/24-/32-bit audio CODEC with sampling frequencies up to 48 kHz. The demo board also includes a 100 mW headphone amp, and microphone and line level inputs, along with a sample program for recording custom audio content. All of these features demonstrate the power and potential of dsPIC DSCs, while showing how easy it can be to add high-fidelity audio to embedded designs.

Design engineers, students and teachers are always looking for ways to quickly and inexpensively evaluate semiconductor architectures and high-speed applications, such as DSCs and digital audio. This Starter Kit's high-performance integrated debugger/programmer makes entering the world of digital audio singularly simple. Packaged with Microchip's world-class tools-the MPLAB IDE, MPLAB C30 Student Edition C compiler, and hardware debugging and programming solutions-this new kit contains everything needed for dsPIC DSC code development at the lowest possible cost.

"Once again, Microchip demonstrates its high commitment to customers by providing a complete development system with breakthrough affordability, high performance and remarkable ease of use," said Derek Carlson, Microchip's vice president of Development Tools.

Availability
The MPLAB Starter Kit for dsPIC DSCs (part # DM330011) is available today for $59.98 at www.microchipdirect.com. For additional information, contact any Microchip sales representative or authorized worldwide distributor, or visit Microchip's Web site at www.microchip.com/tools.

Microchip Customer Support
Microchip is committed to supporting its customers by helping design engineers develop products faster and more efficiently. Customers can access four main service areas at www.microchip.com. The Support area provides a fast way to get questions answered; the Sample area offers free evaluation samples of any Microchip device; microchipDIRECT provides 24-hour pricing, ordering, inventory and credit for convenient purchasing of all Microchip devices and development tools; finally, the Training area educates customers through webinars, sign-ups for local seminar and workshop courses, and information about the annual MASTERs events held throughout the world.

About Microchip Technology
Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP) is a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors, providing low-risk product development, lower total system cost and faster time to market for thousands of diverse customer applications worldwide. Headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, Microchip offers outstanding technical support along with dependable delivery and quality. For more information, visit the Microchip website at www.microchip.com.

Note: The Microchip name and logo, dsPIC, and MPLAB are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Inc. in the USA and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies.

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