Microchip Technology Inc. announces its first family of Arm Cortex®-M4F-based PIC microcontrollers (MCUs) that address wireless connectivity designs by integrating Bluetooth Low Energy functionality directly into one of a system’s most basic components, supported by one of the industry’s most comprehensive developer ecosystems.

“Our PIC32CX-BZ2 MCU family removes barriers that have made it difficult to bring wireless applications to market, from availability problems and complexity challenges to regulatory certification hurdles and long-term support concerns,” said Steve Caldwell, vice president of Microchip’s wireless solutions business unit. “Our family tightly integrates wireless connectivity with an MCU that is built on our decades of specialized experience and backed by a vertical manufacturing approach that encompasses ICs, Microchip’s highly integrated software stacks, in-house module manufacturing and a customer-driven obsolescence practice.”

Microchip’s PIC32CX-BZ2 family includes System-on-Chip (SoC) devices as well as global regulatory-certified, RF-ready modules. In addition to Bluetooth Low Energy functionality, the family includes Zigbee® stacks and Over the Air (OTA) update capabilities. Hardware features include a 12-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC), multiple timer/counters for control (TCC) channels, an on-board encryption engine, and a broad set of interfaces to touch, CAN, sensor, display and other peripherals. The family’s 1 MB of Flash memory supports large application codes, multiprotocol wireless stacks, and OTA updates. AEC-Q100 Grade 1 (125 °C) qualified packages further simplify wireless connectivity integration where highly robust solutions are required.

The PIC32CX-BZ2 MCU family simplifies development through Microchip’s MPLAB® Harmony 32-bit embedded software development framework. MPLAB Code Configurator integration enables developers to quickly begin prototyping with the PIC32CX-BZ2 family using drag-and-drop auto code generation. Numerous application code examples are hosted on GitHub and linked through MPLAB Code Configurator and MPLAB Discover. RF design with PIC32CX-BZ2 SoCs is simplified with the ecosystem’s chip-down reference design packages and wireless design check services. Customers with little to no RF expertise can benefit from Microchip’s WBZ451 modules that are pre-certified to multiple regulations around the world and feature an optimized on-board RF design.

The PIC32CX-ZB2 family is in-stock and available now. PIC32CX1012BZ25048-I and PIC32CX1012BZ25048-E SoCs ship in 7 x 7 mm 48 Quad-Flat No-leads (QFN) packages. For more information, please visit PIC32CX-BZ2 family.