OREANDA-NEWS. October 9, 2012. The Internet Protocol Suite from German embedded Internet specialist SEVENSTAX is now also available for Fujitsu’s single- and twin-Ethernet (TwinMAC) ARM® Cortex™-M3 microcontrollers from the FM3 family. The FM3 TwinMAC MCUs are high-end members of the FM3 family and can be deployed for a wide range of applications – such as factory or home automation and the intelligent control of illumination and alarm systems, to name just two. With the porting to the FM3 architecture, SEVENSTAX now also supports this microcontroller family.

The advantage of an MCU with two Ethernet interfaces is the range of new application options enabled by this configuration and potential cost savings. Since a daisy chain topology can be configured without additional switches, for example, this saves on the cabling costs incurred by a star topology. Another option is gateway functionality between two networks, for example, to connect a smart home with the outside world or to connect embedded systems to a remote administration system. For safety critical application scenarios, it is also a simple matter to establish redundancy or to protect a sub-network behind a firewall in security critical applications, for example.

With chip operating frequencies of up to 144 MHz, a total of 128 KB RAM and 1024 KB of Flash memory (rated at 100,000 write/erase cycles and offering up to 20 years of secure data storage), the MB9BD10S/T, MB9B610S/T and MB9B210S/T models are well equipped for demanding applications. The controllers’ broad supply voltage range of 2.7 V to 5.5 V means that they can be deployed in both 3- and 5-volt systems. This enables cost savings for power supply systems. Alongside Ethernet, the units also offer plenty of options for communication with external systems, with dual-channel CAN and USB (host + device) plus 8 multi-function serial interfaces. The numerous embedded timers also include dedicated modules for electric motor control. The MCUs are offered in 144-pin and 176-pin LQFP and BGA housings.

“We are delighted that a recognized embedded Internet expert such as SEVENSTAX will be supporting our Ethernet-enabled FM3 solutions in the future,” explains Wolf Fronauer, Marketing Manager Embedded & Applications at Fujitsu Semiconductor Europe. “This will expand interest in FM3 MCUs to customers who are already deploying software solutions from SEVENSTAX.”

“Together with our Routing Protocol Suite, the FM3 TwinMAC MCUs and our multi-interface TCP/IP stack form the ideal combination for high-performance multi-homed applications,” comments Tolga Tuncay, Sales Manager at SEVENSTAX. “In addition, our web server plus our ZeroConfig technology naturally enable the highly efficient implementation of innovative web applications and an optimal interplay with smartphone apps.”