New TriCore DSCs Target Motor Control

Last month Infineon introduced two new TriCore-based processors, the TC1161 and TC1162. These new chips join Infineon’s TC1xxx family of chips targeting motor control and other computationally demanding industrial signal processing applications. (Chips targeting this space are often called digital signal controllers, or DSCs.)

The new TC116x chips are much less expensive than the older TC1xxx family members. The TC1161 and TC1162 are priced at $11 and $12, respectively. In comparison, the older parts have prices around $20. (All pricing in this article is for 10,000-unit orders.) The TC116x chips are also slower and offer less on-chip integration than their predecessors. The older TC1150, for example, operates at 150 MHz; the new TC116x chips operate at 66 MHz.

The TC116x chips offer impressive levels of on-chip integration, however. Each chip includes 48 Kbytes of RAM and just over 1 MByte of on-chip flash memory. Each chip also offers a variety of peripherals including a timer unit, analog-to-digital converters, and an interface for controlling power ICs. In addition to these peripherals, the TC1162 offers a CAN interface.

The TC116x peripherals are notably flexible. For example, the timer unit can also function as a PWM generator or as an input comparator. In each mode, the timer unit offers sophisticated functionality. For example, it offers glitch detection and other signal conditioning capabilities.

According to Infineon, the main competitors to the TC116x are ARM-based controllers and the Renesas SH-DSP family. The TC116x also competes with Freescale’s 56F8xxx family, Microchip’s dsPIC3x family, and Texas Instruments’ ‘C28x family.

BDTI has not benchmarked the TC116x, so it is difficult to precisely compare it to the competition. However, BDTI’s analysis suggests that the TC116x is faster than many of its rivals. The TC116x also offers a higher level of integration than most processors in its class. For example, it includes twice as much on-chip flash memory as any of its competitors. And the TC116x is reasonably priced: It is offered at prices that are in the middle of its competitors’ price ranges.

The main drawback of the TC116x chips is that they are the only low-cost parts in the TC1xxx family. If a system designer starts a design using the TC116x but then discovers that he needs a part with a higher clock rate or additional peripherals, he will face a tough choice: He must either buy a part that is much more expensive, or restart the design using a different processor family. In contrast, some competing processor families offer a much broader selection of chips. For example, the Freescale 56F8xxx family includes 27 parts with prices spread across a range of $3 to $18. This spread of prices gives system designers more flexibility to migrate a design from one 56F8xxx chip to another.

Overall, the new TC116x chips look like strong contenders for motor control and industrial applications. The main challenge for Infineon will be filling out its product range. Infineon appears to be aware of this challenge: The company states that it will introduce four additional TC116x family members in the first half of 2006.

The TC1161 and TC1162 are currently available in sample quantities. Volume production is expected in the second quarter of 2006.