The A-Engine can be integrated into an OEM product as a processor core component. It also can be used to build a smart sensor, or a node in a distributed microprocessor system. By building your product around the A-Engine, you reduce the time from design to market introduction, cut development costs, minimize technical risks, and deliver a more reliable product.

There are three 16-bit programmable timers/counters and a watchdog timer. Two timers can be used to count or time external events up to 10 MHz. They can also be used to generate non-repetitive or variable-duty-cycle waveforms as PWM outputs.

The Pulse Width Demodulation (PWD), a distinctive feature, can be used to measure the width of a signal in both its high and low phases. This has potential in a variety of applications, such as bar-code reading.

The A-Engine has 32 user-programmable CPU I/O pins, plus 24 bi-directional, user-definable I/O pins from a PPI (82C55) chip. Schmitt-trigger inverters are provided to increase noise immunity for external interrupt inputs. A supervisor chip (691) provides power failure detection and a watchdog timer.

The 12-bit ADC has sample-and-hold, a high-impedance reference input, 11 single-ended 0-5V (or 0 to REF) inputs, and a 10 kHz sample rate. Two 12-bit DAC provide 0 V to 4.095 V analog voltage outputs capable of sinking or sourcing 5 mA. The 82C55 PPI can be used to interface to a 20×4 LCD and keypad or other controllers.

The A-Engine expects a regulated 5V voltage supply, and does not provide RS232 or RS485 drivers for the serial ports. The VE232 can be used to provide this during development/debugging. If you are using this controller stand-alone, you might want to consider the A-Engine-P.

The A-Engine-P is based on the A-Engine design, and offers an on-board 5-volt regulator and two RS-232 drivers, in addition to standard AE features. The third optional UART SCC2691 can be either RS-232 (default) or RS-485, to be specified when ordering. The A-Engine-P does not require the VE232.

The A-Engine shares a similar pin-out and physical dimensions with the 586-Engine, i386-Engine and V25-Engine-LM. Be sure to also check out the A-Engine-86, which is a 16-bit external bus version of the A-Engine. It has almost double the performance capabilities of the original A-Engine.

A-Engine Specs:

• Measures 3.6×2.3×0.3 inches
• 16-bit CPU (188), x86 compatible
• 20/40 MHz system clock
• Power consumption: 190/130 mA at 5V
• Power saving mode: 30/25 mA at 5V
• Up to 512 KB Flash/EPROM
• Up to 512 KB battery-backed SRAM
• 2 high-speed PWM outputs, PWD
• 24 I/O lines from PPI
• 32 I/O lines from CPU
• 512 bytes serial EEPROM
• 8 external interrupt inputs
• 3 16-bit timers/counters
• Up to 3 serial ports
• 11 12-bit ADC (10 kHz sample rate)
• 2 12-bit DAC
• Real time clock, battery, watchdog
• Interface for LCD, keypad

A-Engine-P Specs (adds):

• Measures 3.6×3.8×0.3 inches
• RS-232/485 drivers, 5V regulator

AE (40 MHz):

• Includes 188 processor 40 MHz with 128 KB SRAM
• 32 I/Os, 2 UARTs
• 3 timers
• 82C55 with 24 I/O lines
• watchdog timer
• 512 byte EE
• Does not include add-on options
• OEM option discounts available.

Add-on Options:

AE-P (40 MHz) :

Add-on Options: