In a change to our regular column, AND have invited key individuals from the electronics industry to showcase their current Micro's of the Month. This month, we're very pleased to feature the Marvell® PXA168 by Ronald Singh, Technical Marketing Manager at Avnet MEMEC.

High performance, highly integrated processor - scalable beyond 1 GHz for cost-sensitive consumer and embedded applications!

The Marvell® PXA168 processor is the first in a family of application processors targeted at mass market opportunities in computing and consumer devices. It balances high computing and multimedia performance with low power consumption to support extended battery life, and includes a wealth of integrated peripherals to reduce overall BOM cost. The Marvell PXA168 processor is based on a new innovative architecture that delivers the processing capabilities of an entry level laptop to instant-on, digital consumer and embedded devices by enabling full-featured web browsing, Internet widgets, multi-format video, Adobe® Flash® based content playback, image processing, video conferencing, and sophisticated ultrafast graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Turnkey reference designs coupled with complete software stacks speed time-to market for devices that can include connected digital photo frames, automotive dashboard display and console, portable navigation devices, internet TV set-top boxes, low-cost mobile computing devices, home and office automation, digital signage and other mass-market consumer and embedded devices.

The CPU core is powered by Marvell Sheeva™ technology scalable beyond 1 GHz that with direct path to commodity DDR2 SDRAM memory for fast user responsiveness and differentiation to bring advanced applications to mainstream devices. A multimedia co-processor powered by Intel® Wireless MMX™ 2 technology and a graphics engine support HD video and rich GUIs. Integrated south-bridge support for standard peripherals, MLC NAND, USB2.0 HS OTG w/PHY, a 5-in-1 card reader, PCIe®, and a 10/100 Ethernet MAC can dramatically lower total BOM cost. The Marvell PXA168 also supports high-resolution displays up to WUXGA and Marvell Qdeo™ Colour Intelligent Colour Remapping technology, bringing vivid colour to displays without hue shifts or clipping while preserving skin tones.

The Marvell PXA168 reference platform supports Linux and Microsoft® Windows® CE operating systems and a comprehensive media framework for connected consumer devices, including standard video and audio CODECs, as well as Adobe Flash and Flash Lite™ players, advanced GUIs and widgets, and many third-party applications. The rich software environment speeds time-to-market and provides a common software base and a scalable platform to cover a breadth of product offerings. The Marvell PXA168 processor is available in a 320-ball BGA package with 0.8 mm ball pitch, and a 176-pin QFP package with 1 mm pad pitch that facilitates using 2-layer PCBs. Turnkey reference designs are available to leverage the wealth of Marvell solutions, including embedded Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and power.

For more information please contact Ronald Singh, alternatively visit Avnet Memec [www.avnet-memec.eu]

Useful links
ronald.singh@avnet-memec.eu
Avnet Memec [www.avnet-memec.eu]
Marvell [www.marvell,com]