ST's new microcontroller leads the ultra-low power camp in performance and energy efficiency, with the highest level of peripheral integration in its class

     STMicroelectronics' latest microcontrollers (MCUS), the STM32L496 and STM32L4A6, combine the performance of ARM® Cortex-M4F processor cores with ST's unique ultra-low power technology to improve on-chip storage capacity and graphics processing capabilities. Add more communication peripherals and more flexible power-saving modes.

     The new product's 320KB of on-chip RAM, coupled with the new ST Chrom-ART Accelerator™ graphics processing engine, enables smoother graphics for iot hardware and power-focused devices such as smartwatches. The new microcontroller also offers up to 1MB of on-chip flash memory, a second CAN interface, a camera interface, and a crystallotless Full speed (FS) USB OTG controller. The new UFBGA169 multi-pin package gives designers more flexibility to use the new peripherals, as well as the rich digital capabilities and intelligent analog capabilities on the STM32L476/486. The STM32L4A6's cryptographic algorithm acceleration hardware can implement SHA-256 and AES-128/192/256 encryption algorithms.

     The STM32L4 product combines the performance of a high-performance processor with the energy efficiency of ultra-low power technology, providing features not found in other ultra-low power microcontrollers. The EEMBCCoreMark score of 273 is higher than other ultra-low power processor cores, while the ULPBench score of 217 proves that the new microcontroller is more energy efficient. The operating current of 37µA/MHz helps to extend the life of small batteries and expand the range of zero-energy products powered by environmental energy.

     STMicroelectronics also increases the flexibility of the STM32L4 power architecture, giving designers the option to feed the processor core with an external DC/DC converter to further improve energy efficiency. The STM32L4 FlexPowerControl architecture adds a turn-off mode that provides multiple independent core power supplies, peripheral power supplies, and a separate VBAT voltage domain with a charging circuit to choose whether to use battery power or charge the battery depending on the situation. The STM32L4 supports seven main low-power modes, with options such as I/O level holding and SRAM content retention, and each power mode is subdivided into multiple sub-modes to precisely adjust power consumption according to specific application requirements.

     The new STM32L4 microcontroller comes with a robust ecosystem that includes STM32Cube development tools and software, two Nucleo-144 development boards, and the STM32L496 Discovery Suite (STM32L496G-DISCO). Audio/graphics capabilities and Arduino, Pmod, and STMod+™ interfaces are integrated on the Discovery Suite board. The NUCLEO-L496ZG-P development board integrates a DC/DC converter that powers directly to the processor core, enabling developers to exploit variable power architectures for the most energy-focused applications. The NUCLEO-L496ZG is an older compatible development board with the same functionality as the existing Nucleo-144 development board.