Microchip ATTINY861A-SUR: A Compact Powerhouse for Embedded Control

In the vast ecosystem of microcontrollers, the Microchip ATTINY861A-SUR stands out as a highly integrated and versatile 8-bit AVR solution designed for sophisticated embedded control applications. This robust MCU packs a significant number of features into a small footprint, making it an ideal choice for space-constrained and cost-sensitive designs requiring high performance and low power consumption.

Housed in a 20-pin SOIC package, the ATTINY861A-SUR is built around the powerful AVR RISC architecture. Operating at speeds up to 20 MHz, it delivers performance approaching 20 MIPS, enabling it to execute instructions in a single clock cycle for the vast majority of its powerful instruction set. This efficiency allows designers to handle complex tasks with speed and precision.

A key strength of this microcontroller is its rich set of integrated peripherals. It is equipped with a 10-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) with an impressive 11 channels, providing ample resources for precise sensor data acquisition. For control applications, it features two 8-bit and one 16-bit high-speed PWM channels, ideal for driving motors, LEDs, or generating complex waveforms. Communication is facilitated through a versatile Universal Serial Interface (USI) that can be configured for SPI, I2C, or UART protocols, alongside a LIN/UART interface for robust serial communication.

The device boasts 8 KB of self-programmable Flash memory, 512 bytes of EEPROM for non-volatile data storage, and 512 bytes of SRAM. A particularly notable feature is its debugWIRE On-chip Debug System, which simplifies the development and debugging process through a single-wire interface, significantly reducing the time to market.

Engineered for reliability, the ATTINY861A-SUR includes a wide array of internal oscillators, Brown-out Detection, and Watchdog Timer. Its operational voltage range of 1.8V to 5.5V and multiple power-saving modes (Idle, ADC Noise Reduction, Standby, and Power-down) make it exceptionally suited for battery-powered and low-power applications.

ICGOODFIND: The Microchip ATTINY861A-SUR is a formidable 8-bit AVR microcontroller that masterfully balances processing power, a rich peripheral set, and energy efficiency. Its compact form factor, coupled with advanced features like debugWIRE and a high-channel-count ADC, makes it a superior choice for a wide range of applications, including automotive systems, industrial control, consumer electronics, and Internet of Things (IoT) endpoints.

Keywords: AVR Microcontroller, Low-Power, Embedded Control, Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC), debugWIRE.