dsPIC33CH Family

Microchip have recently brought out the new dsPIC33CH Family of devices. These parts have a dual core – you get 2 dsPICs in one package! One dsPIC is termed the ‘master’ and the other dsPIC is termed the ‘slave’. The ‘master’ typically handles communications, user interface, system monitoring etc. while the ‘slave’ handles demanding real-time control tasks.

Independent development

Both the ‘master’ and ‘slave’ code can be developed as independent projects. This means that one team can develop the ‘master’ application while another team can independently develop the ‘slave’ application.

3-4 times the performance!

You would think that having 2 dsPICs in one means twice the performance. In reality, it is more like 3-4 times the performance of previous dsPIC families due to the dual core, increased clock speed ( master at 90MHz,slave at 100MHz ), decreased latency, and additional instructions.

 

How does it work?

Configuration

The master owns the configuration bits. Part of the configuration is assigning which pins on the device belong to the master and which pins belong to the slave.

Power-up

Both the master program and slave program are stored in the master flash. On power-up the master transfers the slave program to the slave’s PRAM memory. It then issues a command to the slave to start executing the program from the PRAM.

Master Slave Communication

There is an MSI ( Master Slave Interface) which allows for fast, efficient communication between master and slave. This comprises mailboxes and FIFOs and can also use DMA.

Code Development

Both the master and slave programs can be developed independently as separate projects. If you are developing a slave project then you only need to have a master stub – just enough for configuration and starting slave execution.

Development Tools

The dsPIC33CH is supported by MPLAB X and the MCC code configurator.

There is also a dsPIC33CH Curiosity Board and a dsPIC33CH PIM for the Explorer 16/32 Development Board.

 

 

Further information can be found on Microchip’s website here