NXP has introduced the MCX A34 family of mixed-signal MCUs, designed for motor control, robotics, and industrial automation. Built around an Arm Cortex-M33 core running up to 180 MHz, the devices integrate 1 MB Flash, 256 KB RAM, and a Math Acceleration Unit (MAU) for trigonometric and complex calculations.
The MCX A34 series comes with dual FlexPWM modules with four submodules each, advanced analogue peripherals (up to four 16-bit ADCs with 82 channels, 12-bit DAC, high-speed comparators, and integrated OPAMPs), making it particularly suitable for BLDC, PMSM motor drives, and motion control systems.
MCX-A34-block-diagram
Connectivity is provided through LPSPI, LPI²C, LPUART, and a FlexCAN with FD, while SmartDMA offloads tasks such as camera interfaces and keypad scanning. The devices also integrate a wide range of timers, including general-purpose, low-power, watchdog, frequency measurement, and real-time clock timers.
Security features include a 128-bit UUID, flash protection, security monitoring, and resistance against glitch attacks. The MCX A34 MCUs are supported by the MCUXpresso ecosystem, with SDKs, configuration tools, and Zephyr RTOS support, aiming to accelerate embedded system development.
NXP Mixed-signal MCUs Key specifications:
- Arm Cortex-M33 @ 180 MHz
- Up to 1 MB Flash with ECC, 256 KB RAM
- 4x 16-bit ADC (up to 3.2 Msps), 12-bit DAC
- 2x FlexPWM, 4x OPAMP, 3x comparators
- SmartDMA and Math Acceleration Unit (MAU)
- Multiple timers and security features
- FlexCAN FD, SPI, I²C, UART interfaces
Price and availability:
At the time of writing, the MCX A34 (MCX-A345/A346) MCUs are now available on Digikey, offered in multiple package options. More details, datasheets, and software support are accessible from NXP’s website.
Sayantan Nandy