Please suggest upgrade for TM4C123 using TivaWare graphics library

Hello Steve,

Thanks for the post here and I definitely understand your concerns so I will do my best to address those concerns so you can make the best decision for your next design.

Steve Strobel said:

My concern is that the Tiva MCUs don't seem to be getting much attention from TI, with no new parts in years (AFAIK).  The functionality of the existing parts is fine, but I am concerned that they were released a long time ago (2007 or so?) and may be nearing the end of their lifecycle (1).  Are any of them popular enough that they will stay in production a long time?

Before going into this deeper, just to clarify one point, TM4C launched later than 2007. The family rolled out more in the 2013-2014 timeframe.

With that said, TM4C is a popular family of devices with an established position in Industrial applications. As you will see on TI.com, company wide we promote using our devices for Industrial applications heavily and this comes with a deep understanding that these products often have long life cycles (5-10+ years) which is why we have statements like the product life cycle on TI.com. With this understanding of what our customers need, Industrial applications continue to be a key area that we target for our promotions of TM4C.

I think the best testimonial I can give for TM4C right now is that at the start of this year, we moved TM4C out of the 'Other Microcontroller' category it had been placed in on TI.com to instead be featured on our Arm Microcontrollers page. This move was very deliberately done to send a clear message that TM4C is still an active and supported family and should be considered for new designs still: https://www.ti.com/microcontrollers-mcus-processors/microcontrollers/arm-based-microcontrollers/overview.html

 
(Image from https://www.ti.com/microcontrollers-mcus-processors/microcontrollers/overview.html)

Steve Strobel said:

  Since we are using the TivaWare libraries (GPIO, SSI, I2C and graphics), using another MCU in the Tiva family is the most obvious path, and as far as I know that means one of the TM4C129 MCUs.  I think that any of them with 1024K flash would work; we don't need any of the features that differ between the various parts.  We could deal with either package.

TM4C1290NCPDT would be your best option in that case then. TM4C1294KCPDT is another possible option where you get 512kB Flash but it does include Ethernet MAC+PHY. I would say typically TM4C1290NCPDT is where customers go when not needing the additional features.

Steve Strobel said:

Would the TivaWare graphics library license let us port it to a different processor as long as it is made by TI?  It doesn't have any hardware dependencies (it depends on the user to provide that layer), so it seems like it should port easily.  Is there another graphics library with similar functionality (sending updates only for changes, rather than writing to a framebuffer) we should consider as a replacement?

I don't think there are a lot of dependencies on TM4C hardware for grlib because it is set to work with various display interfaces from a hardware standpoint. I am only aware of one direct equivalents in the MCU space which I will comment on as part of a larger comment below, and beyond that one I also know for example MSP430 has their own GRLIB as well. I don't think that is the case for C2000, but I could be mistaken.

Steve Strobel said:

If we switched MCU families, we might use more flash since the library (at least the TivaWare graphics library) wouldn't be built into the MCU's ROM as it is on the Tiva parts, but 1MB would still probably be enough.  We might also consider dual cores (possibly in lockstep).  We have no use for Linux or Android on this product, but an RTOS might be useful.  Long term availability is really important.  Built-in Bluetooth would be nice, if it has high enough TX power or a way to use an amplifier (although our quantities are low enough that it might be better to use a pre-certified module for Bluetooth).  Any recommendations for which MCU to use would be great!

In the 1MB space, TM4C129 is a leading option. For lockstep though you would definitely want to look at our Hercules portfolio which is targeted towards functional safety. There would not be a graphics library offered with Hercules but I could see TM4C's grlib being portable there.

I don't know of any devices like you are describing with built-in Bluetooth. If you are planning to use Bluetooth, you may want to look at TI's SimpleLink SDK offering for MSP432E4. I believe because that is also an M4 core, they re-used our grlib from TM4C on that device. So if RTOS + Bluetooth is the direction you are going in, that could be an option as well.

As long as long term availability, I can't speak for other products but for TM4C, well I am writing all these details out for you because I think TM4C is still a strong choice for you to consider and that we would be able to offer the long term availability that you are looking for.

I hope this provides you a lot more to think about and consider as you try and decide what platform is the best choice for your next developments.

Best Regards,

Ralph Jacobi
TM4C Applications & Product Marketing