Low end/low pin count but with USB2.0 ?

Looks like this request is falling on deaf ears at TI.

Atmel also has a 32 pin part, 16MHz, 16KB flash, 22 I/O pins, Full Speed Flash...

We would rather build with TI parts, but, in this case, TI doesn't have much to offer...

Tony Philipsson said:

Microchip just come out with 28pin soic (hobby friendly) mcu with usb for $2.50 each (at 100 units)

SOIC is SOIC, it does not really make a difference whether it is 28 or 64 pin. It isn't "hobby-friendly" in any case (pun intended). And the USB is the expensive part, so why not adding much more funcitonality (and pins) for little more price?

However, $2,50 is much for a chip that has only a few pins to do anything useful with. And 100 units isn't hobby friendly.
Not to mention that I really don't like Microchips processor design. 'cheap' describes it perfectly. And I don't talk about the price.

How much do you think TI can strip from the MSP to sell it for $1 less? USB with 128 bytes RAM and 4k flash? You wouldn't be happy with it, really.

or let's ask the question the other way: What are you missing on the Microchip chip that you want an MSP, and why do you think you could get this added value for even less money? If the answer is 'nothing', then, well, go and ask Microchip to lower their prices.

Tony Philipsson said:

TI, come out with a 20pin soic MSP430F2xx  with USB  for $1.50 and you have a winner.

Sometimes you can "win" yourself to bankruptcy.

It's so hard to tell where Jens-Michael is on this topic :-)

However, there is a point I think. Let me try it again.

48 pin (MSP430F5501 -2.37/1 unit) vs 20 pin: who wants to deal with 28 extra pins in a VQFN package (over a SOIC or SSOP); even for prototyping this is a pain.
And I reject the argument that lowering the number of I/O pins makes the chip less usefull. You can sell lots of useful toasters but they don't get any better with another 28 pins!

There is a market space that TI doesn't cover and that is covered by parts like PIC18F13K50 (2.59/1 unit) and the Atmel AT90USB162 (2.65/1 unit).
So I think arguing about the requirement isn't really relevant. It is simply a space that TI doesn't address that some users would find beneficial.

And I think we would all agree that we would rather build with MSP and TI Tools than with the other guys stuff.

Jon

 

 

 

 

Hobby friendly is when you don't
need a microscope to inspect the pins. soic with its 1.27mm pin spacing and maybe ssop with its 0.65mm spacing.

Hobby friendly is when you can
order 10 pcb from itead and use solder paste in a syringe and put it in a infra toaster at home (not used for food)

Hobby friendly is when you can
order 10-100 units at a good price for a small production runs.

 

There are many instance I can see the use of a low pin count USB chip.

USB-to-i2c host, USB-to-uart host, USB stepper driver, Data logger with USB dumping etc...................

TI, step up to the plate and just do it.
You are not cannibalizing the sales of F5500 but instead preventing people from moving to Microchip/Atmel.

 

.

 

 

I think you have a rather different view of "hobby" from most hobbyists?

Tony Philipsson said:

USB-to-i2c host, USB-to-uart host, 

I think the likes of FTDI already have that market pretty much sewn-up?

Silabs have few good IC too.
http://www.silabs.com/products/interface/pages/default.aspx

But also only tiny QFN.
And sometimes you would still need to add a msp430 after it as you need custom app.