ACADEMIA

Three years after introducing the first Tower System module, Freescale Semiconductor (NYSE: FSL) has achieved a milestone of more than 50 unique modules for its popular development platform. Freescale recently added 10 new modules to the platform, with offerings that include 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit devices, along with peripheral modules that enable touch sensing, expanded memory and motor control.

With these additions, the Freescale Tower System has become one of the most extensive modular development platforms in the industry. Spanning a number of markets and applications, the Freescale Tower System equips embedded designers with the tools they need to bring their designs to market more quickly and easily. Available modules span the Freescale microcontroller (MCU), microprocessor (MPU) and digital signal controller (DSCs) portfolios, along with a number of add-on peripheral modules designed to bring added features and functionality to life.

“Our goal with the Tower System is to provide affordable choices that let designers customize their development tool according to their design needs,” said John Weil, Segment Marketing & Operations manager for Freescale’s Industrial Microcontroller & Multi-market business. “Our customers can scale up and down and make adjustments as needed, without retooling or having to invest heavily.”

In addition to giving designers the flexibility of tool reuse across designs, Freescale invites independent developers and partners to create compatible modules for the Tower System, further expanding the available options for embedded designers. “These new modules provide excellent opportunities for developers to bring innovative solutions to the embedded space and for Freescale to penetrate new markets, not to mention the endless design possibilities it gives our customers,” Weil said. “It’s truly a win-win for Freescale and our customers.”