Embedded - Microcontrollers

The Z8F0811HH020EG is a microcontroller from Zilog’s MB94 family of highly integrated, low-power, high-performance 8-bit microcontrollers. The CPU of this microcontroller is the Z8F0811 8-bit core, allowing the device to quickly process commands and manage interrupts using an enhanced Modified Harvard Architecture. The device includes a number of integrated peripherals, such as an IEEE 802.3-compliant Ethernet physical layer transceiver, USB interface, timers, pulse-width modulators, and analog channels, that minimize hardware implementation needs. This reduces cost, size and complexity, making it ideal for applications where low power and performance come at a premium. The Z8F0811HH020EG is designed to be a complete microcontroller solution in a single, compact device.

Application Fields

The Z8F0811HH020EG boasts a low power envelope and efficient performance, making it perfectly suited for a range of embedded and industrial applications. The device\'s wide range of embedded peripherals can be used in applications that require sophisticated, low power, online and remote management and control, such as battery powered and portable consumer devices. It is also suitable for industrial and home automation, metering, data acquisition, real-time data handling, and automotive applications. Its integrated Ethernet physical layer transceiver allows it to connect to local or wide area networks, making it suited for industrial applications that need to transmit data or access the cloud.

Working Principle

The Z8F0811HH020EG is a modified Harvard architecture microcontroller. In this architecture, there are two independent buses and two separate memories. The program memory stores the microcontroller’s application code, whereas the data memory stores variables and read-write values used by the program code. As an example, the program memory stores the code to read sensors, while the data memory stores the values of the sensor readings. The Z8F0811 core uses an 8-bit instruction set and clock frequency that can be set through software configuration. The device can be clock-gated (halted) during idle periods to save power.

The Z8F0811HH020EG contains an integrated IEEE 802.3-compliant Ethernet physical layer transceiver, which is used to communicate with other microcontrollers, or with the cloud. It can also be used as a Local Area Network (LAN) router and/or as an Access Point (AP). The microcontroller is compatible with the popular 3-wire SPI Flash memory interface for its non-volatile memory. Additionally, up to 18 General-Purpose I/O (GPIO) pins are available to connect other peripherals. The GPIO pins can be used as interrupts or to control external devices.

The Z8F0811HH020EG features two 12-bit analog-to-digital converters (ADC), one on the main core and one on its integrated USB interface. The ADCs are used to convert analog signals to digital data, which can then be processed by the microcontroller. The device also includes several other embedded peripherals, such as timers for periodic tasks, pulse-width modulators for controlling the speed of activity, and an I2C interface for sensor integration.

Since the Z8F0811HH020EG is a low power, highly integrated microcontroller, it is low cost and perfect for a broad range of applications. Its fast processing power and large range of integrated peripherals make it an ideal choice for embedded and industrial applications.