ATSAM4LC8CA-AUR - Cortex-M4 48MHz 512KB MCU | Microchip
MPN: ATSAM4LC8CA-AUR β Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $9.2 | $9.20 |
| 10 | $8.6 | $86.00 |
| 100 | $7.95 | $795.00 |
| 500 | $7.3 | $3,650.00 |
| 1,000 | $6.75 | $6,750.00 |
ATSAM4LC8CA-AUR Overview
A microcontroller (MCU) integrates a processor core, memory, and peripherals on a single chip, forming the heart of embedded systems. Within the power-management hierarchy, the SAM4L sits at the ultra-low-power end of the 32-bit ARM Cortex-M segment, competing where battery life and wake-up latency dominate the design brief.
Key features include hardware cryptography (AES, DES, RSA, SHA), an integrated segment LCD controller, USB 2.0 host/device with onboard transceivers, 12-bit ADC and DAC, and a flexible event system that allows peripherals to communicate without CPU intervention. The PACS, HSCIF and multiple sleep modes with dynamic clock gating let firmware trade performance against current draw in real time.
Architecturally, the ATSAM4LC8C combines the Cortex-M4 with an Atmel custom bus matrix, a Multi-layer AHB, and Peripheral Event System, plus an integrated current controller (PICOUART, AST, BPM) enabling battery-backed standby. Power scaling is achieved through the Voltage Regulator controller, allowing core voltage to be reduced in low-power states.
Typical applications include battery-powered metering, wearable and portable medical devices, LCD-based human-machine interfaces, security tokens with cryptographic acceleration, and industrial sensor nodes requiring fast wake-up from deep sleep.
Design consideration: the device operates from 1.62V to 3.6V (1.8V/2.5V/3.3V systems) - plan decoupling per the SAM4L hardware design guide and verify wake-up sources when using the backup domain.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in SAM4L family alternatives, and low-power design guidance not found on standard datasheet pages. Pricing as of 2026-09-20.
Drop-in alternatives for ATSAM4LC8CA-AUR β same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with ATSAM4LC8CA-AUR (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Flash Memory, Package, Packaging, RoHS Status, ADC Resolution.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
ATSAM4LC8CA-AU
β Drop-In β οΈ εζ°εΎ ιͺθ―π Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATSAM4LC8BA-UUR
β Drop-In β οΈ εζ°εΎ ιͺθ―β In Stock
$3.95 / Unit
View Datasheet βATSAM4LS8CA-AU
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$12.45 / Unit
View Datasheet βATSAM4LS4CA-AU
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATSAM4SD32BA-AU
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$9.45 / Unit
View Datasheet βATSAM4LC8CA-AUR Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Processor | ARM Cortex-M4 |
| Core Size | 32-bit |
| Maximum Clock Frequency | 48 MHz |
| Flash Memory | 512KB (512K x 8) |
| Supply Voltage | 1.8 V / 2.5 V / 3.3 V (1.62 V to 3.6 V) |
| Active Mode Current | 90 uA/MHz |
| Sleep Mode Current | 1.5 uA |
| Wake-up Time | 1.5 us |
| Package | 100-TQFP (14 x 14 mm) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Operating Temperature | Industrial (-40C to +85C) |
| Peripherals | LCD controller, hardware crypto, USB host/device, DMA, PICOUART |
| ADC Resolution | 12-bit and 10-bit |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0, SPI, I2C, UART/USART |
| Packaging | Tape & Reel (alternate -R suffix) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant (GREEN package) |
ATSAM4LC8CA-AUR 100-tqfp (14 x 14 mm) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for ATSAM4LC8CA-AUR (100-tqfp (14 x 14 mm) package). This digital IC includes GPIO, communication interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C), and power pins. Refer to the manufacturer datasheet for alternate pin functions and configuration options. Essential for embedded system design and PCB layout.
No detailed pinout data available for ATSAM4LC8CA-AUR.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
ATSAM4LC8CA-AUR is suitable for 6 applications: Battery-Powered Utility Metering, Wearable and Portable Medical Devices, Segment LCD Human-Machine Interfaces, Security Tokens and Authentication Dongles, Industrial Wireless Sensor Nodes, Portable Data Loggers and Test Instruments.
Battery-Powered Utility Metering
The ATSAM4LC8CA-AUR fits electricity, water, and gas metering where a 10+ year battery life budget and a segment LCD display are mandatory. Its 90 uA/MHz active current and 1.5 uA sleep current, combined with 1.5 us wake-up, let firmware sample the metering front end only when needed and return to deep sleep instantly, minimizing average current draw. The integrated LCD controller drives the display without an external driver IC, cutting BOM cost and board area, while the hardware crypto engine (AES, DES, RSA, SHA) secures load-profile data and anti-tamper communication. Powered from 3.6V lithium cells, the device operates across the industrial -40C to +85C range required for outdoor meters.
Recommended
Wearable and Portable Medical Devices
Portable medical devices such as glucose meters, pulse oximeters, and mobile patient monitors benefit from the SAM4L's combination of low active power (90 uA/MHz), a 12-bit ADC for analog sensor front ends, and fast 1.5 us wake-up for event-driven sampling. The 512KB flash accommodates signal-processing code plus a small graphics or LCD UI, and the 48 MHz Cortex-M4 DSP instructions accelerate filtering algorithms on sensor data. The ATSAM4LC8CA-AUR's crypto engine supports patient-data privacy requirements, while operation from a single 3V coin cell and the 100-TQFP 14x14 mm footprint fit compact handheld enclosures. Data-logger firmware can exploit the peripheral event system to capture readings without waking the CPU.
Recommended
Segment LCD Human-Machine Interfaces
Industrial panels, thermostats, and appliance controls need a low-cost CPU that drives a segmented LCD directly. The ATSAM4LC8CA-AUR's on-chip LCD controller eliminates an external LCD driver, and its low sleep current (1.5 uA) allows always-on display backbones that run for years on battery or energy-harvesting supplies. The Cortex-M4 core at 48 MHz handles touch decoding, menu logic, and communication (UART, SPI, I2C) concurrently, while the peripheral event system routes button wake-up signals to the CPU with 1.5 us latency. The industrial temperature grade (-40C to +85C) and green 100-TQFP package suit appliance and building-automation environments, and 512KB flash leaves headroom for localization strings and OTA-updatable UI code.
Recommended
Security Tokens and Authentication Dongles
The ATSAM4LC8CA-AUR's hardware cryptographic accelerator executing AES, DES, 3DES, RSA, ECC, and SHA makes it well suited for USB security tokens, smart-card readers, and authentication dongles. The USB 2.0 device controller with onboard transceivers interfaces directly to a host PC without an external PHY, reducing component count, while the crypto engine performs signing and encryption orders of magnitude faster than software implementations and keeps keys out of exposed firmware routines. Low sleep current (1.5 uA) matters for battery-powered fobs, and 512KB flash holds multiple key slots, certificate chains, and a small RTOS. The 100-TQFP package suits both dongle PCBs and reader boards with gull-wing, inspectable joints.
Recommended
Industrial Wireless Sensor Nodes
Factory and building sensor nodes spend most of their life asleep; the ATSAM4LC8CA-AUR's 1.5 uA sleep and 1.5 us wake-up let a node respond to a radio or sensor interrupt, process a packet with the Cortex-M4's DSP instructions, and return to sleep within milliseconds. The 12-bit ADC digitizes analog sensors such as pressure and vibration bridges, while SPI and USART interfaces connect sub-GHz or 2.4 GHz radios. The peripheral event system and DMA move samples without CPU involvement, cutting active time further. Operating from 1.8V to 3.6V matches Li-SOCl2 and Li-MnO2 primary cells directly, and hardware crypto secures over-the-air payloads and network join procedures in industrial -40C to +85C conditions.
Recommended
Portable Data Loggers and Test Instruments
Handheld loggers and compact test instruments leverage the ATSAM4LC8CA-AUR's balance of compute and efficiency: the 48 MHz Cortex-M4 with DSP instructions runs FFT and calibration math, while 512KB flash stores logging firmware, tables, and a local UI. The 12-bit ADC plus 10-bit auxiliary channels capture multiple analog inputs, and DMA plus the event system sustain sampling with minimal CPU duty cycle, stretching battery run time. USB device support enables direct data download to a PC without a separate bridge chip. The 1.62V to 3.6V supply range tolerates declining battery voltage, the PICOUART keeps a wake timer running in low-power states, and the industrial 100-TQFP package withstands workshop environments from -40C to +85C.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for ATSAM4LC8CA-AUR β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | ATSAM4LC8CA-AU | ATSAM4LC8BA-UUR | ATSAM4LS8CA-AU | ATSAM4LS4CA-AU | ATSAM4SD32BA-AU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 100-TQFP (14x14 mm) | 100-TQFP (14x14) - same | 100-TQFP (14x14) - same | 100-TQFP (14x14) - same | 100-TQFP (14x14) - same | 100-TQFP (14x14) - same |
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Core / Frequency | Cortex-M4, 48 MHz | Cortex-M4, 48 MHz | Cortex-M4, 48 MHz | Cortex-M4, 48 MHz | Cortex-M4, 48 MHz | Cortex-M4, 120 MHz |
| Flash Memory | 512KB | 512KB | 512KB | 512KB | 256KB | 2048KB |
| Hardware Crypto | Yes (AES/DES/RSA/SHA) | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| LCD Controller | Yes (segment LCD) | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Temperature Range | -40C to +85C (industrial) | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C |
Key Differentiators
- Ultra-low-power credentials in Cortex-M4 class (vs STM32L476 (cross-brand competitor class))
- Crypto plus LCD on-chip versus LS variants (vs ATSAM4LS8CA-AU)
- Full software and footprint compatibility within package (vs ATSAM4SD32BA-AU)
Design Notes
Estimated: to reach the 1.5 uA sleep figure, disable unused peripheral clocks in the Power Manager before entering wait/backbackup sleep states, and ensure pull resistors do not load floating GPIOs - a single 100k pull-down to a mid-rail pin can dominate the entire sleep budget. Use the Backup and Backup-low-power (BPM/BSCIF) domains for RTC wake-up, and verify that the wake source (PICOUART, AST, or EIC) is clocked from OSC32K, not the fast RC oscillator, before measuring current on the bench.
The 100-TQFP 14x14 mm package requires a solid ground plane under the die; place 100 nF ceramic decoupling capacitors within 2 mm of each VDDIO/VDDCORE pin pair, plus a bulk 4.7 uF at the supply entry. Route the USB DP/DM pair as a 90-ohm differential with length matching under 1 mm if using host mode. The LCD segment lines are low-current but benefit from guarding against adjacent digital switching to prevent ghosting on high-contrast glass.
Do not assume pin-for-pin interchange with the SAM4SD series: although ATSAM4SD32BA-AU shares the TQFP-100 footprint, the peripheral multiplexing tables differ, so a board designed for the LC8C must be re-checked pin by pin before dropping in an SD variant. Also note flash programming uses the SAM-BA or JTAG/SWD interface with the exact erase granularity documented in the SAM4L datasheet - lock-bit misuse can permanently protect regions and complicate production programming.
Compliance Information
Mouser listing identifies the package as GREEN (halogen-free, RoHS-compliant) industrial-temperature TQFP with MRL-A. AEC-Q100 automotive qualification is not claimed in provided data.
