ATSAMA5D27A-CUR - 500MHz ARM Cortex-A5 MPU | Microchip
MPN: ATSAMA5D27A-CUR β Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $18.92 | $18.92 |
| 10 | $17.45 | $174.50 |
| 100 | $15.8 | $1,580.00 |
| 500 | $14.2 | $7,100.00 |
| 1,000 | $12.95 | $12,950.00 |
ATSAMA5D27A-CUR Overview
What is an ARM Cortex-A5 MPU? A microprocessor (Microprocessing Unit, MPU) is a CPU-centric system-on-chip that requires external DRAM and flash for program execution and data storage, as opposed to a microcontroller (MCU) which integrates non-volatile memory on-die. Cortex-A5 is an ARMv7-A application-class core positioned above Cortex-M microcontrollers but below Cortex-A7/A9/A53 in performance; it executes Linux, Android and RTOS with hardware virtualization, full MMU and the NEON SIMD engine. Within the power-management hierarchy of an embedded system, the MPU is the highest-power computational block and drives dynamic voltage scaling to balance battery life against workload.
Key features include hardware AES-OTF (on-the-fly encryption) for secure boot and storage, HSIC USB, two CAN-FD controllers, an embedded audio subsystem with I2S/TDM, and a simple power management scheme with 5 uA backup mode current. The 0.8 mm ball pitch package reduces PCB design complexity compared with finer-pitch BGAs, easing layout for cost-sensitive industrial designs.
The device targets industrial temperature range (-40 C to +85 C, MRLA marking) and operates at 105 C junction maximum, enabling use in fanless enclosures. Its peripheral mix - CAN, HSIC, AES-OTF, FPU, NEON - is optimised for connected industrial gateways, low-power HMIs, and battery-backed IoT edge nodes.
Typical applications include industrial IoT gateways, smart energy meters, building automation controllers, HMI panels and connected medical device interfaces. A simple power scheme plus CAN-FD support makes it well suited for factory automation.
Design consideration: PCB layout for the 14x14 LFBGA with 0.8 mm pitch requires 4-layer stack-up with microvia fan-out and matched-length DDR traces for DDR2/DDR3L; route the high-speed USB/HSIC and Ethernet pairs with controlled impedance 90 ohm differential.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in SAMA5D2 family alternatives, and practical BGA layout notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for ATSAMA5D27A-CUR 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 ATSAMA5D27A-CUR (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Ethernet, Package, USB, Backup Mode Current, Operating Temperature.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
ATSAMA5D27A-CU
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$7.83 / Unit
View Datasheet βATSAMA5D27A-CNR
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$10.95 / Unit
View Datasheet βATSAMA5D27A-CN
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$20.5 / Unit
View Datasheet βATSAMA5D26A-CUR
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$14.2 / Unit
View Datasheet βATSAMA5D26C-CUR
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$6.85 / Unit
View Datasheet βATSAMA5D26C-CU
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$11.8 / Unit
View Datasheet βATSAMA5D26A-CN
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$15.2 / Unit
View Datasheet βATSAMA5D24A-CU
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$9.85 / Unit
View Datasheet βATSAMA5D27A-CUR Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | SAMA5D2 |
| Core | ARM Cortex-A5 (1 core, 32-bit) |
| Maximum CPU Clock | 500 MHz |
| Operating Temperature | -40 C to +85 C (Industrial, MRLA marking) |
| Maximum Junction Temperature | 105 C |
| Package | 289-LFBGA (14x14 mm) |
| Ball Pitch | 0.8 mm |
| External Memory Support | DDR2, DDR3L, LPDDR2, LPDDR3, QSPI, e.MMC |
| Cache | 32 KB I-cache, 32 KB D-cache |
| FPU / NEON | Yes (VFPv4 + NEON) |
| AES-OTF (On-The-Fly) | Yes |
| CAN-FD Controllers | 2 |
| HSIC Interface | Yes |
| Peripheral Touch Controller | Yes (PTC) |
| Backup Mode Current | 5 uA (typ) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| Packaging | Tape & Reel (TR) |
| MSL Level | 3 |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| L1 Instruction Cache | 32 KB |
| L1 Data Cache | 32 KB |
| Embedded Audio Subsystem | Yes (I2S/TDM) |
ATSAMA5D27A-CUR 289-lfbga (14x14 mm) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for ATSAMA5D27A-CUR (289-lfbga (14x14 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 ATSAMA5D27A-CUR.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
ATSAMA5D27A-CUR is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial IoT Gateway, Smart Energy Meter / Data Concentrator, Building Automation Controller, Human-Machine Interface (HMI) Panel, Connected Medical Device Interface, Low-Power Edge AI / Vision Node.
Industrial IoT Gateway
The ATSAMA5D27A-CUR is an ideal host processor for industrial IoT gateways thanks to its 500 MHz ARM Cortex-A5 core plus two CAN-FD controllers and HSIC USB, which directly interface to industrial sensor buses and cellular modems. The Cortex-A5 with NEON+FPU executes Linux and TLS stacks at low clock rates, while the 5 uA backup mode supports coin-cell battery retention of RTC and tamper registers across power cycles. Compared with MCU-class gateways, the MPU's DDR controller handles multi-MB TLS buffers without flow control, and AES-OTF accelerates secure boot and field firmware updates without software overhead.
Recommended
Smart Energy Meter / Data Concentrator
Smart meters require deterministic real-time response plus secure telemetry, both of which the ATSAMA5D27A-CUR delivers via hardware AES-OTF for tariff encryption and the embedded audio subsystem for tone-based diagnostics. The Cortex-A5 + 32 KB caches drive DLMS/COSEM stacks at low MHz while DDR2/DDR3L support keeps BOM cost down for high-volume deployments. The industrial -40 C to +85 C temperature range and 105 C junction max suit outdoor meter cabinets. Per Microchip SAMA5D2 datasheet (DS60002276), the peripheral touch controller enables capacitive front-panel buttons without an extra IC.
Recommended
Building Automation Controller
For BACnet, Modbus, and KNX building-automation gateways, the ATSAMA5D27A-CUR provides a Linux-capable Cortex-A5 with two CAN-FD channels for elevator/HVAC bus aggregation and HSIC for Wi-Fi module attachment. The 289-LFBGA package with 0.8 mm ball pitch reduces PCB complexity compared with 0.5 mm pitch alternatives, lowering NRE cost for low-volume controller SKUs. Backup current of 5 uA maintains time-of-day and schedule across outage events, which is critical for lighting/HVAC sequencing. The NEON engine accelerates audio processing for intercom and voice-prompt subsystems.
Recommended
Human-Machine Interface (HMI) Panel
The ATSAMA5D27A-CUR supports LVDS/TTL TFT panels via its LCD controller, while the embedded audio subsystem drives speaker output for alarms and prompts. The Peripheral Touch Controller (PTC) directly scans capacitive touch overlays without an external touch IC, reducing BOM cost by $0.50-$1.50 per HMI node. Cortex-A5 with NEON renders LVGL/Qt UIs at 30+ fps on 800x480 panels. Compared with MCU-based HMIs, the MPU's MMU isolates safety-critical UI rendering from RTOS scheduling for IEC 61508 paths.
Recommended
Connected Medical Device Interface
For connected medical peripherals (patient monitors, infusion pumps, telehealth hubs), the ATSAMA5D27A-CUR provides hardware AES-OTF for HIPAA-compliant data-at-rest encryption and HSIC USB for medical-grade Wi-Fi/BT attachment. The Cortex-A5 executes Linux with PREEMPT_RT for soft-real-time waveform processing, while DDR3L support sustains the throughput required for ECG/SpO2 signal buffers. Industrial temperature operation and the simple power management scheme simplify IEC 60601-1 isolation design. The integrated audio subsystem enables clinician intercom features without an extra DSP.
Recommended
Low-Power Edge AI / Vision Node
Battery-backed edge-AI nodes with simple vision preprocessing are a strong fit for the ATSAMA5D27A-CUR: the Cortex-A5 + NEON engine runs quantized CNN inference at 5-15 fps for object detection, while 5 uA backup mode preserves RTC and security keys across deep sleep. The Peripheral Touch Controller and audio subsystem are repurposable as low-bandwidth sensor hubs for vibration or acoustic anomaly detection. DDR2/LPDDR2 support keeps DRAM cost low versus LPDDR4 designs, important for sub-$100 BOM targets in industrial IoT.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for ATSAMA5D27A-CUR β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | ATSAMA5D27A-CU | ATSAMA5D27A-CNR | ATSAMA5D26A-CUR | ATSAMA5D26C-CUR | ATSAMA5D24A-CU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 289-LFBGA (14x14 mm) | 289-LFBGA (14x14) - same | 289-LFBGA (14x14) - same | 289-LFBGA (14x14) - same | 289-LFBGA (14x14) - same | 289-LFBGA (14x14) - same |
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Core / Family | Cortex-A5 / SAMA5D2 | Cortex-A5 / SAMA5D2 | Cortex-A5 / SAMA5D2 | Cortex-A5 / SAMA5D2 (rev C) | Cortex-A5 / SAMA5D2 (D24) | |
| Max CPU Clock | 500 MHz | 500 MHz | 500 MHz | 500 MHz | 500 MHz | |
| AES-OTF Hardware Encryption | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | |
| HSIC Interface | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | |
| Peripheral Touch Controller | Yes (PTC) | Yes | No | No | No | |
| Packaging Form | Tape & Reel (TR) | Tray | Tape & Reel | Tape & Reel | Tray | Tray |
| Temperature Grade (MRLA) | Industrial (-40 C to +85 C) | Consumer/Extended | Consumer/Extended | Industrial |
Key Differentiators
- Hardware AES-OTF on-the-fly encryption integrated (vs ATSAMA5D26A-CUR)
- HSIC USB interface + Peripheral Touch Controller (vs ATSAMA5D24A-CU)
- 0.8 mm BGA pitch simplifies PCB layout (vs ATSAMA5D35A-CUR)
Design Notes
Estimated: a 4-layer PCB stack-up with 1 oz copper on outer layers is recommended for the 289-LFBGA (14x14 mm, 0.8 mm pitch). Use microvias (0.1 mm drill/0.25 mm pad) to fan out from inner-row BGA balls to inner signal layers. Matched-length DDR traces (Β±25 mil) to DDR2/DDR3L/LPDDR2/LPDDR3 are required - reference the SAMA5D2 hardware design guidelines (DS60002276). Route the HSIC USB and Ethernet differential pairs at 90 ohm controlled impedance, keeping stubs under 0.5 mm. Decouple each power ball with at least one 100 nF X7R ceramic placed within 1 mm of the via.
Estimated: at 500 MHz full load (core voltage ~1.1 V, IDD ~250 mA typical for SAMA5D2 family), dissipation is approximately 0.27 W from the CPU subsystem plus peripheral and DDR I/O. This low dissipation typically requires no heatsink, but designers should still provide a copper pour of at least 1 square inch under the BGA thermal balls to keep the junction below the 105 C maximum. In fanless industrial enclosures with 60 C+ ambient, derate CPU clock via DVFS to maintain thermal margin.
Do not confuse the ATSAMA5D27A-CUR (289-LFBGA, SAMA5D2) with the ATSAMA5D35A-CUR (TFBGA-324, SAMA5D3 family) - these are NOT pin-compatible and require different PCB designs. Always verify the silicon revision letter (A in ATSAMA5D27A) and the temperature-grade suffix (MRLA for industrial) match your application's requirements. Boot configuration straps on the SAMA5D2 must be set per the BootROM documentation; misconfigured BMS (Boot Mode Select) pins are a common cause of 'no boot' issues on first prototype builds.
Compliance Information
RoHS and lead-free per Microchip product page (microchip.com/en-us/product/ATSAMA5D27). AEC-Q100 not applicable - this is an industrial/IoT MPU, not an automotive-qualified part. MRLA marking confirms industrial temperature grade.