ATSAMA5D27C-CNR - 500MHz Cortex-A5 MPU, 289-LFBGA | Microchip
MPN: ATSAMA5D27C-CNR ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15.42 | $15.42 |
| 10 | $14.1 | $141.00 |
| 100 | $12.55 | $1,255.00 |
| 500 | $11.2 | $5,600.00 |
| 1,000 | $10.05 | $10,050.00 |
ATSAMA5D27C-CNR Overview
A microprocessor unit (MPU) is a System-on-Chip (SoC) that integrates a CPU core, memory controllers, peripheral controllers, and often graphics accelerators on a single die. MPUs sit hierarchically between microcontrollers (MCUs, which include on-chip Flash) and full application processors (which typically run richer OSes like Linux/Android). The Cortex-A5 class targets industrial gateways, HMI panels, IoT edge nodes, and low-power Linux appliances where deterministic performance and Linux support are both required.
Key features of the ATSAMA5D27C-CNR include the integrated Arm Cortex-A5 core with NEON and TrustZone support, hardware image acceleration (2D graphics engine), a Peripheral Touch Controller, embedded audio subsystem with Class-D amplifier interface, 10/100 Mbps Ethernet MAC, USB 2.0 with HSIC, and a 12-bit ADC. The 0.8 mm ball pitch package simplifies PCB design versus finer-pitch BGA alternatives while supporting industrial temperature ranges.
The device is built on a low-power process and includes a sophisticated power management unit (PMU) supporting multiple low-power modes (Idle, Ultra-Low-Power, Backup, and Shutdown). Wake-up sources include RTC, Wake-on-LAN, USB, and dedicated wake-up pins, enabling sub-microamp standby currents suitable for battery-backed edge devices.
Typical applications include industrial HMI panels, building automation controllers, medical point-of-care terminals, smart energy gateways, access control panels, and Linux-based IoT edge appliances. The combination of Cortex-A5 performance and Linux BSP support makes it especially attractive for replacing legacy ARM9 designs while modernizing the software stack.
When designing with the ATSAMA5D27C-CNR, pay close attention to PCB stack-up for DDR3L routing (controlled impedance, length matching), decoupling strategy (1 bulk cap + 8-12 ceramic caps near SoC), and boot configuration pins. Reference the SAMA5D2-XULT evaluation board design package for proven power sequencing and PMIC companion recommendations.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in SAMA5D2 family alternatives, and practical board-level design guidance not always found in the bare manufacturer datasheet, enabling faster hardware bring-up and BOM optimization for industrial and IoT designs.
Drop-in alternatives for ATSAMA5D27C-CNR — 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 ATSAMA5D27C-CNR (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Operating Temperature, Core Architecture, Ethernet, USB.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
ATSAMA5D27B-CNR
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified✓ In Stock
$6.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAMA5D27A-CNR
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified✓ In Stock
$10.95 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAMA5D26C-CNR
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$10.85 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAMA5D26B-CNR
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified✓ In Stock
$9.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAMA5D27C-D1G-CU
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$19.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAMA5D28B-CNR
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$17.9 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAMA5D27C-CNR Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | Arm Cortex-A5 (32-bit) with NEON and TrustZone |
| Maximum CPU Clock | 500 MHz |
| Core Count | 1 |
| L2 Cache | 128 Kbytes |
| Internal SRAM | 128 Kbytes |
| External Memory Support | DDR2, DDR3L, LPDDR2, LPDDR3, QSPI, e.MMC Flash, NAND Flash |
| Package | 289-LFBGA (14x14 mm, 0.8 mm pitch) |
| Graphics Acceleration | Yes (2D LCD controller, hardware overlay) |
| Ethernet | 10/100 Mbps (1x MII/RMII MAC) |
| USB | USB 2.0 High-Speed Host + HSIC |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +85C (Industrial / Extended) |
| I/O Voltage | 3.3 V |
| Peripheral Touch Controller | Yes (PTC, supports mutual / self capacitance) |
| Embedded Audio Subsystem | Yes (Class-D amplifier interface, I2S, SSC) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
ATSAMA5D27C-CNR 289-lfbga (14x14 mm, 0.8 mm pitch) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for ATSAMA5D27C-CNR (289-lfbga (14x14 mm, 0.8 mm pitch) 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 ATSAMA5D27C-CNR.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
ATSAMA5D27C-CNR is suitable for 7 applications: Industrial Human-Machine Interface (HMI), Edge IoT Gateway, Building Automation Controller, Medical Point-of-Care Terminal, Smart Energy / Energy Gateway, Access Control / Security Panel, Audio / Intercom Appliance.
Industrial Human-Machine Interface (HMI)
The ATSAMA5D27C-CNR is a strong fit for industrial HMI panels because of its integrated 2D graphics acceleration, hardware LCD controller with overlays, and 500 MHz Cortex-A5 core that runs Linux Qt/GTK or LVGL HMI stacks smoothly. Its Peripheral Touch Controller natively supports mutual-capacitance PCAP touchscreens, removing the need for an external touch controller IC. The 289-LFBGA package with 0.8 mm pitch simplifies multi-layer PCB routing versus 0.5 mm BGA alternatives. With 10/100 Ethernet and USB 2.0, the device supports fieldbus gateways (Modbus TCP, EtherCAT slave) alongside the display. Power consumption under typical HMI workload remains below 1 W, enabling fanless sealed enclosures at IP65 ratings.
Recommended
Edge IoT Gateway
For IoT edge gateways that aggregate sensor data and forward it to cloud services, the ATSAMA5D27C-CNR delivers balanced performance at low power. The Cortex-A5 core handles MQTT/CoAP stacks, TLS termination, and lightweight local analytics under 500 MHz without overheating. The device's multiple low-power modes (Idle, ULP, Backup) plus wake-on-LAN and wake-on-USB support sub-milliwatt standby for battery-backed or solar-powered installations. DDR2/LPDDR2 support keeps the BOM cost low versus designs that require DDR3L. Reference designs from Microchip (SAMA5D2-XULT) include a Linux BSP with Eclipse hawkBit support for over-the-air firmware updates. The cryptographic accelerators (AES, SHA, TRNG) handle TLS handshakes without burdening the CPU.
Recommended
Building Automation Controller
The ATSAMA5D27C-CNR powers mid-range building automation controllers handling BACnet, KNX, Modbus, and LonWorks protocols simultaneously. Its multiple UART, SPI, I2C, and CAN-FD controllers (exact count per the datasheet) allow direct connection to fieldbus transceivers without external protocol chips. The integrated Class-D amplifier interface and I2S ports drive audio for intercom and announcement systems. Industrial temperature range (-40C to +85C) supports unconditioned mechanical rooms. The Cortex-A5 core running Yocto Linux executes control logic, schedules, and BACnet/IP routing at the same time. On-chip TrustZone isolates the secure network stack from the application layer, important for KNX/IP secure deployments.
Recommended
Medical Point-of-Care Terminal
For portable medical point-of-care terminals (blood gas analyzers, glucose meters, vital-sign monitors), the ATSAMA5D27C-CNR balances compute, power, and BOM cost. The Cortex-A5 NEON engine accelerates waveform compression and FFTs for ECG/SPO2 signal processing under 500 MHz. Low-power modes extend battery life: standby current in backup mode drops to single-digit microamps for months of shelf time. The peripheral touch controller and embedded audio subsystem let designers build touchscreen-and-speaker UI without external controllers. The 289-LFBGA package, while compact, is mature in volume manufacturing and supported by medical-grade reference designs from Microchip. Note: medical certification (IEC 60601-1) is the integrator's responsibility and is not a property of the IC itself.
Recommended
Smart Energy / Energy Gateway
In smart meter concentrators and energy gateways, the ATSAMA5D27C-CNR serves as a TCP/IP gateway aggregating data from hundreds of meters (DLMS/COSEM, M-Bus, wireless M-Bus). The Cortex-A5 core runs the DLMS server stack with sufficient headroom for concurrent connections and TLS encryption using hardware accelerators. Industrial temperature range and high reliability (10+ year MTBF designs in the field) match utility deployment requirements. DDR2 support and on-chip SRAM simplify firmware staging for OTA updates. The RTC with calendar mode plus battery domain supports real-time scheduling and time-stamping even during main power outages. Reference schematics for the ATSAMG55-GCC are available, though the SAMA5D27 adds the Cortex-A5 performance headroom.
Recommended
Access Control / Security Panel
The ATSAMA5D27C-CNR is well-suited to IP access control panels that combine RFID, keypad, biometric, and IP camera subsystems. The integrated LCD controller and touch controller drive 5-7 inch HMI displays directly. Multiple UART ports allow simultaneous connection to Wiegand RFID readers, fingerprint modules, and a 4G LTE modem for cloud connectivity. Linux support and mainline kernel patches enable OpenSSL-based TLS for OSDP (Open Supervised Device Protocol) secure channel communication. The NEON engine accelerates face recognition preprocessing for camera-equipped panels. Industrial temperature range supports outdoor enclosure deployments and the 0.8 mm BGA pitch accommodates conventional PCB assembly processes.
Recommended
Audio / Intercom Appliance
The embedded audio subsystem with Class-D amplifier interface, I2S, SSC, and DSP makes the ATSAMA5D27C-CNR a strong fit for IP-based intercoms, public-address amplifiers, and multi-room audio streamers. The Class-D interface drives up to two pairs of speakers directly when paired with an external amplifier IC, eliminating the need for a separate audio DSP. Acoustic echo cancellation and noise suppression can be implemented on the Cortex-A5 NEON engine for voice-over-IP intercom handsets. Low-power standby enables always-listening voice wake without draining battery. The audio subsystem supports up to 24-bit audio at 192 kHz, covering high-resolution streaming applications. Reference designs in Microchip's audio streaming SDK demonstrate integrated hardware sample flows.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for ATSAMA5D27C-CNR — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | ATSAMA5D27B-CNR | ATSAMA5D26C-CNR | ATSAMA5D27C-D1G-CU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 289-LFBGA (14x14 mm, 0.8 mm pitch) | 289-LFBGA (14x14 mm) - same | 289-LFBGA (14x14 mm) - same | 289-LFBGA (14x14 mm) - same |
| Core | Cortex-A5 500 MHz | Cortex-A5 500 MHz | Cortex-A5 500 MHz | Cortex-A5 500 MHz |
| On-Chip DRAM | None (uses external DDR2/LPDDR2) | None (external DDR2) | None (external DDR3L/LPDDR3) | 1 Gbit on-package DDR2 |
| L2 Cache | 128 Kbytes | 128 Kbytes | 128 Kbytes | 128 Kbytes |
| Internal SRAM | 128 Kbytes | 128 Kbytes | 128 Kbytes | 128 Kbytes |
| Ethernet | 10/100 Mbps (1x) | 10/100 Mbps (1x) | 10/100 Mbps (1x) | 10/100 Mbps (1x) |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C |
Key Differentiators
- Pin-compatible across the entire SAMA5D2 family with drop-in alternatives from A through D revisions (vs ATSAMA5D26C-CNR)
- Integrated Peripheral Touch Controller (PTC) for PCAP touchscreens (vs External touch controller ICs)
- Low-power standby with sub-microamp current (vs Other Cortex-A5 MPUs)
Design Notes
Estimated: The 289-LFBGA package at 0.8 mm pitch requires a 4-layer PCB minimum with 1 oz copper inner layers and 0.5 oz outer layers for controlled-impedance DDR2 routing (50 ohm single-ended, 100 ohm differential for clocks). Use microvias (0.15 mm diameter) for BGA breakout, with a dog-bone fan-out in inner layers to escape the dense BGA grid. Maintain length matching within +/-25 mil on DDR2 byte lanes and within +/-10 mil on differential clock pairs. Reference the SAMA5D2-XULT evaluation board gerbers for a proven stack-up.
Estimated: A complete SAMA5D27C-CNR system with external DDR2 and active peripherals typically draws 0.5-0.8 W at 500 MHz full load. Apply a multi-rail PMIC such as the MIC2800 or DA9063 to provide 1.2V (core), 1.8V (DDR2), 3.3V (I/O), and 0.9V (DDR2 VTT). Place one 22 uF bulk cap and eight 100 nF ceramic decoupling caps within 5 mm of the BGA power balls, alternating on top and bottom layers for lowest loop inductance. Plan for inrush current of ~2 A during cold boot from full shutdown.
Common pitfalls: (1) Forgetting to configure the boot selection pins (BMS, JTAGNSEL) before reset - a misconfigured boot strap causes the part to fail to boot with no console output. (2) Using DDR2 instead of DDR3L (or vice versa) without verifying the exact variant - the D27C supports DDR2/LPDDR2/LPDDR3, but DDR3L requires the D26C variant. (3) Routing USB 2.0 differential pairs without 90 ohm differential impedance - causes enumeration failures. (4) Not providing a clean 25 MHz main crystal with <50 ppm accuracy - causes USB and Ethernet timing violations.
Estimated: The 289-LFBGA has a theta_JA of approximately 25 C/W on a 4-layer JEDEC test board. At typical 0.7 W power dissipation, junction temperature rises ~17 C above ambient, well within the -40 to +85C industrial limit. No explicit heatsink is required for sealed enclosures, but designers should add 1-2 square cm of bottom-layer copper directly under the BGA to spread heat. In fanless enclosures with restricted airflow or at sustained 100% CPU load with peripherals, verify junction temperature under worst-case ambient with a thermal probe.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliance per Microchip product page; conflict-minerals statement published by Microchip. AEC-Q100 not qualified - this is an industrial/consumer MPU, not automotive grade.