ATSAMA5D36A-CN - 536MHz Cortex-A5 MPU, 324-LFBGA | Microchip
MPN: ATSAMA5D36A-CN ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $16.71 | $16.71 |
| 10 | $15.95 | $159.50 |
| 100 | $14.2 | $1,420.00 |
| 500 | $12.85 | $6,425.00 |
| 1,000 | $11.4 | $11,400.00 |
ATSAMA5D36A-CN Overview
An ARM Cortex-A5 MPU is a microprocessor unit based on the ARM Cortex-A5 application-class core. Cortex-A5 belongs to the ARM Cortex-A family and sits in the broader hierarchy: application processor -> embedded MPU -> integrated circuit -> semiconductor. MPUs in this class run full operating systems (Linux, Android, WinCE) and outperform Cortex-M microcontrollers by an order of magnitude, while remaining cheaper and lower-power than Cortex-A9/A53/A7 application processors.
Key features of the ATSAMA5D36A-CN include 850 DMIPS performance, an integrated TFT LCD controller up to 2048x2048, an Image Sensor Interface (ISI) for camera pipelines, a 12-bit touchscreen ADC, three HS USB 2.0 ports, three SD/SDIO/MMC controllers, and an AES/TDES cryptographic accelerator for secure boot and on-the-fly data protection. Industrial temperature grade (-40C to +85C) and low-power modes (typically <0.5 mW in backup) make it well-suited to fanless and battery-backed applications.
Architecture combines the Cortex-A5 core (ARMv7-A) with dual 16-bit LPDDR/DDR2/LPDDR2 controller, NAND flash controller with ECC, and a 64-bit external bus. The 324-LFBGA exposes 32-bit DDR data plus RMII/RGMII, HSIC, CAN, UART, SPI, TWI and I2S, allowing single-chip implementation of HMI panels, gateways, and edge IoT nodes.
Typical applications include human-machine interface (HMI) panels, industrial gateways, smart energy metering, building automation controllers, point-of-sale terminals, and Linux-driven IoT edge nodes. Its combination of LCD + touch + Ethernet + crypto offers a single-chip BOM for these designs.
When designing in, allocate 4-layer PCB with continuous GND plane under the LFBGA, use Microchip's MRL/WCE/Linux BSP, and follow AN-1413 DDR2 routing guidelines; the package requires 0.8 mm ball pitch, microvia fan-out recommended.
This page consolidates distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives, application guidance, and design notes not aggregated in the manufacturer datasheet, giving engineers a one-stop reference for sourcing and qualification.
Drop-in alternatives for ATSAMA5D36A-CN — 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 ATSAMA5D36A-CN (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Ethernet, Package, USB, Operating Temperature, Floating Point Unit.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
ATSAMA5D36A-CU
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$46.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAMA5D36A-CNR
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$24.95 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAMA5D35A-CN
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATSAMA5D35A-CU
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$21.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAMA5D34A-CU
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$9.62 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAMA5D36A-CN Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | ARM Cortex-A5 (ARMv7-A) |
| Maximum CPU Clock | 536 MHz |
| Performance | 850 DMIPS |
| L1 Instruction Cache | 32 KB |
| L1 Data Cache | 32 KB |
| Internal SRAM | 128 KB |
| Floating Point Unit | Yes (VFPv4) |
| NEON Media Engine | Yes |
| DDR Memory Controller | 16-bit DDR2/LPDDR/LPDDR2 |
| Ethernet | 10/100/1000 Mbps (1x GMAC, RGMII) |
| USB | 3x USB 2.0 High-Speed (Host/Device/HSIC) |
| LCD Controller | Up to 2048x2048, 24-bit RGB |
| Image Sensor Interface | Yes (ISI, up to 12-bit) |
| Crypto Accelerator | AES, TDES, Secure Boot |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +85C (Industrial) |
| Package | 324-LFBGA, 15x15 mm, 0.8 mm pitch |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| I/O Voltage | 1.2 V, 1.8 V, 3.3 V |
| Supply Voltage Core | 1.2 V |
ATSAMA5D36A-CN 324-lfbga, 15x15 mm, 0.8 mm pitch Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for ATSAMA5D36A-CN (324-lfbga, 15x15 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 ATSAMA5D36A-CN.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
ATSAMA5D36A-CN is suitable for 7 applications: Industrial HMI Panels, Industrial IoT Gateways, Smart Energy Meters, Building Automation Controllers, Point-of-Sale Terminals, Edge IoT Vision Nodes, Medical Patient Monitoring Displays.
Industrial HMI Panels
The ATSAMA5D36A-CN fits industrial HMI panels because it integrates a TFT LCD controller up to 2048x2048 with hardware overlay, a 12-bit touchscreen ADC, and 2D graphics acceleration in a single 324-LFBGA chip. At 536 MHz and 850 DMIPS it runs Qt/Embedded, LVGL, or Microchip's MPLAB Harmony GUI at 60 fps on WVGA. The industrial -40C to +85C grade and sub-0.5 mW backup mode suit always-on factory-floor panels. Designers place the MPU between a 4.3-10 inch LCD, capacitive touch controller, and 100 Mbps Ethernet for SCADA connectivity, eliminating external GPU/bridge ICs.
Recommended
Industrial IoT Gateways
The ATSAMA5D36A-CN is an ideal IoT gateway MPU because its 1 Gbps Ethernet MAC, three USB 2.0 high-speed ports, dual CAN, and 850 DMIPS Linux-capable Cortex-A5 aggregate multiple fieldbuses onto MQTT/MODBUS TCP uplinks. The hardware AES/TDES accelerator secures TLS handshakes, and the 128 KB on-chip SRAM reduces DDR traffic for latency-critical routing. Typical designs place the part between a 4G modem, RS-485 transceivers, and isolated CAN PHY, with backup mode enabling <1 W idle for solar-powered installations.
Recommended
Smart Energy Meters
Smart metering benefits from the ATSAMA5D36A-CN's combination of 16-bit ADC frontend interfaces, secure AES boot, real-time clock with calendar, and Cortex-A5 performance running Linux + metering stacks. The LFBGA package fits inside sealed IP54 meter enclosures, while industrial temperature grade (-40C to +85C) handles outdoor cabinet conditions. Power dissipation of ~250 mW active allows passive cooling; backup mode below 0.5 mW extends battery life during outages. Designs pair the MPU with a metrology AFE for IEC 62053-22 class 0.2S accuracy.
Recommended
Building Automation Controllers
Building automation controllers (BACnet, KNX, Modbus) leverage the ATSAMA5D36A-CN's Cortex-A5 Linux capability plus rich peripherals: dual CAN for HVAC bus, RS-485 UARTs for BACnet MS-TP, Ethernet for BACnet/IP, and LCD+Touch for room control panels. The 324-LFBGA exposes 32-bit DDR plus multiple SPI/I2C to drive lighting, blinds, and HVAC actuators. With 850 DMIPS, a single chip handles the controller UI, scheduling, and BACnet stack simultaneously, replacing legacy 16-bit MCUs.
Recommended
Point-of-Sale Terminals
POS terminals benefit from the ATSAMA5D36A-CN's integrated LCD controller (for the cashier display), image sensor interface (for barcode/QR scanners), USB 2.0 high-speed (for receipt printers and cash drawers), and secure boot (for PCI compliance). Linux + Java/Python POS stacks run comfortably at 850 DMIPS. The 324-LFBGA with 0.8 mm pitch fits compact all-in-one POS form factors; industrial temperature grade ensures reliability in retail environments.
Recommended
Edge IoT Vision Nodes
For edge vision applications, the ATSAMA5D36A-CN's image sensor interface accepts up to 12-bit parallel cameras at 5-30 fps, while the NEON+VFP accelerates simple CV kernels (motion detect, presence detection, OCR). At 850 DMIPS, it pre-processes frames locally before pushing metadata to the cloud, conserving bandwidth. The 1 Gbps Ethernet handles multiple IP cameras; industrial temperature grade supports outdoor deployments.
Recommended
Medical Patient Monitoring Displays
Medical patient monitors require clean display, reliable boot, and stable Linux - all provided by the ATSAMA5D36A-CN. The integrated LCD controller drives multi-parameter displays (ECG, SpO2, NIBP waveforms) at 60 fps with 24-bit color, and the Cortex-A5 + NEON runs Qt-based GUIs smoothly. Hardware AES enables HIPAA-compliant encryption; industrial temperature grade handles clinical environments.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for ATSAMA5D36A-CN — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | ATSAMA5D36A-CU | ATSAMA5D36A-CNR | ATSAMA5D35A-CN | ATSAMA5D35A-CU | ATSAMA5D34A-CU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 324-LFBGA (15x15 mm) | 324-LFBGA (15x15 mm) - same | 324-LFBGA (15x15 mm) - same | 324-LFBGA (15x15 mm) - same | 324-LFBGA (15x15 mm) - same | 324-LFBGA (15x15 mm) - same |
| Core | ARM Cortex-A5 | ARM Cortex-A5 | ARM Cortex-A5 | ARM Cortex-A5 | ARM Cortex-A5 | ARM Cortex-A5 |
| Max CPU Clock | 536 MHz | 536 MHz | 536 MHz | 536 MHz | 536 MHz | 536 MHz |
| Performance | 850 DMIPS | 850 DMIPS | 850 DMIPS | 850 DMIPS | 850 DMIPS | 850 DMIPS |
| Image Sensor Interface | Yes (ISI, 12-bit) | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| 2D Graphics Accelerator | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Ethernet | 10/100/1000 Mbps | 10/100/1000 Mbps | 10/100/1000 Mbps | 10/100 Mbps | 10/100 Mbps | 10/100 Mbps |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +85C (Industrial) | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C |
| Approx Unit Price (1k) | $11.40 | $11.50 | $11.40 | $10.20 | $10.30 | $9.50 |
Key Differentiators
- Integrated Image Sensor Interface (ISI) and 2D Graphics (vs ATSAMA5D35A-CN)
- 1 Gbps Ethernet MAC vs 100 Mbps on lower siblings (vs ATSAMA5D35A-CN / ATSAMA5D34A-CU)
- AES/TDES hardware crypto for secure boot and TLS (vs ATSAMA5D26A-CN (SAMA5D2))
Design Notes
The 324-LFBGA uses 0.8 mm ball pitch. Use 4-layer PCB with a continuous GND plane directly under the BGA, microvia-in-pad fan-out, and matched 50 ohm SE traces for RMII/RGMII. Reference Microchip AN-1413 (SAMA5D3 PCB Layout Recommendations) for length-matched DDR2 pairs (max +/-25 mil). Estimated via-in-pad cost adds 5-7% to PCB fab but is required for reliable JTAG and BGA-324 assembly yield above 99%.
Active power dissipation is ~250-400 mW at 536 MHz with full peripheral activity; place a small copper pad (at least 100 mm^2) under the LFBGA thermal balls and stitch thermal vias to the bottom layer. Industrial temperature grade ensures operation up to +85C ambient without a heatsink. In sealed enclosures with no airflow, derate CPU clock to 400 MHz or add a 2 mm copper spreader to keep Tj below 105C.
Use a 3-rail PMIC: 1.2V (VDDCORE, ~250 mA peak), 1.8V (VDDIO, ~150 mA), and 3.3V (peripheral rail). Add 10 uF + 100 nF decoupling within 2 mm of every supply ball. Implement power sequencing: VDDIO must rise before or simultaneously with VDDCORE; the SAMA5D3 is NOT damage-tolerant to reverse sequence. Backup mode (RTC + wakeup logic) consumes under 0.5 mW when the main rails are gated.
Do NOT use the same DDR2 part number for both byte lanes - SAMA5D3 expects matched ranks. Verify DDR2 ZQ calibration resistor is 240 ohm +/-1% to ground at the ZQ ball. JTAG TMS/TCK/TDO/TDI require 10 kohm pull-ups; without them, Boundary Scan fails. Confirm bootloader signature before enabling secure boot - a typo in the AES key bricks the part in field (recoverable only via external programmer).
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliant per Microchip product page and Abacus Technologies catalog. Industrial temperature grade -40C to +85C. DRC Conflict Free per Abacus. AEC-Q100 is not applicable (this is an MPU, not an automotive-grade MCU).
