The Microchip AVR core combines a rich instruction set with 32 general purpose working registers. All the 32 registers are directly connected to the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), allowing two independent registers to be accessed in one single instruction executed in one clock cycle. The resulting architecture is more code efficient while achieving throughputs up to ten times faster than conventional CISC microcontrollers. The ATmega8A provides the following features: 8K bytes of In-System Programmable Flash with ReadWhile- Write capabilities, 512 bytes of EEPROM, 1K byte of SRAM, 23 general purpose I/O lines, 32 general purpose working registers, three flexible Timer/Counters with compare modes, internal and external interrupts, a serial programmable USART, one byte oriented Two-wire Serial Interface, a 6- channel ADC (eight channels in TQFP and QFN/MLF packages) with 10-bit accuracy, a programmable Watchdog Timer with Internal Oscillator, an SPI serial port, and five software selectable power saving modes. The Idle mode stops the CPU while allowing the SRAM, Timer/Counters, one SPI port, and interrupt system to continue functioning. The Power-down mode saves the register contents but freezes the Oscillator, disabling all other chip functions until the next Interrupt or Hardware Reset. In Power-save mode, the asynchronous timer continues to run, allowing the user to maintain a timer base while the rest of the device is sleeping. Microchip offers the QTouch library for embedding capacitive touch buttons, sliders and wheels functionality into AVR microcontrollers. The patented charge-transfer signal acquisition offers robust sensing and includes fully debounced reporting of touch keys and includes Adjacent Key Suppression (AKS ) technology for unambiguous detection of key events. The easy-to-use QTouch Composer allows you to explore, develop and debug your own touch applications.

Key Features

• High-performance, Low-power Atmel AVR 8-bit Microcontroller
• Advanced RISC Architecture
  • 130 Powerful Instructions - Most Single-clock Cycle Execution
  • 32 x 8 General Purpose Working Registers
  • Fully Static Operation
  • Up to 16MIPS Throughput at 16MHz
  • On-chip 2-cycle Multiplier
• High Endurance Non-volatile Memory segments
  • 8KBytes of In-System Self-programmable Flash program memory
  • 512Bytes EEPROM
  • 1KByte Internal SRAM
  • Write/Erase Cycles: 10,000 Flash/100,000 EEPROM
  • Data retention: 20 years at 85°C/100 years at 25°C(1)
  • Optional Boot Code Section with Independent Lock Bits
• In-System Programming by On-chip Boot Program
• True Read-While-Write Operation
  • Programming Lock for Software Security
• Atmel QTouch® library support
  • Capacitive touch buttons, sliders and wheels
  • Atmel QTouch and QMatrix acquisition
  • Up to 64 sense channels
• Peripheral Features
  • Two 8-bit Timer/Counters with Separate Prescaler, one Compare Mode
  • One 16-bit Timer/Counter with Separate Prescaler, Compare Mode, and Capture Mode
  • Real Time Counter with Separate Oscillator
  • Three PWM Channels
  • 8-channel ADC in TQFP and QFN/MLF package
• Eight Channels 10-bit Accuracy
  • 6-channel ADC in PDIP package
• Six Channels 10-bit Accuracy
  • Byte-oriented Two-wire Serial Interface
  • Programmable Serial USART
  • Master/Slave SPI Serial Interface
  • Programmable Watchdog Timer with Separate On-chip Oscillator
  • On-chip Analog Comparator
• Special Microcontroller Features
  • Power-on Reset and Programmable Brown-out Detection
  • Internal Calibrated RC Oscillator
  • External and Internal Interrupt Sources
  • Five Sleep Modes: Idle, ADC Noise Reduction, Power-save, Power-down, and Standby
• I/O and Packages
  • 23 Programmable I/O Lines
  • 28-lead PDIP, 32-lead TQFP, and 32-pad QFN/MLF
• Operating Voltages
  • 2.7 - 5.5V
• Speed Grades
  • 0 - 16MHz
• Power Consumption at 4MHz, 3V, 25°C
  • Active: 3.6mA
  • Idle Mode: 1.0mA
  • Power-down Mode: 0.5μA