Memory and speed — what fits in 8 KB flash and 2 KB RAM
The LM3S101-EGZ20-C2: The 20 MHz Cortex-M3 core paired with 8 KB flash and 2 KB RAM (2K x 8) means this part is sized for a single control loop or a state machine that fits in under 6 KB of code — leaving headroom for a small bootloader and a UART command parser. The 2 KB SRAM holds about 500 32-bit variables; a full TCP/IP stack or a GUI frame buffer will not fit without external memory, which this part does not support directly.
Temperature range and on-chip resources
Rated for -40 to 105 °C ambient, the part suits outdoor or under-hood deployment where the internal oscillator's accuracy drift with temperature may be acceptable for basic UART timing. On-chip peripherals include brown-out detect, POR, PWM, and a watchdog timer — enough to replace an external supervisor for simple reset and power-fail handling.
Serial connectivity — what is and is not on-chip
The LM3S101-EGZ20-C2 provides Microwire, SPI, SSI, and UART/USART interfaces — covering the common serial buses for sensor readout, SPI flash, and RS-232/485 links. Notably absent are I2C, CAN, and USB; if the application requires those, an external bridge chip or a different MCU in the Stellaris family is needed. The 18 general-purpose I/O pins are enough for a handful of sensors and a small keypad or LED matrix.