What this Cortex-M3 controller brings to a BOM line
The Texas Instruments LM3S1N16-IQR50-C0T is a Stellaris-series ARM Cortex-M3 MCU built for deterministic control tasks in industrial and automotive-cabin environments. Its 50 MHz core drives 64 KB of program Flash and 12 KB of SRAM, with 33 general-purpose I/O lines and an 8-channel, 10-bit ADC for sensor acquisition.
50 MHz and 64 KB Flash — what that means for fit
At 50 MHz the Cortex-M3 executes one instruction per cycle on most operations, so the throughput sits around 50 DMIPS — adequate for PID loops, CAN message handling, and Modbus stacks, but thin for heavy DSP or TCP/IP offload. The 64 KB Flash and 12 KB RAM limit firmware to lean real-time kernels (FreeRTOS, TI-RTOS) and protocol buffers; a design needing a full Ethernet stack or large data logging will hit the memory wall. The peripheral set — I²C, SPI, SSI, UART, LIN, and IrDA — covers serial sensor buses and actuator links without external bridge chips.
Obsolete — sourcing reality for LM3S1N16-IQR50-C0T
This part carries an official Obsolete product status. TI has ended production; no last-time-buy window remains open. New-manufacture orders through the factory channel are not possible. The available supply is limited to surplus and broker inventory — material already produced and sitting in distribution. Date-code provenance and traceability become the buyer's primary concern when sourcing an EOL controller for a production run or repair.
Package and mounting — 64-LQFP footprint
The LM3S1N16-IQR50-C0T is supplied in a 64-LQFP package with a 10x10 mm body, surface-mount. The tape-and-reel shipping format suits automated pick-and-place lines.