50 MHz Cortex-M3 with 32 KB Flash — what the memory envelope means for firmware fit
The LM3S1W16-IQR50-C5 is a Stellaris ARM Cortex-M3S 1000 series MCU running at 50 MHz with 32 KB of on-chip flash and 8 KB of SRAM. That memory budget suits a single control loop plus a protocol stack — think a sensor hub polling I²C peripherals and reporting over UART — but a full TCP/IP stack or a large RTOS footprint will push past the flash boundary. The industrial temperature range (-40 to 85 °C) qualifies it for factory-floor and outdoor enclosures.
Texas Instruments has marked the LM3S1W16-IQR50-C5 as Obsolete.
64-LQFP package and board-fit
Housed in a 64-LQFP (10x10 mm) package, the MCU uses a standard 0.50 mm pitch that routes cleanly on a two-layer board for the 33 I/O lines. The 8-channel 10-bit ADC is on-chip, saving an external converter for basic analog sensing.