Cortex-M3 core at 50 MHz — what that means for the board
The LM3S617-IGZ50-C2T is a Stellaris ARM Cortex-M3 MCU from the 600 series, running at 50 MHz with a 32-bit single-core architecture. That clock rate, combined with the single-cycle multiply and hardware divide in the Cortex-M3, gives it enough throughput for real-time control loops — think motor commutation or sensor fusion — without needing an external DSP.
On-chip memory and peripheral mix
32 KB of Flash and 8 KB of SRAM (8K x 8) are on board. For a control-oriented application like a brushless-DC motor driver or a human-machine interface, that Flash holds the firmware and a modest lookup table; the SRAM covers the stack and a few hundred bytes of runtime data. Six 10-bit ADC channels (6x10b) sample analog feedback — current sense, potentiometer position, temperature — without an external converter. Connectivity includes Microwire, SPI, SSI, and UART/USART — enough to talk to a serial Flash, an external DAC, or a host controller over a simple protocol. The 30 general-purpose I/O lines handle switch inputs, LED drivers, and relay control in a typical panel or appliance board.
Package, supply, and temperature range
Housed in a 48-VFQFN with exposed pad (48-VQFN 7x7 mm), the part is surface-mount and requires a thermal pad on the PCB for heat sinking.
Texas Instruments lists this part as Active. The base product number is LM3S617, and the -IGZ50-C2T suffix denotes the 50 MHz speed grade, the 48-VQFN package, and the tape-and-reel packaging.