Texas Instruments lists the LM3S8730-IBZ50-A2 as obsolete. This means the manufacturer no longer produces it, and no official last-time-buy window remains open. Sourcing now runs through independent distribution — quantities are lot-specific and confirmed at RFQ. A board-level redesign may be required for a functional replacement.
The LM3S8730-IBZ50-A2 is a 32-bit single-core ARM Cortex-M3 MCU clocked at 50 MHz. The 128 KB on-chip flash and 64 KB SRAM provide enough headroom for a moderate application stack plus an RTOS footprint — the 64 KB SRAM leaves roughly 30–40 KB free after a typical HAL and scheduler load, depending on peripheral buffers. Program memory is flash, so firmware updates in the field are possible, but the 100,000-cycle endurance typical of this generation means wear-leveling is not critical for most product lifetimes.
Connectivity and peripheral set
This MCU integrates Ethernet MAC and CANbus controllers alongside I²C, SPI, SSI, UART/USART, IrDA, and Microwire interfaces. The Ethernet and CAN pair makes it a natural fit for industrial gateway or building-automation nodes that bridge a fieldbus to an IP network. On-chip peripherals include brown-out detect, POR, PWM, and a watchdog timer — enough for standalone control without an external supervisor IC in many designs. 32 general-purpose I/O pins are available, which constrains the number of external peripherals that can be connected without a port expander.
Package and board-fit: 108-BGA (10x10 mm)
The LM3S8730-IBZ50-A2 comes in a 108-LFBGA package (supplier device package 108-BGA, 10x10 mm). This is a fine-pitch BGA — the 0.50 mm ball pitch demands a 4-layer PCB for fan-out; a 2-layer board will not break out the inner rows reliably. Surface-mount only.