80 MHz Cortex-M3 with Ethernet and CAN — what this MCU was built for
The LM3S9781-IQC80-C3: 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 MCU from the Stellaris 9000 series, running at 80 MHz with 128 KB Flash and 64 KB SRAM. Connectivity includes Ethernet, CAN, USB OTG, and multiple UART/SPI/I²C.
128 KB Flash — tight for Ethernet stacks
128 KB of program Flash is adequate for a lightweight TCP/IP stack plus a CANopen node, but leaves little room for a full web server or multiple protocol stacks simultaneously. Designs that pushed the StellarisWare library to its limits often hit the Flash ceiling and had to strip features or move to a higher-density sibling. The 64 KB SRAM is generous for a Cortex-M3 of this vintage, supporting moderate packet buffering without external memory.
