Author
Erya Jin
Erya joined ST in 2002 and worked as an MCU applications engineer and technical marketer. After ST, Erya joined TI as a marketer manager. In 2021, Erya joined NXP as a MCU Product Manager.
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- The Essential MCU for Today's Entry-Level Designs: MCX C1 Family of MCUs
The Essential MCU for Today's Entry-Level Designs: MCX C1 Family of MCUs
For years, developers have made tradeoffs when designing entry-level embedded systems including sacrificing analog performance, control capabilities or the flexibility to scale for keeping costs low as application requirements evolved. Today's industrial and IoT designs demand even more. Whether developing motor control, energy management or sensing applications, developers need essential MCU capabilities that can deliver higher performance, but without increasing system complexity or cost.
Built on the Arm® Cortex®-M23 core, MCX C1 family of MCUs equips developers to build more capable designs while maintaining the simplicity and cost efficiency expected from an entry-level MCU. These include entry-level basics, but without the entry-level limitations. NXP expands the MCX C Series with the MCX C15 and MCX C16 MCUs, bringing advanced analog integration, flexible control capabilities and industrial-grade reliability to entry-level applications.
The MCX C15 and MCX C16 are available today with targeted lead times of approximately 16 weeks, providing developers with greater confidence when planning new designs and future product roadmaps.
Ready to Modernize your Entry-Level Designs? Start with the MCX C1 Family of MCUs.
Designed for Modern Embedded Systems
As embedded applications continue to become more intelligent and connected, entry-level MCUs are expected to do more than ever before. Accurate sensing, responsive motor control and efficient power management are no longer reserved for high-end devices—they're becoming standard requirements across industrial and IoT applications.
The MCX C15 and MCX C16 were developed to meet today's evolving application requirement demands. By integrating a high-resolution 16-bit successive approximation register analog-to-digital converter (SAR ADC), high-speed comparator with integrated digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and FlexPWM for motor and power control, these devices enable developers to build more capable systems while helping simplify system design and reduce bill of materials (BOM) cost.
Integrated features such as an accurate internal frequency reference oscillator (FRO), internal operational amplifier (OpAmp) and up to 16 kB of data flash further reduce external component requirements and simplify system design. The dedicated data flash can be used to store configuration, calibration or application data and, in some designs, may eliminate the need for external electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), further reducing BOM cost and system complexity.
More Capabilities for Applications Without Increasing Cost
Designed for power-sensitive industrial and consumer IoT applications, the MCX C15, MCX C16 and MCX C162 combine low active and deep power-down current with advanced analog integration, allowing developers to improve energy efficiency without moving to a higher-cost MCU class. Support for electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) configuration in both flash and RAM further enhances system reliability, making the family a dependable platform for modernizing legacy 8-bit and 16-bit designs.
Beyond precision analog, the MCX C15 and MCX C16 also integrate flexible communication interfaces, industrial operating temperatures and features that simplify system design, making them well suited for cost-sensitive embedded applications that still require reliable performance.
Where MCX C1 Makes an Impact
The MCX C15 and MCX C16 are designed to support a broad range of industrial and IoT applications that rely on accurate sensing, real-time control and efficient system operation, including:
- Power and energy applications: Precision analog and control capabilities for HVAC systems, smart circuit breakers, solar inverters and energy monitoring
- Industrial automation: Equipped for motor drives, water pumps, process control, sensors, instrumentation where reliable sensing and responsive control are essential
They also support a variety of general embedded and IoT applications, including medical devices, power tools, smart home appliances, building automation and lighting. This equips developers with a platform that adds intelligence and control to cost-sensitive designs.
Modernize Legacy Designs with a Scalable Platform
As industrial and IoT applications become more intelligent, many traditional 8-bit and 16-bit MCUs no longer provide the performance, analog integration or software ecosystem needed for modern embedded designs. Designed with scalability in mind, the MCX C1 family serves as an entry point into the broader MCX portfolio.
The MCX C15 and MCX C16 provide a straightforward migration path to a modern Arm Cortex-M23 platform, helping developers modernize existing designs while benefiting from advanced analog capabilities, improved system integration and a scalable development experience.
As application requirements evolve, developers can continue scaling within the broader MCX portfolio while maintaining a familiar architecture, software ecosystem and development experience. Full pin-compatibility with the MCX A Series allows developers to scale performance while using existing hardware and software investments.
Together with the shared MCUXpresso Developer Experience, developers can reuse code, familiar development tools and workflows across devices, helping reduce development effort and accelerate future product evolution. This scalable approach helps protect software investment while offering flexibility to support ongoing product evolution.
Accelerate Development with MCUXpresso and the FRDM Ecosystem
With support from the MCUXpresso Developer Experience, getting started with the MCX C15 and MCX C16 is straightforward. This shared software ecosystem provides development tools, middleware and example software across the MCX portfolio, preserving development investments while supporting scalable product families. Developers can reuse software, accelerate development and simplify migration between devices as product requirements evolve.
To speed evaluation and prototyping, FRDM development boards are available today, providing a fast path from initial concept to production-ready design. Together, the hardware and software ecosystem help developers reduce time to market while building on a platform designed for long-term scalability.
Reflecting NXP's broader commitment to sustainability, the FRDM-MCXC162 development board is the first FRDM platform to introduce FSC®-certified responsible packaging. By reducing material use while maintaining the same trusted out-of-box development experience, this initiative represents another step toward building more sustainable development platforms without compromising quality or usability.
Bringing More Capability to Entry-Level Designs
Today's embedded applications require more capabilities than traditional entry-level MCU design can deliver. The MCX C15 and MCX C16 help developers build smarter industrial and IoT products without increasing system complexity through:
- Advanced precision analog
- Low-power operation
- Built-in system features that reduce external components
- Flexible control capabilities
- Scalable software support
- Straightforward migration path into the broader MCX portfolio
Now, available with targeted lead times of approximately 16 weeks, the MCX C15 and MCX C16 provide a dependable platform for both today's designs and tomorrow's product roadmap.