Atmel Corporation and Magellan jointly introduced a GPS chipset that integrates GPS correlation technology with an ARM926EJ-S-based microprocessor. The device includes an extended instruction set with DSP extensions and peripherals designed to simplify the design and lower the costs of CAN and personal navigation devices.

The ATR0663 includes a GPS baseband; an LCD controller with a 2-D graphics accelerator for virtual screen support of 2048 x 2048 pixels; an AC97 audio controller, and an image sensor interface. I/O options include Ethernet, USB 2.0 full-speed host and device, SD/MMC, TWI and USARTs. A dual external bus interface and 9-layer bus matrix allow for fast memory access and high throughput without loading the microcontroller.

The GPS engine, based on Magellan's GPS technology, offers a hot start in less than two seconds, and -159 dBm tracking sensitivity. The GPS technology employs tens of thousands of correlators to achieve rapid satellite acquisition and reliable tracking under weak signal conditions.

The companion ATR0603 RF receiver IC is said to maximize the performance of the GPS engine while consuming only 12 mA in operation.

Atmel said its ATR0610 SiGe low-noise amplifier is compatible for use with the new chipset.