The MC68HC912B32 is a member of the M68HC12 family of 16-bit microcontrollers. It contains 32,768 bytes of bulk-erasable, byte- or word-programmable Flash EEPROM memory. Including Flash EEPROM, rather than EPROM or ROM, memory on a microcontroller has significant advantages for both the OEM and the end customer.
For the OEM, placing system firmware in Flash EEPROM memory provides numerous benefits. First, firmware development can be extended late into the product development cycle by eliminating the ROM lead times. Second, when an OEM has several products based on the same microcontroller, it can help reduce the inventory problems associated with ROM-based microcontrollers. Finally, if a severe bug is found in the product’s firmware during the manufacturing process, the in-circuit reprogrammability of Flash EEPROM memory prevents the OEM from having to scrap any of the work-in-process.