In the Microchip tinyAVR 0-series, 1-series, and 2-series we see Configurable Custom Logic (CCL) among the Core Independent Peripherals (CIP) available on the chip. In this YouTube video [Grug Huhler] shows us how to make your own digital logic in hardware using the ATtiny CCL peripheral.

If you have spare pins on your tinyAVR micro you can use them with the CCL for “glue logic” and save on your bill of materials (BOM) cost. The CCL can do simple to moderately complex logic, and it does it without the need for support from the processor core, which is why it’s called a core independent peripheral. A good place to learn about the CCL capabilities in these tinyAVR series is Microchip Technical Brief TB3218: Getting Started with Configurable Custom Logic (CCL) or if you need more information see a datasheet, such as the ATtiny3226 datasheet mentioned in the video.

A tinyAVR micro will have one or two CCL peripherals depending on the series. The heart of the CCL hardware are two Lookup Tables (LUTs). Each LUT can map any three binary inputs into one binary output. This allows each LUT to be programmed with one byte as simple 2-input or 3-input logic, such as NOT, AND, OR, XOR, etc. Each LUT output can optionally be piped through a Filter/Sync function, an Edge Detector, and a Sequencer (always from the lower numbered LUT in the pair). It is also possible to mask-out LUT inputs.

In the source code that accompanies the video [Grug] includes a demonstration of a three input AND gate, an SR Latch using the sequencer, an SR Latch using feedback, and a filter/sync and edge detection circuit. The Arduino library [Grug] uses is Logic.h from megaTinyCore.

We have covered CIP and CCL technology here on Hackaday before, such as back when we showed you how to use an AVR microcontroller to make a switching regulator.

[Morten] works very fast. He has already designed, fabbed, populated, and tested a breakout board for the new tiniest microcontroller on the market, and he’s even made a video about it, embedded below.

You might have heard about this new TI ARM Cortex MO micro on these very pages, where we asked you what you’d do with this grain-of-rice-sized chunk of thinking sand. (The number one answer was “sneeze and lose it in the carpet”.)

From the video, it looks like [Morten] would design a breakout board using Kicad 8, populate it, get it blinking, and then use its I2C lines to make a simple digital thermometer demo. In the video, he shows how he worked with the part, from making a custom footprint to spending quite a while nudging it into place before soldering it carefully down.

But he nailed it on the first try, and honestly it doesn’t look nearly as intimidating as we’d feared, mostly because of the two-row layout of the balls. It actually looks easy enough to fan out. Because you can’t inspect the soldering work underneath the chip, he broke out all of the lines to a header to make it quick to check for shorts between those tiny little balls. Smart.

We love to see people trying out the newest hotness. Let us know down in the comments what new parts you’re trying out.

Thanks [Clint] for the tip!