What is an eTPU or TPU?
A TPU (Time Processing Unit) is a custom piece of silicon available from Freescale on a variety of microcontrollers. Because the eTPU executes code, just like a CPU does, the designer can be led into the mistaken view that the TPU is simply a co-processor. Actually, from a design standpoint, the TPU is similar to an ASIC or a FPGA in that a wide variety of circuitry can be replaced with a single device. But, unlike an ASIC or a FPGA, the TPU is free, assuming that the decision to use a microcontroller that contains a TPU such as a 683xx or HC16 has already been made.
