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Registration Opens for Microchip’s MASTERs Conference

April 08, 2015 by Jeff Shepard

Microchip Technology Inc. today announced that registration is open for its 19th annual Worldwide MASTERs Conference at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort in Phoenix, Arizona. The Main Conference takes place from August 19-22, and the Pre-Conference is held on August 17-18, 2015. The MASTERs Conference provides design engineers with an annual forum for sharing and exchanging technical information on the Company's 8-, 16- and 32-bit PIC® microcontrollers, high-performance analog and interface solutions, dsPIC® digital signal controllers, wireless and mTouch® sensing solutions, memory products, and MPLAB® development systems—including the industry's only singular IDE to support an entire 8-, 16- and 32-bit microcontroller portfolio.

MASTERs is an in-depth, bi-directional exchange of technical information between Microchip subject-matter experts and the Company's technical partners, including customers, third parties, distributor FAEs and design partners.

There is a broad range of class offerings for 2015, to meet the growing needs of software and hardware design engineers and engineering managers, with more than 100 classes being offered—39 of which are new this year. In addition to lecture-based classes, there are 47 hands-on workshops that enable attendees to learn more about specific applications by using development tools and writing code in the classrooms. Classes are available for engineers with advanced experience or little knowledge in the concepts and basics of the technology being discussed.

Based on its overwhelming success at previous MASTERs, Microchip is again offering a two-day Pre-Conference for those who wish to attend as many classes as possible during the week. These classes are also designed for beginner through advanced attendees. For example, “Introduction to Embedded Programming Using C” is a two-day, 16-hour, step-by-step crash course in C, with practical hands-on exercises.

MASTERs classes cover the gamut of electronic-engineering topics, including connectivity sessions on Ethernet, TCP/IP, USB, CAN and wireless (e.g., Bluetooth® and Wi-Fi®), graphics and capacitive-touch interface development, intelligent power supplies, firmware development, motor control, selecting op amps for sensor applications, DSP and using an RTOS.

“Technical training courses specifically designed for embedded-systems engineers are crucial to reducing development time,” said Ken Pye, Microchip’s vice president of Worldwide Applications Engineering. “It is critical that embedded engineers are trained in all aspects of the environments in which they work, and that they walk away with the valuable knowledge needed to solve today’s most challenging design issues. Our annual series of global MASTERs Conferences are offered with these goals in mind.”

Additional activities include networking sessions between third-party partners and attendees to discuss relevant design topics, meeting with third-party development tool experts and a simulated wafer fab plant tour. Extracurricular events include “Hover Curling,” a Texas Hold-em card tournament, FIRST®, VEX and VEX IQ robotics-competition exhibition matches, and a sports-bar/gaming area that is suitable for the whole family.

Entry to the MASTERs Conference courses, a USB Flash Drive with all class materials, round-trip airport transportation, accommodations for three nights with meals, evening entertainment and more are included in the Conference cost of $1,526 USD—if you register by May 8, 2015 to receive the Early Bird Discount.