Bridging the Web–Embedded Divide With the SAM E70

When it comes to building connected systems, there’s often a gap between traditional web applications and real-time embedded control. Our SAM E70 Arm^® Cortex^®-M7 microcontroller (MCU) is designed to bridge that divide—delivering the performance, connectivity and security features needed for industrial IoT and automation.

Our partner NetBurner has built their MODM7AE70 and SBE70LC modules around the SAM E70 and SAMD20 devices, pairing Microchip silicon with decades of embedded networking expertise. Together, this combination provides engineers with a robust foundation for securely network-enabling equipment, supporting protocols like Ethernet, CAN, I²C, SPI, SSL/TLS and more.

Why the SAM E70 Matters

The SAM E70 MCU sits at the heart of NetBurner’s system-on-module (SOM). Its high-performance Cortex-M7 core, rich set of peripherals and scalable memory options make it suitable for applications where deterministic control meets connected intelligence. Whether acting as an IoT gateway, an edge processor or a secure node, the SAM E70 delivers the horsepower and flexibility that embedded designers need.

The Switch Counter Project

In this first installment of NetBurner’s blog series, they present a hands-on example called the Switch Counter. Using the NetBurner MOD-DEV-70 development board powered by the SAM E70, the project demonstrates how simple physical inputs—in this case DIP switches—can be network-enabled to communicate with a web server through a RESTful API.

Developers can use this reference not only to submit real-time data from an embedded device but also to retrieve and act on server responses. The tutorial provides both the server-side implementation (via PHP/SQLite) and the embedded client implementation (written in C++ with the NetBurner libraries).

This example highlights how our SAM E70 architecture seamlessly integrates with modern web technologies, enabling embedded devices to share data with cloud or enterprise systems in a secure and scalable way.

Beyond the Tutorial

While the blog dives into practical details such as HTTP methods, memory management, and secure data handling, the bigger takeaway is clear: with the SAM E70 at the core, designers have a reliable microcontroller platform that’s powerful enough for web-connected tasks, yet efficient enough for long-running industrial control.

NetBurner’s decades of experience with embedded networking solutions, combined with Microchip’s proven microcontrollers, offer a path to accelerate IoT design. From CNC machines to industrial automation nodes, the Switch Counter is just one example of how this collaboration simplifies bridging the gap between embedded and web domains.