April 16, 2012 -- Microchip Technology, Inc. is accepting registrations for its 16th annual Worldwide MASTERs Conference at the Marriott Desert Ridge Resort in Phoenix, Arizona, with the Main Conference taking place from August 8 to 11, and a Pre-Conference on August 6 and 7, 2012.

The MASTERs Conference is a valuable resource for designing with Microchip products that 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, 16-bit 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 2012 to meet the growing needs of software and hardware design engineers and engineering managers, with 98 total classes, 28 of which are new. In addition to lecture-based classes, there are 52 "hands-on" workshops that enable attendees to learn more about specific applications by using development tools and writing code. Classes are available for engineers with advanced experience through to little knowledge in the concepts and basics of the technology being discussed. Based on its 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 to 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 TCP/IP, USB, CAN and wireless, graphics and capacitive-touch interface development, intelligent power supplies, firmware development, motor control, selecting op-amps for sensor applications, using an RTOS, creating a bootloader, and streaming audio for embedded designs.

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 the Hover Mice parent/ child hovercraft building contest, a Texas Hold-em card tournament, a FIRST Robotics exhibition match, and sports-bar and video games that are suitable for the whole family.

Registration and Pricing

Entry to the MASTERs Conference courses, a USB Flash drive with all class materials, round-trip airport transportation, and accommodations for three nights with meals, evening entertainment and more are included in the Conference cost of $1,595. All payments are due within 30 days of registration. An Early-Bird discount of $159 off the main pricing is available to those who register by April 27, 2012. All potential attendees must register by July 16, 2012. Complete information regarding the MASTERs Conference can be found online at the Microchip website.