Texas Instruments MSP430FE42×2 Mixed Signal Microcontroller
The MSP430FE42×2 microcontrollers (MCU) from Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN) reduces electronic bill of materials (EBOM) to the $1 range in high volumes for single-phase electricity metering (e-metering) applications. MSP430FE42×2 MCUs integrate all metering functionality onto a single chip and offers ultra-low power operation so that only simple voltage regulation such as that provided by TI’s TPS78230 regulator is required for a complete solution. FE42×2 MCUs come in a 64-pin LQFP package, offer up to 32 kB of in-system programmable flash memory and are available today. FE42×2 MCUs are fully compatible with the $149 MSP-FET430U64 JTAG emulation toolkit, speeding development and time to market.
The MSP430FE42×2 devices are microcontroller configurations with two independent 16-bit sigma-delta analog-to-digital (A/D) converters and embedded signal processor core used to measure and calculate single-phase energy in both 2-wire and 3-wire configurations. Also included is a built-in 16-bit timer, 128 LCD segment drive capability, and 14 I/O pins.
MSP430FE42×2 Microcontrollers Highlights
- Unique embedded signal processor (ESP) peripheral fully automates energy conversion by integrating two independent, high-resolution sigma-delta ADCs, programmable gain amplifiers, a temperature sensor, precision voltage reference, H/W multiplier and a dedicated fixed function MSP430 CPU.
- The ESP provides 0.1 percent accurate energy measurement over a dynamic current range of 1000- to-1, surpassing the 1 percent accuracy common in typical meters today.
- A second, fully-programmable on-chip MSP430 CPU is available for application processing and communication functions. An enhanced watchdog timer, brownout protection and a supply voltage supervisor increase system reliability.
- A 128 segment LCD driver, a three channel 16-bit pulse width modulation timer, serial communication port and a basic timer for a real-time clock function provide all functionality for a complete meter implementation while saving board space, reducing development time and streamlining time-to-market.
- Direct device operation from 3V supply with the CPU and ESP active at only 2.5 mA. During a power outage, the device can operate in standby mode at 1.1 uA with real-time clock function active. Ultra-low power can enable 10 and 20-year battery life in metering applications.
More info: MSP430FE42×2 Mixed Signal Microcontroller (pdf)
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