Microcontroller Families from TI Enable Ultra-Low Power Applications

With a high level of analog integration, TI’s MSP430F2xx MCU architecture is designed for the requirements of a new generation of control systems. The devices integrate on-chip memories of up to 120 KB, and a 20-bit address word increases total addressable memory to 1 MB without paging, supporting the development of more complex programs. A wide range of analog and digital peripheral options enable enhanced features in end products while reducing system costs and power consumption. For example, almost no battery drain occurs with standby power consumption as low as 0.5 uA, and fast wake up from standby mode further reduces battery load. The MCUs have a wide operating voltage range of 1.8 to 3.6 volts (V) and a flexible clocking architecture that allows the designer to implement their select processing speed versus operating voltage. Battery life and system cost are further optimized by achieving the full processor speed of 16-MHz, at 3.3V, giving margin for the power supply design requirements.

The five new MCU families fulfill TI’s commitment to providing a complete line of F2xx upgrades to its MSP430 customers. On-chip options available among the devices include program memories up to 120 KB, three-channel direct memory access (DMA), eight-channel 12-bit analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), and two-channel 12-bit digital-to-analog converters (DACs). A universal serial communications interface (UCSI) saves development time with a flexible implementation of standards that include I2C, SPI, IrDA and UART.

With up to 120 kilobytes of Flash and 8 kbytes of RAM, the MSP430F241x and MSP430F261x are targeted for systems needing extensive processing capability, while the MSP430F24x and MSP430F23x are more general purpose devices. Among the devices, the MSP430F2418 and MSP430F2618 are optimized for operation in low-power ZigBee® networks, while the MSP430F2410 targets applications such as IEEE 802.15.4 wireless networks and automatic meter reading.

“The release of the new MSP430F2xx MCU products offers more than upgrades to higher performance, lower power and more design flexibility to our MSP430 customers,” said Kevin Belnap, MSP430 Product Marketing Manager. “It also opens a new range of application possibilities for portable embedded control systems that require more memory as well as other systems that can benefit from the high level of analog integration.”