Helping bring processor-intensive, realtime control to cost-sensitive applications and broadening its overall MCU portfolio, Texas Instruments recently announced a new series of 32-bit TMS320F2802x/F2803x microcontrollers (MCUs).
The new Piccolo F2802x/F2803x MCUs feature architectural advancements and enhanced peripherals in package sizes starting at 38 pins to bring the benefits of 32-bit realtime control to applications typically unable to justify the associated cost. Realtime control offers greater system efficiency and precision through the implementation of advanced algorithms for industrial, consumer and automotive applications such as solar power micro-inverters, LED lighting, white goods appliances and hybrid automotive batteries.
These new controllers can replace multiple electronic components to lower overall system cost while enabling advanced power electronics management. For example, in a variable frequency airconditioning unit, a single MCU can precisely control two electric three-phase motors as well as perform power factor correction (PFC) calculations.
For commercial and industrial lighting applications, LED technology can bring up to 50% higher energy efficiency when compared to traditional high pressure sodium lamps. F2802x/F2803x-based LED control systems offer intelligent current control and easy system networking to bring down system complexity as well as the cost of managing colour mixing and temperature control required for white LED systems.
Piccolo microcontrollers also offer the performance and integration to implement power line communications (PLC) for street light networks that allow cities to pinpoint power outages and centrally manage and adjust lighting based on time of day, traffic or weather conditions.
These MCUs also enable higher operating efficiency and control for solar panels. Typical solar systems use one inverter across multiple panels, but investigations have shown that individual micro-inverters connected to each solar panel within a system can drive higher power conversion efficiencies. Micro-inverters maximise the output of each individual panel compared to system wide inverters that maximise the average output of the panels as a complete system.
The Piccolo series features advancements such as a programmable, floating-point control law accelerator (CLA) designed to offload complex high speed control algorithms from the main TMS320C28xTM CPU. The CLA, which is available starting with the F2803x series, frees the CPU to handle I/O and feedback loop metrics, resulting in up to a 5x performance increase for common closed-loop applications.
TI’s patented, enhanced pulse width modulators (ePWM) support high resolution with frequency modulation down to 150 picoseconds to enable more control over harmonics and reduce sample-to-output delay – a critical factor to avoid missing the falling edges of signals.
Two on-chip oscillators operating at 10 MHz each with ±1% accuracy eliminate the need for external oscillators and their associated cost. The oscillators also offer triple redundancy with on-chip self-test features to help designers achieve system-level safety certifications such as the IEC 60730 safety standard required for white goods in Europe. The simple power architecture eliminates the need for external power ICs and uses a single 3,3 V supply with internal regulator down to 1,9 V while providing brown-out protection and power-on reset.
For more information contact Stuart Hanford, Arrow Altech Distribution, +27 (0)11 923 9600, shanford@arrow.altech.co.za, www.arrow.altech.co.za
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