Low power consumption MCUs for metering

22 August 2007 DSP, Micros & Memory

As utility companies adopt electronic-based meter reading technology to reduce costs while offering new services and energy-saving consumer options, Texas Instruments has developed its 16 MHz MSP430F47x4 ultra-low power microcontrollers (MCU) for one- and multiphase metering.

By integrating up to four individual 16-bit sigma-delta analog to digital converters (ADCs), a 32 x 32-bit hardware multiplier, a 160 segment LCD driver with contrast control, up to 60 KB of flash memory and a realtime clock (RTC), the F47x4 devices enable a five-to-one reduction in system components. The company's utility metering portfolio also includes devices targeted at water and gas metering, as well as power line communications (PLC) and radio frequency (RF) interfaces for automated meter reading (AMR).

With standby power consumption as low as 1,5 μA, a meter based on these new devices allow utilities to drastically reduce overall system power wastage. The product series features several low-power modes, allowing the meter to sleep with almost no power drain between readings. An extremely fast wake-up brings the device to full clock speed within six microseconds; together with a fast shut-down, this 'instant-on' wake-up minimises time spent in active mode.

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