TI’s MSP430 5xx MCUs with independent 1.8V I/O supply for simplified co-processor design

Offering total system power savings for co-processor designs, the folks at Texas Instruments (TI) have just announces their new MSP430F521x/F522x MCU family.

These new microcontrollers support a main supply rail (1.8V – 3.6V) and I/O supply rail (1.8V +/-10%), eliminating the need for level translators and offering system-level advantages such as reduced system cost and increased flexibility.

Featuring this new dual voltage rail capability, the F521x/F522x microcontrollers can operate as an ultra-low-power co-processor to higher power/performance devices such as TI’s OMAP processor and Sitara platforms. For example, the new MSP430 microcontrollers can be used to offload functions such as sensor hub, keyboard control, battery/power management, capacitive touch, haptics and proximity detection with lower power consumption compared to running these within an application processor. With a fast wake-up time at 3.5us and as little as 1.4uA power consumption in standby mode, the F521x/F522x microcontrollers can extend battery life from hours to days.

TI also offers a F521x/F522x-based 9-axis sensor fusion solution that works with a wide range of popular sensors in the market, providing greater flexibility to developers and broadening the devices’ reach in battery-operated mobile computing and health and fitness applications. Additionally, F521/F22x devices add support of the latest Windows 8 operating system human interface device (HID) over I2C protocol. Using this protocol offers significant power savings advantages compared to HID over USB in applications like sensor hub and keyboard control in tablets, ultrabooks and other Windows 8-based products.

Easy-to-use software and support allows designers to get started quickly
MSP430F521x/F522x microcontrollers are compatible with MSP430Ware software so developers can access code examples to simplify development and speed time to market. Additionally, F521x/F522x microcontrollers are code compatible with all MSP430 devices for broader scalability across TI’s MSP portfolio. Application notes are also available online for a 9-axis sensor fusion algorithm as well as keyboard controller with HID over USB. For the HID over I2C solution, please contact your local TI sales associate for more information.

Additional features and benefits of the MSP430F521x/F522x MCUs

• Bridge between application processor and other technologies, including sensors, keyboards, radio frequency (RF), Bluetooth low energy (BLE) technology and Wi-Fi, eliminating the need for expensive level shifting circuits to translate 1.8V signals to 3.6V signals, saving size, cost and power.
• Active power at 290uA/MHz in Flash and 150uA/MHz in RAM, standby mode at 1.4uA and ultra-fast wakeup at 3.5us for ultra-low-power consumption.
• Low-power peripherals including comparator, multiple communication interfaces (UART, I2C, SPI, GPIO), real time clock (RTC) module, 10-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and multiple 16-bit timers.
• Multiple package sizes offer versatility with 48- and 64-pin QFN, 80-pin BGA options with up to 128k memory and a 3.5mmx3.5mm YFF package (available in 1Q13), enabling small footprint in portable computing applications.

Pricing and availability
MSP430F521x/F522x microcontrollers are priced from $2.05 for 1K units and samples are immediately available. Customers can contact local sales representatives or visit www.ti.com for more information on available HID over I2C solutions. The MSP-TS430RGC64C target socket is now available for $99 USD. The MSP-FET430U64C target socket and UIF emulator is also now available for $149 USD from TI’s eStore.

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