TI announces MSP430 MCUs for e-metering applications

In order to meet growing energy demands, utilities are turning to highly accurate and robust poly-phase electricity metering (e-metering) solutions to monitor energy consumption. In support of three-phase e-metering applications, Texas Instruments Incorporated has unveiled the  ultra-low power MSP430F471xx microcontroller (MCU) series. The F471xx system-on-chip metering solution offers simultaneous sampling of voltage and current as well as tamper-detection for efficient and reliable energy measurement. For more information, visit www.ti.com/F471xx-prhome.

Three-phase energy metering is really made possible with the six (or seven) 16-bit sigma-delta converters.  Below is a diagram of how the seven converters (the seventh on the neutral wire) and the MSP430 can provide a full three phase monitoring solution.


Three-phase e-meter application with F471xx
(Click on image to enlarge)


Key features and benefits of the MSP430F471xx three-phase e-metering MCU

• Integrated MCU solution with dedicated 16-bit sigma delta converters for three-phase e-metering applications
• Precise energy measurements with better than 0.1 percent accuracy
• Well suited for power-line monitoring with simultaneous sampling of all channels
• Ultra-low power consumption when LCD, real-time clock and other peripherals are in use, helps maintain data when back-up battery is used during power outage
• Support of tamper detection and high-precision measurements like temperature and humidity with 7th sigma delta converter for measurement of current and voltage signals
• Flexible memory options with up to 120kB Flash and 8kB RAM
• Development made easy with code examples, evaluation module and application note that details faster calibration to jump-start design

Pricing and availability
F471xx MCUs are priced between $5.75 and $7.95 for 1K units and are available now along with the $75 MSP-TS430PZ100A target board. In addition, these devices are fully compatible with the $149 MSP-FET430U100A flash emulation tool and e-meter EVM (available via local sales support).