Microcontrollers Streamline Analog Sensor Designs

These MCUs feature advanced low-power analog peripherals. Notably, a unique combination of low-power comparators and voltage references can keep operating even when the MCU core is in sleep mode. This allows for continuous analog signal monitoring with a current draw of less than 3.0 µA, helping developers maximize battery life.

The key features include:
Four operational amplifiers with dynamic gain ladder, which can flexibly adjust the gain according to different input signal requirements to ensure signal processing accuracy.

Low-power voltage reference (VREFLP), providing a stable and reliable reference voltage for analog signal processing and guaranteeing measurement accuracy.
An operating voltage range of 1.8 - 5.5V, with wide applicability to meet the needs of different power supply environments.
An adjustable internal oscillator with a maximum frequency of 32 MHz, providing a stable clock signal for the system and ensuring the efficient operation of various functional modules.

A fast comparator with a response time of only 50 nanoseconds, which can quickly compare and judge input signals, making it suitable for application scenarios sensitive to signal changes.

A 12-bit differential ADC (ADCC) with computation function. Combined with the automatic averaging technology, it can achieve high-precision and flexible signal acquisition and processing, effectively improving the reliability of measurement data.

At the heart of these MCUs is the Analog Peripheral Manager (APM). It can dynamically control peripheral activities to minimize total power consumption. The integrated operational amplifiers support software-selectable gain settings. When processing various input signals, they can not only maintain accuracy but also reduce noise interference. At the same time, it can reduce the dependence on external components and simplify the circuit design.
The PIC16F17576 family is mainly targeted at industries such as environmental monitoring, industrial monitoring, smart home technology, and building automation. It performs well in applications such as vibration and strain sensing, flow metering, gas detection, cold chain asset tracking, and motion detection.

Greg Robinson, Corporate Vice President of Microchip’s MCU business unit, said, “Sensor designs often involve complex analog circuitry, which increases costs, board size, and power consumption. Our new PIC16F17576 MCUs integrate essential analog features into a single, low-power device, greatly simplifying the design process and reducing overall system costs.”