Date: 02/06/2010

Low power, 5V, 8-bit MCUs from Microchip

Microchip has introduced the PIC18F "K22" and PIC18F "K90" families of low power, 8-bit microcontrollers (MCUs). These MCUs feature nanoWatt XLP technology for eXtreme Low Power operation, with sleep currents down to 20 nA. They also feature a 12-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) and peripherals for mTouch capacitive touch-sensing applications. Both these families of MCU have an operating range of 5V.

The PIC18F "K22" family of MCUs operate from 1.8 to 5.5V. It also has a 8KB to 128KB flash memory, multiple PWMs and additional timers. Microchip says these MCUs provide a greater than 50% improvement in active current, over previous generations.

"Our early-adopter customers are excited about the expansion of our PIC18F 'K22' 8-bit MCU product line because of the scalability and low-cost migration path," said Steve Drehobl, vice president of Microchip's Security, Microcontroller and Technology Development Division. "Having a single family that addresses a wide range of requirements is a huge advantage to customers. It simplifies development, reduces design cycles and allows for easy migration in next-generation products."

The PIC18F "K22" MCUs are suggested for applications that typically require robust operation or noise immunity such as industrial (e.g. metering, electronic door locks, cargo tracking, lighting, alarm systems); appliance (e.g. smart energy, dishwashers, refrigerators, HVAC controls); medical (e.g. diagnostic devices, portable medical meters); and automotive (e.g. lighting, dashboard instrument clusters, keyless entry, interior controls, garage-door openers) markets, among others.

The PIC18F "K90" has a 4 KB of RAM and 1 KB of on-chip EEPROM and 32KB to 128KB flash memory. These MCUs have the capability to sense a large number of cap-touch sliders, buttons and keys with the ability to drive large, segmented LCDs.

The PIC18F "K90" is suggested for applications in the home-automation (e.g. thermostats, security systems, in-home displays), appliance (e.g. coffee makers, ranges, refrigerators); industrial (e.g. electronic door locks, metering, HVAC controls); medical (e.g. pulse oximeters, glucometers, digital thermometers, portable health-monitoring devices); and automotive (e.g. alarm systems, keyless entry, dashboard and center-stack displays) markets, among others.

"The PIC18F 'K90' family represents a significant expansion of our high-end 8-bit LCD microcontroller offerings into the 5V operating range," said Mitchel Obolsky, vice president of Microchip's Advanced Microcontroller Architecture Division. "These products are ideal for customers wanting to drive large, segmented LCDs, while consuming very low amounts of power for longer battery life."

Package:
PIC18F "K22" is available in PDIP, QFN, SOIC, SSOP and TQFP packages.
PIC18F "K90" is available in 64- and 80-pin TQFP and 64-pin QFN packages.

Price:
PIC18F "K22" is priced at each US$0.60 in high volume.
PIC18F "K90" is priced at each US$2.42 in 10,000 unit quantities.

Availability: Now

To know more visit: http://www.microchip.com