Date: 23/04/2009

8 and 16-bit MCUs with low sleep current of 20 nA

Microchip has released to market 3 families of 8 and 16 bit microcontrollers with low sleep current of 20 nAmps. The three new nanoWatt XLP MCU families that were released include the four-member, 16-bit PIC24F16KA family and the six-member PIC18F46J11 and the six-member PIC18F46J50 8-bit MCU families. The PIC18F46J50 family has a special feature of integrated Full-Speed USB 2.0 to communicate with embedded system applications.
These are supposed to work in standby for years operating from the battery power.
The low power advantages listed by the Microchip in using its nanoWatt XLP families of PIC microcontrollers are, Sleep currents down to 20 nA, Real-Time Clock currents down to 500 nA, and Watchdog Timer currents down to 400 nA.

"The extremely low sleep current and numerous wake-up features of Microchip's new nanoWatt XLP microcontrollers should be ideal for battery-operated devices, which actually spend most of the time asleep," said Tom Starnes, embedded processor analyst at the semiconductor research firm Objective Analysis. "The interest in the market for such low-power processors, for use in consumer to industrial applications, is really on the rise."

The vast range of applications for these devices include, portable and battery-powered applications in the Consumer (sealed disposable electronics, portable electronics white goods, game controllers, digital photo frames, coffee machines); Industrial (energy harvesting/scavenging, utility meters, security systems, thermostats, sprinkler timers, portable temperature controllers, remote/portable gas sensors and remote sensor networks, data logging and asset tracking, sealed/harsh environment sensors); Automotive (diagnostic equipment, car alarms, key fobs); and Medical markets (home medical devices, oxygen/bio flow meters, digital thermometers, patient monitors, lifestyle/fitness monitors and pedometers).