Microchip expands stand-alone real-time clock/calendar device family

CHANDLER, USA: Microchip Technology Inc., a leading provider of microcontroller, analog and Flash-IP solutions, announced a new family of stand-alone Real-Time Clock/Calendar (RTCC) devices. The MCP795WXX/BXX RTCC devices have a 10 MHz SPI interface, non-volatile memory and an effective combination of features at a price lower than most competitors’ devices, including those with fewer features.

The new devices reduce component counts and costs for applications in the smart-energy (e.g., thermostats, power meters and commercial refrigeration); home-appliance (e.g., coffee makers, stoves and microwave ovens); automotive (e.g., dashboard controls, car radios and GPS); consumer-electronic (e.g., office equipment and video systems); and communications markets (e.g., radios, cordless phones, and network systems), among others.

The MCP795WXX/BXX RTCC devices feature millisecond alarms and a 10 MHz SPI interface that supports very fast data access, resulting in longer MCU sleep and power-down modes, and less power draw from the battery. Other low-power features include two event-detect inputs that draw minimal current in the RTCC device, but wake the MCU when events such as a switch press or system tampering have occurred.

Additionally, the devices include three types of non-volatile memory—EEPROM, SRAM and a Unique ID—which can be ordered blank or with a pre-programmed MAC address, as a standard product to further reduce component counts and lower costs associated with serialized programming.

Along with the automatic battery switchover for backup power, a power-fail time stamp logs the time and duration of any power failure and, for accurate timekeeping over a broad temperature range, the devices feature a wide digital-trimming range that compensates for crystal frequency drift over temperature. In designs where a second low-frequency crystal is used, a boot-clock option provides a 32 kHz clock at power-up, reducing the need for a second crystal.

“With our new SPI RTCC devices, we offer customers a high-quality timekeeping solution that also meets many of their other system requirements,” said Randy Drwinga, VP of Microchip’s Memory Products Division. “We made this possible by leveraging Microchip’s core competencies and integrating an effective combination of features into a single device at a lower cost, which can be passed on to our customers.”