TI ultra-low power MCU with integrated LCD cuts system cost of consumer medical devices

DALLAS, USA: Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) introduced its lowest cost microcontroller (MCU) with an integrated LCD controller. Based on TI's MSP430 ultra-low power MCU core, the AFE4110 delivers an industry-leading combination of 16-bit processing power, built-in LCD driver, low power and low cost, while operating on a single 1.5-V battery.

Along with cost-effectiveness and ultra-low power, the AFE4110 features 16-kB ROM, 512-B RAM, a 4- x 12-segment LCD driver with charge pump, a high-accuracy oscillator, and additional features designed for digital thermometers, pedometers, thermostats and portable single alkaline battery devices.

Key features and benefits
Performance and low cost: New, lowest price point for an MSP430 16-bit MCU with integrated LCD. The AFE4110 offers designers greater capabilities packaged into one low-cost device.

Ultra-low power: Operating on a 1.5-V supply, the AFE4110 draws a low active current of 50 uA/MHz and sleep mode current of less than 0.3 uA.

Reduced system cost: The low-cost AFE4110 has an integrated LCD and highly accurate oscillator, eliminating the need for an external crystal. In addition, the AFE4110 operates on a single, low-cost 1.5-V battery.

MSP430 core: Leverages the large ecosystem of tools and sample code to speed designs.
Highly accurate: 0.3-percent integrated oscillator brings high accuracy and low cost in one package, eliminating the need for an external crystal in most applications.