Long term operation from low capacity batteries

1 min read

Lapis Semiconductor, part of the ROHM group, has launched ultra low power 8bit microcontrollers designed for use in devices that require long term operation from coin or dry cell batteries.

The ML610Q474 family features current consumption as low as 0.25µA in Halt mode – said by the company to be 50% lower than conventional products – along with high noise immunity. The microcontrollers, which feature a recently developed internal regulator and oscillator circuit, take advantage of proprietary low leakage current processes to minimise power consumption. High noise immunity is provided, says the company, through novel internal circuitry and layout. The combination of low current consumption and high noise immunity enables stable long term operation using inexpensive low capacity batteries, contributing to lower costs and smaller form factors. Consuming 300µA at 2MHz, the mcu integrates a uart, an lcd driver, a comparator and a temperature sensor. The part will operate from a supply in the range from 1.25 to 3.6V. Six models are available; three feature 16kbyte of flash, while the remainder feature 16kbyte of rom. All models have 1kbyte of ram and can be supplied either as bare die or in an 80pin tqfp.