Ultralow-power MCUs suit e-metering apps

Three-phase energy metering is really made possible with the six (or seven) 16bit sigma-delta converters. Below is a diagram of how the seven converters (the seventh on the neutral wire) and the MSP430 can provide a full three-phase monitoring solution.

Key features and benefits of the MSP430F471xx three-phase e-metering MCU include:

• Integrated MCU solution with dedicated 16bit sigma delta converters for three-phase e-metering applications

• Precise energy measurements with better than 0.1 percent accuracy

• Well suited for power-line monitoring with simultaneous sampling of all channels

• Ultralow power consumption when LCD, real-time clock and other peripherals are in use, helps maintain data when back-up battery is used during power outage

• Support of tamper detection and high-precision measurements like temperature and humidity with 7th sigma delta converter for measurement of current and voltage signals

• Flexible memory options with up to 120Kbyte flash and 8Kbyte RAM

• Development made easy with code examples, evaluation module and application note that details faster calibration to jump-start design.

F471xx MCUs are priced between $5.75 and $7.95 for 1K units and are available now along with the $75 MSP-TS430PZ100A target board. In addition, these devices are fully compatible with the $149 MSP-FET430U100A flash emulation tool and e-meter EVM (available via local sales support).

- Steve Bitton
Industrial Control Designline

Keywords: microcontroller   MCU   e-metering application