Ultra-low-power microcontroller family brings accuracy, low power to three-phase metering

Accurate, low power, and tamper proof are the key features of the new generation of smart meters that will enable the infrastructure of the smart grid. Targeting that market, Texas Instruments has added the MSP430F471xx to its 430 family of ultra-low-power microcontrollers for smart-power-meter applications. The device has accuracy better than 0.1% and a dynamic range of 2400 to 1, necessary for the wide range of high and low currents that power meters encounter. Current electromechanical meters, in contrast, have only about 2% accuracy. Low-power operation is important for electronic power meters because they must run on a battery-backup power during outages. Although these outages are relatively infrequent in the United States, extended outages can occur weekly in developing parts of the world.

Ultra-low-power microcontrolle

In its low-power mode, the 471xx can keep an LCD and a real-time clock alive for continued metering and reporting. Six sigma-delta ADCs monitor the three power phases, and a seventh monitors the ground return to see whether the equipment is drawing power or even if someone has tampered with the magnetic pickup. The device has multiple interfaces, including PLC (power-line communications) to communicate with the utility, and an RF interface for advanced meter infrastructure that allows in-home wireless-network communication. The device can have as much as 120 kbytes of flash memory and 8 kbytes of RAM. The chip sells for $5.75 to $7.95 (1000).

Secure, accurate energy monitoring achieved with TI’s new MSP430 MCU for e-metering applications
MSP430F471xx ultra-low power MCUs offer high accuracy, simultaneous sampling and anti-tamper for three-phase e-metering applications
DALLAS (June 30, 2009) – In order to meet growing energy demands, utilities are turning to highly accurate and robust poly-phase electricity metering (e-metering) solutions to monitor energy consumption. Supporting three-phase e-metering applications, Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN) today announced the new ultra-low power MSP430F471xx microcontroller (MCU) series. The F471xx system-on-chip metering solution achieves leading accuracy results, and offers simultaneous sampling of voltage and current as well as tamper-detection for efficient and reliable energy measurement. For more information, click here.

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

Integrated MCU solution with dedicated 16-bit 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
Ultra-low 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 120kB Flash and 8kB RAM
Development made easy with code examples, evaluation module and application note that details faster calibration to jump-start design
TI’s broad portfolio drives smarter grid solutions

TI’s comprehensive utility metering portfolio includes devices targeted at electricity, water and gas metering, as well as power line communications (PLC) and radio frequency (RF) interfaces for advanced meter infrastructure (AMI) that allow customers to design smart grid solutions. From highly optimized application specific embedded processors, low power RF, power management and RFID to dedicated software support for ZigBee,6LoWPAN, WMBUS, OFDM and SFSK modulations, TI offers the most complete solution set for smart metering.

Pricing and availability
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).

430 family of ultra-low-power microcontrollers
MSP430F47166, MSP430F47167, MSP430F47176, MSP430F47177, MSP430F47186, MSP430F47187, MSP430F47196, MSP430F47197

The Texas Instruments MSP430 family of ultralow-power microcontrollers consists of several devices featurin different sets of peripherals targeted for various applications. The architecture, combined with five low-power modes is optimized to achieve extended battery life in portable measurement applications. The device features a powerful 16-bit RISC CPU, 16-bit registers, and constant generators that contribute to maximum code efficiency. The digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) allows wake-up from low-power modes to active mode in less than 6µs.

The MSP430F471xx series are microcontroller configurations targeted to poly-phase electricity meters with six or seven 16-bit sigma-delta A/D converters. Each channel as a differential input pair and programmable input gain. Also integrated are two 16-bit timers, four universal serial communication interfaces (USCI), DMA, 68 I/O pins, and a liquid crystal driver (LCD) with integrated contrast control.

Customers Who Evaluated This Product Also Evaluated
MSP430F4794: 16-Bit Ultra-Low-Power Microcontroller, 60KB Flash, 2KB RAM, 4 Sigma-Delta ADCs, LCD Driver
MSP430F47166: 16-Bit Ultra-Low-Power Microcontroller, 92KB Flash, 4KB RAM, 6 Sigma-Delta ADCs, LCD Driver

Product Information
Features
Low Supply-Voltage Range: 1.8 V to 3.6 V
Ultralow Power Consumption
Active Mode: 350 µA at 1 MHz, 2.2 V
Standby Mode: 1.1 µA
Off Mode (RAM Retention): 0.2 µA

Five Power-Saving Modes
Wake-Up From Standby Mode in Less Than 6 µs
16-Bit RISC Architecture, 62.5-ns Instruction Cycle Time
Three-Channel Internal DMA
Six or Seven 16-Bit Sigma-Delta Analog-to-Digital (A/D)
Converters With Differential PGA Inputs
16-Bit Timer_B With Three Capture/Compare-With-Shadow Registers
16-Bit Timer_A With Three Capture/Compare Registers
On-Chip Comparator
Four Universal Serial Communication Interface (USCI) Modules
USCI_A0 and USCI_A1
Enhanced UART Supporting
Auto-Baudrate Detection
IrDA Encoder and Decoder
Synchronous SPI
USCI_B0 and USCI_B1
I2C
Synchronous SPI
Integrated LCD Driver With Contrast Control for Up to 160 Segments
Basic Timer With Real-Time Clock Feature
32-Bit Hardware Multiplier
Brownout Detector
Supply Voltage Supervisor/Monitor With Programmable Level Detection
Serial Onboard Programming, No External Programming Voltage Needed
Programmable Code Protection by Security Fuse
Bootstrap Loader
On-Chip Emulation Module

Family Members Include
MSP430F47166: 92KB + 256B Flash 4KB RAM 6 Sigma-Delta ADCs
MSP430F47176: 92KB + 256B Flash 8KB RAM 6 Sigma-Delta ADCs
MSP430F47186: 116KB + 256B Flash 8KB RAM 6 Sigma-Delta ADCs
MSP430F47196: 120KB + 256B Flash 4KB RAM 6 Sigma-Delta ADCs
MSP430F47167: 92KB + 256B Flash 4KB RAM 7 Sigma-Delta ADCs
MSP430F47177: 92KB + 256B Flash 8KB RAM 7 Sigma-Delta ADCs
MSP430F47187: 116KB + 256B Flash 8KB RAM 7 Sigma-Delta ADCs
MSP430F47197: 120KB + 256B Flash 4KB RAM 7 Sigma-Delta ADCs

Available in a 100-Pin Plastic Quad Flatpack (QFP) Package
For Complete Module Descriptions, See the MSP430×4xx Family User’s Guide,
Literature Number SLAU056
For E-Meter Reference Design and Software, See Implementation of a
Three-Phase Electronic Watt-Hour Meter using the MSP430F471xx,
Literature Number SLAA409

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