Microchip LCD MCU targets dashboard displays

Microchip Technology Inc. has introduced the PIC16F946, a PIC microcontroller with an integrated liquid crystal display module and nanoWatt power management modes for standby operation in automotive dashboard display applications, among others.

Offering 5 MIPS core performance and available in a 64-pin TQFP, the MCU features 14 Kbytes of Flash program memory, 336 bytes of RAM and 256 bytes of data EEPROM. Peripherals include a highly stable, 8 MHz internal oscillator; three timers; two Capture/Compare/PWM modules; a 10-bit A/D converter with as many as eight channels; SPI, I2C, and AUSART communication protocol support, and the ability to implement a low-power real-time clock. Power management features include brownout reset, an extended watchdog timer, and programmable low-voltage detect. The LCD module offers four multiplex commons and up to 42 segment drivers. Development tools include the MPLAB integrated development environment (IDE), MPLAB ICD 2 in-circuit debugger, and MPLAB ICE 2000 in-circuit emulator. The PICDEM LCD demo board and LCD daughter board are also available.