Targeting applications ranging from weigh scales to industrial process control, Texas Instruments' Burr-Brown Division has developed a highly integrated data acquisition system (DAS). It merges a 24-bit delta-sigma (Ä-Ó) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) with an 8051 microcontroller and flash memory on the same piece of silicon.
Implemented in 0.5-µm CMOS, the MSC1210 is the first fruit of this integration. It boasts on-chip a 6-MIPS 8051 core and up to 32 kbytes of flash memory and 1 kbyte of SRAM. Four different memory configurations let users partition the flash between program and data memory for each configuration. The flash memory can be independently programmed at 3 and 5 V using both serial and parallel programming methods. And, the 24-bit ADC offers up to a 1 ksample/s rate.
Other features on-chip include an input multiplexer with eight differential/single-ended channels, a buffer, a programmable-gain amplifier (PGA) with maximum gain of up to 128, a temperature sensor, a voltage reference, an adjust-able digital filter, a 32-bit accumulator, three 16-bit timer/counters, system timers, a watchdog timer, and power-management control. Plus, it offers special function registers (SFRs) for control and status purposes. Typical power consumption for the unit is 4 mW at 3 V.
The MSC1210 uses separate analog and digital supplies. Available in a 64-lead TQFP, it costs $8.95 each in 1000-piece quantities.
Texas Instruments Inc., www.ti.com; (520) 746-1111.
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