MCUs Double Battery Life

Employing a unique eight-bit architecture and integrating high-efficiency dc/dc boost converters, the C8051F9xx family of microcontrollers (MCUs) is described as the industry's first MCUs capable of operating down to 0.9V, enabling portable devices to derive power from a single-cell battery. The devices specify a typical sleep-mode current of less than 50 nA and can wake-up from sleep mode with the CPU operating at 25 MIPS and ready to make an a/d converter measurement within 2 ms. Active-mode current ranges as low as 170 µA/MHz. The family includes devices with 32 KB and 64 KB of flash and all include 4 KB of RAM. Available in 32-pin, 7 mm x 7 mm LQFP, 24-pin, 4 mm x 4 mm QFN, and 32-pin, 5 mm x 5 mm QFN packages, pricing starts at $1.99 each/10,000. SILICON LABORATORIES INC., Austin, TX. (877) 444-3032.