1 Introduction

Various sensors convert physical quantities in the real world into electrical signals. The sensor's output signal is usually with small amplitude and noise, so that it must be amplified and filtered. The operational amplifier is a vital component for signal conditioning like amplification and filtering. After signal conditioning, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is used to convert the analog signal into a digital signal for the processor or controller to analyze. MSP430 MCUs provide signal chain elements with highly integrated analog peripherals for sensing and measurement applications. Within the MSP430FR23xx family of MCUs, the integrated smart analog combo is a key differentiated analog peripheral that includes a high-performance low-power operational amplifier, a PGA with gain up to 33, and a 12-bit digital-to-analog converter. The smart analog combo provides flexible analog configuration on one chip that saves BOM cost and PCB size. This application report describes how to use the smart analog combo in MSP430 MCUs. It introduces the theory of operation, operation modes, internal connection, ROM-based driver library, design considerations, and application use cases.