The Texas Instruments MSP430 family of ultralow power microcontrollers consists of several devices featuring 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 devices feature 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
6 µs.
The MSP430x43x(1) and the MSP430x44x(1) series are microcontroller configurations with two built-in 16-bit timers, a fast 12-bit A/D converter (not implemented on the MSP430F43x1 and MSP430F44x1 devices), one or two universal serial synchronous/asynchronous communication interfaces (USART), 48 I/O pins, and a liquid crystal driver (LCD) with up to 160 segments.
Typical applications include sensor systems that capture analog signals, convert them to digital values, and process and transmit the data to a host system, or process this data and display it on a LCD panel. The timers make the configurations ideal for industrial control applications such as ripple counters, digital motor control, EE-meters, hand-held meters, etc. The hardware multiplier enhances the performance and offers a broad code and hardware-compatible family solution.
