Ultra-low power FRAM microcontrollers feature CapTIvate touch technology for buttons, sliders, wheels and proximity applications

Now in stock at Mouser is the MSP430FR263x/MSP430FR253x mixed-signal microcontrollers from Texas Instruments. These ultra-low power Ferroelectric RAM (FRAM) microcontrollers feature CapTIvate touch technology for buttons, sliders, wheels and proximity applications. They also include a high-performance 10-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) as well as a 32-bit hardware multiplier for math-intensive operations. The microcontrollers are ideal for low-power industrial and consumer products such as thermostats, lighting control, home appliances, personal electronics, and electronic door locks. The mixed-signal devices are 16-bit RISC microcontrollers with 16-bit registers and constant generators that contribute to maximum code efficiency. With an active mode current of just 126µA/MHz and drawing less than 0.9µA in wake-on-touch mode, which allows electrode scanning while the CPU is asleep, the microcontrollers target ultra-low power systems where battery life must be extended. The on-chip 16-MHz digitally controlled oscillator allows them to wake up from low-power modes to active mode typically in less than 10µs. The microcontrollers also have two enhanced universal serial communication interfaces, each of which are capable of supporting UART, IrDA encoder/decoder, and SPI serial protocols, plus an additional eUSCI that supports SPI and I2C protocols. The microcontrollers are supported by two development tools: Developers can plug the TI BOOST-IR BoosterPack Plug-in Module into a LaunchPad Development Kit to start developing remote control applications using the on-board keypad, infrared LED transmitter, and IR receiver and demodulator. The MSP-CAPT-FR2633 CapTIvate development kit is a comprehensive, easy-to-use platform to evaluate the MSP430FR2633 microcontroller. The kit contains the MSP430FR2633-based processor board and a programmer/debugger board with EnergyTrace technology to measure energy consumption with the Code Composer Studio integrated development environment. The development kit also includes sensor boards for evaluating self-capacitance, mutual capacitance, gesture and proximity sensing.