April 24, 2012 - Microchip Technology introduced MCP3911 energy-measurement analog front end (AFE), which features two 24-bit, delta-sigma ADCs that operate at 3V with industry-leading accuracy of 94.5 dB SINAD and 106.5 dB THD.This provides better energy-meter and power-monitoring performance by accurately measuring from start-up to maximum current, and enables faster calibration during production.
Four different power modes offer the flexibility of enabling either extremely low-power designs, to 0.8 mA per channel, or designs for higher-speed signals and harmonic content.The extended temperature range allows operation from -40°C to +125°C.
The MCP3911 also features 2.7 to 3.6V analog and digital operation, which simplifies the interface by running off the same power rail as the microcontroller.An internal, low-temperature-coefficient voltage reference, along with PGAs on each channel, further enables metering and monitoring designs.
As the global energy-metering infrastructure is being upgraded and the power-monitoring market is growing, designers of energy-measurement and other signal-acquisition applications are looking for ways to increase performance while lowering costs.Microchip is meeting these needs with the industry's most accurate AFEs, which reduce power consumption with their low-power modes and reduce costs by decreasing the number of required power rails and external components. Microchip also announced a tool that enables development with these new AFEs.The MCP3911 Evaluation Board for 16-bit MCUs (part # ADM00398, $79.99) is available today, via microchipDIRECT.
