September 1, 2015 - Microchip releases MCP9600 thermocouple converter chip that integrates instrumentation, temperature sensor, high-res ADC, and a math engine that supports most thermocouple types.
The MCP9600 simplifies thermocouple designs by integrating a number of discrete devices into one chip, which also lowers board area, cost and power consumption.
The MCP9600 provides a plug-and-play solution for creating thermocouple-based designs, because it eliminates the design expertise required for a discrete implementation, such as firmware development using an MCU's math engine. Designers no longer have to create precision instrumentation circuitry to accurately measure a thermocouple's microvolt-level signals, nor do they have to design ADC circuitry for precise temperature calculations.
With the MCP9600's integrated cold-junction compensation, calculating the "Hot" junction temperature of a thermocouple doesn't necessitate thermal design expertise to precisely measure the reference temperature of the thermocouple's "Cold" junction.
Other features of the MCP9600 include a temperature-data digital filter, which minimises the effects of temperature fluctuations, system noise and electromagnetic interference. Its shutdown modes reduce overall system power consumption, while its four user-programmable temperature-alert outputs reduce the system microcontroller's overhead and code space, while further simplifying designs. Finally, the MCP9600 comes in a 5x5 mm, 20-lead mQFN package, which further reduces board area and manufacturing cost.
