Digital pressure sensor enables increased HDD storage capacity

Digital pressure sensor enables increased HDD storage capacity

Promising increased memory storage density for hard-disk drives used in laptops and PCs, the MPL115A digital pressure sensor provides high-accuracy barometric and altimetry functions in a 3 x 5 x 1.2-mm LGA package. The company claims that it is engineered to deliver up to 100 times less energy consumption than competing products battery- and solar-powered applications benefit from the device’s low current consumption at 1 µA in sleep mode and 5 µA in active mode.

The part comes in versions that communicate on either the I2 C or SPI bus, providing a direct connection to the embedded system MCU for communication simplicity and flexibility. This architecture differs from most pressure sensors that communicate using analog signals and require an MCU with an on-chip ADC or a separate ADC component within the system.

Specifications include a 50 to 115-kPa absolute pressure measurement range, 1-kPa accuracy, 40 to 105C temperature range, and a 2.4 to 5.5-V power supply range. Evaluation kits are also available: the KITMPL115A1SPI board demonstrates the SPI communication protocol, while the KITMPL115A2I2C board demonstrates the I2 C communication protocol. (Ea/10,000: MPL115A1T1 (SPI) or MPL115A2T1 (I2 C), $4.25; evaluation boards, $15 each available now.)

Freescale Semiconductor , Austin , TX
Sales 800-521-6274
http://www.freescale.com