Innovation Unplugged with Mouser Electronics and Texas Instruments

Innovation Unplugged with Mouser Electronics and Texas Instruments

By Mouser Electronics, www.mouser.com, (800) 346-6873

Advances in technology have changed the way we live and communicate, especially the advent of the wireless world. Rather than be tied to the old way of transmitting and connecting, people want greater freedom to move and interact with technology.

When it comes to retiring the wire and giving free reign for new designs, innovative advances in ultra-low-power microcontrollers (MCUs) are leading the charge. In fact, low-power techniques are implemented in most devices used today.

To gain further insight, Electronic Products consulted Mouser Electronics, a leading global semiconductor and electronic components distributor that works with design engineers and buyers. Known for its rapid introduction of the latest products and most advanced technologies used for prototype development, the company is keenly positioned as a foremost design-fulfillment distributor inspiring a new generation of ultra-low-power solutions.

Wolverine: A new breed in ultra-low power

A game-changing development on the horizon will be the new ultra-low-power solution from Texas Instruments (TI). Code-named “Wolverine” for its aggressive power-saving technology, TI’s next generation of the MSP430™ architecture slashes total MCU power by more than half.

Wolverine MSP430™ ultra-low-power MCUs.

With its enhanced MSP430 DNA and new 130-nm ultra-low-leakage power technology, Wolverine-based devices represent a major leap forward by offering a number of key advantages: Active power as low as 100 µA/MHz; www.mouser.com/ti-wolverine/.

FRAM is highly efficient compared to Flash memory, delivering faster write speeds and greater power efficiency.

Kevin Hess, Mouser Vice President of Technical Marketing, adds, “Flexible clocking system, multiple low-power modes, instant wakeup and intelligent autonomous peripherals enable true ultra-low-power optimization that dramatically extends battery life – bringing consumers one step closer to a battery-free world.”

Unlocking the possibilities of FRAM

Taking advantage of FRAM (world’s lowest power memory), Wolverine MCUs can operate at less than 100 uA/MHz in active mode as stated previously. Combined with write times 100x faster than Flash, FRAM consumes 250x less energy per bit compared to flash- and EEPROM-based MCUs. The ability to write faster also means the system can spend more time in sleep mode. Additionally, FRAM is 100% non-volatile, which gives developers the low power, speed and flexibility of SRAM while retaining the no-power storage capability of Flash. As a result, engineers are not limited to the specific ratios of program-to-data memory inherent to traditional embedded systems in the design cycle.

To help engineers rethink their system architecture in ways that will increase operating life, reduce system cost and build more reliable products, Mouser and TI are offering a comprehensive book titled, FRAM MCUs for Dummies. The book is an invaluable resource in understanding the technology behind FRAM and a key to unlocking its possibilities – accelerating development time and enabling truly differentiated solutions.

As a strategic partner of TI, Mouser stocks the widest selection of TI’s newest components and development tools and provides same-day quick shipping to its customers across the globe on most orders received by 8 pm U.S. CST. Mouser’s website is updated daily and searches millions of products to locate orderable part numbers available for easy online purchase. Mouser.com also houses technical design information, data sheets, supplier-specific reference designs, application notes, and engineering tools. Visit www.mouser.com/ti for information on all TI products. ■