Mar 3 2009
Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP), a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors, today announced the PIC18F87J90 8-bit direct LCD-drive microcontrollers (MCUs) with nanoWatt Technology. The 64- and 80-pin devices extend the memory reach and peripheral set of Microchip's LCD MCU portfolio. They feature 64 - 128 KB Flash and 4 KB RAM, and are the industry's first 8-bit MCUs to include a Real-Time Clock and Calendar (RTCC), and Charge Time Measurement Unit (CTMU) peripheral for capacitive touch sensing or precise time measurement. The PIC18F87J90 devices are pin compatible with Microchip's PIC18F85J90 devices, providing an easy migration path across Microchip's entire LCD-drive MCU family and simplified application upgrades.
Many designers want to enhance and add features to their display applications, such as capacitive or inductive touch user interfaces. The PIC18F87J90 products meet this need head-on, with their extended memory range and integrated peripheral set including the CTMU. With Microchip's unique nanoWatt Technology, the MCUs help maintain the system's low-power ratings, and can even drive the display in sleep mode to conserve power. Additionally, the onboard LCD module contains a software-programmable contrast controller, which provides display boost or dimming and compensates for environmental elements such as temperature and lighting. The on-chip hardware RTCC works even in sleep mode to enable real-time tracking and lower power consumption.
“Microchip's PIC18F87J90 MCUs expand our portfolio of cost-effective LCD products. For example, in electrical power meters, the extended memory, RTCC and multiple serial channels deliver a highly cost-effective feature set,” said Mitch Obolsky, vice president of Microchip's Advanced Microcontroller Architecture Division. Obolsky continued, “These new MCUs offer a drop-in upgrade in features and memory to our popular low-cost PIC18F85J90 LCD family, serving a wide spectrum of applications.”
The PIC18F87J90 MCUs are designed for cost-sensitive embedded display applications in the consumer (white goods, game controllers, exercise equipment, thermostat and counter top appliances); industrial (home-alarm/security-system keypads, power meters, data logging and central AC communication controllers); medical (flow meters, patient monitors, laboratory instruments and home-diagnostic devices); and automotive markets (dashboard and control panels).