TI Korea (CEO Kent Jeon, www.ti.com/ww/kr ) December 6, 2012 – TI (CEO Kent Jeon) announced the latest MSP430F521x/F522x microcontroller family, which enables overall system power savings in coprocessor designs. These microcontrollers support a main supply rail (1.8V to 3.6V) and an I/O supply rail (1.8V +/-10%), providing system-level advantages by reducing system costs and increasing flexibility without the need for level translators.

The F521x/F522x microcontrollers feature new dual-voltage rail performance, enabling them to operate as ultra-low-power coprocessors for higher-power and performance devices, such as TI's OMAP™ processors and Sitara™ platforms. Using the new MSP430 microcontrollers reduces the load on various functions—such as sensor hubs, keyboard control, battery/power management, capacitive touch, haptics, and proximity sensing—and allows for lower power consumption compared to running on application processors. Additionally, fast wake-up times of 3.5μs and low standby power consumption of 1.4μA can extend battery life from a few hours to several days.

Along with this, TI offers a 9-axis sensor fusion solution based on the F521x/F522x. This solution works with a variety of sensors widely used in the market, provides developers with a more flexible environment, and allows for the consideration of applications in battery-powered mobile computing, medical, health, and fitness applications. Furthermore, the F521/F522x devices have added support for the latest Windows® 8 operating system Human Interface Device (HID) via the I2C protocol. The use of this protocol can save significant power compared to using HID over USB in various Windows® 8-based applications, such as sensor hubs and keyboard controls, including tablets and ultrabooks.

Software and support for rapid development
The MSP430F521x/F522x microcontrollers are compatible with MSP430Ware™ software, allowing developers to access code examples to streamline development and accelerate time-to-market. Furthermore, the F521x/F522x microcontrollers are code-compatible with all MSP430 devices, supporting broad scalability across TI's entire MSP portfolio. Additionally, application notes regarding 9-axis sensor fusion algorithms and keyboard controllers supporting HID functionality via USB are available online. For HID over I2C solutions, you can obtain more detailed information by contacting your local IT sales representative.

Additional Features and Advantages of MSP430F521x/F522x Microcontrollers
• By acting as a bridge between application processors and different technologies such as sensors, keyboards, RF (Radio Frequency) BLE (Bluetooth® Low Energy) technology, and Wi-Fi®, it eliminates the need for expensive level shifting circuits to convert 1.8V signals to 3.6V signals, thereby reducing size, cost, and power.
• 290μA/MHz operating power in Flash and 150μA/MHz in RAM, 1.4μA standby mode, and support for 3.5μs ultra-fast wake-up for ultra-low power consumption characteristics.
• Provides low-power peripherals including a comparator, various communication interfaces (UART, I2C, SPI, GPIO), Real-Time Clock (RTC) module, 10-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC), multiple 16-bit timers, etc.
• Increased design flexibility and support for small footprints in portable computing applications by offering various package sizes, such as 48-pin and 64-pin QFN supporting up to 128k memory, 80-pin BGA options, and a 5mm x 3.5mm YFF package (scheduled for Q1 2013).

Price and Supply Time
The MSP430F521x/F522x microcontrollers are available for $2.05 per unit in quantities of 1,000, and samples are available for order now. Customers can contact their local sales representative or check information on HID solutions available on I2C at www.ti.com . The MSP-TS430RGC64C target socket is available for purchase at $99. The MSP-FET430U64C target socket and UIF emulator are sold for $149 through TI's e-store.