Low Current Consumption in Run and Sleep Modes with XLP Technology

Microchip Technology has announced the latest PIC32 microcontroller family that integrates its XLP (eXtreme Low Power) technology into 32-bit products. The PIC32MX1/2 XLP provides an easy migration path for existing PIC32MX product customers to achieve high performance with significantly lower power consumption, enabling extended battery life while enhancing functionality in portable device applications. The PIC32MX1/2 XLP family reduces the need for code modifications for existing customers and delivers enhanced performance even with devices featuring fewer pins.

Microchip's XLP technology is designed for wearables, wireless sensor networks, and other smart connected devices, consuming low current in both run and sleep modes. For ultra-low-power applications, devices spend 90 to 99 percent of total time in sleep mode. Using XLP technology, PIC32MX1/2 XLP devices can transition to sleep and deep sleep shutdown states, reducing current to as low as 673 nA in deep sleep mode. These devices deliver over 40 percent higher performance compared to the existing PIC32MX1/2 portfolio and reduce average operating current by up to 50 percent.

The PIC32MX1/2 XLP family is available in packages ranging from 28 to 44 pins with various memory configurations of 128/256 KB flash and 32/64 KB RAM. The family also includes a diverse set of peripherals at an affordable cost, including I2S for digital audio, 116 DMIPS performance capable of executing audio and advanced control applications, a 10-bit 1 Msps 13-channel ADC, and serial communication peripherals. Additionally, the PIC32MX2 series supports USB device, host, and OTG functionality.

This series supports not only hardware peripheral functions but also Microchip's MPLAB Harmony software development framework. This development framework integrates licensing, resale, and support for Microchip and third-party middleware, drivers, libraries, and RTOS to simplify development tasks. In particular, Microchip's software packages such as Bluetooth audio development suite, audio equalizer filter library, decoders (AAC, MP3, SBC, etc.), sample rate conversion library, and USB stack are immediately available, enabling rapid development and deployment of digital audio, consumer, industrial, and general-purpose embedded control applications.

Rod Drake, vice president of Microchip's MCU32 division, stated, "The PIC32MX family is well-suited for integrating XLP technology. This family has already achieved success in the wearables market by providing extensive software and support. Customers will be able to easily benefit from the latest extended products."