The PIC24FJ128GA310 family of products featuring VBAT battery backup, a low-power sleep mode capable of preserving RAM data, and an LCD driver.

Microchip Technology (Country Manager for Korea: Byung-Don Han), a leading global provider of microcontroller, analog, and flash IP solutions, announced today the expansion of its eXtreme Low Power (XLP) microcontroller (MCU) lineup with the introduction of the new PIC24F "GA3" family. This family features the industry's lowest operating current for 16-bit flash MCUs, as well as several new low-power sleep modes with flexible characteristics. Thanks to an operating current of 150µA/MHz and six DMA channels, the PIC24F "GA3" devices enable routine execution with lower power consumption and improved throughput. This family is an extension of Microchip's XLP technology advancements, featuring a new low-power sleep mode that preserves RAM data with a current consumption as low as 330nA. Additionally, these products are the first PIC® MCUs to feature VBAT circuitry for battery backup of the on-chip Real-Time Clock Calendar (RTCC). In addition to these functions, the PIC24F "GA3" device integrates an LCD driver and various other peripherals, enabling more efficient and cost-effective designs for various applications. Related fields include consumer (e.g., thermostats, door locks, home automation), industrial (e.g., security, wired/wireless sensors, industrial controls), medical (e.g., portable medical equipment, diagnostic equipment), and metering markets (e.g., electronic meters, energy monitoring, gas/water/heating meters, automated meter reading).

Watch video (available for site sharing): http://www.microchip.com/get/1TNA
View presentation (print available): http://www.microchip.com/get/1CLU

Designers often need to build applications where battery life is close to the effective life of the final product. The PIC24F "GA3" MCU maximizes battery life by reducing overall application power consumption through a drive current of 150µA/MHz, various low-power modes, and a low-power sleep mode capable of preserving RAM data with a current consumption as low as 330nA. To ensure the application's real-time clock continues to run even when the main power is removed, backup power can be supplied using the VBAT pin with a current of just 400nA. Additionally, when VDD is removed, an automatic switch occurs from VDD to the VBAT power pin.
The integrated LCD display driver supports the ability to directly drive up to 480 segments with eight common drive functions, enabling the realization of displays with richer information and flexible characteristics, including descriptive icons and scrolling functions. In addition, these MCUs include a Charge Time Measurement Unit (CTMU) with a constant current source that can be used for various sensors, including mTouch™ capacitive sensing and ultrasonic flow measurement. An on-chip 12-bit ADC featuring threshold sensing specifications performs proximity sensing in conjunction with the CTMU in sleep mode to further reduce power consumption.
Mitch Obolsky, Vice President of Microchip’s Advanced Microcontroller Architecture business unit, stated, “The PIC24F ‘GA3’ family is a testament to Microchip’s continued investment in low-power technology. With these newly introduced MCUs, customers will be able to maximize battery life by reducing operating and sleep currents through new low-power modes featuring flexible characteristics for battery backup and RAM preservation. Consequently, this will enable the realization of end products with superior performance while reducing power consumption.”

Development tool support
Microchip also announced the PIC24FJ128GA310 Plug-In Module [PIM: Plug-In Module (Part Number: MA240029)] for the Explorer 16 Development Board. This PIM is currently available for purchase at http://www.microchip.com/get/VSKK . The LCD Explorer Development Board (Part Number: DM240314), intended for customers who wish to evaluate or use 480-segment LCDs for development work, is scheduled to be sold via http://www.microchip.com/get/VSKK in January.