Closed-loop control is one of the most fundamental tasks performed by embedded systems. Typically, closed-loop control is implemented in software—an approach that throttles the CPU and consumes excessive power. Microchip’s new PIC18 Q10 and ATtiny1607 families eliminate these issues by implementing closed-loop control tasks in hardware. These 8-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) can help reduce power consumption, eliminate the need for additional code, and boost system performance through advanced peripheral functionality and interconnectivity.

The PIC18 Q10 and ATtiny1607 families feature multiple intelligent Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) that simplify development and enable quick response time to system events. These hardware-based CIPs significantly reduce the amount of software you need to write and validate, saving you time and effort. They also independently manage tasks and reduce the amount of processing required from the CPU, freeing it to handle more complex tasks within the system or go to sleep to save power. This eliminates the need for additional code and external components and reduces power consumption, allowing for deterministic response time as well as decreased validation time.

Boost your design’s performance with PIC18 Q10 MCUs

The PIC18 Q10 family is optimized for robust, real-time control, offering integrated Intelligent Analog, configurable peripherals and 5V operation for increased noise immunity. These MCUs are well suited for a broad range of applications including industrial control, consumer, automotive, touch sensing and Internet of Things (IoT). Each device includes a full complement of CIPs for safety-critical applications (CRC/Memory Scan, Windowed Watchdog Timer and Hardware Limit Timer), a Complementary Waveform Generator (CWG) peripheral to simplify complex switching designs, Pulse-Width Modulators (PWMs) and multiple communications interfaces. They also offer Intelligent Analog peripherals including Zero-Cross Detect (ZCD), on-chip comparators and an Analog-to-Digital Converter with Computation (ADC2) that performs advanced calculations and filtering of data in hardware without any intervention from the core.

Optimize your board layout with the ATtiny1607 family

The ATtiny1607 family is equipped with high-speed integrated analog, CIPs and low-power performance for efficient, real-time control and sensor node applications. The small physical footprint helps optimize your board layout for space-constrained designs like handheld power tools and remote controls. Devices in this family offer from 2 KB to 16 KB of Flash memory and are available in a variety of 8- to 24-pin packages. These tinyAVR® MCUs are well-suited for a wide range of applications including industrial, consumer, appliance, automotive and IoT sensor nodes. The integrated high-speed Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) provides faster conversion of analog signals resulting in deterministic system response. An accurate and temperature-stable 20 MHz internal RC oscillator, Configurable Custom Logic (CCL) and other CIPs allow you to reduce the need for external components, resulting in significant cost savings and enabling you to create extremely compact designs.

Getting started with your design

If you select a PIC18 Q10 MCU for your closed-loop application, you can use the Curiosity High Pin Count (HPC) Development Board (DM164136) to simplify your development. The PIC18 Q10 MCUs are also supported by our software tools including MPLAB® Code Configurator (MCC), a free software plug-in that provides a graphical interface to easily configure peripherals and functions. MCC is incorporated into our downloadable MPLAB X Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and the cloud-based MPLAB Xpress IDE. Several MPLAB Xpress code examples are already available to help jump-start your project.

Rapid prototyping with the ATtiny1607 family is supported by the ATmega4809 Xplained Pro Evaluation Kit (ATmega4809-XPRO). This USB-powered kit features touch buttons, LEDs and extension headers for quick setup, as well as an on-board programmer/debugger that seamlessly integrates with Atmel Studio 7 IDE and Atmel START, a free online tool to configure peripherals and software that accelerates your development.

Devices in the PIC18 Q10 and ATtiny1607 families can be purchased from microchipDIRECT or from Microchip’s worldwide distribution network. Check out how these real-time control solutions can improve your next design’s performance and speed up your time to market.

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eletter-07-16-2018

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