Microchip Technology Inc. announces new two- and three-channel power monitoring devices that measure from 0V to 32V on a single chip, offering designers solutions that are easy to adopt and improve power measurement accuracy. The two-channel device is also the industry’s first with native 16-bit resolution, providing leading flexibility across a wide measurement range.
The PAC1932/33 devices include precisely what is needed to measure power on a single Integrated Circuit (IC), integrating multiple channels in a single package for applications such as Point of Sale (POS) systems, ATMs and building automation. This reduces costs for system designers while also consolidating their Bill of Materials (BOM), as the measurement of sub 1V to 20V voltage rails normally require separate components to measure each rail efficiently. The devices’ ability to measure voltage rails under 1V to as high as 32V also relieves developers from having to reconfigure measurement resolution between low and high current load events.
As the industry’s only two-channel device with 16-bit power measurement, the PAC1932 can measure without host intervention for 17 minutes, relieving developers from adjusting voltage or current range to measure power and energy. The devices include two 16-bit Analogue-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) that can measure voltage and current simultaneously, enabling developers to extract a true power measurement. As a result, developers can better design systems to efficiently save power.
As applications continue to seek ways to reduce power consumption, precision DC power measurement has grown as a key element for energy savings. Just as the four-channel PAC1934 improved power measurement for Windows 10 devices, the new two and three channel power monitoring ICs offer improved power measurement for low voltage, high power applications in markets such as embedded computing and networking.
