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Until recently, microcontroller-based systems using a liquid crystal display (LCD) output device required a separate driver device.
Now, Microchip has announced its new PIC16F946 microcontroller, which features an integrated LCD driver module that is capable of driving 168 LCD segments. In addition to saving the cost of an external LCD driver device, and also saving the real estate that device would have occupied on the circuit board, the PIC16F946 microcontroller is of especial interest for designs with low-power requirements, including the need to drive LCD displays in standby conditions.
The PIC16F946 microcontroller also includes a host of integrated peripheral functions, including high-endurance data EEPROM, a stable internal oscillator, a 10-bit analog-to-digital converter, serial communications peripherals, and the ability to implement a low-power real time clock.
The combination of this high level of peripheral integration, the LCD driver module, and low power consumption can help to reduce the total system cost of many consumer applications.
Example applications for the new PIC16F946 microcontroller with integrated LCD driver module include: automotive (dashboard displays); instrumentation/measurement (medical instruments/monitors, meter reading, handheld terminal/remote reading); appliance (display/control units on stoves/ovens, microwaves); industrial (payment systems, water/gas/electric/heat utility meters, gasoline pumps); consumer (universal remote controls, programmable thermostats/controls, irrigation control, home security systems, exercise equipment); and communications (handset displays).
Key features of the PIC16F946 microcontroller include:
- Up to 168 LCD segments
- 14KB Flash Program Memory
- 256B EEPROM data memory
- Internal 32kHz to 8MHz oscillator
- Low-power nanoWatt Technology
- 25mA Source/Sink current I/O
- Two 8-bit Timers (TMR0/TMR2)
- One 16-bit Timer (TMR1)
- Extended Watchdog Timer (EWDT)
- Wide Operating Voltage (2.0V – 5.5V)
- Brown-Out Reset (BOR) with Software Control
- In Circuit Serial Programming (ICSP)
- Programmable Low Voltage Detect (PLVD)
- Wake on change
- I2C, SPI, AUSART
More information is available at www.microchip.com.
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