The new chips will simplify smart meter designs for homes around the world, contributing to efficient energy usage and reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. The 64-pin 78K0/LE3-M microcontroller comes in a 10 millimeter (mm) x 10mm low-profile quad flat package (LQFP) and is designed for single-phase 2-wire electricity meters, while the, 100-pin 78K0/LG3-M microcontroller comes in a 14mm x 14mm LQFP and is designed for single-phase 3-wire electricity meters.
Most of the 2.5 billion electricity meters in use today are primitive electromechanical devices that require manual reading of energy usage. Smart electricity meters, a key component of smart grid systems, have communication capabilities that facilitate automatic meter reading and enable utility providers to manage energy supply and demand, ensuring a stable and efficient power grid.
NEC Electronics’ 78K0/Lx3-M microcontrollers simplify smart electricity meter designs by offering a rich set of integrated analog and digital peripherals. The metrology engine consists of a high-precision 24-bit ΔΣ (delta-sigma) analog-to-digital (A/D) converter; power calculation hardware with calibration capability; power quality management circuits to detect power outages, current peaks, and voltage peaks; and anti-tampering circuits to ensure the integrity of power usage data. The devices also come with an LCD controller, able to drive up to a 160-segment display, and Flash memory ranging from 16 kilobytes (KB) to 60 KB. The 78K0/Lx3-M microcontrollers can manage communication sub-systems through various serial interfaces.