Microchip has announced the MCP1703 Low Dropout Regulator (LDO)—a 250 mA LDO with low quiescent current of just 2μA and high input voltage of up to 16V. The new LDO features device- and circuit-protection capabilities including over-voltage protection and thermal shutdown. The MCP1703 also offers highly accurate output-voltage regulation, including +/- 2 percent over-temperature accuracy, helping to ensure smooth, reliable system operation...

Microchip announces the MCP1401 and MCP1402 (MCP140X) single-output MOSFET drivers. The inverting MCP1401 and non-inverting MCP1402 MOSFET drivers are rated for a peak output current of 0.5A, over a wide operating voltage range of 4.5V – 18V. They have excellent latch-up immunity and are available in miniature, 2 x 3 mm DFN and 5-pin SOT-23 packages.

Microchip has announced two high-performance (40MIPS), low pin count (18- and 28-pin) 16-bit product families – the PIC24HJ12GP family of microcontrollers and the dsPIC33FJ12GP family of Digital Signal Controllers. Both families feature Peripheral Pin Select capability, which allows designers to re-map digital I/O – allowing designers to use smaller pin count devices, minimise board space, and optimise board layout to reduce noise.

Microchip has announced an online Lighting Applications Design Centre at (www.microchip.com/lighting). This site provides a wide range of technical tools and resources that designers can use to add intelligence to lighting designs — including information relating to Microchip’s PIC microcontrollers, dsPIC® Digital Signal Controllers (DSCs), analog and memory products, as well as development tools.

Microchip announces six new members of its 8-bit PIC® microcontroller family featuring an integrated Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD) module. The PIC18F85J90 family doubles the amount of Flash and RAM memory available in 64- and 80-pin PIC18 LCD devices. This increased memory enables users to add more complex functionality, such as speech playback, while taking advantage of the cost savings offered by the PIC18 “J” series’ 3-volt manufacturing...

Microchip has announced the MCP1603 - a 2 MHz, 500 mA switching regulator. It provides adjustable and fixed output voltages, operating efficiency of up to 90%, and is available in Thin SOT-23 (TSOT-23) and 2 mm x 3 mm DFN packages. The new device is ideal for extending battery life and reducing heat dissipation in a variety of portable, handheld electronic devices.

Microchip Technology has announced the inauguration of a new state-of-the-art Design Centre in Bucharest, Romania. The new centre was opened on 17th April by Microchip’s Chief Executive Officer, Steve Sanghi, and Microchip has initially recruited 15 staffers, with a total of 30 jobs planned by the end of 2008 and 100 over the next four years. The new centre forms part of Microchip’s worldwide network of Design Centres located in India, Switz...

Microchip has expanded its linear product portfolio with the low power, high-precision MCP6031, MCP6032, MCP6033 and MCP6034 operational amplifiers. The new devices have a quiescent current of only 900 nA and a bandwidth of 10 kHz. The highly accurate amplifiers are ideal for handheld, portable electronic devices used in the medical, industrial and consumer markets.

Microchip announces eight new members of its PIC24F 16-bit microcontroller family, with up to 64 Kbytes of Flash program memory and up to 8 Kbytes of RAM, in smaller, lower cost, 28- and 44-pin packages including a tiny 6x6 mm 28-pin QFN package option. The 28 and 44-pin PIC24FJ64GA004 family contains a similar peripheral set to the 100-pin PIC24FJ128GA family. “Peripheral Pin Select” pin-mapping allows designers to use the available pins ex...

Microchip has announced its MCP7381X Li-Ion/Li-Polymer charge-management controllers. Offering programmable charge currents up to 500 mA, they feature integrated current sense, integrated pass transistor, thermal regulation and reverse battery protection, all in a 5-pin SOT-23 package.

Microchip announces the 12-member PIC18F87J11 high-performance 8-bit microcontroller family, offering greater performance (up to 12 MIPS at 48 MHz), enhanced peripherals and lower standby power consumption. The new family includes nanoWatt Technology for low power consumption in sleep mode (as low as 100 nA) which is ideal for battery-powered applications. The new devices are also the first Microchip 8-bit microcontrollers to offer the Parallel M...

Microchip announces the PIC16F882 - the lowest-cost member of the PIC18F88X family yet. The PIC16F882 provides design engineers with a lower-cost migration option. The PIC16F882, along with the other four members of the PIC16F88X family, are pin- and code-compatible with other 28/40-pin PIC® Microcontrollers - offering a wide range of migration options, while providing a host of new features. The PIC16F88X enhancements include dual internal osci...

Microchip announces the MCP3909 energy-measurement IC and reference design. The new IC combines low power consumption with an SPI interface and active power pulse output. As a part of the MCP3909 3-Phase Energy Meter Reference Design, the new IC enables designers to rapidly develop new meter designs.

Microchip has announced the PICkit Serial Analyzer which enables design engineers to easily and cost-effectively interface with embedded circuits within serial systems using any Windows-based PC. The new PICkit Serial Analyzer comes complete with a 28-pin demo board featuring the 8-bit PIC16F886 microcontroller. The kit’s hardware and Graphical User Interface software allow testing and debugging of communication between the PC and several indu...

Microchip has announce it has expanded its SPI serial EEPROM family with the 32 Kbit 25AA320A and 25LC320A devices. The new devices are capable of operating at bus speeds of up to 10MHz, and are available in a range of packages, including the very low-profile MSOP and TSSOP. The new devices also offer Microchip’s high endurance, quality, on-time delivery and short lead times as standard.

Microchip announces the highest resolution analogue-to-digital converter available in a 6-pin SOT-23 package. The low-power, 18-bit, Delta-Sigma MCP3421 ADC features an integrated voltage reference, oscillator and Programmable Gain Amplifier (PGA), which reduce the need for external components and enables a smaller overall design.

Microchip has announced its MPLAB REAL ICE emulation system to support the development of applications that use Microchip’s PIC microcontrollers and dsPIC Digital Signal Controllers. The MPLAB REAL ICE offers low-cost, next-generation emulation support, including faster memory interfacing and longer distance, higher speed target connections.

Microchip has announced the formation of its Medical Products Group to address the emerging challenges of the medical electronics market. Many companies in the medical sector have already realised the benefits of using Microchip’s semiconductors – which include small package sizes, low power consumption, and simple ways to add connectivity such as Ethernet, USB, ZigBee, IrDA and Controller Area Networking (CAN) to their products.

Microchip announces an online Intelligent Power-Supply Design Centre to provide the technical resources needed to design analogue power supplies, augment existing analogue power supply designs with inexpensive microcontrollers, or design Switch-Mode Power Supplies (SMPS) with full digital control of the power-conversion feedback loop. The site offers direct access to all of Microchip’s power-supply application notes, reference designs and other...

Microchip announces its four-member PIC18F4523 family and its first family of high-end 8-bit Flash microcontrollers to include an on-chip high-speed 12-bit Analogue-to-Digital Converter peripheral with up to 13 channels. In addition, this family includes nanoWatt Technology features, which provide design engineers with multiple options for effectively managing power consumption and extending battery life.