4 ms·

Well, the MSP430 sleeps at about 1µA --- below if you turn the clock off! But as you're not really getting anything done when the processor's not asleep, I quo

Well, the MSP430 sleeps at about 1µA --- below if you turn the clock off! But as you're not really getting anything done when the processor's not asleep, I quoted the power consumption when running. (Of course it's possible to use a capacitor to soak up energy and then run the processor at higher currents, in burst. You'd probably want to do this if you want radio. But on average, you're still getting about the same amount of work done.)

nickff 10y ago
Slight digression, but the MSP430 is obsolete; modern low power ARM microcontrollers are superior in every dimension.[1] [1] I have worked on products with both uC, and the company where I work buys both by the reel and tray.
- david-given 10y ago
  Would those be the new Atmel SAM L21? I see a reference to 35 µA/MHz and 200 nA sleep mode: http://www.atmel.com/products/microcontrollers/arm/sam-l.aspx http://www.atmel.com/products/microcontrollers/arm/sam-l.asp... So: (a) yay! super low power processors! Bet you can run these off a couple of long wires and radio scavanging; (b) ARMs are so dull. [sad face] The MSP430 is a lovely processor to write machine code for. ARMs are just... dull. Anyway, thanks for the suggestion. I think the MSP430s have a monopoly on FRAM, which makes a vast difference in usability, but I'll check these out.
  - nickff 10y ago
    The low power Kinetis processor can run at low speed for 32 µA, and down to 1.7 V. Many of the ARM manufacturers produce similar parts.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
nom 10y ago
Interesting. Is it still able to wake up regularly without an external source to trigger the interrupt? Or does it have a timer with a dedicated oscillator / clock for that purpose?
- nickff 10y ago
  Most modern low-power microcontrollers have low power timers which can be left on with the rest of the processor asleep; this low power timer is usually capable of running very slowly, and generating occasional interrupts to wake the processor.

nickff 10y ago

Slight digression, but the MSP430 is obsolete; modern low power ARM microcontrollers are superior in every dimension.[1] [1] I have worked on products with both uC, and the company where I work buys both by the reel and tray.

david-given 10y ago
Would those be the new Atmel SAM L21? I see a reference to 35 µA/MHz and 200 nA sleep mode: http://www.atmel.com/products/microcontrollers/arm/sam-l.aspx http://www.atmel.com/products/microcontrollers/arm/sam-l.asp... So: (a) yay! super low power processors! Bet you can run these off a couple of long wires and radio scavanging; (b) ARMs are so dull. [sad face] The MSP430 is a lovely processor to write machine code for. ARMs are just... dull. Anyway, thanks for the suggestion. I think the MSP430s have a monopoly on FRAM, which makes a vast difference in usability, but I'll check these out.
- nickff 10y ago
  The low power Kinetis processor can run at low speed for 32 µA, and down to 1.7 V. Many of the ARM manufacturers produce similar parts.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]

nom 10y ago

Interesting. Is it still able to wake up regularly without an external source to trigger the interrupt? Or does it have a timer with a dedicated oscillator / clock for that purpose?

nickff 10y ago
Most modern low-power microcontrollers have low power timers which can be left on with the rest of the processor asleep; this low power timer is usually capable of running very slowly, and generating occasional interrupts to wake the processor.