In order to meet growing energy demands, utilities are turning to
highly accurate and robust poly-phase electricity metering (e-metering)
solutions to monitor energy consumption. In support of three-phase
e-metering applications, Texas Instruments Incorporated
has unveiled the ultra-low power MSP430F471xx microcontroller
(MCU) series. The F471xx system-on-chip metering solution offers
simultaneous sampling of voltage and current as well as
tamper-detection for efficient and reliable energy measurement. For
more information, visit www.ti.com/F471xx-prhome.
Three-phase energy metering is really made possible with the six (or
seven) 16-bit sigma-delta converters. Below is a diagram of
how the seven converters (the seventh on the neutral wire) and the
MSP430 can provide a full three phase monitoring solution.
Three-phase e-meter application with F471xx
(Click on image to enlarge)
Key features and benefits of the MSP430F471xx three-phase e-metering
MCU
Integrated MCU solution with dedicated 16-bit sigma delta
converters for three-phase e-metering applications
Precise energy measurements with better than 0.1 percent
accuracy
Well suited for power-line monitoring with simultaneous
sampling of all channels
Ultra-low power consumption when LCD, real-time clock and
other peripherals are in use, helps maintain data when back-up battery
is used during power outage
Support of tamper detection and high-precision measurements
like temperature and humidity with 7th sigma delta converter for
measurement of current and voltage signals
Flexible memory options with up to 120kB Flash and 8kB RAM
Development made easy with code examples, evaluation module
and application note that details faster calibration to jump-start
design
Pricing and availability
F471xx MCUs are priced between $5.75 and $7.95 for 1K units and are
available now along with the $75 MSP-TS430PZ100A target board. In
addition, these devices are fully compatible with the $149
MSP-FET430U100A flash emulation tool and e-meter EVM (available via
local sales support).
