Unterpremstaetten, Austria, March 8, 2011 – austriamicrosystems (SIX: AMS), a leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance analog ICs, has announced the AS505010-bit magnetic rotary encoder IC for contactless position sensing with the industry’s lowest power and smallest size. Featuring automatic power-down and wake-up modes, the AS5050 encoder is targeted for low-power applications such as robotics and is also suited for servo motor control and as an input device for low-cost battery operated devices.
The single-chip AS5050 integrates four Hall sensor elements, a 10-bit angle encoder, a smart power management controller and an easy-to-use 3- or 4-wire SPI communications interface. Housed in a small 4×4 mm QFN-16 package, the low-power encoder is the smallest device in its class. Depending on the readout rate, the current consumption is reduced to µA levels. For example, 50 µA at 10 measurements per second is typical current drain – the lowest in the industry.
Only a few passive components and a magnet rotating above the chip are necessary to assemble a contactless position measurement encoder system. The AS5050 magnetic rotary encoder performs all angle calculations on chip, features on-chip automatic wake-up and power-down, and only draws current when a new measurement is requested by the host controller. The AS5050 automatically powers down as soon as a measurement is completed.
Andreas Pfingstl, product marketing manager at austriamicrosystems, stated, “Thanks to its automatic shutdown and wake-up modes, the AS5050 is the industry’s lowest power 10-bit magnetic rotary encoder available and extends the time between charges for battery powered equipment. It also offers simple hook-up to common microcontrollers with an industry-standard SPI interface.”
The AS5050 rotary encoder IC operates from a 3.3 volt power supply over an ambient operating temperature range of -40 to +85°C.
Price & Availability
Sampling now, the price for the AS5050 10-bit rotary encoder is $ 2.84 in 1000-piece quantities.
Technical Support
A demonstration board for the AS5050 magnetic encoder is available. Contact austriamicrosystems for price. For further information on the AS5050 or to request samples, please visit www.austriamicrosystems.com/AS5050/Rotary-Encoder
About austriamicrosystems
austriamicrosystems is a leading designer and manufacturer of standard and customized high-performance analog ICs in the areas of power management, sensors & sensor interfaces and mobile infotainment. Complemented by its full service foundry services, the company focuses on the communications, industrial & medical and automotive markets. austriamicrosystems leverages almost 30 years of expertise in low power and high accuracy to provide industry-leading products, operating worldwide with more than 1,000 employees with its own state-of-the-art manufacturing and test facilities. austriamicrosystems is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange in Zurich (ticker symbol: AMS). For more information, visit www.austriamicrosystems.com
