CHANDLER, Ariz., April 23, 2012 [NASDAQ:  MCHP] — Microchip Technology Inc., a leading provider of microcontroller, analog and Flash-IP solutions, today announced its next-generation energy-measurement analog front end (AFE), the MCP3911, which features two 24-bit, delta-sigma ADCs that operate at 3V with industry-leading accuracy of 94.5 dB SINAD and 106.5 dB THD.  This provides better energy-meter and power-monitoring performance by accurately measuring from start-up to maximum current, and enables faster calibration during production.  Four different power modes offers the flexibility of enabling either extremely low-power designs, to 0.8 mA per channel, or designs for higher-speed signals and harmonic content.  The extended temperature range allows operation from -40°C to +125°C. 

The MCP3911 also features 2.7 to 3.6V analog and digital operation, which simplifies the interface by running off of the same power rail as the microcontroller.  An internal, low-temperature-coefficient voltage reference, along with PGAs on each channel, further enables metering and monitoring designs.

As the global energy-metering infrastructure is being upgraded and the power-monitoring market is growing, designers of energy-measurement and other signal-acquisition applications are looking for ways to increase performance while lowering costs.  Microchip is meeting these needs with the industry’s most accurate AFEs, which reduce power consumption with their low-power modes and reduce costs by decreasing the number of required power rails and external components.

“With this expansion of our industry-leading line of energy-measurement analog front ends, Microchip is enabling the rapidly growing global adoption of high-performance smart meters,” said Bryan J. Liddiard, marketing vice president of Microchip’s Analog and Interface Products Division.  “The combination of the world’s best accuracy with our extensive PIC^® microcontroller portfolio provides designers with the tools they need to create the best performing energy meters and power monitors at the lowest cost.”