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Nano-power system timers slash power consumption up to 80 percent

DALLAS (August 21, 2013) –Texas Instruments (TI) (NASDAQ: TXN) today introduced two programmable system timers that significantly reduce system standby power consumption. The TPL5000 with watchdog timer and TPL5100 with MOS driver draw only 30 nA of current, a reduction of 90 percent compared to competitive solutions. They also replace a microcontroller’s (MCU’s) internal timer, allowing the MCU to remain in low-power sleep mode. As a result, these programmable devices allow designers to achieve system standby power savings of up to 80 percent over existing solutions. For more information on the TPL5000, visit www.ti.com/tpl5000-pr.

TI nano timers address a wide range of battery-powered and energy harvesting systems, including smoke alarms, CO alarms, intelligent price tags, occupancy sensors, security cameras, door locks, wireless sensor nodes and data loggers. In these applications, the main system is in sleep mode or power-down mode most of the time, which makes the power consumption of the MCU internal timer significant. By drawing much lower current than an MCU timer, the TPL5000 and TPL5100 greatly reduce power consumption and extend the operating life of these systems.

Key features and benefits of the TPL5000 and TPL5100:

Tools and support

System designers can purchase the TPL5000EVM or TPL5100EVM today for a suggested retail price of US$20. These evaluation modules (EVMs) allow designers to configure the TPL5000 and TPL5100’s delay timers and measure their ultra-low current consumption. The EVMs connect directly to the MSP430Tiva C Seriesand C2000 Piccolo LaunchPads to test their watchdog timer and power cycling features. IBIS models are also available for the TPL5000 and TPL5100 to verify signal integrity.

Engineers designing with these timing solutions can ask questions and get answers from TI experts in the TI E2E™ Community Clocks & Timers Forum.  

Availability, packaging and pricing

The TPL5000 and TPL5100 are available today in 10-pin, 3 mm by 5 mm VSSOP packages for a suggested retail price of US$0.60 in 1,000-unit quantities.

Learn more about TI’s Timers by visiting the links below:

About Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is a global semiconductor design and manufacturing company that develops analog ICs and embedded processors. By employing the world’s brightest minds, TI creates innovations that shape the future of technology. TI is helping more than 100,000 customers transform the future, today. Learn more at www.ti.com.

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