CHANDLER, USA: Microchip Technology Inc. announced the expansion of its eXtreme Low Power (XLP) microcontrollers (MCUs) with the PIC24F “GA3” family, featuring industry’s lowest active current for 16-bit Flash MCUs, as well as several flexible new low-power sleep modes.

The PIC24F “GA3” devices feature 150 microamperes/MHz active current, as well as six DMA channels, which allow a routine to be executed with less power consumption and increased throughput. The family showcases continual advancement in Microchip’s XLP technology and adds a new low-power sleep mode with RAM retention down to 330 nA.

Additionally, these are the first PIC MCUs with VBAT for battery backup of the on-chip Real-Time Clock Calendar. With these features, plus an integrated LCD driver and numerous other peripherals, the PIC24F “GA3” devices enable more efficient, less expensive designs in the consumer (e.g. thermostats, door locks, home automation); industrial (e.g. security, wired and wireless sensors, industrial controls); medical (e.g. portable medical devices, diagnostic equipment); and metering markets (e.g. e-Meters, energy monitoring, gas/water/heat meters, automated meter reading), among others.