Microcontrollers and analog semiconductors provider Microchip Technology has launched PIC18F87J90, its new 8-bit direct LCD-drive microcontrollers with nanoWatt technology.
 
The PIC18F87J90 devices are pin compatible with Microchip's PIC18F85J90 devices, providing an easy migration path across Microchip's entire LCD-drive MCU family and simplified application upgrades.
 
The 64- and 80-pin devices extend the memory reach and peripheral set of Microchip's LCD microcontrollers (MCU) portfolio. They feature 64 KB - 128 KB Flash and 4 KB RAM, and are the latest 8-bit MCUs to include a Real-Time Clock and Calendar (RTCC), and Charge Time Measurement Unit (CTMU) peripheral for capacitive touch sensing or precise time measurement.
 
The company said that the PIC18F87J90 MCUs are designed for cost-sensitive embedded display applications in the consumer (white goods, game controllers, exercise equipment, thermostat and counter top appliances); industrial (home-alarm/security-system keypads, power meters, data logging and central AC communication controllers); medical (flow meters, patient monitors, laboratory instruments and home-diagnostic devices); and automotive markets (dashboard and control panels).
 
Mitch Obolsky, VP of Advanced Microcontroller Architecture Division at Microchip, said: "Microchip's PIC18F87J90 MCUs expand our portfolio of cost-effective LCD products. For example, in electrical power meters, the extended memory, RTCC and multiple serial channels deliver a highly cost-effective feature set. These new MCUs offer a drop-in upgrade in features and memory to our popular low-cost PIC18F85J90 LCD family, serving a wide spectrum of applications."