MSP430 Series Ultra-Low Power MCU and Its Application

O Introduction
The application of single-chip microcomputers is becoming more and more extensive, and the comprehensive performance requirements of processors are also getting higher and higher. Looking at the development of single-chip microcomputers, the market is becoming more and more refined with application needs as the goal, and the use of "single chip" to solve problems is fully highlighted. As part of the embedded system, the single-chip microcomputer system is mainly concentrated in the mid- and low-end application fields. In these applications, some new trends have also emerged, which are mainly reflected in the following aspects:
1) There are more and more battery-powered applications, and due to the limitation of product volume, many are powered by button batteries, such as wireless sensor networks (WSN), handheld instruments, toys, etc. This requires the system power consumption to be as low as possible.
2) With the increase in the complexity of applications, the requirements for the functions and performance of processors are constantly increasing. They must have rich peripherals and flexible functions, as well as certain computing power, and be able to perform some real-time algorithms, rather than just simple control.
3) The product updates quickly and the development time is short. It is hoped that the development tools are simple, cheap, and fully functional. In particular, the simulation tools must have continuity and be able to adapt to a variety of MCUs to avoid repeated investment and increase development investment.
4) The product has stable performance and high reliability, and can be encrypted and protected, and can be easily upgraded.
This article introduces an ultra-low power microcontroller that caters to this trend, namely the MSP430 series microcontroller, which represents a development direction of future microcontrollers.

l MSP430 MCU
The MSP430 series ultra-low power 16-bit mixed signal processor (Mixed Signal Processor) launched by Texas Instruments (TI) in the United States integrates multiple leading technologies. It defines the concept of a new generation of MCUs with 16-bit RISI processor, ultra-low power consumption, high-performance analog technology, rich on-chip peripherals, and JTAG simulation debugging. The product line is also very complete, giving people a refreshing feeling. In addition, TI's excellent service fully reflects the strength and comprehensive advantages of a world-class famous IC manufacturer. Figure 1 shows the internal structure block diagram of MSP430.

1.1 Ultra-low power consumption
In terms of ultra-low power consumption, its processor power consumption (1.8~3.6V, 0.1μA/Power-down, 0.8μA/Standby, 250μA/MIPS) and port input leakage current (maximum 50nA) are the lowest in the industry, far lower than other series of products.
1.2 Powerful computing performance
In terms of computing performance, its 16-bit RISC structure enables the MSP430 microcontroller to reach an instruction speed of 16MIPS when the crystal oscillator operates at a frequency of 16MHz (Note: For the same 16MIPS instruction speed, the 16-bit processor is more than twice as high as the 8-bit processor in terms of computing performance). Products with 25-30MIPS will be launched soon. At the same time, the MSP430 microcontroller adopts a series of advanced architectures such as 16-bit multi-function hardware multiplier, hardware multiply-and-add (sum of products) function, DMA, etc., which are generally only available in DSPs, greatly enhancing its data processing and computing capabilities, and can effectively implement some digital signal processing algorithms (such as FFT, DTMF, etc.).
1.3 Convenient and advanced development tools
In terms of development tools, the MSP430 series microcontrollers support advanced JTAG debugging. The simple hardware simulation tool is just a parallel port converter. Generally, individuals can make it by themselves, and it is applicable to all MSP430 series microcontrollers, which is not only easy to promote, but also greatly reduces the user's development investment. Its software integrated development environment EW430 is provided by the famous IAR company, and its latest version is relatively complete.
1.4 Rich and practical system integration
In terms of system integration, the MSP430 series microcontrollers combine TI's unique high-performance analog technology. According to its different products, it integrates a variety of functional modules, including timers, analog comparators, multi-function serial interfaces (SPI/I2C/UART), I/O ports (P0-P6), DMA controllers, up to 120KB Flash and 10KB RAM, SVS, and rich interrupt functions. Users can choose the appropriate MSP430 series products according to application requirements. In addition, most MSP430 series microcontrollers use Flash technology, support online programming, and have confidentiality fuses. Its B00TSTRAP technology provides another convenient means for upgrading system software. BOOTSTRAP has a 32-byte password with high confidentiality. MSP430 series microcontrollers are all industrial-grade products with stable performance and high reliability, and can be used in various civil and industrial products.

2 Typical applications of MSP430 series microcontrollers in measurement and control
The MSP430 series microcontrollers have been increasingly widely used in many fields due to their excellent performance and high cost performance. Through selection, they can be widely used in the development of portable intelligent detection and control instruments, various data acquisition systems, various intelligent control instruments, medical instruments, various energy-saving devices, etc. It can also be used inside the product to replace some old mechanical, electronic parts or components to reduce the size of the product, enhance the function, and achieve different degrees of intelligence. The application of MSP430 series ultra-low power microcontrollers has fundamentally changed the traditional control system design ideas and design methods. Its main applications are as follows. [page]

2.1 Industrial Control
The structural characteristics of MSP430 determine that it is particularly suitable for various control systems, such as data acquisition systems, industrial robot systems, mechatronics products, etc.
In hybrid vehicles, peak power trackers have been used for single high-performance three-junction solar cells. In order to obtain good peak power tracking performance, the literature proposes a highly dispersed MPPT scheme. The literature conducts basic research on the design of peak power trackers for different types of solar cells, including three-junction, two-junction, and silicon-junction cells. All four designs use MSP430 microcontrollers, which can provide a voltage input range of 0.3 to 3.0V. The designs of the four circuits are discussed in detail and the advantages and disadvantages of the four designs in terms of application, topology and cost are compared. The literature designs a low-power multi-MCU structure underwater acoustic wave recorder, which changes the original status of using industrial computers or PCs, and makes the system small in size, strong in data processing capabilities, and low in energy consumption, making it more suitable for underwater environments and long-term operations. In the field of electricity, the literature uses MSP430 microcontroller plus nRF905 wireless transceiver chip to design a high-voltage transmission and transformation node temperature measurement system. It uses wireless transmission and battery power supply to solve the problem that traditional high-voltage line nodes can only be detected by infrared guns. The literature uses MSP430 microcontroller as the center to design a system that can collect digital signals from adaptive optical current transformers and transmit these digital signals to protection equipment in accordance with the IEC61850 protocol, which promotes the development of digital substations.
2.2 Intelligent Instrumentation
The MSP430 series of ultra-low power microcontrollers have been increasingly used in various instruments and meters, which has improved the intelligence of instruments and meters, simplified the hardware structure, and thus improved the precision and accuracy of instruments and meters, reduced the size, and improved the cost performance. The application of ultra-low power microcontrollers in this field has not only brought about fundamental changes in instruments and meters, but also brought hope to the transformation of the traditional instrumentation industry. The literature uses MSP430 microcontroller to design an electronic nose system for alcohol testing, which is used to identify and detect the alcohol concentration in the breath of drunk drivers. In view of the fact that mechanical Roots flowmeters are still widely used in many occasions for measuring natural gas at home and abroad, the article has developed an intelligent flow calculator based on zero-power pulse sensors, which has achieved good results in both low power consumption and high precision. The article introduces in detail a method for designing the hardware and software of a temperature controller using MSP430 as the main controller.
2.3 Computer Network and Communication
The MSP430 series of ultra-low power microcontrollers integrates a communication interface, which makes it widely used in computer networks and communication equipment. The article uses MSP430 to design a wireless sheepdog audio and video monitoring and command system. Users can monitor the activities of sheepdogs in real time in a more complex environment and effectively control them. This system has good application prospects after actual use. The article combines MSP430 and 802.15.4 wireless sensor nodes to realize the interoperability of sensor devices for small network services, solve the interoperability problems of the network layer and the application layer, enable various application devices to be more effectively controlled, develop new functions, and reduce expenses.
2.4 Daily life
The MSP430 microcontroller not only has various excellent performances of ordinary microcontrollers, but also has very low power consumption, can save power and energy, can be powered by batteries, and is very suitable for the development of household products. The literature uses the MSP430 microcontroller as the control center to design a new portable blood glucose meter embedded in a mobile phone. It is low-priced, easy to use, and fast to obtain blood sugar levels. In addition, diabetics can measure their blood sugar concentrations at any time and any place, and users can send the measurement results to doctors in a timely manner through their mobile phones and get feedback. The literature combines MSP430 with GPRS technology to realize a wireless monitoring system for electrocardiograms, and the literature combines MSP430 with the Zigbee protocol and applies it to wireless sensor networks (WSNs) to realize a family health platform system.

3 Conclusion
From the above practical application examples, we can see that TI's MSP430 microcontroller has significant advantages such as ultra-low power consumption, powerful processing power, rich on-chip peripherals, stable system operation, and convenient development environment. Compared with other types of microcontrollers
, it has better application effects and broader application prospects. In recent years, TI has launched some special microcontrollers for some special application fields, taking advantage of the ultra-low power consumption characteristics of MSP430, which greatly simplifies the system design. For example, the MSP430F2XX series microcontrollers have the main features of ultra-low power consumption (2.2V programming voltage) and higher processing speed (16 MHz), greatly reduced pin count and volume, and the addition of DIP packaging, which makes it an ideal choice for system design of small and handheld devices.