Microchip announces the MCP9600, the first thermocouple-conditioned integrated circuit to combine precision instrumentation, a precision temperature sensor, and a high-resolution, precision A/D converteras well as a pre-programmed math engine with firmware compatible with numerous standard thermocouple types: K, J, T, N, S, E, B, and R. Thermocouples are among the most widely used temperature measurement devices due to their robustness and accuracy in harsh, high-temperature environments and their ability to measure temperatures across an extremely wide range. The MCP9600 simplifies thermocouple designs by integrating several discrete devices onto a single chip, which also reduces board footprint, cost, and power consumption.
See a short presentation here.
Thermocouples are widely used for temperature measurement by application designers in industry, consumer electronics, automotive/aerospace, and petrochemical, among others. The MCP9600 offers the world's first plug-and-play solution for thermocouple-based designs by eliminating the need for high-level design expertise for discrete implementation, such as firmware development using a microcontroller's math engine. Designers no longer need to create precision instrumentation circuitry to measure microvolt-scale thermocouple signals or design A/D conversion circuitry for accurate temperature calculations. With cold junction compensation built into the MCP9600, calculating the "hot" junction temperature of a thermocouple doesn't require advanced thermal design knowledge to accurately measure the reference temperature of the thermocouple's "cold" junction.
Other features of the MCP9600 include a digital temperature data filter that minimizes the effects of temperature fluctuations, system noise, and electromagnetic interference. Its shutdown modes reduce overall system power consumption, while its four user-programmable temperature alert outputs reduce the load on the system's microcontroller and the space occupied by the code, further simplifying designs. Finally, the MCP9600 is supplied in a 5x5 mm, 20-pin mQFN package, reducing board footprint and manufacturing costs.
Today, the MCP9600 thermocouple IC evaluation board (ADM00665) was also announced to simplify development; its price is $65.00.
The MCP9600 is now available for sampling and volume production in a 5x5 mm, 20-pin mQFN package.
