Digital pressure sensor with programmable microcontroller

Paul Boughton
Sensonor Technologies is launching the SP300-series multipurpose digital absolute pressure sensor that comes fully calibrated and compensated, with a programmable, embedded RISC microcontroller and optional accelerometer. Versatile and customer-specified communication is via five general-purpose I/O pins and a two-channel low-frequency receiver supporting wireless command and data reception that can be used for configuration and device wake up. Sophisticated features such as electronic identification, temperature measurement, supply voltage measurement, diagnostics and an optional 125 'g' on-chip accelerometer are available. A set of ROM library functions simplifies code development.

A fully autonomous pressure, acceleration and temperature measurement system is created by adding a battery, a radio transmitter chip and an antenna. Due to the innovative ultra-low-power architecture, the sensor is suitable for use in battery-powered devices. Standby current is just 0.3uA and low-noise 11-bit measurement requires 4uA. The SP300-series is offered in 0.5-16bar full scale ranges and in a 14-pin plastic SOIC package with optional pressure tube connection.

Carsten Fongen, sales manager at Sensonor Technologies, states: "Launch of SP300 is a milestone in history of MEMS pressure sensors; capable of operating in the most demanding environments, using a patented bulk micro-machined triple-stack design with backside media access, and functional over the full -40 to +125 degrees C temperature range with survival even up to +175 degrees C for shorter periods. The exceptional multifunction makes SP300 ideal for applications with distributed points of measurement; system architecture can be realised with a minimum of components and without wiring each unit to a central control; this provides system designers full flexibility and secures the lowest system cost. Due to the extreme low power a tiny coin-type battery provides enough energy for years and years of operation."

The SP300 is available in volumes and pricing, without accelerometer and pressure tube, starts at EUR18.00 in quantities of 1000.

For more information, visit www.sensonor.com