An EDN Asia article by Silicon Labs
Silicon Labs is extending its FG23 and ZG23 families of wireless SoCs with the release of the PG23 32-bit MCU.
Silicon Labs is extending its FG23 and ZG23 families of wireless SoCs with the PG23, a 32-bit microcontroller (MCU), offering best-in-class security, extremely low-power operation, and software compatibility with its broad portfolio of wireless SoCs. This combination makes it a good fit for industrial IoT applications such as smart meters, security panels, or solar inverters, as well as consumer applications including smoke detectors, smart locks, or lighting controls. The PG23 adds strong analog peripherals, including up to a 20-bit resolution capable ADC.
Though small in size, the PG23 has features that make it useful in many applications, including an Arm Cortex-M33 that can run up to 80MHz with only 21µA/MHz operating current. In sleep mode, the PG23 can get as low as 1.03µA. With efficiencies like that, and its LESENSE low-energy sensor interface, the PG23 works extremely well in battery-powered applications. There is also plenty of memory for most algorithms, with up to 512 kB of flash and up to 64kB of RAM. In addition to a good collection of serial communication peripherals, the PG23 has an LCD controller, a keypad scanner, and a die temperature sensor.
To sense signals at the edge, the PG23 has two analog comparators and an analog-to-digital converter with flexible resolution allowing 12-, 16-, or 20-bit output. Developers can also change modes on the ADC to get 2Msps in high-speed mode or focus on accuracy and get up to 16 bits ENOB in the high accuracy mode. The improved accuracy makes the PG23 a good choice for some consumer medical or test and measurement applications.
The software compatibility with the FG23 and ZG23 families of wireless SoCs is a compelling feature with some of our customers, including some of the leading providers of automation systems for homes and businesses.
Security is becoming a critical aspect of many applications, especially those in industrial operations or systems where there are wireless connections. With the most secure MCU available, the PG23 offers confidence to the designer for any application.
The combination of best-in-class security, precision analog capabilities, and the excellent low power performance makes the PG23 the ideal MCU for a variety of IoT applications.
