How to decide which MSP430 MCU is right for your application with an LCD

Welcome to the MSP430 LCD Blog Series!  Our team will take you on a three-part ride to learn what MSP430 MCUs have to offer for displaying all that cool data you guys are generating.  We get a lot of questions about our LCD portfolio because there are so many tempting features to choose and developers don't always know what's the best option for their design.  Here’s what you can expect to learn in the next few weeks:

  • Part 1:  TI's MSP430 LCD portfolio and how to decide which MCU is right for you
  • Part 2:  Applications and benefits of using an integrated LCD
  • Part 3:  Selecting a development tool for LCD applications

The ride is ready to begin.  Here we go...

Back in 2001, MSP430 released its first microcontroller with integrated LCD.  Since then, we've developed a strong portfolio that has grown to support more than 100+ devices with LCD and integrated memory of up to 512kB Flash.  This provides you, our customer, with the industry’s broadest offering of microcontrollers with integrated LCD and high memory options to support endless low power applications (Seriously, what ISN'T using a display nowadays?)

As the MSP430 microcontroller has grown, so has each peripheral - including our beloved LCD.  Features such as the number of segments, clock dividers and programmability of segments have expanded with the latest microcontrollers.  It’s now easier than ever to individually control the blinking of each segment, dual displays and interrupts with the 320-segment LCD_C.  If you're having trouble deciding which features are important to control the display in your application, the table below provides many details on the features and differences between the LCD peripherals across our portfolio.

 

 

Now that you're decided which features are most important for your application, take a look at our various ultra low power MSP430 series with integrated LCD.

4 series – up to 16MHz and 120kB Flash; featuring 16-bit Sigma Delta, 12-bit DAC, Operational Amplifier

6 series – up to 25MHz and 512kB Flash; featuring 24-bit Sigma Delta, RTC with battery backup, USB, 12-bit DAC, Operational Amplifier

RF SoC series – up to 20MHz and 32kB Flash; featuring sub-1GHz RF Transceiver, 128-bit AES for security

 

The MSP430 LCD portfolio is the best option for any developer using an LCD.  Stay tuned for our next segment on this blog, where we'll evaluate different applications and the benefits of using an integrated LCD in your next design.

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