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nPZero G1S

Overview​

The nPZero power-saving IC targets power-constrained sensor applications, reducing system power by autonomously managing sensor communication and selectively powering up the MCU and sensors only when needed.

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Key Benefits​

  • Reduce power consumption by up to 90%
  • Power the MCU and sensors only when needed
  • Handle sensors autonomously without an active MCU
  • Compatible with a wide range of MCU's and I2C or SPI-based sensors

Main Features​

  • Ultra-low-power standalone operation
    • Power-cycling: turns off MCU and sensors when they are not needed
  • Autonomous operation of up to 4 sensors
    • MCU is powered off
    • Polling of sensors with threshold-based wake-up triggers
    • Communication over I2C or SPI
    • Flexible I/O pins for interrupt inputs or trigger outputs
  • Supports MCU via I2C
    • Configuration via I2C commands
    • nPZero IC wakes MCU when required
  • Integrated power switches for the MCU and 4 sensors
    • Can be changed to logic output to control external switches for higher currents
  • 128-byte SRAM
    • Initialization commands for the sensors
    • General purpose data
  • Optional crystal oscillator
    • Improved timing accuracy
    • Programmable clock output
    • External 32.768 kHz crystal for higher precision timing

Key Specifications​

SpecificationValue
Supply voltage1.5 - 3.6 V
Idle current @ 3.0V and 22°C100 nA
Polling current @ 3.0V and 22°C1.0 µA
Host switch max current10 mA
Sensor switch max current (×4)1 mA
I2C / SPI frequency100 kHz
Temperature range-20°C to +85°C
Package optionsQFN32 5×5 mm, WLCSP34 2.45×2.45 mm

Typical applications​

  • Battery-powered and energy-harvesting-powered IoT devices
  • Smart Buildings/Cities/Agriculture
  • Tracking, Logging, Monitoring ++

Energy Savings: Use case​

It has been empirically measured that the nPZero can reduce current consumption for peripheral polling by 89% as compared to a baseline system without the nPZero. The system considered includes a Nordic Semiconductor™ nRF52840 devkit, an AMS™ temperature sensor and an ST™ 3-axis accelerometer.

Use case example

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