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This device can reduce the cost and complexity of online production applications in extreme high and low temperature environments.
In online production applications such as chemical and food processing, manufacturing process control, medical and HVAC equipment, as well as refrigeration, low-temperature, and other precision temperature control environments, high-precision four-channel temperature measurement is crucial. Microchip Technology Inc. today launched the MCP9604 Integrated Thermocouple Conditioning IC, breaking through the technical bottleneck of temperature measurement and integration. As the industry’s first single-chip four-channel I2C thermocouple conditioning IC, it achieves a system accuracy of ±1.5°C, capable of replacing discrete and multi-chip thermocouple conditioning solutions that introduce errors and increase system design complexity.
Keith Pazul, Vice President of Mixed Signal and Linear Business at Microchip, stated: “For over two centuries, thermocouples have been key tools for measuring extremely high temperatures, but traditional solutions struggle to meet today’s stringent online production application requirements for accuracy, integration, and cost-effectiveness. Our MCP9604 combines accuracy, integration, and cost-effectiveness, eliminating up to 15 discrete components and related system design challenges.”
The MCP9604 achieves advanced measurement accuracy at four thermocouple measurement points by employing a higher-order NIST ITS-90 equation instead of a first-order linear approximation of an analog amplifier. For example, for K-type thermocouples, it integrates an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), cold junction compensation temperature sensor, amplifier, and all other components required for the signal chain, temperature measurement, and mathematical operations within a single chip, ultimately achieving ninth-order accuracy.
Eliminating the need for external components simplifies PCB design, reduces bill of materials (BOM) costs, and avoids the complex online verification and calibration work required for discrete solutions in the thermocouple measurement signal chain. This work can take weeks, is costly, and must be completed before discrete solutions can start reporting data to the host system.
The MCP9604 supports eight of the most commonly used thermocouple types, including J and K types, providing high flexibility and versatility, and can operate in environments as low as -200°C. The device covers a wide temperature range from -200°C to +1372°C, suitable for a variety of industrial scenarios, and supports I²C communication for easy integration with microcontrollers and other digital systems.
Innovations Based on Prior Technical Accumulation
The development of the MCP9604 is based on Microchip’s technological breakthroughs in single-channel thermocouple conditioning ICs, creating the first integrated solution achieving ±1.5°C accuracy. It is these core technological accumulations that laid the foundation for the company’s launch of the four-channel single-chip MCP9604, which, as an I2C thermocouple conditioning device, provides industry-leading digital temperature reading accuracy.
Development Tools
The MCP9604 is supported by the Microchip EV19L27A Evaluation Board, which can connect and read data from up to four thermocouples, with the onboard microcontroller acting as the host system to receive information and plot the temperature curves of the selected thermocouples. The evaluation board also comes with free software, which can be downloaded from the MCP9604 or EVB product page.
https://www.microchip.com/en-us/product/MCP9604
https://www.microchipdirect.com/dev-tools/EV19L27A
Supply and Pricing
The MCP9604 thermocouple conditioning IC is available in tape and reel (MCP9604T-E/3YW) and tray (MCP9604-E/3YW) packaging, with a minimum order quantity of 10,000 pieces at a unit price of $10.56, using a 24-pin 5×5 land grid array (LGA) package. The EV19L27A evaluation board is priced at $96.00 per unit and is now available.
For more information or to purchase, please contact a Microchip sales representative, global authorized distributor, or visit the Microchip purchasing and customer service website at http://www.microchipdirect.com.
About Microchip Technology Inc.
Microchip Technology Inc. is dedicated to making innovative design easier through complete system-level solutions, helping customers address key challenges when applying emerging technologies to mature markets. The company offers easy-to-use development tools and a rich product portfolio to support customers throughout the entire design process from concept to final implementation. Microchip is headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, USA, and continuously provides solutions for industrial, automotive, consumer, aerospace and defense, communications, and computing markets with excellent technical support. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.microchip.com.
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