Digital signal controllers offer high PWM resolution
Microchip Technology has added the dsPIC33AK512MPS512 and dsPIC33AK512MC510 Digital Signal Controller (DSC) families to its dsPIC33A DSC product line. The digital signal controllers enable the implementation of computation-intensive control algorithms for improved energy efficiency in motor control, AI server power supplies, energy storage systems and complex sensor signal processing with machine-learning-based inferencing.
The dsPIC33AK512MPS family provides precise, high-speed control through high-resolution 78-ps PWM and low-latency 40 MSps ADCs, enabling fast and accurate control loops essential for optimising the performance of Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN)-based DC-DC converters. Additionally, dsPIC33AK512MPS digital signal controllers feature advanced security capabilities, an integrated touch controller, and a high pin count of up to 128 pins. The dsPIC33AK512MC family is designed to deliver low-latency 40 Msps ADCs and 1.25 ns PWM resolution, offering a feature- and cost-optimised device for multi-motor control and complex embedded applications.
The dsPIC33A DSC families, with up to 512 KB Flash and a rich peripheral set, integrate a double-precision floating-point unit to accelerate mathematical computations. Furthermore, they utilise a 32-bit architecture to facilitate seamless adoption of model-based design code. Their enhanced instruction set and DSP capabilities, including single-cycle MAC operations and a 200 MHz core speed, make these devices highly efficient for low-latency, real-time control applications. Supported by MPLAB Machine Learning Development Suite, dsPIC33A devices streamline the machine learning workflow by automating data preparation, feature extraction, training, validation and firmware conversion of optimised models.
“As AI servers and data centres continue to grow, the need for more efficient power conversion is essential. With specialised peripherals and the high-performance core in the dsPIC33AK512MPS family, developers can now achieve significant energy savings and shrink their power supply footprints,” said Joe Thomsen, corporate vice president of Microchip’s digital signal controller business unit. “The new dsPIC33A DSC families are packed with advanced features that enable efficient and reliable designs for modern power conversion, motor control and sensing applications.”
With a range of hardware safety features, dsPIC33AK512MPS/MC digital signal controllers are compliant with functional safety standards and are developed in accordance with the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 26262 and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61508 processes, making them suitable for safety-critical automotive and industrial applications. To further enhance system-level security, the dsPIC33AK512MPS DSC family includes integrated crypto accelerators and a Flash security module, enabling immutable root of trust, secure boot, secure firmware upgrades and secure debug capabilities.
The dsPIC33AK512MPS/MC DSCs are supported by Microchip’s development tool ecosystem, including MPLAB XC-DSC Compiler, MPLAB Code Configurator (MCC) and MPLAB ML Development Suite.
Separate dual-in-line modules are available to support development for motor control, digital power conversion and general-purpose embedded applications. The DSCs are also supported by partner software and tools, including the SAFERTOS real-time operating system from WHIS, TRACE32 debugger from Lauterbach, and others.