Low-Power in Microcontrollers

Quiz

Microcontrollers are integral parts of modern electronic systems and act as the brain behind their automated operation. Depending on the power consumption, some microcontrollers are categorized as low-power microcontrollers that can operate efficiently while saving energy. These microcontrollers are specially designed for applications that require minimum power consumption without affecting the performance. Low-power microcontrollers are widely used in applications such as IoT devices, wearable technology, and battery-powered devices.

Read this chapter to learn the fundamentals of low-power microcontrollers, their important features, advantages, and applications.

What is a Low-Power Microcontroller?

A low-power microcontroller is a specially designed microcontroller that can operate efficiently by consuming minimal amount of power and without degrading the performance. These microcontrollers are engineered to be energy efficient through various technologies, design strategies, optimizing architecture, power management, and using energy-efficient peripheral devices.

Features of Low-Power Microcontrollers

The following list highlights some of the important features of low-power microcontrollers –

Low power microcontrollers have an energy efficient architecture which is optimized to consume minimal power.
Low power microcontrollers use advanced power management techniques such as adaptive voltage scaling to minimize unnecessary power consumption.
Low-power microcontrollers use peripheral devices that can operate autonomously, i.e., their operation is independent of the CPU. This also results in power saving.
Low-power microcontrollers have multiple low-power modes like sleep, deep sleep, etc. These power saving modes allow system to save energy when no full operation is required.
Low-power microcontrollers have dynamic control of clock signals. This ensures reduced power consumption.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Low-Power Microcontrollers

The major advantages and disadvantages of low-power microcontrollers are highlighted in the following table –

Advantages of Low-Power Microcontrollers	Limitations of Low-Power Microcontrollers
Low-power microcontrollers provide extended battery life in battery-operated devices.	Low-power microcontrollers have limited memory which makes it challenging to handle complex algorithms and large amounts of data.
Low-power microcontrollers have better thermal efficiency and generates less heat.	Low-power microcontrollers have limited processing power and hence they are not suitable for high-performance applications.
Low-power microcontrollers provide higher energy efficiency.	Low-power microcontrollers are incapable in handling high-end peripheral devices.
Low-power microcontrollers have multiple low-power sleep modes to reduce standby power.	Low-power microcontrollers put in deep sleep mode require a longer time to wake-up.
Low-power microcontrollers indirectly reduce the energy waste and carbon footprint.	Due to reduced communication speed for power saving, the low-power microcontrollers are not suitable for high-speed data exchange.
Low-power microcontrollers use less complex and smaller power supply unit.	Low-power microcontrollers are costlier to manufacture due to use of advanced technologies and complex design.

Applications of Low-Power Microcontrollers

Low-power microcontrollers are mainly used in applications where power saving is critical like in battery-powered devices. Some of the common applications of low-power microcontrollers include –

Low-power microcontrollers are used in wearable devices like fitness trackers, smartwatches, etc. to provide an extended battery life.
IoT devices and sensors used in smart home and industrial automation systems use low-power microcontrollers.
Low-power microcontrollers are used as core components in implantable and portable medical devices.
Low-power microcontrollers are also used in battery-power environmental monitoring devices.

Conclusion

In conclusion, low-power microcontrollers are specially designed microcontrollers to use in energy-efficient electronic systems. This chapter covered the basic concepts of low-power microcontrollers along with their key features, advantages, limitations, and applications.

Print Page