Cirrus Logic metering ICs turn power measurement up a notch

The CS5461A and CS5463 high precision power meter ICs from Cirrus Logic are suited for next-generation applications. An upgrade to the company's CS5460A device, these pin-for-pin compatible devices add circuitry to measure apparent and reactive power, thus cutting the bill-of-materials and overall development time.

"Increasingly, utility companies are demanding more information about the power quality and efficiency of the power grid, and the CS5461A and CS5463 benefit our customers by generating this high-quality data on-chip," said John Paulos, VP and GM of the Industrial Products Division. "Calculating energy usage information directly on-chip eliminates the need for additional on-board digital signal processor chips and in turn, reduces overall meter costs."

The CS5461A, with a bidirectional serial interface for microcontroller communication, also calculates apparent energy, and the CS5463 further expands the feature set to measure reactive energy, power factor, fundamental and harmonic energy, and line frequency. The ICs feature measurement linearity to within 0.1 percent of reading over a 1,000:1 dynamic range. The chips also have an on-chip temperature sensor and circuitry to compensate for errors in measurement caused by temperature drift.

The chips are priced starting at $2.62 each in 1,000-unit quantities.

- Vince Biancomano

eeProductCenter