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Old 11-17-2011, 09:27 AM   #633 (permalink)
CollinK
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MPaulHolmes View Post
The main problem seems to be the lack of availability in the future of the dsPIC30F. I think all the current sensors out there also have 2.5v as zero amps, and then +/- x volts for positive and negative current. Everything would have to be in 0-3.3v. I guess it's not the end of the world though.

When they say "not recommended for new designs", how serious are they about that? They are going to stop making them in a few years?
Well, the LEM sensors can be adjusted for a different 0A voltage. Their fourth pin can be used to drive the bias voltage to something other than 2.5V. For a 3.3v system it could be driven to like 1.7V. Also, the dsPIC33 supports 12 bit ADC so there would be a 4x increase in resolution just because of that. So, actually, the current sensors would be more accurate.

The dsPIC30 is still listed as "in production" so currently there is no reason to think that they won't be available for at least a few years. But, commercial developers have moved on for newer designs. Like it or not I'm sort of a commercial developer who is contributing to a hobbyist project. So my goals are to maintain a good commercial outlook for the future and thus I'm leaning toward using the newer, better chips.
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