Devices Supported: MCP6S22, MCP6S92

Summary Description:

The MCP6SX2 PGA Thermistor PICtail Demo Board features the MCP6S22 and MCP6S92 Programmable Gain Amplifiers (PGA). These devices help:

• Overcome the non-linear response of the on-board NTC thermistor
• Provide multiplexing between two inputs; the other input can be any desired source. This opens the possibilities of temperature correcting another sensor, and of increasing the number of PIC^® microcontroller I/O pins available for other purposes.

Two on-board variable resistors allow users to experiment with different designs on the bench. DIP switches on the board select certain resistors (in a binary weighted sequence) to add together, thereby emulating the series resistor in the voltage divider and the thermistor’s change in resistance over temperature.

A complete solution is achieved by interfacing this board to the PICkit™ 1 Flash Starter Kit (see DS40051) and the Signal Analysis PICtail™ Daughter Board (see DS51476). The solution provides:

• PC software interface
• PICmicro microcontroller
• Firmware programmability
• 10-bit ADC (on the microcontroller)
• Firmware (with re-locatable assembler code) for the microcontroller.

Features:

On-Board Thermistor

• Can select a high accuracy NTC thermistor
• Can select an emulator for quick bench work

Voltage Divider

• Linearizes thermistor’s response
• Series resistor has an emulator for quick prototyping of different designs

PGA

• Buffers the NTC Thermistor
• Increases linearity and temperature resolution
• Provides an additional input

SMD Test Points

Companion Tools

• PICkit™1 Flash Starter Kit
• Signal Analysis PICtail Daughter Board