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System Supervisors and Voltage Detectors

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Ensure System Integrity and Prevent Failures with Reliable Supervisors and Voltage Detectors

System supervisors and voltage detectors are essential components for maintaining the reliability and safety of electronic systems. System supervisors monitor critical parameters such as supply voltage and processor activity, providing reset and watchdog functions to prevent system failures and ensure proper operation. Voltage detectors specifically track voltage levels, generating alerts or reset signals if the supply voltage falls below or exceeds predefined thresholds. Together, these devices help protect sensitive electronics from undervoltage, overvoltage and system malfunctions, making them vital for applications in automotive, industrial and consumer electronics where continuous and dependable performance is required.

System Supervisors and Voltage Detectors

System Supervisors

A system supervisor is a device that monitors supply voltage and system activity, providing reset and watchdog functions to ensure reliable and safe operation of electronic systems.

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Voltage Detectors

A voltage detector is an electronic device or circuit that monitors the voltage level of a power supply or signal line and generates an output when the voltage crosses a specified threshold.

 

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Key Features and Benefits of System Supervisors

  • Monitor systems without a MCU, for example FPGAs, PLDs and power supplies
  • Can reset all or part of a system
  • Localized shutdown makes system faster and less susceptible to noise
  • Meet system safety regulations requiring external fail safe
  • More customizable and accurate voltage trip points and reset output delay
  • Supervisor options with manual resets and watchdog timers simplify firmware, add reliability and are very easy to implement

Key Features and Benefits of Voltage Detectors

  • Watchdog timer
    • Signal required from within MCU (WDI) tWD or RST driven low
    • Designed to detect faulty program execution
  • Voltage trip point
    • Standard trip voltages available on all devices
    • Custom trip voltages available on some devices
  • Reset delay
    • Different available options for a reset delay
    • Some devices have custom options available
  • WDT period
    • Devices with watchdog timers have different tWD (period)
  • Low pPower (Typ < 1uA)
    • Typically used in battery applications
    • Power sensitive with same reliability of a supervisor
  • Output type
    • Push-pull or open-drain
    • Active low or high
    • Internal or external pull-up resistor (open-drain only)

Design Resources

MPLAB Analog Designer

MPLAB® Analog Designer

This tool provides design suggestions for common circuit needs, estimates performance for common modifications, and can export to MPLAB® Mindi™ Analog Simulator for verification.

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MPLAB Mindi Analog Simulator

MPLAB® Mindi™ Analog Simulator

This simulation tool uses a SIMetrix/SIMPLIS environment to model circuit behavior, reducing design time with software debugging for initial design verification.

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MicroCHECK Design Service

MicroCHECK Design Service

Our complimentary MicroCHECK design review service, which offers insight from the initial concept to the final PCB layout, is available to customers who are using our products in their projects.

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