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- Newsgroups: sci.electronics
- Path: sparky!uunet!psgrain!percy!klic!keithl
- From: keithl@klic.rain.com (Keith Lofstrom)
- Subject: Re: Any LOW power PAL/GALs?
- Message-ID: <1992Jul27.182720.29872@klic.rain.com>
- Organization: Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits
- References: <1992Jul27.025931.6415@ee.ubc.ca>
- Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 18:27:20 GMT
- Lines: 45
-
- In article <1992Jul27.025931.6415@ee.ubc.ca> jmorriso@ee.ubc.ca (John Paul Morrison) writes:
- >
- >I want to use a PAL or equivalent in a low power application.
- >So far, the best I've done is a NS GAL20V8, quarter power.
- >
- >Allegedly this part is CMOS (EEPROM), but I measured about 30 mA
- >sucked in, when nothing was clocking it. Doesn't sound like
- >CMOS to me (ie uA standby current).
-
- Mr. Morrison raises a good point - and possibly indicates a needed market.
- If you are willing to take a speed and cost hit, there is nothing preventing
- the design of microwatt PALs and PGAs. In fact, if you are willing to
- program the device with a Xilinx-style serial load, such a device could be
- built with a number of cheap CMOS processes. I could probably design a 20V8
- style device that would sell for $5 in commercial quantities, with a prop
- delay on the order of 100 nanoseconds and a static current drain of 100nA or
- so. A mA or so during the 10 msec startup programming cycle. The device
- could be operated on a single 1.2V cell, or a regular 5V supply. An
- EPROM style device will take more voltage, power, and cost.
-
- The market for such a device would be pretty fragmented, though. What drives
- most current markets is computers of various flavors, and those applications
- are driven by speed, and are highly similar. On the other hand, a
- low power PAL would have to be targetted at the battery-powered long-life
- medium-volume niches - you would have to talk to a lot of customers to have
- enough sales - the marketing and sales fulfillment department would be
- expensive. Still, I have seen a lot of jobs calling for this type of thing.
- Anyone want to start a company? I'll design a couple for a half million in
- stock ;-)
-
- For those of you who have a low power problem to solve, and lack rich relatives
- to fund a startup, I might suggest contacting SMOS ( a subsidiary of Seiko-
- Epson) about their SMC6200 series of processors. These are essentially
- mask-programmable calculator watch processors, intended to draw a few
- microamps from one or two cells, run at 32KHz, read small keypads, drive
- displays, night illuminators, beepers, etc. Using this part now involves
- a mask program charge, but last time I talked to SMOS they said they would
- have an EPROM style part "soon". Such a part will draw more power, but cost
- less in onesies.
-
- Keith
- --
- Keith Lofstrom keithl@klic.rain.com Voice (503)-520-1993
- KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon"
- Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Power ICs
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