Two new families of single-chip energy meter ICs combine intelligent battery management and innovative signal processing technology to address the need of the world’s electricity markets for feature-rich, highly reliable meters. Increasingly, solid-state, failure-resistant energy meters are replacing aging electromechanical systems by providing consistently dependable measurement and new functions, like remote meter reading. The new ADE7100 and ADE7500 energy meter SoC families include devices with intelligent battery modes that allow the meters to maintain the time, sense temperature changes, run the LCD read out, and perform other critical system functions, while using at least 40% less power than competitive solutions.

The highly integrated SoC devices perform functions previously requiring as many as six discrete ICs. The result is a high-quality, cost-effective solution that is less susceptible to system failures and enables advanced services like remote meter-reading, time-of-use billing, which requires power companies to measure energy consumption according to hourly use, and load shedding, which is the act of cutting off the electric current on certain lines when demand outstrips supply. 

Four products in the ADE7100 (ADE7166, ADE7169) and ADE7500 (ADE7566, ADE7569) families are sampling now with full production scheduled for February 2007. The devices are available in 64-lead LQFPs and cost less than $3 per unit in 1,000-piece quantities.

Analog Devices, Inc.
www.analog.com