The Texas Instruments MSP430 family of ultralow-power microcontrollers consist of several devices featuring different sets of peripherals targeted for various applications. The architecture, combined with five low power modes is optimized to achieve extended battery life in portable measurement applications. The device features a powerful 16-bit RISC CPU, 16-bit registers, and constant generators that attribute to maximum code efficiency. The digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) allows wake-up from low-power modes to active mode in less than 6 µs.

The MSP430x13x and the MSP430x14x(1) series are microcontroller configurations with two built-in 16-bit timers, a fast 12-bit A/D converter (not implemented on the MSP430F14x1 devices), one or two universal serial synchronous/asynchronous communication interfaces (USART), and 48 I/O pins.

Typical applications include sensor systems that capture analog signals, convert them to digital values, and process and transmit the data to a host system. The timers make the configurations ideal for industrial control applications such as ripple counters, digital motor control, EE-meters, hand-held meters, etc. The hardware multiplier enhances the performance and offers a broad code and hardware-compatible family solution.