What is it?
A Digital Signal Controller (DSC) is a single-chip, embedded controller that seamlessly integrates the control attributes of a Microcontroller (MCU) with the computation and throughput capabilities of a Digital Signal Processor (DSP).
- dsPIC33CK Family: Single-Core Digital Signal Controller for Real-Time Performance
- dsPIC33CH Family: Dual Core Flexibility, Design Separately, Integrate Seamlessly
What Problem Does it Solve?
These Digital Signal Controller are used in motor control and digital power design applications.
These devices target solutions which require high-performance.
What are the Features and Benefits?
dsPIC33CK features two dsPIC33 cores per device:
- Increases overall performance
- Optimize control loop responsiveness
- Enables software partitioning
- Familiar programming model
- See Product Flyer for more details
What are the Focus Applications/Markets?
End Equipment Examples
Digital Power
- Industrial: AC/DC & DC/DC power supplies
- Automotive: converters, chargers, inverters
- Consumer: wireless power
Motor Control
- Automotive: pumps, fans
- Industrial: drones, robotics, tools
- Consumer: appliances, toys
High Performance Embedded
- Automotive: electronic sensors
- Industrial: automation and control
- Medical: diagnostic equipment, monitors
- IoT: gateways and central processors
dsPIC33CK Single-Core Digital Signal Controllers
Real-Time Performance for Motor Control, Digital Power, Safety-Critical and High-Performance Embedded Applications
Microchip’s dsPIC33CK single-core Digital Signal Controllers (DSCs) accelerate Digital Signal Processor (DSP) performance for time-critical applications. This family offers fast deterministic performance to address real-world design requirements such as high energy efficiency across variable load conditions in a power supply or controlling the precise speed and rotation of a motor. Complementing our dsPIC33CH dual-core DSCs, the dsPIC33CK family offers a cost-effective single-core option with the same high-performance core and peripherals.
These high-performance DSCs feature a dsPIC33 ‘C’ core with DSP engine, expanded context selected registers to reduce interrupt latency, new instructions to accelerate DSP performance, tightly coupled peripherals and faster execution to enable complex high-speed control loop implementation. The dsPIC33CK family maintains the simplicity of a microcontroller and provides a performance upgrade path for dsPIC33E/dsPIC33F DSC users.
Benefits of Designing with dsPIC33CK DSCs
- Precision control of multiple sensorless, brushless motors, running field-oriented control algorithms and power factor correction
- Implement highly-adaptive algorithms for digital power conversion applications
- Enables sophisticated real-time filtering to improve sensors’ responsiveness
- Eases Functional Safety compliance
- CAN-FD option to support automotive communication
- Live update of firmware for high-availability systems
- Scalable solutions with memory ranging from 32 KB to 256 KB and flexible feature set to meet the specific requirements of your application
- Maximum peripheral integration in ultra-small packages which lowers BoM costs and enables smaller form factor designs
dsPIC33CK Application Areas
With high integration of specialized peripherals, the dsPIC33CK family is ideal for motor control, digital power conversion, safety-critical and high-performance embedded applications across industrial, medical, automotive and consumer markets.
Introducing the dsPIC33CH Dual-Core Family
System developers designing high-end embedded control applications with multiple software teams can benefit from a new family with two dsPIC® Digital Signal Controller (DSC) cores in a single chip enabling easier software integration. The dsPIC33CH has one core that is a master while the other is a slave. The slave core is for executing dedicated, time-critical control code while the master core is busy running the user interface, system monitoring and communications functions, customized for the end application.
The dsPIC33CH is designed to facilitate independent code development for each core by separate design teams while enabling seamless integration when they are later brought together in one chip. The dsPIC33CH family is optimized for high-performance digital power, motor control and other applications requiring sophisticated algorithms. This includes applications such as wireless power, server power supplies, drones and automotive sensors.
Dual-Core dsPIC33CH Benefits
- Simplified firmware development with dual independent cores
- Dual cores and peripheral sets facilitate robust systems and improve functional safety
- First dsPIC33 with dual CAN-FD for robust communication with increased bandwidth
- Maximum analog integration including high-speed ADCs, DACs with waveform generation, analog comparators and PGAs for increased functionality in less space
- Live update of firmware for high-availability systems, especially important for power supplies
