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 6μs.

The MSP430x15x/16x/161x series are microcontroller configurations with two built-in 16-bit timers, a fast 12-bit A/D converter, dual 12-bit D/A converter, one or two universal serial synchronous/asynchronous communication interfaces (USART), I²C, DMA, and 48 I/O pins. In addition, the MSP430x161x series offers extended RAM addressing for memory-intensive applications and large C-stack requirements.

Typical applications include sensor systems, industrial control applications, hand-held meters, etc.