Powering an MSP430™ microcontroller (MCU) from a single 1.5-V battery cell is desirable in a number of applications. These applications require the use of a charge-pump-based dc/dc converter. This application report describes dc/dc converter basics and selection, and presents the implementation of a single-cell thermostat using an MSP430 MCU and a TPS60313 dc/dc converter. Analysis of the single-cell plus dc/dc converter solution includes the current consumption and the expected battery life.

Source code related to this solution is available for download from www.ti.com/lit/zip/slaa398.