The TI MSP430A081IPWR is a 16-bit MSP430 core MCU running at 8 MHz, with 8 KB of Flash program memory and 256 bytes of RAM. It integrates an 8-channel 10-bit ADC, SPI and UART serial interfaces, plus a brown-out detect, POR, PWM, and watchdog timer. The 28-pin TSSOP package and 1.8 V to 3.6 V supply range suit it for battery-operated or low-power sensor nodes in industrial control, portable instrumentation, and building automation.
8 MHz — enough for a control loop, not for heavy number crunching
The 8 MHz clock is the headline rating here. For a 16-bit RISC core, that translates to roughly 8 MIPS. It handles a PID loop, a Modbus RTU poll cycle, or reading the ADC at a few kHz without breaking a sweat. But if your firmware runs floating-point math or a protocol stack with large buffers, the 256-byte RAM will pinch before the core speed does.
Industrial temperature range — -40°C to 85°C
Rated across -40°C to 85°C ambient, this part fits outdoor telecom cabinets, factory-floor controllers, and engine-bay-adjacent electronics. No AEC-Q100 automotive grade here, so skip it for under-hood or chassis-domain applications unless you have your own qualification data.
Lifecycle and sourcing reality
The MSP430A081IPWR has an EOL hot lifecycle flag. Official status is Active, but the EOL signal suggests limited factory availability.