ATmega48PA/88PA/168PA/328P
9.10.5
9.10.6
Watchdog Timer
If the Watchdog Timer is not needed in the application, the module should be turned off. If the
Watchdog Timer is enabled, it will be enabled in all sleep modes and hence always consume
power. In the deeper sleep modes, this will contribute significantly to the total current consump-
tion. Refer to ”Watchdog Timer” on page 50 for details on how to configure the Watchdog Timer.
Port Pins
When entering a sleep mode, all port pins should be configured to use minimum power. The
most important is then to ensure that no pins drive resistive loads. In sleep modes where both
the I/O clock (clkI/O) and the ADC clock (clkADC) are stopped, the input buffers of the device will
be disabled. This ensures that no power is consumed by the input logic when not needed. In
some cases, the input logic is needed for detecting wake-up conditions, and it will then be
enabled. Refer to the section ”Digital Input Enable and Sleep Modes” on page 79 for details on
which pins are enabled. If the input buffer is enabled and the input signal is left floating or have
an analog signal level close to VCC/2, the input buffer will use excessive power.
For analog input pins, the digital input buffer should be disabled at all times. An analog signal
level close to VCC/2 on an input pin can cause significant current even in active mode. Digital
input buffers can be disabled by writing to the Digital Input Disable Registers (DIDR1 and
DIDR0). Refer to ”DIDR1 – Digital Input Disable Register 1” on page 249 and ”DIDR0 – Digital
Input Disable Register 0” on page 266 for details.
9.10.7
On-chip Debug System
If the On-chip debug system is enabled by the DWEN Fuse and the chip enters sleep mode, the
main clock source is enabled and hence always consumes power. In the deeper sleep modes,
this will contribute significantly to the total current consumption.
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8161D–AVR–10/09
ATMEL [ ATMEL ]
