This slide is one good example of how the 8-bit, PIC16F178x family of Intelligent Analog MCUs can be designed into low cost medical applications. This example shows the design for a low cost glucose meter where the internal analog peripherals of the PIC16F178x MCU are used for front-end signal conditioning and conversion. Generally speaking, this glucose meter design works in the following way: The test strip with the glucose sample is inserted into a strip socket. The glucose sample applied to test strip undergoes a chemical reaction and electrons are produced. This current on the test strip changes according to the glucose concentration. This current is input to one of the PIC16F178x’s internal OpAmps which is being utilized as a current-to-voltage converter. An internal 8-bit DAC is also used, along with an internal fixed voltage reference, to supply a voltage bias to the OpAmp. The output signal is then fed to the input of the internal 12-bit ADC for conversion. Additional integrated functions include a real time clock function which is accomplished by using an internal timer and on-board EEPROM to store measured glucose values and other data.