42.1 Overview

The Timer/Counter for Control Applications (TCC) module provides a set of timing and counting related functionality, such as the generation of periodic waveforms, the capturing of a periodic waveform's frequency/duty cycle, software timekeeping for periodic operations, waveform extension control, fault detection, and so on. The counter size of the TCC modules can be 16-bit or 32-bit depending on the TCC instance. Refer to the Configuration Summary for details on TCC instances.

Each TCC instance consists of a counter, a prescaler, compare/capture channels, and control logic. The counter can be set to count events or clock pulses. The counter together with the compare or capture channels can be configured to time stamp input events, allowing capture of frequency and pulse width. It can also perform waveform generation, such as frequency generation and Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM).

TCC contains waveform extension features for motor control, ballast control, LED control, H-bridge control, power converters, and other types of power control applications. These extensions allow for low-side and high-side outputs with optional dead-time insertion. Waveform extensions can also generate a synchronized bit pattern across the waveform output pins. The fault options enable fault protection for safe and deterministic handling, deactivating output signals from the microcontroller. These signals can be used to shutdown external drivers connected to the microcontroller.