Micros

Renesas Technology Releases 32 Initial-Phase Products in R8C/Lx Series of High-Performance 16-Bit Microcontrollers with On-Chip Flash Memory Incorporating an LCD Driver

22nd February 2010
ES Admin
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Renesas Technology Europe today announced the release of the R8C/Lx Series of high-performance 16-bit microcontrollers with on-chip flash memory incorporating an LCD driver, for use in a wide range of LCD panel equipped applications including industrial and consumer products and battery-operated healthcare devices. The initial release phase comprises a total of 32 models (112 type names) in eight groups, incorporating large-capacity on-chip flash memory of up to 128 kbytes and offering higher performance together with improved ease of use through such features as ultra-low power consumption and enhanced peripheral functions.
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The main differences between the eight groups are as follows. The lineup of models offering flash memory capacity variations ranging from 128 to 48 kbytes in each group enables users to select the most suitable products for various uses.



Product Name: Package Pin Count, Data Flash* Provision, LCD Size [Segments × Common]

1. R8C/L3AA: 100 pins, data flash included, LCD size [56×4 or 52×8 support]

2. R8C/L3AB: 100 pins, no data flash, LCD size [56×4 or 52×8]

3. R8C/L38A: 80 pins, data flash included, LCD size [47×4 or 43×8]

4. R8C/L38B: 80 pins, no data flash, LCD size [47×4 or 43×8]

5. R8C/L36A: 64 pins, data flash included, LCD size [30×4 or 26×8]

6. R8C/L36B: 64 pins, no data flash, LCD size [30×4 or 26×8]

7. R8C/L35A: 52 pins, data flash included, LCD size [22×4]

8. R8C/L35B: 52 pins, no data flash, LCD size [22×4]



The provision of up to 128 kbytes of on-chip flash memory, a large capacity for a microcontroller with an on-chip LCD driver, enables applications requiring large-capacity memory for complex programs and the like to be handled. The flash memory features 1.8 V low-voltage operation.



The LCD driver newly incorporates a constant voltage generation circuit, eliminating the need for an external power supply and thus enabling parts costs to be reduced. A specified pixel flashing function previously only provided in dot matrix LCDs (LCD panels with pixels [dots] arranged in a grid pattern) is also included, enabling flashing control by program to be reduced, with a resultant decrease in power consumption. This enables these new microcontrollers to be used for applications such as battery-operated devices requiring low power consumption and low-voltage operation.



A power supply control circuit has been newly included that enables wasteful current to be reduced, resulting in lower power consumption than with previous products. This power supply control circuit operates in concert with a newly provided ultra-low power consumption mode (power-off mode), enabling the user to achieve ultra-low power consumption easily without any special settings. Users can achieve current consumptions as low as 20 nA in Power off mode 0 and 1.3 μA in power off mode 1 (with RTC active).



Data flash is proprietary Renesas on-chip flash memory for storing data, such as information stored in external EEPROM (electrically erasable and programmable read only memory). The data flash used in this new series includes a background operation function that allows the CPU to execute instructions during data flash writing/erasing. This enables processing efficiency to be improved and also allows the user to write programs without having to be aware of data flash write/erase times, simplifying program development. In addition, data flash capacity has been doubled to a total of 4 kbytes (1 kbyte × 4 blocks) compared with previous products, enabling more data to be stored. These improvements in ease of use will help shorten user product development times.



The eight initial-phase groups incorporate the R8C CPU core field-proven in the R8C Series, and offer high performance and functionality together with ease of use.

The R8C is a 16-bit CPU, but the CPU and peripheral functions are linked by an 8-bit bus.



The minimum operating voltage has been reduced to a low 1.8 V, and the power supply voltage range covers a wide span from 1.8 V to 5.5 V.



In addition, the following comprehensive on-chip peripheral functions are provided.



• Data transfer controller:

The highly evaluated data transfer controller incorporated in the H8S Family and H8SX Family is included as a first for microcontrollers with an on-chip LCD driver. This controller enables data transfer to be performed between memory and a register without CPU intervention, making it possible to shorten transfer processing time and also enabling the CPU load to be reduced.



• Other on-chip peripheral functions:

All R8C/Lx Series models include an on-chip I2C interface and synchronous serial communication unit (SSU), allowing communication with a variety of ICs. The provision of a comparator function enables analog signal monitoring without operating an A/D converter, allowing power consumption to be further reduced. In addition, an on-chip D/A converter provides analog output that is smoother than PWM (pulse width modulation) output, making the R8C/Lx Series suitable for a wide variety of analog control applications.



The E8a Emulator on-chip debugger allowing single-pin interfacing is available as a development environment. The single-pin connection capability enables all I/O pins to be used during debugging, allowing more efficient program development. All R8C/Lx Series also feature an additional debugging function that allows RAM references and changes to be made during user program execution, enabling debugging efficiency to be further improved. An additional feature of the E8a Emulator is that it can be used as a flash memory writer as well as an emulator. The full-spec E100 Emulator is also available, enabling users to select the emulator best suited to their requirements.



Shipping forms include programmed flash memory product shipment as well as blank flash memory product shipment.



Notes

* Data flash: Renesas Technology’s proprietary flash memory used mainly for data storage separately from flash memory used for software storage

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