MSC offers the RL78/G14 Group of microcontrollers from Renesas Electronics. The new 16-bit MCUs with enhanced real-time control functions incorporate proven on-chip peripheral functions of Renesas’ R8C MCU family and feature a current consumption of only 70 µA/MHz at 32 MHz. The new MCUs , which MSC will present at embedded world 2012, are equipped with three proven timer modules, which are compatible with timers that already exist in the R8C MCU family. Timer RD comprises two universal 16-bit timers capable of operating at up to 64 MHz, which thanks to their three-phase complementary pulse width modulation (PWM) function are ideal for motor control applications. Timer RG is additionally equipped with an encoder input with which direction of rotation and rotation speed can be measured. Timer RJ is also a 16-bit timer module than can generate pulses or measure pulse widths.
The RL78/G14 MCU devices integrate a data transfer controller and event link controller, which significantly reduce the CPU load and lower current consumption. The DTC enables memory-to-memory data transfers without using the CPU. Compared to the DMA function of the RL78/G13 device, the DTC supports a larger number of transfer channels and activation sources and also enables data transfers from the flash memory. The event link controller allows direct connection between individual peripheral functions bypassing the CPU and interrupt controller. It is also possible to use the ELC to start peripheral functions when the CPU is stopped, thereby reducing current consumption of the new 16-bit MCUs even further. In addition, among the technical features of the RL78/G14 MCUs are an 8-bit D/A converter with two channels and two analog comparators with window function, which is already well-known from the R8C family of MCUs. The DAC can, among other things, be utilized to implement an audio playback function or to generate high-resolution voltage signals.
Through additional multiply, divide, and multiply and accumulate CPU instructions, the need to handle overflow interrupts when performing arithmetic operations is eliminated with the RL78/G14 MCUs. Furthermore, the on-chip debugging functions of the new MCUs now also support trace data for up to 256 branches, enabling more efficient system development and evaluation. The new MCUs are available in flash ROM capacities ranging from 16 KB to 256 KB, RAM capacities from 2.5 KB to 24 KB and a total of 17 package configurations, including QFP, compact QFN and LGA package, with pin counts from 30 to 100 pins. Development tools for the RL78/G14 Group include the IAR Embedded Workbench, Renesas’ E1 integrated on-chip debugging emulator and IECUBE full-function in-circuit emulator. Renesas also plans to release a Flash Programmer and Renesas Starter Kit supporting these new MCUs.
