Entry Level Renesas RA0 MCUs target power consumption
Renesas Electronics has introduced a low cost microcontroller with the industry’s lowest overall power consumption for general purpose 32bit MCUs.
The Renesas RA0 devices are based on the ARM Cortex M23 microcontroller core and consume only 84.3μA/MHz of current in active mode and only 0.82 mA in sleep mode. A Software Standby mode reduces power consumption by a further 99 percent to 0.2 µA.
A fast wake-up High-speed On-Chip Oscillator (HOCO) means the RA0 family is suitable for battery-operated consumer electronics devices, small appliances, industrial system control, and building automation applications.
The first devices in the family, the RA0E1 Group for cost-sensitive applications, were launched at the Embedded World exhibition in Germany today and are now shipping. The wide operating voltage range of 1.6V to 5.5V means designers don’t need a level shifter/regulator in 5V systems, saving bill of material costs.
The RA0 MCUs also integrate timers, serial communications, analog functions, safety functions and HMI functionality to reduce customer BOM cost. A wide range of packaging options is also available, including a 3mm x 3mm 16-lead QFN as well as 16-, 24- and 32-lead QFNs, 20-pin LSSOP and a 32-pin LQFP.
There is up to 64KB integrated Code Flash memory and 12KB SRAM with a 12-bit ADC, temperature sensor, internal reference voltage, three UARTs, one Async UART, three simplified SPI interfaces, one I2C interface and three simplified I2C interfaces.
The high-precision ±1.0% HOCO also improves baud rate accuracy and enables designers to forego a standalone oscillator. Unlike other HOCOs, it maintains this precision in environments from -40°C to 105°C. This wide temperature range enables customers to avoid costly and time-consuming “trimming,” even after the reflow process.
The RA0E1 MCUs include critical diagnostic safety functions as well as an IEC60730 self-test library. They also offer security features including true random number generator (TRNG) and AES libraries for IoT applications, including encryption.
“As the leader in embedded processing, our customers expect Renesas to provide the best solution for any application,” said Akihiro Kuroda, Vice President of the Embedded Processing 2nd Division at Renesas. “The RA0E1 Group MCUs deliver the ultra-low power and low cost needed for price-sensitive systems without sacrificing safety, data security and ease-of-design. Coupled with the recent introduction of the high-performance RA8 Series, Renesas now offers the premier MCU solution for any customer application anywhere in the world.”
The RA0E1 Group MCUs are supported by the Renesas Flexible Software Package (FSP). This enables faster application development by providing all the infrastructure software needed, including multiple RTOS, BSP, peripheral drivers, middleware, connectivity, networking, and security stacks as well as reference software to build complex AI, motor control and cloud solutions. It allows customers to integrate their own legacy code and choice of RTOS with FSP, thus providing full flexibility in application development. Using the FSP will ease migration of RA0E1 designs to larger RA devices if customers wish to do so.
Renesas has combined the new RA0E1 Group MCUs with numerous compatible devices from its portfolio for an HVAC Environment Monitor Module for Public Buildings.
The RA0E1 Group MCUs are available now, along with the FSP software and the RA0E1 Fast Prototyping Board. Samples and kits can be ordered either on the Renesas website or through distributors.
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