Renesas adds to 32bit MCU range
They are designed for low power, portable applications with high density memory from 768 kilobyte (KB) flash/80KB RAM to 1 megabyte (MB) flash/80KB RAM to support increasing memory demand. Four of these high memory density MCUs are equipped with a USB 2.0 interface to support communication.
Renesas says these new MCUs target smart meters and healthcare equipment; stating their low power capability combined with 1MB flash and 80KB RAM memory is suited to smart meters. Many smart meters are subject to regulatory power limits. Yet with more communication radios and more complex software, every component, including the MCU, has to consume less power to keep the system under the limit. The increasing amount of communication software can be adequately supported by the larger Flash memory.
Healthcare systems, especially portable measurement and monitoring devices such as blood glucose meters, can take advantage of the low power to extend battery life and utilize the large Flash memory for data storage. The USB support enables these healthcare systems to support patient-doctor information exchange, such as the Continua Alliance standard. Moreover, the 32-bit processing power can support graphic computation for different displays from segmented LCD to dot matrix and OLED.
Software complexity continues to increase in many applications. Product designers are faced with the difficult design decision between extending design cycles to reduce software size and paying for extra external memory to shorten design time. The high density Flash eliminates this design dilemma. These V850 MCUs with up to 1MB Flash can support many applications without resorting to external memory.
In conjunction with the product announcement, Renesas Electronics Europe has introduced a V850ES/Jx3-L low power USB stick demonstrator. This kit utilizes a V850ES/JG3-L with 512KB Flash to provide a platform that demonstrates the different standby modes. The kit supports current consumption measurement with use of an ampere meter. It also demonstrates RAM retention and real time clock operation in the lowest power mode. This demonstrator is available now. The free demo kit can be obtained by registering at www.renesas.eu/tokyocool
To support the evaluation of the V850ES/Jx3-L, Renesas Electronics Europe provides a target board, the QB-V850ESJG3LUSB-TB, which is designed for use with a MiniCube2 debugger, the QB-MINI2-EA. The MCU used in this target board is a V850ES/Jx3-L with 512KB Flash and 40K RAM. This solution will be available in March 2011.
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