Renesas releases free VDE certified self-test CPU routines for IEC60730 safety compliance

Renesas Technology Europe today announced that it has received VDE certification for its IEC60335-compliant self-test software for the R8C/2X family. The latest self-test CPU software routines developed for the R8C/2X family are fully compliant with IEC60730-1 regulations and have now been certified by VDE (the German Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies). VDE is widely recognized for its efforts on safety standards and approvals.

This kind of software offers high value to any firmware developers involved in safety critical applications and appliances because the IEC-approved software is suitable for all of Renesas' R8C/2X microcontrollers, said Vincent Mignard, Renesas' marketing engineer for white goods and motor control.

In addition to the R8C's on-chip hardware safety features, the self-test CPU software makes it easier for manufacturers of industrial, motor control and home appliances to meet IEC60730-1 (IEC60335) class B safety requirements. The IEC 60730-1/60335-1 safety standards require software running on an MCU to be able to detect any safety critical failures according to specific fault models.

Renesas has been successfully certified for its periodic test routines for CPU registers and program counter test, stack test, RAM tests (using March X & C algorithms) and Flash check (using cyclic redundancy check engines).

The routines are easy to integrate in any existing software and can be called after Reset and periodically during run-time. Such software enables the developer to easily design safety relevant software and to meet the certification process quickly and with less effort. It can reduce development time and the test harness process by up to 4 months, and the cost of certification by 15%.

The software source code in C and ASM for R8C/2X is now available on the Renesas website, with detailed timing of routines, application notes and the VDE certificate.