Claimed to realise the industry’s lowest power consumption at 1MHz, Renesas Electronics has announced the RL78/I1D MCUs. Integrating analogue functions for various sensing applications, the MCUs are optimised for detectors that sense minute variations in the output of sensors used to monitor for smoke, gas and motion or vibrations.

Communication continues to grow rapidly in the field of industrial and factory automation, as manufacturers seek to improve the capability, efficiency and flexibility of their systems and infrastructure. By Knut Dettmer, Principal Engineer, Smart Factory Marketing, Renesas Electronics Europe.

SRAM memory devices, which have a density of 8Mb, have been released by Renesas Electronics Europe. Expanding the company’s RMLV0816B and RMLV0808B series of Advanced Low-Power SRAM (Advanced LP SRAM), the devices utilise a fine fabrication process technology with a circuit linewidth of 110nm.

Under Version 2.3 of the PROFINET specification, passing the load test (Net load Test) has become mandatory for certification. Are embedded MCUs up to the job? By Marcus Tangermann, port, & Bernd Westhoff, Renesas Electronics Europe.

Expanding the use of touch key in healthcare, building automation and home appliance applications, Renesas Electronics has introduced the RX113 group of MCUs. Enabling significantly reduced power, size, and development costs for entry-level devices in these markets, the MCUs offer a single-chip solution with touch sensor IP and low-power technologies. 

To meet the increased demand for productivity in factories, Renesas has launched the RZ/T1 Group, a new factory automation solution with built-in industrial network functionality for use in many industrial applications such as AC servo drives, motion controllers, inverter control and general industrial equipment that require high speed, responsiveness, and excellent real-time performance.

Renesas Electronics Europe has announced the availability of its 'Sense it! – Smart Analog Solution Kit', a complete evaluation platform for the Smart Analog IC101 (SAIC101) device. The kit includes all the hardware, software components and demonstration programmes sensor system manufacturers need to start development on their smart industrial sensors.

Renesas Electronics Europe announced the availability of its 'Connect it! - TPS-1 Solution Kit', a complete evaluation tool for the TPS-1PROFINET Isochronous Real Time (IRT) device chip. The kit includes all the hardware, software and demonstration programs customers need to start their own developments on a PROFINET network.

Renesas has announced the availability of its 'Connect it! - Ethernet R-IN Solution Kit', an evaluation tool for industrial Ethernet networking. The kit, based on IAR’s KickStart Kit for Renesas’ R-IN32M3-EC industrial Ethernet communication chip, includes all the hardware and software components system manufacturers need to set up industrial Ethernet slave networks.

Based on the RX63N and RX631 groups of MCUs, the ‘Display it! – RX HMI Solution Kit' has been released by Renesas Electronics Europe. Accelerating the prototyping and decision-making process, the 32-bit MCU RX based solution kit enables engineers to quickly evaluate and demonstrate HMI tools.

Renesas aims to offer users a safe, secure and convenient driving experience by easing the design challenges of developing self-driving and other driver assistance systems. A high-end version of the RH850/P1x series of 32-bit automotive MCUs, the RH850/P1x-C series is designed for sensor fusion, gateway and advanced chassis system applications that will enable the advanced systems envisioned in the car of the future.

Based on the company's RZ/A1 family of embedded MPUs, the 'Display it! – RZ HMI Solution Kit' has been introduced by Renesas. Accelerating prototyping and decision-making processes, the solution kit enables engineers to quickly evaluate and demonstrate the leading HMI tools in the industry.

Featuring all the hardware, software and demonstration programmes customers need to start their own developments on a PROFINET network, the Connect it! - TPS-1 Solution Kit has been introduced by Renesas Electronics Europe. The kit is a complete evaluation tool for the TPS-1PROFINET Isochronous Real Time (IRT) device chip.

Enabling engineers to save time, the Bill It! – Smart Meter RX21A polyphase meter reference platform has been released by Renesas Electronics Europe. While complying with IEC norms, the platform removes the need for engineers to design their own metrology and calibration routines, which are required for a billing polyphase meter design.

Smart metering applications will be the target for Renesas Electronics Europe’s new OFDM powerline modem, the second generation of its family of powerline communication (PLC) modem solutions. The new device, an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) solution offers broad-based support for multiple OFDM powerline standards such as G3 and PRIME.

Enhancing the driving experience for the integrated car cockpit, Renesas has announced the R-Car E2 automotive SoCs and the R-Car E2 software development board. The devices provide optimised infotainment and display audio for entry-level integrated cockpit systems that support smartphone interoperability.

Enabling engineers to save time when adding communication capabilities to their metering applications, Renesas Electronics Europe has introduced the 'Connect it! – Wireless M-Bus 868MHz' and 'Connect it! – Wireless M-Bus 169MHz' solution kits. These platforms save time by allowing engineers to re-use existing Wireless M-Bus solutions.

Claimed to include the world's first automotive chassis MCUs that utilise a 40nm process, the RH850/P1x series of 32-bit MCUs utilise the Renesas-exclusive metal oxide nitride oxide silicon (MONOS) structure. This reduces power consumption and improves functional safety system development efficiency for electrical power steering, brake and other chassis systems.

Renesas will introduce a wide line up of next-gen solution kits to accelerate customer design success through rich software functionality and added-value services on Renesas hardware platforms. Right out of the box, the solutions support designs in motor control, functional safety, industrial Ethernet, PROFINET IRT, I0-Link, reconfigurable sensors, PLC, wireless M-bus, 3-phase smart metering and next-gen HMI.

Renesas and its Alliance Partner, port, have announced efficient multi-protocol connectivity solutions and the associated design tools for the RX64M MCUs. The PROFINET (CCA / CCB RT1), Ethernet/IP and CANopen software stacks have been ported to the 32-bit high-performance MCU group.