Ultra-low power 32-Bit MCUs for the IoT from Renesas

A complement to the RX111 Group announced in April 2013, the new RX110 MCUs combine RX core performance along with market leading low power features, providing greater device scalability for these cost-sensitive applications.

Graeme Clark, Marketing Manager, Microcontroller Products, Renesas Electronics Europe, comments: “While the Internet of Things encompasses a wide range of markets, embedded designers face a common set of challenges – achieving very ultra power and robust performance with connectivity support and shrinking price points. Our RX110 Group of MCUs helps bridge the gap between cost constraints and performance requirements; the expansion of our RX100 Series with the RX110 and RX111 MCUs enables us to continue delivering the key features and functionalities needed to support emerging IoT applications.”

Based on Renesas’ RX CPU core, the RX100 Series of MCUs delivers high performance, ultra low power, connectivity and digital signal processing functionality in a general-purpose MCU. The new RX110 devices offer the industry’s best active power/power-down mode capabilities, system performance and DSP implementation levels for entry-level 32-bit MCUs.

With best-in-class run-mode power consumption – as low as 100µA/MHz, 4.8µs wake-up time, and three low-power modes, including the lowest power-down mode with Real Time Clock, the RX110 MCUs enable extended life cycles for battery-powered applications such as blood glucose meters, remote control systems or POS terminals.

The new MCUs also feature three operating speeds, achieving 1.56 Dhrystone MIPS/MHz throughput and 3.08 CoreMark/MHz. In addition, with the RX110 Group, Renesas offers the only entry-level 32-bit line to provide a complete DSP library, as well as single-cycle Multiple/Accumulate and hardware-based Divide capability. This provides much-needed support for customers working in audio processing and digital filtering, as well as sensor-based applications.

To address critical compliance regulations, such as FDA/FCC certification and IEC60730 for enhanced safety, the RX100 Series – including the RX110 Group – features several safety and security functions and peripherals not available on any other entry-level 32-bit MCU, including:

• On-chip clock frequency accuracy measurement circuit, which ensures the accuracy of the MCU’s clock frequency,
• Data Operation Circuit, which allows for hardware-based RAM memory testing that is used to identify a potential memory fault,
• Cyclic redundancy check – a hardware-based feature that prevents timing or corruption issues with the communication functions.

As part of the RX100 Series, the new RX110 Group of MCUs joins the RX111 Group announced in April 2013, extending the RX Family line-up to support applications with ultra-low power, on-chip connectivity and cost-sensitivity constraints. The RX111 Group was the first member of the Renesas RX family to introduce ultra low power with 32-bit RX performance. The RX110 Group is easily scalable to the mid- and high-end RX600 and RX200 Series, providing greater flexibility and an easy migration path to higher integration levels and higher performance MCUs. This enables embedded designers to move easily between full-feature and cost-sensitive platforms with minimal re-design efforts and commitment.

Just like the RX111 Group, the new RX110 devices are supported by Renesas’ extensive development tools ecosystem. This includes the Renesas Eclipse-based e2 studio IDE and the Renesas RX compiler, IAR Systems’ Embedded Workbench, as well as the RTOS kernels by Micrium, Segger, CMX, Express Logic, RoweBots, and FreeRTOS. The recently launched RX111 Promotion Board provides a unique and cost-effective evaluation platform designed to facilitate the evaluation of Renesas' RX100 MCUs.

With the addition of the RX110 group of MCUs, the Renesas RX Family offers embedded designers one of the most comprehensive 32-bit line-ups that supports a broad range of applications, from the smallest, battery-powered equipment in which cost is the most important factor to the highest performance applications that require extensive data processing and computation.

Samples of the RX110 devices are available now, with mass production scheduled for March 2014.