MSC Gleichmann announces demo kit for digital lighting control designers

MSC-Gleichmann and Renesas are also supporting potential users of the kits with a series of webinars focusing on key issues in lighting design, including DALI (Digitally Addressable Lighting Interface) and DMX512 communications.

Designers using the new demo kit can simply and quickly configure LED lighting applications via a graphical user interface, and control the evaluation board via USB. The Applilet EZ software automatically generates pre-compiled C code to run on the RL78/I1A MCU, making use of powerful features including multi-channel high brightness LED control, DALI and DMX512 interfacing, and analogue and digital high-precision dimming.

The Renesas RL78/I1A is a series of five application-specific standard products (ASSPs) designed specifically for use in lighting designs. The new demo kit allows engineers who are already familiar with MCU-based solutions to build sophisticated systems that implement features such as LED colour mixing and flashing sequences, while providing less experienced designers with a platform to learn the basics of LED constant current control and various methods of dimming.

The evaluation board included in the demo kit supports an on-board debug function via the USB interface using the bundled IAR C-SPY debugger, eliminating the need for additional hardware. It allows programming of the MCU’s on-chip flash memory and supports standard debug functions such as code execution, single stepping, software breakpoints and memory manipulation.

In addition, the board supports debugging using the E1 emulator. The supplied software bundle also includes the IAR Embedded Workbench for the RL78 MCU with a code size limitation of 16KB.

The hardware itself is based on the 38-pin R5F107DE device, and is designed to demonstrate programmable three-channel constant current control in buck converter topology, using the RL78/I1A MCU’s on-chip 16-bit PWM timers. The board supports four types of dimming interface: DALI, DMX512; IR remote control; and analogue volume.

The RL78/I1A DC/DC LED control evaluation kit is available immediately.

Three supporting webinars hosted by MSC Gleichmann and presented by lighting experts from Renesas, will explain how the full range of lighting features can be implemented even by the microcontroller novice. Topics covered will range from basic control techniques, through power factor correction, and on to colour mixing and dimming sequencing.

The registration-only events will take place on July 5, September 13 and November 22.

To register click here.