Microcontrollers offer integrated solution for low cost motor control applications

With its high performance, H8/300H CPU core, the H8/36079GF offers far higher performance than similarly specified 8-bit devices, for the same price. The H836079GF group offers pin compatible devices with memory sizes from 32 – 128Kbytes of on chip flash, and SRAM sizes up to 6Kbytes

The H8/36079GF offers a low cost integrated upgrade solution to existing Renesas H8/300H tiny users, and is pin and function compatible with devices like the H8/3687GF.



A powerful 16-bit timer module allows the automatic control of many types of motor such as two and three phase brushless and asynchronous motors. This is designed to provide a cost optimised solution where previously DSP or higher cost micro-controller would have had to be used.



Renesas’ previous H8/36077 offers 32 and 56Kbytes of on-chip single supply flash memory, whereas the H8/36079GF offers 128Kbytes and the H8/36078 offers 96Kbytes. The H8 on chip flash allows easy reprogramming of the memory without any additional, special circuitry. This allows easy end of line programming, reducing customer inventory, and software updates or bug fixes in the field.



Large on-chip SRAM makes the H8/36079GF ideal for applications that require lots of data handling and calculations such as motor control applications. The devices’ on-chip real time clock allows it to keep time accurately using a standard 32KHz watch crystal, providing a true, single chip motor control and user interface solution for many applications.



The on-chip I2C Interface allows the H8/36079GF to interface with a variety of peripherals such as serial EEPROMs and telecoms ICs, as well as other micro-controllers. Two high-speed serial ports combined with up to 6Kbytes of SRAM also make the device ideal for applications where communications are required. The addition of a watchdog timer with independent on-chip oscillator and power on reset, and low voltage detection circuits simplifies the design of safety critical systems.

As well as motor control, the H8/36079GF also provides an ideal solution for many applications that are becoming internet enabled, as it has both the CPU performance and the communication capabilities required for such applications. Two high-speed serial ports combined with up to 6Kbytes of SRAM for buffering make the device ideal for communications gateways and protocol converters.



The H8/36079GF also has a range of powerful peripherals, more powerful than typical low-end 8-bit micro-controllers, and offers a high level of communications capability, with two high speed USARTs, a multi-master I2C channel, along with eight channels of 10-bit A/D.



The I2C makes the H8/36079GF interesting for many consumer applications, such as set top boxes where it can be used as a low cost systems controller for handling the housekeeping and I/O functions. It can also be used in other consumer products such as radios and stereos, where I2C is the defacto communications standard.



Development tools available are the E8 emulator, and an evaluation board type MB3687. Renesas’ H8/36079GF is available now.