NEC Electronics Delivers 16-Bit Microcontrollers for Automotive Applications

The new products complement NEC Electronics’ current F Series lineup of 8-bit and 32-bit MCUs and provide an easy scalability path for in-vehicle comfort systems.

“Automotive system designers are demanding higher performance and expanded memory configurations to accommodate the requirement for more electronic content in current and next-generation vehicles, particularly in lower-cost systems where 8-bit MCUs have traditionally been dominant,” said Shinichi Iwamoto, vice president, microcomputer operations unit, NEC Electronics Corporation. “NEC Electronics’ new 78K0R/Fx3 devices successfully bridge the cost/performance gap to provide a path to higher performance in a reliable, flash memory-based MCU.”

To deliver faster operating and CPU speeds than NEC Electronics’ 8-bit 78K0 core, the 16-bit 78K0R core employs a three-stage pipeline architecture that achieves a CPU clock speed of 24 megahertz (MHz), and executes 15 Dhrystone million instructions per second (MIPS).

Additional features include expanded storage capacities, memory configurations ranging from 24 up to 256 kilobytes (KB) and an enhanced instruction set featuring 25 additional instructions. Dual-operating data flash memory (simultaneous code execution and internal EEPROM emulation) enables engineers to reduce memory access time and simplify software design, while eliminating the need for memory banking also helps them increase operating speed and reduce system costs.

In addition to supporting the controller area network (CAN) protocol, the new NEC Electronics MCUs also offer extended Local Interconnect Network (LIN) support with automatic baud rate detection and enhanced timer functionality. This allows engineers to reduce software overhead, and simplify LIN and complex timer design in increasingly sophisticated body electronics systems.

To facilitate shorter software development cycles, NEC Electronics offers a wide range of MCU development tools, including its full-function IECUBE in-circuit emulator with real-time trace and emulation capabilities, MINICUBE2 on-chip serial debugging emulator and flash programmer, PG-FP5 flash programmer, integrated debugger and an automatic source code generator.