NEC Electronics releases fully certified IEC software libraries

The IEC 60730-1/60335-1 safety standards require that microcontroller based appliances have to be evaluated according to its impact on consumer and application safety and for its ability to detect safety critical failures, up to and including the requirements for IEC Class B.

The self-diagnostic software modules developed by NEC Electronics for the 8-bit and 16-bit microcontroller families have been tested and approved by the VDE Testing and Certification institute, which is recognized widely for its work in safety standards and approvals. When these modules are used unchanged in end applications, the approvals of the end equipment by testing and certification institutes such as VDE are greatly simplified.

The software library and its associated documentation is available free of charge on request. It includes self-diagnostic modules for the CPU, non-volatile memory (Flash or ROM), RAM, and the system clock frequency. Transparent CPU and memory tests can also be performed during application run-time. In addition, the 78K microcontroller families include additional safety-related hardware, such as internal secure watchdog with separate internal clock and fail-safe clock circuitry. Thus providing additional safety features for these microcontroller families and reducing external component count.

By making the pre-approved software freely available to end equipment manufacturers, NEC Electronics reduces the need for the manufacturers to develop their own self-test routines, which requires an in-depth knowledge of the MCU architecture. This software will be of particular value to manufacturers of domestic appliances such as cookers, dishwashers, washing machines, and other motor control applications. The IEC approved software is suitable for all 78K0 and 78K0R family devices from NEC Electronics. Support is available from NEC Electronics Europe’s Industrial Business Unit and Technical Product Support groups.