Renesas Electronics has introduced the RL78/G21, an ultra-low-power 16-bit MCU for smart appliance system control, with an operating current of 34 μA/MHz. The company also expanded its RL78/G23 lineup with devices offering additional capacitive-touch channels for advanced human-machine interface (HMI) devices.
The RL78/G21 is optimized for system control in applications including air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines and microwave ovens. Renesas says the RL78/G21 is designed for efficient system control, while the RL78/G23 integrates system control and user-interface functions into one MCU to help reduce system bill of materials costs.
The RL78/G21's operating current is nearly half that of leading RL78/G13 MCU products. It is available with 128KB or 256KB of code flash memory and includes a high-speed on-chip oscillator (HOCO) with ±1.0% accuracy and 4KB of data flash, eliminating the need for an external oscillator and EEPROM. The MCU adds a UARTA communication interface and is pin and function compatible with the RL78/G13 and RL78/G23.
The new RL78/G23 (R7F104G) devices offer 24 and 25 capacitive-touch channels in the 44-pin and 48-pin versions, respectively. The existing RL78/G23 (R7F100G) provides 14 channels in the 44-pin version and 16 in the 48-pin version. Renesas also provides common touch peripheral functionality and the QE for Capacitive Touch tool across the RL78, RX and RA families.
Key features include an IEC 60730-compliant self-test library for self-diagnostic functionality; flash read protection, a flash shield window, Unique ID and Customer ID security features; ±4 kV HBM ESD tolerance for the RL78/G21; pin and functional compatibility with the RL78/G13 and RL78/G23; an operating voltage range from 1.6V to 5.5V; and development support through Smart Configurator and the Fast Prototyping Board (FPB).
Raji Mukhopadhyay, business division manager of the EP Mainstream MCU Business Division at Renesas, said: “The RL78/G21 and RL78/G23 are built on the proven strengths of the RL78 family, delivering significant advances in low-power performance, reliability and security.”
The RL78/G21 and RL78/G23 are available today. Pricing for the RL78/G21 starts at US$0.56 for the 128KB/44-pin LQFP product and US$0.77 for the 256KB/44-pin LQFP product; suggested resale pricing is based on a 10,000-unit purchase quantity. More information is available at https://www.renesas.com/rl78g21 and https://www.renesas.com/rl78g23.
