Renesas Electronics Corp. has expanded its low-power RL78 microcontroller (MCU) family with the introduction of the 16-bit RL78/L23 microcontroller (MCU) group. The new low-power MCU family, running at 32 MHz, meet the performance and power requirements of display-based human-machine interface (HMI) applications. Key features include dual-bank flash memory, segment LCD control, and capacitive touch functionality to support smart home appliances, consumer electronics, IoT, and metering systems.
Suited for battery-powered applications that spend the majority of time in standby, the RL78/L23 MCUs offer an active current of 109 μA/MHz and a standby current as low as 0.365 μA, along with a fast 1-μs wake-up time to help minimize CPU activity. In addition, the LCD controller’s new reference mode, VL4, reduces LCD operating current by approximately 30 percent when compared to the existing RL78/L1X group.
(Source: Renesas Electronics Corp.)
The RL78/L23 offers a wide operating voltage range of 1.6 V to 5.5 V, which supports direct operation from 5-V power supplies commonly used in home appliances and industrial systems, reducing the need for external voltage regulators, Renesas said. Other specs include up to 32 KB of SRAM, 8 KB of data flash, and an operating temperature range of -40°C to 105°C.
The MCUs also feature a SNOOZE Mode Sequencer (SMS), which enables dynamic LCD segment display without CPU intervention. By offloading tasks to the SMS, the devices minimize CPU wake-ups and contribute to system-level power savings, significantly extending battery life, simplifying design, reducing replacement costs, and minimizing environmental impact, the company said.
The MCUs integrate key components such as capacitive touch sensing, a temperature sensor, and an internal oscillator. The built-in segment LCD controller and capacitive touch enable responsive user interfaces for products such as induction cooktops and HVAC systems, and the IH timer (Timer KB40) enables precise multi-channel heat control for smart kitchen appliances such as rice cookers and IH cooktops.
The devices also include dual-bank flash memory for over-the-air firmware updates, allowing continuous system operation in applications such as metering. The dual-bank architecture allows one memory bank to run the user program, while the other receives updates, improving reliability.
Development tools include Smart Configurator and QE for Capacitive Touch to streamline system design. A RL78/L23 fast prototyping board is also available, which is compatible with Arduino IDE, and a capacitive touch evaluation system for in-depth testing and validation.
The RL78/L23 MCUs, available in 44-100-pin LFQFP, LQFP and HWQFN packages, the fast prototyping board (FPB-RL78L23), and the capacitive touch evaluation system (RSSK-RL78L23) are available now. Renesas also offers an Induction Heating Rice Cooker Solution as part of its Winning Combinations portfolio of designs.
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