New Industry Products

NEC Electronics Announces 8-bit Microcontroller Lineup For Lighting Applications

December 11, 2008 by Jeff Shepard

NEC Electronics Corp. began shipment of 14 new 8-bit All Flash® MCUs for energy-efficient lighting applications. Designed specifically for fluorescent and LED lighting devices requiring low cost, high efficiency and intelligent control, NEC states that its low-power-consuming 78K0/Ix2 devices stand apart from the competition by having two unique 16-bit timers with high-speed pulse-modulation (PWM) output, three channels of internal comparators, a one-channel operational amplifier with programmable gains and an extended operating temperature range of -40 to +105°C. The 14-device lineup includes 78K0/IY2 MCUs in 16-pin packages, 78K0/IA2 MCUs in 20-pin packages and 78K0/IB2 MCUs in 30-pin packages.

Two 16-bit PWM timers and a built-in high-speed oscillator that drives the timers at a maximum clock speed of 40 megahertz (MHz) enable fine-grained inverter control. These timers, each capable of two outputs, make it possible for the MCUs to drive four-channel LEDs with precise dimming and color control. Built-in comparators with outputs linked to the PWM timer automatically detect abnormal conditions, such as over-current and over-voltage conditions, and immediately shut down PWM output – without CPU intervention – providing much faster protection against damage than an interrupt-based mechanism.

An external interrupt and built-in comparators linked to the 16-bit timers fulfill hardware requirements for power factor correction (PFC), while NEC Electronics’ high-performance 78K0 core – along with the on-board hardware multiplier – tackle the software computation, eliminating the need for a dedicated PFC control IC and thereby reducing system cost and space. With the same low-power technologies used in NEC Electronics’ low-power 16-bit MCUs, the new 8-bit devices consume only 0.3µA during standby operation and 260µA during operation at 1 MHz, which helps reduce system standby power consumption to meet energy efficient regulations.

The new devices are qualified for an extended temperature range from -40 to +105°C, exceeding the extreme ambient temperatures demanded by lighting devices. A dedicated circuit, including a Manchester encoder/decoder in the digital addressable lighting interface (DALI)-compliant UART, enables lighting control for multiple networked lighting devices.

The new MCUs with dimming functionality are suitable for lighting equipment products, the market for which is growing as a result of increased awareness of the need for energy efficiency.

Prices for samples of NEC Electronics’ new MCUs will vary depending on memory capacity, package type, and number of pins. Mass production of all 14 devices is expected to begin May 2009 and increase to a combined volume of one million units per month by fiscal year 2011.