NEC Electronics Introduces 19 New 16-bit Microcontrollers For Inverter Control
NEC Electronics announced a new line of 16-bit All Flash™ microcontrollers (MCUs) for inverter control applications. Built around NEC Electronics’ 78K0R CPU core, the 19 MCUs in the 78K0R/Ix3 lineup are designed to enable a new generation of intelligent and eco-friendly appliances and motor drives. All devices in the lineup feature integrated inverter control circuits and are said to deliver best-of-class power performance.
Inverter control systems are found in an ever-wider range of products, in response to consumer demand for more energy-efficient appliances. Fine-tuned control of motors and heating elements can deliver significant energy savings in products ranging from refrigerators and air conditioners to dishwashers and magnetic induction cooking appliances. NEC Electronics’ 78K0R/Ix3 MCUs, with 16-bit performance and 8-bit power consumption levels, are suitable for such applications.
All devices in the lineup share the following features: CPU power consumption of only 1.8mW per MIPS; on-chip oscillators capable of driving timers at rates up to 40 MHz for fine-tuned inverter control; integrated hardware multiply and divide functionality for fast processing of mathematical algorithms; integration of all analog circuits required for inverter control, including comparators and an integrated operational amplifier (op amp).
The company claims that this combination of features responds to strong demand from appliance manufacturers for flexible, low-cost, high-performance MCUs to help shorten time to market. Under pressure to differentiate their products from competitor offerings, manufacturers stress innovative features, stylish design and lower power consumption, but this results in mounting development costs and longer development schedules. NEC states that the new MCUs allow fine-grained control of multiple types of 3-phase motors, making it easy to develop eco-friendly appliances. In addition, an all-flash memory configuration means that programs can be updated even after an MCU is mounted on a system board, allowing manufacturers to accelerate development schedules by developing software in parallel with hardware.
The 78K0R/Ix3 MCUs are expected to be available in sample quantities in May 2008. Pricing varies according to on-chip memory specifications. For example, the 78K0R/IE3 product with 64 KB of flash memory and 3 KB of RAM is priced at US$5 per unit in sample quantities. Volume production is scheduled to start in December 2008.
