NEC Electronics Introduces Twelve New 16-bit Microcontrollers with USB 2.0

NEC Electronics (TSE: 6723) today announced the availability of twelve new 16-bit All FlashTM microcontrollers (MCUs) with built-in Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 function and industry-leading low power consumption. The new offering includes six 48-pin MCUs (78K0R/KC3-L) and six 64-pin MCUs (78K0R/KE3-L).

USB 2.0 is an interface standard used in PCs and peripherals. With its fast data transfer and connectivity, USB 2.0 is now also widely used in consumer electronics devices such as digital audio visual (A/V) appliances and healthcare appliances, as well as factory automation (FA) equipment such as measurement systems. The consumer electronics devices and healthcare diagnostic instruments also include systems that are battery driven, such as portable audio players and blood glucose meters. Therefore, system designers of these devices and manufacturers are concerned about power consumption and battery life. To address these concerns, NEC Electronics implemented the USB functionality on its industry-leading low-power 78K0R/Kx3-L family of MCUs to maximize product and battery life and minimize power consumption.

The four key features of the new MCUs are as follows:

* (1) Industry-leading low-power consumption enabling longer battery-life for portable handsets

By utilizing low power consumption technology accumulated through the development of 78K0R/Kx3-L MCUs with the company’s USB 2.0 function controller, NEC Electronics succeeded in achieving the industry’s leading low standby power consumption of 0.37 microamps (µA), one seventh of that of the company’s previous 8-bit MCUs. Furthermore, it enables low active power consumption of 6.4 milliamps (mA) at 20 megahertz (MHz) during CPU operation, preserving the same level as of the company’s previous 8-bit MCUs. Featuring the industry’s leading low power consumption, the new MCUs realize longer battery life for the portable handsets with USB connectivity.

* (2) 7 times Enhanced performance from the 8-bit MCUs

NEC Electronics’ new MCUs offer best-in-class CPU performance within the 16-bit MCU arena at 20MHz. These devices are equipped with fast on-chip USB function controller to facilitate the connection between peripheral systems, complicated consumer electronics devices and healthcare appliances.

* (3) Wide range of USB solutions including USB drivers

NEC Electronics offers USB-function drivers to handle the device-specific functionality and other related tasks. Starter kits with USB evaluation boards, development environments, sample software and documents are scheduled to be available in February 2010 from Tessera Technology INC. Certified by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), NEC Electronics’ new MCUs offer manufacturers and consumers the assurance that they will function in accordance with the specification, and will interoperate with the billions of USB-enabled devices that exist in the market today.

* (4) Compact package

The 48-pin MCUs and the 64-pin MCUs are all equipped in TQFP package (7mm × 7mm × 1.0mm), reducing the package area by 17 percent, while doubling the number of external pins and increasing the built-in flash memory capacity by 8 times from the company’s 8-bit MCUs. More compact and thinner packages are also available; a 64-pin BGA (ball grid array) package (5mm × 5mm), a 48-pin QFN (quad flat no lead) package (scheduled, 7mm × 7mm × 0.75mm), which reduces part costs and space requirements.