New MCUs Enhance Performance, Efficiency, and Security for Smart Home Appliances
As the fields of home appliances and building automation evolve, demand for microcontrollers (MCUs) that seamlessly integrate energy efficiency, computing performance, and enhanced security is rising. Renesas Electronics has introduced the RX260 and RX261 MCU families, which strike the best balance between efficiency and performance.
- Advanced Architecture for Enhanced Performance
The RX260 and RX261 MCUs are built around a 32-bit RXv3 CPU core that operates at up to 64 MHz. The core is equipped with advanced digital signal processing (DSP) capabilities, including 32-bit multiply-accumulate instructions, 16-bit multiply-subtract instructions, and a 32-bit floating-point unit (FPU) compliant with the IEEE-754 standard. The architecture uses a CISC Harvard model with a five-stage pipeline to improve instruction execution efficiency, while also supporting ultra-compact code through variable-length instructions. In addition, a built-in memory protection unit (MPU) ensures secure memory access.
- Memory and Performance
The MCUs offer impressive memory specifications, with up to 512 KB of on-chip flash and 128 KB of SRAM, as well as 8 KB of data flash supporting up to 1,000,000 program/erase cycles. The architecture achieves a performance score of 355 CoreMark at full speed, which Renesas claims is 2.5 times better than 64-bit solutions. The RX260 and RX261 also integrate a range of security features, including the Renesas Security IP (RSIP-E11A) module, which provides hardware-based cryptographic functions such as AES128/256 symmetric encryption, ECC public key cryptography, true random number generator, and secure hash algorithms such as SHA224 and SHA256.
-Excellent Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is a highlight of the RX261/RX260 MCUs, with typical standby current consumption as low as 1.01 µA. They can operate from a single supply voltage of 1.6 V to 5.5 V and are equipped with a low-power timer that takes only 6.3 µs to recover from standby. In high-speed operation mode, the system consumes only 84 µA/MHz.
-Extensive Communication Functionality
The communication functionality of the RX260/261 MCUs is very extensive, supporting up to 11 channels, including USB 2.0 full-speed OTG, CAN FD compatibility, and various serial communication interfaces. In addition, the RX260/261 family also features a 12-bit ADC with a conversion time of 0.5 µs, 24 external channels, a dual-channel DAC, a dual-channel comparator, and a built-in capacitive touch sensing unit.
The RX261/RX260 group marks a shift in the role of the MCU from a simple controller to a central coordinator in an intelligent system. As more devices adopt similar capabilities, we can expect automation architectures to shift from centralized to mesh configurations that distribute intelligence and decision making throughout a building.
