NEC Electronics Corporation, represented by Soanar , have announced that they have started sample shipments of 18 new models of their 8-bit microcontroller with built-in Flash memory (’all-Flash microcontroller’). These products are ideally suited to ancillary functions as sub-microcontrollers, such as controlling small battery-powered systems, managing power to reduce the standby power of home appliances and the like, and controlling key input.
18 models have been released: 6 are 78K0/KB2-L models, with 30 external-connection pins, and 12 are 78K0/KC2-L models, with 44 or 48 such pins. These new products include the following features:
- they reduce standby operating power by 80% compared to the company's existing 78K0/KB2 and 78K0/KC2 products
- they help enhance analogue functions and reduce the number of components through two built-in operational amps
- they help reduce system voltage and power consumption by reducing the voltage of the A/D converter compared to conventional products
Electronics manufacturers can use the new products to support fire alarms, electric toothbrushes and shavers, and other compact systems demanding long lifetimes under battery operation, as well as sub-microcontrollers for home appliances and other products requiring lower standby power consumption. This will enable them to make their systems small and cost-effective by increasing battery lifetime, reducing system power consumption, and reducing peripheral components.
- Minimum level of standby power consumption: They leverage the low-power technologies developed for the 16-bit low-power microcontrollers to reduce internal operating voltage, reduce the low-speed onboard oscillator frequency during standby from 240 to 30 kilohertz (kHz), and optimise the circuits to reduce power consumption. Through these improvements, they have reduced standby operating current by 80%, from 3.5 to 0.7 microamperes (uA). The new products also reduce the standby operating current when only the clock function is operational by 70% compared to conventional products, from 3.8uA to 1.0uA. They additionally reduce the operating current when operating at 1 megahertz by 40%, from 440uA to 260uA.
- Built-in operational amplifiers: The products offer a new feature: they have two built-in operational amps connected to A/D converters. This enables the new products to convert analogue signals (voltage values) into digital signals after extracting minute voltage amplitudes and specific signals.
- Reduced A/D converter voltage: The A/D converter extends the operating voltage from 2.3 volts (V) in conventional products to 1.8 V, enabling support of systems that require low operating voltage.
- Pin layouts and software compatible with existing NEC Electronics Corporation products. The new products' architecture enables operational amps, real-time counters, and other new features to be built in, while maintaining compatibility with the pin layout and peripheral features of the company's existing 78K0/KB2 and 78K0/KC2 models. This will enable users of earlier products to develop systems with low operating voltage and power consumption using previously designed hardware and software assets.