RX23E-A starter kit evaluates industrial automation
For developers using the 32-bit RX23E-A microcontroller, Renesas Electronics has introduced the Renesas Solution Starter Kit (RSSK). This includes hardware, software, and tools optimised for evaluating the microcontroller’s 24-bit delta-sigma ADC with what is claimed to be industry-leading accuracy. The RSSK enables users without any analogue front-end development expertise to accurately evaluate analogue characteristics to the nV level, thereby reducing development workload and time-to-market, says Renesas.
The RX23E-A for industrial IoT sensors is a single-chip precision less than 0.1 per cent, without calibration. It can be used to evaluate sensors to reduce development time for sensing equipment.
Evaluating analogue characteristics with high precision requires strong analogue design and development expertise, from evaluation board design to software development, says Renesas. Identifying and analysing problems when the desired characteristics cannot be obtained, however, is time-consuming.
The RSSK evaluation board allows users to check characteristics of the 24-bit ADC, without requiring expertise in analogue development. The evaluation board is equipped with a plug-in terminal block to connect a variety of sensors without soldering. There is also a thermocouple (temperature sensor) connector and the reference junction compensation circuit required for thermocouple measurement applications. Thermocouple and weight measurement application software are both available for download on the Renesas website.
The graphical user interface (GUI) tool allows users to enter and change settings for various analogue front end and ADC parameters, as well as display graphs and histograms of ADC results. This simplifies the task of evaluating characteristics matched to the user’s system. With the GUI, users can check ADC results in real-time in the same manner as using an oscilloscope.
The evaluation board can also be connected to an emulator to develop user applications. Power is supplied via the USB connection, so both evaluation and software development can be accomplished using a PC. Driver ICs for RS485 and CAN (both widely used in industrial devices) are also mounted on the evaluation board, allowing the development of applications with industrial networking standards support.
