RX72N and RX66N microcontrollers enhance real-time industrial automation
Adding to its equipment control and networking portfolio, Renesas has introduced the 32-bit RX72N and RX66N microcontrollers for industrial automation. The additions to the RX family combine equipment control and networking function on a single chip.
The RX72N is built on the Renesas proprietary RXv3 CPU core and features a maximum operating frequency of 240MHz and two Ethernet channels. The RX66N features a maximum operating frequency of 120MHz and one Ethernet channel.
The RX72N and RX66N offer up to 4Mbytes (MB) of on-chip flash memory that perform read operations at a frequency of 120MHz and 1Mbyte of on-chip SRAM. Pin count packages are up to 224 pins, including a maximum of 182 general purpose input/output (GPIO) ports.
The on-chip memory provision eliminates the need for external memory, which has slower read speeds, explains Renesas. It also makes it possible to extract the full performance capacity of the CPU. Larger memory capacity also enables high-resolution graphics support, such as WVGA, on a single chip, which was not possible on earlier general purpose microcontrollers, says the company.
The microcontrollers can implement single-chip equipment control and networking function to enhance the real-time performance of applications such as industrial robots, general purpose inverters, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and remote I/O devices. They also make it possible to improve the exterior design and operability of a wide range of industrial automation equipment. By enabling single-chip implementation where additional components such as a sub-microcontroller or external memory were conventionally required, the RX72N and RX66N reduce the component mounting area required on the circuit board for smaller form factors.
The RX72N Group and RX66N Group incorporate an arithmetic unit for trigonometric functions (sin, cos, arctan, hypot, RX72N only) that accelerates motor vector control and a register bank save function that decreases the interrupt response time. This reduces the CPU load required for closed-loop control and simplifies the implementation of additional functions such as networking capabilities.
The Trusted Secure IP module provided as a security engine supports multiple encryption standards, including AES, 3DES, RSA, ECC, SHA, and TRNG, as well as key management. Combined with the protection function of the on-chip flash memory, it provides support for secure firmware updating and secure boot function.
An LCD controller, 2D drawing engine, and serial sound interface support high-resolution displays without the need for external memory. These can be WVGA (800 × 480) at 8-bit colours or WQVGA (400 × 240) at 16-bit colours. When used in combination with voice recognition or noise reduction middleware, they also enable developers to add voice control function to products, for applications such as network-connected LCD-equipped controllers or smart speakers.
Renesas also introduced the RX72N Envision Kit. For network development it has Ethernet for wired and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth LE combo module for wireless networks). For security it has Trusted Secure IP and flash memory protection function incorporated into the RX72N.
For HMI development, there is a 4.3-inch WQVGA TFT LCD, audio IC, MEMS microphone on-board and for connectivity there is a USB 2.0 Full Speed Host, SD host interface, QSPI.
The RX72N Group and RX66N microcontrollers are available now.
