M2M communication in industrial equipment has created demand for MCUs (microcontrollers) that are optimised for a range of performance levels, from sensor nodes operating at around 30 MHz to controllers operating at 200 MHz and above, and also for scalability in order to reduce the man-hours required for software and hardware development.
To address this market, Renesas Electronics introduced the RX71M group as the new flagship product in the RX family of 32-bit MCUs. They double the CPU operating frequency of previous products to 240 MHz and are available with up to 4 MB of on-chip Flash memory.
To support the increasing diversity of communication standards accompanying the trend toward the Internet of Things (IoT), the RX71M expands the list of supported communication interfaces beyond the earlier CAN and SPI to include SD host interface, USB High Speed (built into the PHY) and dual-channel Ethernet with IEEE 1588 support. This provides connectivity with a wide variety of devices demanded in today’s industrial equipment.
In response to the increased security risks accompanying the proliferation of communication standards, high-speed encryption functions (AES, DES, SHA and RNG) are implemented in on-chip hardware. This provides robust protection against leaks of important data and communication data.
Previous Renesas MCUs offered functionality to protect leaks of post-development code by preventing code stored in the on-chip Flash memory from being read by external devices. RX71M expands this coverage to the development stage with a trusted memory function that protects important algorithms from being leaked or copied without authorisation.
The trusted memory function sets aside a special area of memory from which code cannot be read (copied) even by the internal modules of the microcontroller, such as the on-chip Flash memory. This function prevents core software technology from being disclosed, even when development takes place at overseas facilities or is undertaken jointly with other companies.
A total of 112 product versions are available with package pin counts ranging from 100 to 177 pins and on-chip Flash memory capacities from 2 MB to 4 MB. They boast CoreMark/MHz performance of 4,4 at 240 MHz, and maintain backward compatibility with earlier RX families in aspects such as peripheral functions, development tools and pin assignments.
For more information contact Marinus Rudman, Hi-Q Electronics, +27 (0)21 595 1307, marinus@hi-q.co.za, www.hi-q.co.za
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