DSP, Micros & Memory


Compact MCU for next-generation sensors is exceptionally low power

19 October 2005 DSP, Micros & Memory

Renesas Technology Europe's H8/38602F is the first of its 'Tiny Super Low Power' microcontrollers.

The device uses a high performance 16-bit H8/300H CPU core that offers extremely low power consumption and includes 16 KB of on-chip single supply flash memory. The chip has been developed for the next generation of battery and line-powered intelligent sensor applications, offering low power consumption, low cost and easy memory reprogramming without any additional special circuitry, which reduces customer inventory.

Intelligent sensors are often required to communicate despite minimal power consumption, so the H8/38602F supports many methods of low power communication. These include a USART that can communicate while using a 32 kHz oscillator, and built-in IrDA capability. A unique design of timer, along with the two on-board analog comparators, also provide solutions for a variety of the power and data over two wire communications schemes that are commonly used.

The H8/38602F has an operating voltage of 1,8 to 3,6 V. Its fast oscillator start-up time makes it ideal for applications that need to spend the majority of time asleep in the lowest power modes and then awaken to take readings or to communicate. Water and gas meters, as well as smoke and movement detectors, are typical examples. A high resolution six channel 10-bit A/D converter with a wide sampling range along with the two on-chip analog comparators also make this device well-suited for these applications.

The microcontroller features an asynchronous timer and 32 kHz clock oscillator with an on-chip realtime clock. This makes it suitable for battery-powered applications that count pulses and need to keep a clock function with an average power consumption of around 500 nA. The on-chip watchdog timer with integrated oscillator also makes the device easy to use in systems where reliability is an issue.

The H8/38602F draws 1,1 mA running at 2 MHz, 7 mA in sub-active mode and 0,1 mA in standby mode. The device offers a complete peripheral set that includes: an integrated ring oscillator; a powerful two channel 16-bit timer; an asynchronous 16-bit timer; an 8-bit timer; a watchdog timer with its own integrated RC oscillator; RTC; high speed USART; an I²C or SPI interface; 10-bit ADC; two analog comparators; 19 I/O pins and an integrated power-on reset circuit. It also features 512 to 1000 bytes SRAM and is available with 16 KB of on-chip flash or 8 to 16 KB of on-chip ROM. The device is supported by the Renesas E8 in-circuit debugger.

For more information contact Shaun Parsons, Hi-Q Electronics, +27 (0)11 894 8083, [email protected]



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