Smart Cities

Renesas has announced ultra-low-power MCUs with capacitive touch, segment LCD and robust security

Wed, Feb 19, 2025

Renesas has introduced the RA4L1 microcontroller (MCU) group, including 14 new devices with ultra-low power consumption, advanced security features and segment LCD support. Based on an 80-MHz Arm Cortex M33 processor with TrustZone support, the new MCUs deliver a combination of performance features and power savings that enable designers to address a myriad of applications, including water meter, smart locks, IoT sensors and more.

The RA4L1 MCUs employ proprietary low-power technology that delivers 168 µA/MHz active mode @ 80 MHz and standby current of just 1.70 µA with all the SRAM retained. They also are available in very small packages including a 3.64 x 4.28 mm Wafer-Level Chip-Scale Package (WLCSP), addressing the needs of products such as portable printers, digital cameras and smart labels.

The RA4L1 MCUs are supported by Renesas’ Flexible Software Package (FSP). The FSP enables faster application development by providing all the infrastructure software needed, including multiple RTOS, BSP, peripheral drivers, middleware, connectivity, networking, and TrustZone support as well as reference software to build complex AI, motor control and cloud solutions. It allows customers to integrate their own legacy code and choice of RTOS with FSP, thus providing full flexibility in application development. The FSP eases migration of existing IP to and from either RA6 or RA2 Series devices.

Key Features of the RA4L1 MCUs

Core: 80 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 with TrustZone
Memory: 256-512 KB Dual-Bank Flash, 64 KB SRAM, 8 KB Dataflash

Peripherals: Segment LCD, Capacitive Touch, USB-FS, CAN FD, Low Power UART, SCI, SPI, QSPI, I2C, I3C, SSI, ADC, DAC, Comparator, Low Power Timer, Real-Time Clock
Packages: 3.64 x 4.28 mm WLCSP72, 7 x 7 mm LQFP48, 10 x 10 mm LQFP64, 14 x 14 mm LQFP100, 5.5 x 5.5 mm BGA64, 7 x 7 mm BGA100

Security: Unique ID, RSIP security engine supporting TRNG, AES, ECC, Hash

Wide Ambient Temperature Range: Ta = -40º to +125º C for the QFN, QFP and CSP package options; Ta = -40º to +105º C for the BGA package option

Availability
The RA4L1 MCUs are available now, along with the FSP software. Renesas is also shipping an RA4L1 Evaluation Board and an RA4L1 Capacitive Touch Renesas Solution Starter Kit (RSSK).

https://www.renesas.com

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New Bluetooth module from Panasonic Industry

Thu, Feb 13, 2025

The newly launched small and cost-effective PAN B511-1C Bluetooth module from Panasonic Industry features great performance and great memory while minimising current consumption based on the Nordic nRF54L15 single chip controller.
A dedicated number of GPIOs is positioned at the edge of the module, with the rest of the GPIOs located at the bottom pad. In total, the module provides access to all 32 GPIOs of the chip. Despite its hybrid packaging of castellated holes and LGA, the module remains at the small size of a 2-cent coin. This way, it combines the advantages of both worlds without compromising on size and enables one of the best pin-to-size ratios for Bluetooth modules currently on the market. Its edge pins facilitate easier hand-soldering and support the use of inexpensive 2-layer PCB designs and optical inspection methods, eliminating the need for costly X-ray machines.
The module also features an embedded microcontroller and ARM Cortex- M33 with a high amount of flash memory of 1.5 MB and a RAM size of 256 kB.
An output power of 8dbm makes the module ideally suited for the European market. The main target applications are lighting, home appliances, industrial sensors, medical devices, healthcare wearables and energy management devices and solar farms. Furthermore, the PAN B511-1C is ideally suited for Matter applications, as it comes equipped with additional flash memory and is fully compatible with the PAN MAX Service that facilitates the production and launch of Matter production. The module will be available in three distinct spec variants to cater to diverse project needs.
The PAN B511-1C Bluetooth module will be certified for CE RED, FCC, ISED and MIC. Samples are already available now and the start of mass production is scheduled for June 2025.

https://industry.panasonic.eu

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New industrial CoolSiC MOSFETs from Infineon offer improved power density

Wed, Feb 12, 2025

Infineon Technologies is expanding its portfolio of discrete CoolSiC MOSFETs 650 V with two new product families housed in Q-DPAK and TOLL packages.

These diverse product families, with top- and bottom-side cooling, are based on the CoolSiC Generation 2 (G2) technology and offer improved performance, reliability, and ease of use. The product families target high- and medium-power switched-mode power supplies (SMPS) including AI servers, renewable energy, chargers for electric vehicles, e-mobility and humanoid robots, televisions, drives and solid-state circuit breakers.

The TOLL package offers outstanding Thermal Cycling on Board (TCoB) capability, enabling compact system designs by reducing the printed circuit board (PCB) footprint. When used in SMPS, it can also reduce system-level manufacturing costs. The TOLL package now fits an extended list of target applications, enabling PCB designers to further reduce costs and better meet market demands.

The introduction of the Q-DPAK package complements the ongoing development of Infineon’s new family of Topside Cooled (TSC) products, which includes CoolMOS 8, CoolSiC, CoolGaN and OptiMOS. The TSC family enables customers to achieve robustness with maximum power density and system efficiency at low cost. It also enables direct heat dissipation of 95 percent, allowing the use of both sides of the PCB for better space management and reduction of parasitic effects.

The CoolSiC MOSFETs 650 V G2 in TOLL are now available in R DS(on) from 10 to 60 mΩ, while the Q-DPAK variant is available in 7, 10, 15 and 20 mΩ.

https://www.infineon.com/coolsic-g2

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ST’s new Edge AI, NPU-accelerated microcontrollers now available from Mouser

Tue, Feb 11, 2025

Mouser is now shipping the new STM32N6 high-performance microcontroller from STMicroelectronics. The STM32N6 is the newest and most powerful of the STM32 family, optimised for edge-intensive AI algorithms in automotive, smart industry, robotics, drones, healthcare, smart buildings, smart homes, smart farming, and personal electronic applications.

STMicroelectronics STM32N6 MCU is the first of the STM32 series featuring ST’s proprietary Neural-ART Accelerator, specifically architected for embedded inference, delivering 600 times more machine-learning performance than existing high-end STM32 MCUs. The STM32N6’s Neural-ART Accelerator clocks at 1GHz, providing 600 giga-operations per second (GOPS) at an average of 3 tera-operations per second (TOPS), delivering energy efficiency while allowing machine learning applications requiring an accelerated microprocessor to now run on an MCU.

The STM32N6’s machine learning performance makes it possible to run computer vision, audio processing and sound analysis for consumer and industrial applications at the edge, utilising a Cortex-M55 MCU running at 800 MHz, a robust 4.2 MB embedded RAM that also includes a NeoChrom GPU alongside an H.264 hardware encoder, and a Helium™ M-Profile Vector Extension. The STM32N6 delivers remarkable AI performance and provides excellent flexibility in a small silicon package ideal for embedded systems and wearables.

The STM32N6 is supported by the STM32N6570-DK discovery kit. The kit is a complete demonstration and development platform for the STM32N6 and provides a full range of hardware features to enable users to evaluate the device. The kit includes USB Type-C, Octo SPI flash memory and Hexadeca SPI PSRAM devices, Ethernet connectivity, a camera module, a 5″ LCD touchscreen, and more. Four flexible extension connectors offer easy expansion capabilities for applications such as wireless connectivity, analog applications, and sensors.

https://www.mouser.com

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