New 16-bit MCUs provide space-saving option for touch control
RL78/G16 microcontrollers from Renesas are well suited to home appliances thanks to their high temperature tolerance and high touch sensitivity, supporting placement near to heat and noise generators such as motors.
Renesas has launched the RL78/G16 series of 16-bit microcontrollers which offer a new space-saving option for applications that require touch-sensing capability.
Renesas supplies the 16 MHz RL78/G16 series in a wide choice of package and pin-count options: the smallest 10-pin package, which has a footprint of 3 mm x 3 mm and includes 16 kbytes of Flash memory, offers a three-channel touch-sensing interface.
The RL78/G16 MCUs also provide functional safety hardware to support compliance with IEC/UL 60730, the safety standard for home appliances.
The touch-sensing capability of the RL78/G16, implemented in Renesas CTSUb firmware, is robust enough for placement near to motors and other types of heat-generating equipment thanks to the MCU’s tolerance of operating temperatures up to 125°C. The CTSUb firmware enables touch-sensing through acrylic or glass panels more than 10 mm thick, suitable for applications such as household equipment with thick doors or partitions.
Hardware features of the RL78/G16 MCUs include a high-precision, high-speed on-chip oscillator, data Flash, serial communications interfaces, and a comparator.
Provision for development with the RL78/G16 includes a fast prototyping board, which enables the writing/debugging of programs without additional tools simply by connecting a USB cable, a Smart Configurator, which facilitates design with a graphical user interface, a capacitive touch evaluation system, and an Arduino software library.