Renesas Electronics announced it is expanding development support for touch-based home appliance, building, industrial automation, and portable medical applications with the new RX130 Group of 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs).
The new Group allows embedded developers to incorporate both user interface (i.e., touch key) and system control capabilities in a single MCU. Developers working with capacitive touch-based applications can leverage Renesas’ state-of-the-art second-generation capacitive touch technology, with self- and mutual-capacitance capability, in an ultra-low power, low-cost 32-bit MCU fabric.
The new RX130 Group combines excellent sensitivity and noise tolerance, making it possible to develop touch keys employing a variety of cover materials, including thick acrylic, glass, wood, fabric, or stone, for use in a broad array of new applications. These include control panels for electric appliances used in locations where they are likely to get wet, home equipment employing recessed switches for a more attractive design, and industrial machinery that must be operated with gloves on for safety reasons.
The new RX130 Group complements the existing lineup of Renesas MCUs supporting capacitive touch-based applications, including: the RX231 Group for high-end electric home appliances and industrial machinery, supporting HV DSP/FPU and enhanced security and communication functions; and the RX113 Group for home equipment and healthcare devices, with LCD display and USB communication functions.
With the addition of the new RX130 Group, Renesas’ lineup of touch key MCUs comprises 256 product versions in total, with flash memory capacities ranging from 64 KB to 512 KB and number of pins ranging from 48- to 100-pins. Pin compatibility and software compatibility are maintained between the RX231 and RX130, making it possible to reuse existing software resources and providing coverage for devices from mid- to low-end to high end.
Features:
－ Ability to detect up to 64 touch keys for simplified board design
－ Industrial-leading low touch key standby current among the lowest in the world for reduced power load
－ Improved support for touch key adoption thanks to expanded selection of reference software and documentation needed for development
