Renesas Electronics Introduces 32-bit RX671 MCU for High Performance and Power Efficiency, Supports Contactless HMI Functions

     Renesas Electronics Group, a global supplier of semiconductor solutions, announced the launch of the RX671 32-bit microcontroller (MCU), adding a new high-performance, multi-function, touch sensing and voice recognition to the popular RX product family. Single-chip solution for contact operation. Part of Renesas' popular mainstream RX600 series, the RX671 MCU is built on the RXv3 CPU core and runs at 120MHz, with integrated flash memory supporting fast 60MHz read access for excellent real-time performance with a CoreMark score of 707; power efficiency of 48.8 CoreMark/mA, among the best in its class

     The RX671 MCU is available in a variety of packages ranging from 48 to 145 pin counts, with up to 2MB of Flash and 384KB of SRAM, making it ideal for applications requiring advanced features, high energy efficiency and compact size, such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), Smart meters and smart home appliances, etc. For size-constrained devices requiring advanced features, the RX671 is available in a 2MB flash, 4.5mm × 4.5mm ultra-small 64-pin TFBGA package.

     The COVID-19 pandemic has created new demands on health and safety, and it has also changed the way people interact with devices and the environment, especially for more hygienic contactless user interfaces. Optimized for contactless applications, the new RX671 MCU integrates a capacitive touch sensing unit with high sensitivity and excellent noise tolerance to enable contactless proximity switches. In addition, the serial audio interface can be used to connect a digital microphone that supports long-range speech recognition. These functions, combined with speech recognition middleware from Renesas RX ecosystem partners, enable developers to create outstanding contactless applications utilizing speech recognition in a short period of time.

     "I am pleased to announce the RX671, a product with the RXv3 CPU core that brings new features and is compatible with the popular RX651 in the current RX product family," said Eiji Ito, vice president of the IoT Platform Business Unit at Renesas Electronics. Compatible. The new product combines real-time performance, power efficiency, HMI functionality, security features, and a variety of packaging options to fully meet the needs of our customers.”

     The RX671 integrates Renesas Trusted Secure IP (TSIP) as part of its built-in hardware security engine; this engine includes a cryptographic engine supporting AES, RSA, ECC, and SHA, as well as a True Random Number Generator (TRNG) and cryptographic key management mechanism. These features, combined with on-chip dual-bank flash and protection mechanisms, provide users with features such as secure firmware updates and secure boot.

     Renesas also introduced two new evaluation boards based on this new MCU product group. The RX671 target board makes evaluating the RX671 easier without the need for an external debugger; the RX671 development kit Renesas Starter Kit+ supports detailed evaluation of the MCU's main functions. Both boards are equipped with connectors to connect to a Wi-Fi Pmod expansion board (RTK00WFMX0B00000BE) for easy evaluation using a wireless network connection. The Renesas Starter Kit+ and Wi-Fi Pmod expansion board combination for the RX671 is FreeRTOS certified, allowing users to get verified example programs from GitHub and connect with AWS to start development on the RX671 immediately.

     Renesas has combined the RX671 MCU with its matching power supply device to deliver a complete contactless key solution that can be used on a wide range of devices to implement more hygienic proximity switches to prevent viruses or dirt from adhering to them. on the user's finger. This solution is one of Renesas' "Success Portfolio" - a "Success Product Portfolio" consisting of complementary analog + power + embedded processing products as a proven complete solution designed to help customers accelerate the design process and shorten the time to market. Based on multiple products that work together seamlessly, Renesas has now launched more than 250 "Successful Product Portfolios" for various applications and end products.