MICROCONTROLLER SOLUTIONS

MCU Platform for an Easier Life

Starting a new project? Selecting a new component? Training required on a new tool chain? Discovering an unknown on-chip peripheral? These are the common demands on today’s engineer. Fortunately, platform concepts, where engineers transfer know-how from project to project, can significantly simplify the design and development process. For example, by adopting the Renesas M16C Platform 16-/32-bit industrial quasi-standard microcontroller concept - used in thousands of applications worldwide - in your own project, your life could be much easier.



The M16C Platform is part of Renesas Technology’s microcontroller product line up, which also includes the H8 and SuperH. It comprises a wide range of 16- and 32-bit microcontrollers, and offers code and pin compatibility throughout the families. Within the M16C Platform, the M16C/Tiny provides low pin-count entry level solutions; 100-pin solutions are supported by the industrial standard M16C and the M32C families with a rich set of peripherals and memory integration building the performance bridge between the 16-bit CISC and 32-bit RISC world.

A relatively new member of the M16C Platform is the R8C/Tiny, which resolves the desire for devices with even smaller pin packages than those offered by M16C/Tiny. The R8C/Tiny is very suitable in offering more performance on applications in the 8-bit arena at an 8-bit price. The innovation on this chip is a 16-bit M16C core with an 8-bit bus. This makes it very easy to upgrade to true 16-bit M16C devices.



M16C Platform products provide a high level of performance combined with internal peripherals to reduce the need for external components. The M16C core has been designed to take advantage of the best features of both accumulator and register-based architectures. The CPU has a total of thirteen 16-bit registers, seven of which come in two sets of register banks. A hardware multiplier circuit and Direct Memory Access Controller (DMAC) channels, which help to speed up the processing, are also implemented.

The architecture delivers efficient code execution with high speed performance, while multiple sizes of on-board Flash memory provide enormous versatility. The M16C Platform utilises several design techniques aimed at providing the best EMI/EMS performance without the need for external components, making it the best solution for effective designs in electrically noisy environments. Using the M16C Platform makes CE marking for your end product an easy task.

Besides the versatility, M16C Platform products feature low power operation with the provision of several different operation modes. In NORMAL operation mode M16C Platform products give a power consumption of around 0.75mA/MHz, which can be reduced during WAIT down to 3µA. During STOP mode the power consumption drops further to 0.8µA.



All M16C Platform products are covered by a single tool chain concept, where you can always find a tool for your needs, which speeds up the design time to market. Furthermore, tools can be reused for any other future development with an M16C Platform product.

With hundreds of different package and memory options - as well as optional embedded CAN - the M16C Platform is the perfect starting point for simplifying current and future application designs.

Key Features

• Flash memory size 4K – 1Mbyte
• Width range of Mask devices
• Up to 7 USARTS
• Powerful timer unit
• Low power consumption
• 20-pin to 144-pin Packages
• Best EMI performance
• Provides best C code efficiency
• Reduce systems cost as well as MCU cost

For further information, including the M16C Platform Brochure, please click here