MICROCONTROLLER SOLUTIONS

New 8-Bit Core Offers High Speed and Large Addressing Capability

Toshiba Electronics Europe (TEE) has announced a new 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) core. Designated the TLCS-870/C1, it will enable feature-rich, next-generation 8-bit devices with low power, low voltage and performance comparable to 16-bit MCUs.

The new core is capable of completing one machine cycle in a single clock cycle, enabling faster processing at lower frequencies. This in turn produces reductions in noise and lower power consumption compared with previous-generation 8-bit cores. The TLCS-870/C1 is intended for use in a wide range of environments, from small-scale implementations such as portable digital consumer products, to larger applications requiring greater ROM capacity, such as home appliances or automotive electronics.


Figure1: Toshiba's Planned 870/C1 Series Roadmap

The core’s address space is expandable to 128Kbyte via a proprietary memory segmentation method. This manages instruction codes and data independently in separate memory address spaces, enabling address space extension without affecting processing speed or code efficiency for small- to large-sized programs exceeding 64Kbyte. This avoids the problems of address bus extension techniques, which sacrifice core and code sizes; and of bank switching methods, which require software modifications to facilitate transitions from small- to large-sized programs.

MCUs based on the TLCS-870/C1 will offer low-power, low-voltage operation, and will help to reduce overall system cost by integrating must-have features such as voltage detection circuitry, a power-on reset feature, and an on-chip debug capabilities.

Building on Toshiba’s previous-generation TLCS-870/C architecture, the new core is binary-compatible with existing products, whilst offering a four-fold increase in performance at a given clock frequency. The company’s C compiler can be used to ease development and produce highly efficient code targeted specifically for the new core.


Figure 2: Features of the TLCS-870/C1 Series

Features

• 8MHz 8-bit microcontroller core
• Single-cycle execution produces four-fold performance increase
• Extended 128Kbyte address space
  • Proprietary technique preserves compatibility, memory footprint and performance
• 5V operation
• Controllers will include additional features
  • Voltage-detection circuitry
  • Power-on reset
• On-chip debug capabilities
• Full development tool and emulation support

Applications

• Security systems
• Automotive electronics
• Domestic heating controls
• Industrial control systems

For further information, including a copy of the TLCS-870/C1 Product Guide, please click here