Renesas RA2T1 low-power Cortex-M23 MCUs target BLDC/PMSM motor applications

Renesas has recently launched the RA2T1 group of low-power motor control MCUs, built around a 64 MHz Arm Cortex-M23, for low-cost single-motor applications like power tools, fans, and home appliances.

Designed for Brushless DC Electric Motors (BLDC) and Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSM), the RA2T1 supports both trapezoidal and FOC control techniques, thanks to its integrated 3-channel Sample and Hold (S&H) circuits that enable accurate 3-phase current detection. It also includes PWM shutdown features and various analog and digital peripherals in compact packages as small as 4×4 mm QFN.

Previously, Renesas introduced the RA8T1, also a motor control MCU based on the Cortex-M85 core with Helium instructions and DSP extensions. Ideal for AI-enhanced motor control in industrial and robotics applications. Around the same time, Infineon launched the PSOC Control C3x series, with real-time motor control and security features along with fast ADCs, high-resolution PWM, and PSA Level 2 compliance.

Renesas RA2T1 MCU group specifications:

• MCU core – Arm Cortex-M23 Armv8-M Core up to 64MHz
• Memory & Storage
  • 8KB SRAM with parity check
  • Code Flash – Up to 64KB
  • Data Flash – 2KB (100,000 program/erase cycles)
  • 128-bit unique ID
• Peripherals
  • Serial Interfaces
    • 4x SCI (UART, simple I²C, simple SPI, smart card interface)
    • 1x I²C interface (full-featured)
    • 1x SPI interface
  • GPIO– Up to 40x GPIOs (2x 5V-tolerant, multiple open-drain, input pull-up, configurable drive strength)
  • Analog
    • Up to 13-channel 12-bit A/D converter with 3x sample-and-hold circuits
    • On-chip temperature sensor
    • 2x High-Speed Analog Comparators (ACMPHS)
  • Timers
    • 4x 16-bit General PWM Timers (GPT) – supports advanced motor control (FOC, trapezoidal)
    • 2x 32-bit Low Power AGTW timers (PWM, event counting)
• Clock Sources
  • Main clock oscillator (MOSC) (1 to 20 MHz)
  • High-speed on-chip oscillator (HOCO) (24/32/48/64 MHz)
  • Middle-speed on-chip oscillator (MOCO) (8 MHz)
  • Low-speed on-chip oscillator (LOCO) (32.768 kHz)
  • Clock trim function for HOCO/MOCO/LOCO
  • IWDT-dedicated on-chip oscillator (15 kHz)
  • Clock out support
• System Features
  • Event Link Controller (ELC)
  • Data Transfer Controller (DTC)
  • Low Voltage Detection (LVD) – configurable thresholds
  • Key interrupt function (KINT)
  • Power-on Reset (POR)
  • Multiple low-power modes
• Safety
  • SRAM parity check
  • ADC self-diagnostics
  • Flash area protection
  • CRC calculator, illegal memory access detection
  • Register write protection
  • Clock Accuracy Circuit (CAC), GPIO readback
• System and Power Management
  • Low-power operation with multiple sleep and standby modes
  • Event Link Controller (ELC) for peripheral-to-peripheral signaling without CPU overhead
  • Data Transfer Controller (DTC) for interrupt-driven data movement
  • Key Interrupt (KINT) function with edge detection on dedicated input pins
  • Integrated Power-on Reset (POR) circuitry
  • Low Voltage Detection (LVD) with configurable threshold settings
• Operating Voltage – 1.6V to 5.5V (VCC)
• Operating Temperature – -40°C to +105°C or -40°C to +125°C depending on SKU
• Packages
  • 48-pin LQFP / HWQFN (7×7 mm)
  • 32-pin LQFP (7×7 mm), HWQFN (5×5 mm)
  • 24-pin HWQFN (4×4 mm)

The RA2T1 does not include TrustZone, secure boot, encryption accelerators, or tamper detection, which are found in more advanced RA families like RA4M, RA6M, or RA4L1 with Cortex-M33 cores.

The Renesas RA2T1 MCU group MCUs are supported by the company’s Flexible Software Package (FSP), which includes board support packages, peripheral drivers, middleware, and connectivity stacks. It is fully compatible with the Eclipse-based e² studio IDE and supports toolchains like GNU Arm Embedded and IAR Embedded Workbench. There’s also QE for Motor and Renesas Motor Workbench, which allows configuration, tuning, and real-time analysis of motor control algorithms. Additionally, there are register access examples, quick start project bundles, and instructions for using third-party tools like SEGGER J-Link and Keil MDK for development and debugging.

To make the development process simpler, the company provides the MCK-RA2T1 motor control development kit for the evaluation of sensorless vector control for PMSM and BLDC motors. The kit includes an MCB-RA2T1 CPU board, a 48V/10A inverter board, a communication board for PC isolation, and a brushless DC motor (R42BLD30L3). It supports both 1-shunt and 3-shunt current sensing, overcurrent protection, and various position sensors such as Hall, encoder, and inductive types. Out-of-the-box testing is possible via the onboard toggle switch and volume control, with full tuning and monitoring available through Renesas Motor Workbench.

The company also provides the FPB-RA2T1 Fast Prototyping Board for rapid prototyping and development. It features a built-in SEGGER J-Link emulator, eliminating the need for external debug tools. The board includes Arduino Uno and Pmod headers with through-hole access to all MCU pins.

Renesas has released a total of 30 MCUs part of the new RA2T1 Group, but at the time of writing, I can see that only the R7FA2T1074CNE MCU is available for purchase from DigiKey and Mouser, and other stores, where it costs $2.40 for a single quantity and $1.22 for a lot of 5000. The MCK-RA2T1 Kit costs around $533.03 and the FPB-RA2T1 evolution board sells for $12.41. Check out the product page and the press release for additional information.

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