Renesas MCU Category - Page 3 of 15 - CNX Software

October 24, 2024November 25, 2024 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Renesas CCE4511 IO-Link master IC and ZSSC3286 IO-Link sensor signal conditioner IC are designed for industrial sensors and actuators

Renesas CCE4511 and ZSSC3286 IO Link ICs

Renesas has recently introduced the CCE4511 four-channel IO-Link master IC and the ZSSC3286 IO-Link-ready dual-channel sensor signal conditioner IC along with their development boards designed for harsh industrial environments. The CCE4511 master IC supports four channels with 500mA driving current, overvoltage detection, and overcurrent protection, Additionally, it has an integrated IO-Link Frame Handler that reduces microcontroller load. The ZSSC3286on is the first sensor signal conditioner with an integrated IO-Link compliant stack, meaning you don’t need a separate microcontroller for signal handling. Additionally, it features 24-bit ADCs and advanced diagnostic functions for advanced tasks. Both products are optimized for industrial automation, offering energy efficiency, smaller PCB sizes, and robust system diagnostics. CCE4511 IO-Link master and ZSSC3286 sensor signal conditioner IC Specifications CCE4511 IO-Link master Main Chip – CCE4511 4-Channel IO-Link Master PHY with integrated Frame Handler Number of Channels – 4 IO-Link master channels Frame Handler – Hardware frame handler for […]

October 12, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Arduino Nicla Sense Env module features temperature, humidity, and gas sensors from Renesas

Arduino Nicla Sense Env is a new sensor module with temperature, humidity, and gas (TVOC, NO2, O3) sensing that follows the launch of the Arduino Nicla Sense ME (Motion & Environment) module over three years ago (2021). The implementation of the new module is quite different since the ME module relies on Nordic Semi nRF52832 Cortex-M4 microcontroller and Bosch SensorTech motion and environmental sensor, but the new Nicla Sense Env module is made of parts from Renesas namely the RA2E1 Cortex-M23 microcontroller, the HS4001 humidity and temperature sensor, the ZMOD4410 gas sensor for TVOC and indoor air quality, and the ZMOD4510 gas sensor for NO2, O3, and outdoor air quality. Arduino Nicla Sense Env (ABX00089) specifications: MCU – Renesas RA2E1 Arm Cortex-M23 entry-line microcontroller (not accessible or programmable by the user) CPU core – Arm Cortex-M23 core up to 48 MHz Memory – 16KB SRAM Storage – 128KB flash Sensors […]

September 26, 2024September 26, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Arduino releases a power management library for Arduino Pro modules to optimize power consumption

Arduino Portenta C33 Power Management Library Battery Monitoring

Arduino has released a new power management library designed for Arduino Pro modules to help users monitor battery usage, fine-tune charging parameters, and optimize the power consumption of their Arduino code by notably enabling sleep and standby modes on supported devices. Currently, the Arduino Portenta H7 boards, the Arduino Portenta C33, and the Nicla Vision module are supported by the new power management library. The company explains some boards consume under 100 microamperes in deep sleep mode enabling months or even years of continuous runtime on a single charge, so making use of those features is important to lower the power consumption of battery-powered IoT devices and wearables. Arduino power management library key features: Battery monitoring – Reports battery metrics such as voltage, current, percentage, and temperature. Battery health tracking – Monitors battery health with detailed insights into temperature and reported capacity. Charging control – Monitors and adjusts charging parameters […]

September 3, 2024September 2, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

WeAct RA4M1 – A small board with plenty of GPIOs that’s software-compatible with the Arduino UNO R4

Last week, we covered the Maker Go RA4M1-R4 development board, an inexpensive “clone” of the Arduino UNO R4 Minima with some small modifications like support for up to 50V DC input and a 3.3V/5V switch for I/Os. But today, I’ve come across a smaller and cheaper Renesas RA4M1 board that’s also software compatible with the Arduino UNO R4. Meet the WeAct RA4M1. The WeAct RA4M1 is mostly a breakout board for the Renesas R7FA4M1AB3CFM Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller with two 30-pin GPIO headers, a USB-C port for power and programming, and three buttons. It offers a middle ground between the Arduino UNO R4 Minima and the tiny XIAO RA4M1 USB-C board. WeAct RA4M1 specifications: Microcontroller – Renesas RA4M1 Arm Cortex-M4F MCU @ 48 MHz with 32KB SRAM, 256KB flash USB – 1x USB Type-C port for power and programming Expansion 2x 30-pin headers with GPIO, VIN, VCC, GND 3.3V or 5V […]

August 29, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Maker Go RA4M1-R4 core board is a cheap Arduino UNO R4 Minima clone taking up to 50V DC input

The Maker Go RA4M1-R4 core board is another Arduino UNO R4 Minima clone but offered at a price point much lower than the original and the Waveshare R7FA4 Plus A (another clone) since it shows up for only $0.99 on AliExpress with free shipping. Note that the ultra-low price is because of a “Welcome deal” on AliExpress, and the regular price is $7.76, so not everyone may get it for $1. About $8 is still cheap compared to the $20 (18 Euros) asked for the official Arduino UNO R4 Minima board. Let’s look at the clone in more detail to find out if they’ve made any changes to the board. Maker Go RA4M1-R4 core board specifications: Microcontroller – Renesas RA4M1 Arm Cortex-M4F MCU @ 48 MHz with 32KB SRAM, 256KB flash USB – 1 x USB Type-C port for power and programming Expansions – Arduino UNO female + male headers […]

August 20, 2024September 2, 2024 by Sayantan Nandy - No Comments

XIAO RA4M1 stamp-sized Renesas RA4M1 USB-C board features 14-bit ADC, 12-bit DAC, CAN Bus interfaces

Seeed Studio has added yet another member to their XIAO board family with the XIAO RA4M1 powered by Renesas’ RA4M1 32-bit Arm Cortex-M4 MCU. This compact board includes 256KB Flash, 32KB SRAM, a 14-bit A/D converter, a 12-bit D/A converter, a CAN bus interface, and onboard charging circuitry. It’s designed for low-power, battery-powered applications. The company started the XIAO family with the Seeeduino XIAO (Microchip SAMD21G18) in 2020, and since then they’ve made several other variants with different processors including the XIAO RP2350, XIAO RP2040, XIAO ESP32C3, XIAO ESP32S3, XIAO ESP32C6, and the nRF52840-based XIAO BLE. Feel free to check them out if you are interested in these boards. XIAO RA4M1 specifications: Microcontroller – Renesas RA4M1 (R7FA4M1AB3CFM) as found in Arduino UNO R4 CPU – Arm Cortex-M4F operating at up to 48 MHz Memory – 32KB SRAM Storage 256 KB code flash memory 8 KB data flash memory USB – 1x […]

July 25, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

Arduino to switch from Arm Mbed to Zephyr RTOS

Following Arm’s decision to stop supporting Mbed from July 2026 onwards, Arduino has now decided to use Zephyr RTOS instead of Arm Mbed for Arduino boards that rely on the latter including Arduino GIGA, Arduino Nano 33 BLE, Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect, as well as Arduino PRO boards/solutions such as the Portenta, Nicla, and Opta families. Note that Arduino UNO, MKR, and Nano families are not impacted by the change since their Arduino Core implementation does not rely on Mbed. The change is not going to happen overnight as software development takes time, and Arduino plans to release the first beta based on ZephyrOS by the end of 2024. and a rollout for various boards starting in 2025 long before Arm Mbed is phased out for good. Arduino is not new to the Zephyr project as the company became a Silver member last year, and they were aware that Arm […]

July 12, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Beginner friendly Arduino Plug and Make Kit features Arduino UNO R4 WiFi and Modulino I2C modules

Arduino has just launched a “Plug and Make” kit designed for beginners with an Arduino UNO R4 WiFi board, several “Modulino” modules, a “Modulino” base to neatly attach the UNO R4 and modules, and various cables, spacers, screws, and nuts. When thinking about Arduino projects, breadboards or even soldering may come to mind, but the new Arduino Plug and Make Kit does not require any of those. No breadboard, jumper wires, or soldering needed. Users can simply connect the modules to the Arduino board through Qwiic cables, neatly attach everything together on the provided base, and follow one of the seven projects complete with step-by-step instructions provided with the kit. The Arduino Plug and Make Kit content Arduino UNO R4 WiFi board 7x Modulino I2C nodes Modulino Knob* – Encoder for value adjustments Modulino Pixels* – 8x LC8822-2020 RGB LEDs Modulino Distance – STMicro VL53L4 Time-of-Flight (ToF) proximity sensor to […]