Renesas MCU Category - Page 3 of 15 - CNX Software

November 8, 2024November 10, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 119 Comments

Giveaway Week 2024 – RT-Thread Vision board with Renesas RA8D1 Arm Cortex-M85 MCU

It’s already Friday, and the fifty prize of CNX Software’s Giveaway Week 2024 will be the RT-Thread Vision board equipped with a Renesas RA8D1 Arm Cortex-M85 microcontroller, a camera, an optional LCD display, and a 40-pin GPIO header. The board is used as an evaluation platform for the Renesas RA8D1 MCU and RT-Thread real-time operating system. As its name implies, it’s mainly designed for computer vision applications leveraging the Helium MVE (M-Profile Vector Extension) for digital signal processing (DSP) and machine learning (ML) applications. I haven’t reviewed it myself and instead, received two samples from RT-Thread who sent them to me by mistake, so I’ll give them away here and on the Thai website. But it was reviewed by Supachai who tested the RT-Thread Vision board with OpenMV and ran a few benchmarks last June. The Helium MVE did not seem to be utilized in OpenMV at that time (June […]

October 24, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

Renesas RX260 and RX261 64 MHz RXv3 MCUs target power-efficient touch applications

Renesas RX260 RX261 RXv3 microcontrollers

The Renesas RX260 and RX261 two new 64 MHz microcontrollers part of the high-performance, high-efficiency RX product family with integrated capacitive touch-sensing and high power efficiency in both active and standby modes. The microcontrollers are based on the RXv3 core with a performance score of 355 CoreMark @ 64MHz, which is “2.5 times higher than competing 64 MHz class MCUs.” The chips are also power-efficient, with a consumption rate of 69μA/MHz during active operation and 1μA only in standby mode. According to Renesas, the chips are up to 25% more efficient in active mode and 87% more efficient in standby mode than other 64 MHz class MCUs. Another competing factor is the onboard 8KB of data flash, eliminating the need for external EEPROM. The RX260 and RX261 Group MCUs support noise- and water-resistant capacitive touch via Renesas’ third-generation capacitive touch IP (CTSU2SL). They also integrate an “automatic judgment function” that […]

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 […]