Renesas’ MCU starter kit accelerates time to market for IIoT sensors

Renesas Electronics introduced a new Renesas Solution Starter Kit (RSSK) for developers working with the 32-bit RX23E-A microcontroller (MCU), which features one of the most highly accurate analog front ends (AFE) in the industry.

The RX23E-A RSSK brings together hardware, software, and tools optimized for evaluating the MCU’s high-precision 24-bit delta-sigma (ΔΣ) A/D converter with industry-leading accuracy. The RSSK enables users without any AFE development expertise to accurately evaluate analog characteristics to the nanovolt (nV) level, thereby reducing development workload and time-to-market.

“The RX23E-A for industrial IoT sensors is a single-chip device incorporating one of the industry’s most highly accurate AFEs, featuring less than 0.1 percent precision without calibration,” said Daryl Khoo, Vice President of Marketing, IoT Platform Business Division at Renesas. “The new solution kit provides a shortcut for customers interested in evaluating and calibrating various sensor types to shorten the time required to develop more highly accurate sensing equipment.”

Evaluating analog characteristics with high precision requires strong analog design and development expertise, from evaluation board design to software development. In addition, identifying and analyzing problems when the desired characteristics cannot be obtained is time-consuming, making it difficult to bring products to market in a timely manner.

Designed to optimize evaluation of the RX23E-A AFE, the new RSSK evaluation board allows users to check characteristics of the 24-bit ΔΣ A/D converter with high accuracy, regardless of analog development expertise levels. The evaluation board is equipped with a plug-in terminal block to connect a variety of sensors without soldering, a thermocouple (temperature sensor) connector, and the reference junction compensation circuit required for thermocouple measurement applications. By referencing thermocouple and weight measurement application software (both available for download on the Renesas website), users can immediately start their evaluation, thereby shortening the time needed to develop IoT sensor devices.

With the kit’s graphical user interface (GUI) tool, users can enter and change settings for a variety of AFE and A/D converter parameters, as well as display graphs and histograms of A/D conversion results. This simplifies the task of evaluating characteristics matched to the user’s system. With the GUI, users can check A/D conversion results in real-time in the same manner as using an oscilloscope.

The evaluation board can also be connected to an emulator to develop user applications. Power is supplied via the USB connection, so both evaluation and software development can be accomplished using a PC. Driver ICs for RS485 and CAN, which are widely used in industrial devices, are also mounted on the evaluation board, allowing the development of applications with industrial networking standards support.

About the RX23E-A Group

The RX23E-A Group of 32-bit MCUs with DSP/FPU support operate at 32 MHz and feature an AFE that achieves less than 0.1 percent measurement precision without calibration. The integrated ΔΣ A/D converter has a maximum effective resolution of 23.6 bits, enabling this single chip to deliver analog functionality that was previously only possible when using an MCU in combination with a dedicated A/D converter or a high-precision op-amp IC.

Introduced in May 2019, the RX23E-A Group MCUs are already widely used in industrial meter applications such as temperature controllers, load cells, and strain gauge sensor modules.

Renesas’ Industrial Sensor Solutions

Renesas offers several MCUs with enhanced analog functionality for a wide array of sensing systems. The RA2A1 MCU Group is built around 32-bit Arm® CPU cores, and the Renesas Synergy™ S1JA MCU Group features advanced analog function settings and integrated security functionality, which is ideal for low-power industrial IoT sensor applications where cost is prioritized.

Renesas also offers the RL78/I1E Group of 16-bit MCUs with integrated 24-bit ΔΣ A/D converter, optimal for compact pressure sensors and compact flow sensors due to their small 4mm square packages. In addition to MCUs, Renesas provides a variety of sensor products including temperature sensors and flow sensors, and communication ICs supporting standards such as IO-Link, RS485, and AS-i. These solutions for sensor systems are helping to accelerate the adoption of industrial devices within an IoT framework.

Pricing and Availability:

The RX23E-A RSSK is available now, priced at $464 USD per unit (pricing and availability are subject to change without notice).

For more details on the RX23E-A RSSK, visit http://www.renesas.com/rx23e-a-rssk.

To learn more about the RX23E-A Group of MCUs, visit https://www.renesas.com/us/en/products/microcontrollers-microprocessors/rx/rx200/rx23e-a.html

For details of Renesas’ industrial sensor solutions portfolio, visit: https://www.renesas.com/solutions/industrial-automation/sensor.html