Renesas Electronics RX66T 32-bit MCU group

Renesas Electronics has released the RX66T group of microcontrollers (MCUs) — the first members of the company’s flagship 32-bit RX MCU family based on the third-generation RXv3 CPU core. The MCUs leverage cutting-edge CPU core technology to achieve high performance, as much as 2.5 times better than previous RX family MCUs.

The MCUs address the real-time performance and enhanced stability required by inverter control. They are suitable for use in industrial applications in next-generation smart factory equipment, such as industrial motors, power conditioners and robots, as well as smart home appliances, including air conditioners and washing machines.

When operating at 160 MHz, the MCUs achieve best-in-class performance of 928 CoreMark 2, enabling precise inverter control. They can control up to four motors simultaneously, making them suitable for conventional motor control and applications requiring multi-axis motor control, such as compact industrial robots and personal robots.

In addition, the extra processing capacity allows developers to add programs utilising embedded AI (e-AI) for motor fault detection. Such programs can detect motor faults and identify fault location in real time based on the motor’s current or vibration characteristics. Providing this capability offers developers extra productivity, safety and quality. The MCUs also integrate a 5 V power supply that delivers good noise tolerance.