New member of the successful M16C/6S family protects powerline-based communication from noise and distortion
Renesas Electronics Europe announced the M306S0F8DGP, the newest product in its M16C/6S series of microcontrollers (MCUs). The new MCU includes integrated modems to enable low data rate communication using existing power lines. It is a competitively-priced device with 64 kilobytes (KB) flash memory and a robust powerline communication modem. It is designed to cope with significant noise, distortion and other powerline phenomena and is suitable for street lights, building automation systems, smart applications and other command and control applications. The new M306S0F8DGP MCU is available now.
The new MCU integrates Renesas Electronics’ M16C core along with an IT800 powerline communication modem with DCSK (Differential Code Shift Keying) modulation. This technology provides extremely reliable communication within existing power lines and ensures data transmissions are not hampered by pulse noise or distortion.
The new MCU from Renesas Electronics is standards-based as its communication methodology adheres to the standard developed by the HomePlug Command and Control industry alliance. As a result, it is particularly suitable for use in energy management and conservation initiatives such as intelligent street light control, smart metering, and home and building area networks.
The new MCU’s 64KB flash memory and integrated powerline communication modem enable the device to be made available at a competitive price. This is an important factor in cost-sensitive applications such as street lighting, which also frequently require lower-cost transceiver-style devices. To address this market demand, Renesas Electronics is planning the imminent launch of serial interface software to enable the M306S0F8DGP MCU to be used as a simple transceiver. Along with cost control, the software will provide additional benefits to system designers by enabling them to utilize the transceiver over the UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) interface. This capability will help system designers to accelerate development and shorten time-to-market for their products.
Renesas Electronics’ new 64KB flash MCU with integrated modem is one of the most robust and advanced solutions for powerline communication currently available on the market. It combines exceptional reliability with proven communication technologies and an attractive price point.
