Renesas has announced another new family in its microcontroller lineup, this time targeting USB-connected devices like data loggers: the RA2L2, which introduces the range’s first support for the USB Type-C Cable and Connector Specification Release 2.4 and its lower voltage detection threshold.
“The RA2L2 group MCUs [Microcontroller Units] are our first to realize full-speed USB along with USB-Type C connector support. They also ensure system costs remain low by reducing external components, and they offer the same low-power characteristics as our popular RA2L1 devices,” says Renesas’ Daryl Khoo of the new parts. “These new devices demonstrate our commitment and ability to quickly deliver the solutions our customers require.”
Renesas has a new microcontroller out — its first to support the latest USB Type-C specification. (📷: Renesas)
The chips are Renesas’ — and, the company says, the wider industry’s — first to implement the requirements of the USB Type-C Cable and Connector Specification Release 2.4, which introduced lower voltage detection thresholds of 0.613V for a 1.5A source and 1.165V for a 3.0A source. They include support for USB Full Speed (FS) connectivity and USB Type-C connectivity with CC detection for a power draw of up to 3A at 5V (15W), which Renesas says makes them suitable for everything from charging cases for headphones and other wearables to USB data loggers, barcode readers, and even gaming peripherals.
The chips feature a single Arm Cortex-M23 microcontroller core running at up to 48MHz, with claimed power draw of 87.5µA/MHz in active mode and a 250nA software standby draw, with 16kB of static RAM (SRAM) and 64–128kB of flash storage, depending on model, plus 4kB of data flash.
Renesas has also announced a development board built around the new microcontroller, for evaluation and rapid prototyping. (📷: Renesas)
USB aside, peripherals include low-power UART (LPUART), SCI, SPI, I3C, I2S, CAN bus, and a 17-channel 12-bit analog to digital converter (ADC), plus a low-power timer, real-time clock (RTC), high-speed on-chip oscillator (HOCO), and integrated temperature sensor, plus a security subsystem with a unique per-chip identifier and a true random number generator (TRNG).
More information on the chips is available on the Renesas product page; the company has also launched an evaluation board built around the part, priced at around $50 depending on supplier. As inspiration, the company has used the chips in a series of “Winning Combinations” reference designs: a USB data logger, an electronic toll system with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) support, a gaming keyboard, and a gaming mouse.