News | March 24, 2008

Renesas Technology Expands Microcontroller Series For Servers And Advanced Communication Equipment

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San Jose, CA - Renesas Technology America, Inc. recently announced the addition of two new devices to the H8S series of 16-bit microcontrollers (MCUs): the H8S/2164 and H8S/2153, which are tailored for use in servers and advanced communication equipment. Specifically, the H8S/2164 device is a second-generation device aimed at baseboard management controller (BMC) applications, while the H8S/2153 is ideal for communications equipment such as ATCA, µTCA, and AMC management controllers. Both MCUs are based on the Renesas H8S CPU core and combine up to 34 MIPS performance with combinations of on-chip memory and peripheral functions that make them compelling solutions for robust, reliable system designs.

H8S/2164: An enhanced MCU for server BMC applications

The H8S/2164 has the speed and on-chip resources required to power a next-generation of server systems. The 3.3-volt device has a 34MHz H8S/2600 CPU core with a built-in multiply-accumulate (MAC) function, and integrates the large amounts of on-chip memory needed for robust and flexible communications systems: 40 kilobytes (40KB) of RAM and 512KB of flash memory. Built-in peripheral functions include an industry-standard 16550-compatible UART with a snoop option that allows connections to a wide variety of external peripheral systems. The device has six I2C unified channels that allow direct connections to the management infrastructures used for the efficient sharing and processing of data with other parts of communication systems. The I2C channels produce size and cost savings by eliminating the need for external converters. The MCU's other on-chip functions include an 8-channel 10-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) converter, 16-channel event counter (EVC), data transfer controller (DTC), bus-state controller (BSC), 8-bit and 16-bit timers, watchdog timer (WDT), and more.

Being a second-generation solution for server BMC applications, the H8S/2164F MCU inherits the same set of peripheral modules from the field-proven, previous-generation H8S/2168 series. As a result, the H8S/2164F provides upgrade options for customers requiring higher speeds and enhanced communication capabilities, while maintaining full software compatibility with Renesas' other H8 devices. The MCU is available in a compact (16mm x 16mm), 144-pin TQFP package, which is pin compatible with the H8S/2168 series.

H8S/2153: A simplified solution for low-cost communication equipment

The H8S/2153 is the first reduced-size, high capability 16-bit microcontroller optimized for advanced ATCA, µTCA, and AMC management controllers in communication equipment. The 25MHz, 3.3V device has a 16-bit H8S/2600 CPU core with MAC. It provides 40KB of RAM, 512KB of flash memory, and the peripherals required for target applications. Those on-chip functions include four unified channels of I²C bus and an LPC bus for connections to external peripheral systems. Additionally, the MCU has an 8-channel 10-bit A/D converter, 8-channel EVC, DTC, timers and more. The chip is packaged in a 10mm x 10mm, 112-pin BGA.

A comprehensive suite of support tools facilitates the system design process. For example, Renesas offers the High-performance Embedded Workshop integrated development environment with software tools, evaluation boards, and the low-cost E10A on-chip debugging emulator.

SOURCE: Renesas Technology America, Inc.