Renesas Electronics expands RX130 MCU product line

     Renesas Electronics Corporation announced the launch of 38 new microcontrollers (MCUS), expanding its RX130 family of products. The new products increase the storage capacity to 256KB,384KB and 512KB, while increasing the package pin to 100 pins to improve performance and enhance compatibility with its touch application products RX231/RX230 series.

     The ultra-low-power, low-cost RX130 series provides increased sensitivity and performance for touch-controlled appliances and building and industrial automation applications requiring 3V or 5V system control and low power consumption. The new 32-bit RX130MCU features a new capacitive touch IP that supports greater sensitivity and robustness, and comes with a comprehensive device evaluation environment, making it ideal for devices designed with challenging, non-traditional touch materials, or those that need to operate in wet or unclean environments, such as kitchens, bathrooms, or workshops.

     TimBurgess, Senior Director at Renesas Electronics, said: "As technological advances make touch human-machine interfaces increasingly common in home appliances, buildings and industrial equipment, manufacturers are also looking for new ways to deliver innovative and differentiated products to a highly competitive market. With the RX130MCU, Renesas offers a powerful, sensitive and safety-compliant touch solution that helps designers explore new materials and operating environments for their devices, while providing engineering scalability for the future with full compatibility.

     The RX130 series MCUS combine excellent sensitivity and noise tolerance, making it possible to develop touch keys based on a variety of overlay materials for a wide range of applications. This includes control panels for appliances that may operate in humid environments, home equipment with embedded switches for more attractive designs, and industrial machines that must be operated with gloves for safety.

     The extended RX130 series MCU uses a new capacitive touch IP that supports capacitive self-inductance and capacitive mutual inductance for increased robustness and sensitivity. This capacitive touch sensor also significantly improves noise resistance and sensitivity when operating in wet or unclean environments. This enables manufacturers to apply touch keys to a variety of challenging, non-traditional materials, such as wood, glass, or thick acrylic panels, thus opening the door for capacitive touch technology to be used in a wider range of wet environments, while reducing the risk of safety or failure.