Renesas Technology America, Inc., today announced the release of the RX62T group of microcontrollers (MCU). The new devices have strong eco-features and deliver the environmental performance now in high demand for motor-control and inverter-control applications. These 100MHz, feature-rich MCUs with no-wait flash memory illustrate how Renesas is using the goals of its corporate ‘Green Energy Initiative’ to drive chip design in eco-friendly directions. The RX62T devices allow manufacturers of embedded systems to better address the increased importance that buyers of products such as consumer, industrial and HVAC equipment give to energy efficiency. Primary applications span a wide range: solar inverters, air conditioners, washing machines, lighting controllers and power-factor controllers, among many others.

This announcement closely follows the launch of two other RX600 groups: the RX62N and RX621 MCUs, which feature enhanced connectivity capabilities. All of these devices feature the RX CPU that powers next-generation 32-bit MCUs and integrates the functions of Renesas Technology’s existing 16-bit and 32-bit MCU chips. Besides the fast speed, high performance, and low power consumption that characterize all RX chips, the RX62T MCUs offer the improved motor/inverter control timers and enhanced analog peripheral functions essential for implementing more precise control capabilities and providing value-added features in embedded system designs that are more power efficient.

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Fujipoly announces the availability of its highest performance thermal interface silicone putty. SARCON(r) XR-Um-Al is a uniquely formulated gap filler compound that has a putty-like consistency. This physical property contributes to the material’s extremely low contact and thermal resistance while maintaining a thermal conductivity of 17 watt/m-k.

SARCON XR-Um-Al is manufactured with a thin aluminum carrier film for customer-friendly application. The low adhesion aluminum barrier enables users to remove the carrier film after installation with no pull-out effect. This thermal interface material is available in sheets up to 50mm x 50mm with thicknesses ranging from 0.2mm to 0.5mm. SARCON XR-Um-Al complies with UL 94 V-0 flame retardancy specifications and is most commonly used to transfer heat from between CPUs and semiconductors to close proximity heat sinks.

Microchip Technology Inc., a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors, today unveiled several new 8-bit PIC® microcontrollers (MCUs) that sets the industry benchmark for low-power microcontrollers and peripheral integration. These new MCUs feature active currents of less than 50 µA/MHz and sleep currents down to 20 nA. The PIC12F182X MCUs extend Microchip’s Enhanced Mid-range 8-bit core product line into the 8-pin segment, and include mTouch™ capacitive touch-sensing, and communications peripherals. The PIC16F19XX MCUs feature a broad range of peripherals, such as mTouch capacitive touch-sensing module, LCD drive, multiple communications and more Pulse width Modulator (PWM) peripherals.

All of these general-purpose MCUs are well suited for applications in the appliance; consumer; industrial and automotive markets, among others. A video demonstrating the PIC16LF1823 MCU’s low active current is available through editorial contact or YouTube (feel free to embed on your Web site): http://www.microchip.com/get/MSD1. Read the rest of this entry »