Renesas Electronics has introduced the RL78/G21, a 16-bit microcontroller (MCU) designed to reduce power consumption and simplify system control in smart appliances. The company also expanded its RL78/G23 lineup with additional capacitive-touch channels for more advanced human-machine interfaces (HMIs).
The RL78/G21 targets applications such as refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, and microwave ovens, where power efficiency and component costs are important design considerations. The MCU consumes 34µA/MHz during operation, nearly half the current of Renesas’ earlier RL78/G13 devices.
To reduce the need for external components, the RL78/G21 integrates a high-speed on-chip oscillator with ±1.0% accuracy and 4KB of data flash, eliminating the need for a separate oscillator and EEPROM in applicable designs. It also introduces a UARTA communication interface for connecting additional system components, including sensors.
Reliability and security are also addressed through ±4kV Human Body Model (HBM) electrostatic discharge tolerance, flash read protection, and identification features. The new MCU maintains pin and functional compatibility with existing RL78/G13 and RL78/G23 devices, allowing engineers to update existing designs with limited hardware changes.
Alongside the RL78/G21, Renesas expanded its RL78/G23 family with the R7F104G series, increasing the available capacitive-touch channels from 14 to 24 in 44-pin packages and from 16 to 25 in 48-pin versions. The additional channels support more complex touch interfaces while allowing system control and HMI functionality to remain on a single MCU.
Both device families operate across a 1.6V to 5.5V supply range and are supported by Renesas’ Smart Configurator development tools. The RL78/G21 is available with 128KB or 256KB of code flash, with pricing starting at $0.56 and $0.77, respectively, for the 44-pin LQFP versions.
The new RL78/G21 and expanded RL78/G23 devices are available now.
Learn More: https://www.renesas.com/en/products/rl78-g21 // https://www.renesas.com/en/products/rl78-g23
