*****For immediate use April 4th, 2002
NEC Launches New 8-Bit Single-Chip Microcontroller with On-Chip Dot LCD Driver
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| "8-Bit Single-Chip Microcontroller" |
TOKYO April 4th, 2002 - NEC Corporation (NEC) (NASDAQ: NIPNY) (FTSE: 6701q.l) (TYSE: 6701) today announced the release of the µPD789835 Subseries, a new on-chip dot LCD driver Application Specific Standard Product (ASSP) in the 78K0/78K0S Series of 8-bit single-chip microcontrollers.
Recent innovations in LCD applications that increase the sophistication while lowering the price have fuelled a growing demand for higher-dot LCD displays to raise the display resolution. In response, NEC has commercialized a range of microcontrollers with on-chip LCD controller drivers (µPD780388, µPD780308 Subseries) and dot LCD controller drivers (µPD789830 Subseries), and has now further enhanced this lineup with the development of the new µPD789835 Subseries, which features an LCD driver that can drive a panel of up to 2304 dots.
The µPD789835 Subseries is ideally suited to a variety of display applications, particularly hand-held games and remote controllers. Aiming at the battery-powered devices market, the µPD789835 Subseries features an operating supply voltage of 1.8 to 3.6 V and consumes only 15 µA (typical) while driving an LCD at 3.6 V on a 32.768 kHz subsystem clock. The integration on one chip of LCD display and system control functions such as a booster circuit that can boost the voltage up to 5 V for LCD display, a freely configurable 16-level volume 3-octave scale audio sound generator, A/D converter, serial interface, and large capacity internal memory (up to 60 KB of ROM and 3264 bytes of RAM) enable the realization of a sophisticated compact set at a low cost.
Major applications
- Hand-held games
- Remote controllers
- Balance reader for IC cards
- Chinese character and other display applications requiring a large dot count
Samples of both the flash memory and mask ROM versions will be available from March 2002.
The µPD789835 Subseries has the following main features.
| (1) | Dot LCD controller/driver |
| The on-chip LCD driver can drive a panel of up to 2304 dots and features selectable segment/common output combinations of 48 x 48, 64 x 32, 80 x 16, and 80 x 8. A booster circuit for LCD display is also provided. With 16 boost levels settable (up to 5.2 V), this circuit enables flexible display shading selection. | |
| (2) | Sound generator |
| The on-chip sound generator supports a wide range of sound functions and provides a 16-level volume, 3-octave scale setting range. | |
| (3) | Low power consumption |
| The µPD789835 Subseries consumes a mere 15 µA (typical) while driving an LCD at a supply voltage of 3.6 V on the 32.768 kHz subsystem clock. This power performance allows battery-powered applications to be driven over a long time. | |
| (4) | LCD display RAM |
| Two 288-byte RAM areas are available for LCD display. Display data can be stored in these areas separately, enabling instantaneous display switching. | |
| (5) | Carrier generator mode |
| A carrier clock for remote controllers can be output using the two 8-bit cascade-connectable timer channels provided. | |
| (6) | On-chip multiplier |
| The incorporation of dedicated hardware for 8 x 8-bit multiplication makes it possible to describe multiplication/division operations in a single instruction, resulting in improved program descriptiveness and even faster multiplication and division. | |
| (7) | Shipment form |
| The µPD789835 Subseries can be shipped in either a 20 mm x 20 mm 144-pin QFP package or as a 144-pin bare chip. The latter is ideally suited to mobile and other applications with limited mounting space. | |
| (8) | Flash memory product |
| A flash memory product, the µPD78F9835, has been provided to raise software development efficiency. | |
Sample price and shipment details are shown below.
| Unit Sample Price | Start of Shipment | |
| µPD789835 | 1000 yen | March 2002 |
| µPD78F9835 | 2000 yen | March 2002 |
NEC pledges to meet all customers' needs by continuing to enhance its lineup of LCD controller/driver microcontrollers.
See the attachment for the major specifications of the new µPD789835 Subseries.
About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation (NASDAQ: NIPNY) (FTSE: 6701q.l) is a leading provider of Internet solutions, dedicated to meeting the specialized needs of its customers in the key computer, network and electron device fields through its three market-focused in-house companies: NEC Solutions, NEC Networks and NEC Electron Devices. NEC Corporation, with its in-house companies, employs more than 150,000 people worldwide and saw consolidated net sales of 5,409 billion Yen (approx. US$43 billion) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001. For further information, please visit the NEC home page at: http://www.nec.com
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