NEC Electronics Announces 78K0/Lx2 Family of 8-bit MCUs for Consumer Applications

78K0/Lx2 Family Features Enhanced Flash Memory and On-Chip LCD Driver

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Electronics Corp. (TSE: 6723), a leading semiconductor solutions provider, and its subsidiaries in the United States and Europe, NEC Electronics America, Inc. and NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH, respectively, today announced the latest addition to their line of industry-leading 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) products, the 78K0/Lx2 family of MCUs. The 78K0/Lx2 family features 36 product configurations with many memory, peripheral and packaging options. Each device incorporates an integrated liquid crystal display (LCD) driver/controller and in-application self-programming flash memory that makes them suitable for consumer appliance, home health care, HVAC, sprinkler and security system applications.

"Semiconductors continue to replace traditional analog or mechanical systems in common consumer applications," said Shigenobu Ishikawa, general manager, Multipurpose Microcomputer Systems Division, 4th Systems Operations Unit, NEC Electronics Corporation. "Accordingly, NEC Electronics offers a range of low-cost, high-performance 8-bit microcontrollers to serve this growing market. The new 78K0/Lx2 family has a variety of features and peripherals that makes it ideal for consumer applications."

Each 78K0/Lx2 microcontroller features an integrated LCD driver/controller for powering displays with up to 160 segments. Integrating the display driver onto the controller reduces a system's component count and increases its reliability. The MCUs have from 16 to 128 kilobytes (KB) of flash memory and up to 7 KB of RAM. An in-application self-programming capability enables programs to be easily rewritten. With power consumption of 2.5 milliamps (mA) (compared to 7.6 mA in previous mask ROM products operating at 5 volts (V) and 10 megahertz (MHz), the 78K0/Lx2 MCUs still provide a fast wake-up time, typically only five microseconds from standby to full-speed operation. The 78K0/Lx2 MCUs also have a variety of peripherals designed to provide safe operation, including power-on-clear circuitry and low-voltage indicators. Operating voltages range from 1.8V to 5.5V.

All of the Lx2 series employ NEC Electronics' advanced 0.15-micron process technology and SuperFlash® technology licensed from Silicon Storage Technology, Inc. (SST).

Pricing and Availability
Samples of 78K0/Lx2 MCUs will be available in September, with mass production scheduled to begin January 2006. Pricing depends on packaging, memory and peripheral configuration. For example, the 78K0/LG2 MCU with 128 KB of flash memory is priced at $6 in 1,000-unit quantities. Pricing and availability are subject to change.

Related Contents

• Microcomputer
  • Enhanced Flash Memory and On-Chip LCD Driver "78K0/Lx2 Family"

About NEC Electronics

NEC Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) specializes in semiconductor products encompassing advanced technology solutions for the high-end computing and broadband networking markets, system solutions for the mobile handset, PC peripherals, automotive and digital consumer markets, and multi-market solutions for a wide range of customer applications. NEC Electronics Corporation has 26 subsidiaries worldwide including NEC Electronics America, Inc. (www.am.necel.com) and NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH (www.eu.necel.com). In addition to marketing, selling and supporting NEC Electronics products to customers in their respective regions, NEC Electronics America and NEC Electronics Europe also operate local manufacturing facilities in Roseville, California, and Ballivor, Ireland, respectively. Additionally, NEC Electronics America for North America and NEC Electronics Europe for Europe are the sales and marketing channels of NEC AM-LCD modules. For additional information about NEC Electronics worldwide, visit www.necel.com.

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