Renesas Electronics Corporation, a supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, introduced the RX23W, a 32-bit microcontroller (MCU) featuring Bluetooth 5.0 for IoT endpoint devices such as home appliances and healthcare equipment. Renesas offers customers a single-chip solution for system control and wireless communication, while also providing a more secure way to answer the Bluetooth security risks such as eavesdropping, tampering, and viruses. 

The new RX23W is based on Renesas' RXv2 core, which provides computational performance with FPU and DSP functions and operates at a maximum clock frequency of 54 MHz. It integrates a set of functions for IoT equipment, including security, touch key, USB, and CAN functions. These functions allow the RX23W to implement both system control and Bluetooth wireless functions for IoT endpoint equipment such as home appliances, healthcare equipment, and sports and fitness equipment on a single chip. In addition, the RX23W's Bluetooth mesh functions make it helpful for industrial IoT equipment collecting sensor data within a factory or a building.

Key Features of the RX23W MCU:
• Functional support for Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy and reception characteristics.
The RX23W supports long distance communication (long range: 400 m), 2 Mbps (megabit per second) data throughput, and Bluetooth mesh networking, supporting the full functionality of Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy. Furthermore, the RX23W achieves a 3.0 mA reception mode peak and a reception sensitivity level of -105 dBm at 125 Kbps.

• A basic protocol stack package and all standard profiles.
In addition to a Bluetooth 5.0 basic protocol stack package, Renesas provides API functions that conform to all standard profiles, including a Health Thermometer Profile (HTP), an Environment Sensing Profile (ESP), and an Automation I/O profile (AIOP). These allow users to start prototype development and evaluation quickly and can speed up the user's development process.

• A development environment that allows development of system control and communication control.
Renesas provides a Smart Configurator, implemented in a GUI, that can generate all types of MCU peripheral function driver code and pin settings for the e2 Studio integrated development environment (IDE) to generate the Bluetooth driver code. Renesas also developed a QE for BLE that can generate programs for custom profiles and embed them in user application programs to support application program development. Renesas also developed a Bluetooth Trial Tool Suite that allows users to perform initial wireless characteristics evaluations and Bluetooth functional verification in a GUI. The RX23W target board includes antennas and has already acquired certification under Radio Law. The recommended reference price of this board will be US$55 per unit (excluding tax).

• Secure communications MCU for the IoT
The RX23W integrates Renesas' Trusted Secure IP (TSIP) as part of its built-in hardware security engine. The TSIP driver uses encryption key management with hardware accelerators to boot customers' IoT devices and protect them from security threats. Cryptographic Algorithm Validation Program (CVAP) certification is expected.

• Reduced Bill of Materials through integration
The RX23W includes a dedicated Bluetooth high-precision low-speed on-chip oscillator, eliminating the need for external matching circuits and external capacitors. This reduces both BOM (bills of materials) costs and circuit board areas.

Pricing and Availability
The RX23W is available now in both 7mm x 7mm 56-pin QFN and 5.5mm x 5.5mm 85-pin GBA packages with 512 KB of on-chip flash memory. For example, the 56-pin QFN package with 512 KB on-chip flash memory will be priced at US$3.83 in 10,000-unit quantities. To learn more about the new Renesas RX23W, visit: https://www.renesas.com/products/microcontrollers-microprocessors/rx/rx200/rx23w

For more information, please visit: renesas.com.