Fujitsu Releases 18 New 8-bit Low-Voltage Operation Microcontrollers in Three Series

Fujitsu Semiconductor announced the development of three new series in its F²MC-8FX family of high-performance 8-bit microcontrollers with embedded flash memory. The new products, which feature very low voltage requirements, operating on just 1.8 V of power, will be available in sample quantities from early May 2010 and in production quantities from July 2010.

The new products include six models with embedded LCD controllers in the 64-pin MB95370L series, six models in the 80-pin MB95310L series, and six with an I²C interface that has up to two channels in the 24-pin MB95350L series, for a total of 18 models in the three series.

These new products are designed to meet the demand for microcontrollers with low-cost LCD controllers. Applications include home healthcare devices, including blood-pressure meters and blood-glucose meters - a market that is growing quickly throughout Asia - as well as home appliances, such as washing machines and microwave ovens, and factory automation equipment, such as thermometers and pressure meters.

Growing health awareness has led many households to have at least one blood-pressure meter, blood-glucose meter, or other similar devices. As demand in this market has increased, so too has the variety of products available, ranging from desktop models to portable models. At the same time, unit prices have dropped 20% to 30% over the past few years, putting equipment manufacturers under pressure to reduce part counts and shrink systems as ways to cut costs.

To meet these demands, Fujitsu Semiconductor has augmented its F²MC-8FX family of 8-bit microcontrollers, which already boasts secure embedded flash memory, adding the 64-pin MB95370L series and the 80-pin MB95310L series. These series have embedded LCD controllers and, with power requirements of minimum 1.8 V, can operate on dry-cell batteries.

In addition to their LCD controllers, the MB95370L and MB95310L series include a full complement of timers and communications functions to make them broadly applicable, along with high-precision A/D converters and oscillator circuits that will help home healthcare equipment makers reduce their part counts.

The MB95350L series also runs on 1.8 V and is available with an I²C interface that has up to two channels, making it ideally suited for use as a sub-controller in television or air-conditioning remote-controller.

All the new models use 1-line on-chip debugging, minimizing the number of pins customers need to reserve for debugging when developing their products.