Renesas Launches RA8T2 MCUs for High-End Motor Control in Industrial and Robotics Systems

Renesas announced the RA8T2 motor control MCU group based on a 1 GHz Arm® Cortex®-M85 processor and a 250 MHz Arm® Cortex®-M33 processor as an optional co-processor to handle communication and non-real-time tasks. These MCUs are supported by the company’s Flexible Software Package (FSP), which includes RTOS software, peripheral drivers, middleware, and more. 

The group includes 1MB of high-speed MRAM and 2MB of SRAM with tightly coupled memory (TCM) for both processors. Analog and communication peripherals include two 16-bit ADCs with 30 analog channels and a dual Gigabit Ethernet MAC with DMA. An RSIP-E50D Cryptographic engine and an immutable storage for FSBL make up key security features. The MCUs have 14-ch PWM timers and come in 176-HLQFP, 224-BGA, 289-BGA, and 303-BGA packages. 

To establish compatibility, the company has integrated this new group of MCUs with many other compatible devices from its portfolio as part of its Winning Combinations. The group is designed for applications in high-end motor control, industrial automation, robotics, and real-time connected embedded systems requiring high-speed networking and secure operation. RA8T2 MCUs are available for purchase and priced between roughly $18–$26 per unit, depending on the package and order quantity.

Key Features

• 1 GHz Arm Cortex-M85 processor

• Optional 250 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 co-processor

• 1MB high-speed MRAM, 2MB SRAM

• Dual 16-bit ADCs with 30 channels

• Dual Gigabit Ethernet MACs with DMA

• 14-channel PWM timers (up to 300 MHz)

• EtherCAT slave support

• RSIP-E50D cryptographic engine

• Arm Helium ML acceleration

• 176-LQFP to 303-BGA packages

Applications

• Factory automation systems

• Industrial robotics

• AC motor drives and inverters

• Multi-axis motion control

• Industrial Ethernet networks

• Predictive maintenance systems

• High-performance servo control