NEC Electronics Announces New 32-Bit V850ES/PM1 Microcontroller for Power Meter Applications

Microcontroller Features High-Performance, Low Power Consumption and Integrated, Highly Accurate A/D Converter for Electronic Measuring Instruments

KAWASAKI, Japan; SANTA CLARA, Calif. and DUESSELDORF, Germany; January 27, 2003 - NEC Electronics Corp. and its wholly owned subsidiaries, NEC Electronics America Inc. and NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH today announced the latest addition to its popular V850ESä family of 32-bit RISC microcontrollers, the V850ES/PM1™ (part number uPD703228GC-8EU). With an on-chip, highly accurate delta sigma analog/digital (A/D) converter and a rich lineup of peripheral functions, the V850ES/PM1 controller is an ideal solution for electronic measuring instruments such as power meters. Through the use of NEC Electronics' V850ES core, the V850ES/PM1 controller simultaneously realizes low power consumption and high performance. Furthermore, the use of an integrated A/D converter reduces design complexity and cost by providing design engineers with a single-chip solution for systems that typically require two chips, a microcontroller and an A/D converter LSI. The six-channel (12-input) A/D converter is a fast and highly accurate delta sigma A/D converter that offers superior stability and precise reading of analog signals in 16-bit resolution, far exceeding the performance of 10-bit converters currently in widespread use. An on-chip reference voltage generator and reference voltage output pin enable the controller and converter to operate in a single-chip configuration, which lowers the component count and also lowers overall system cost.

The V850ES core that drives the V850ES/PM1 device delivers a compelling power/performance ratio of 2.8 milliwatts (mW) per million instructions per second (MIPS). Several low-power standby modes maximize battery life, while a low signal-to-noise ratio of 76 decibels (dB) ensures highly accurate measurements in target applications.

In addition, the V850ES/PM1 microcontroller uses a separate (*4) bus configuration supporting access speeds up to 10 megahertz (MHz) on an external bus, which enables high-speed data access and easy connection to external static random access memory (SRAM) and flash memory in systems that require a large number of parameters or data tables.

Samples of the V850ES/PM1 microcontroller with 128 kilobytes (KB) of mask read-only memory (MROM) and 10 KB of random access memory (RAM) in a 100-pin plastic low-profile quad flat package (LQFP) are scheduled for availability in February 2003. Volume production is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2003.

About NEC Electronics Corporation

NEC Electronics Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of NEC Corporation (NASDAQ: NIPNY) (FTSE: 6701q.l), one of the world's leading providers of Internet, broadband network and enterprise business solutions. NEC Electronics specializes in semiconductor products encompassing advanced technology solutions for the broadband and communications markets, system solutions for the mobile handsets, PC peripherals, automotive and digital consumer markets, and platform solutions for a wide range of customer applications. NEC Electronics Corporation has 24 subsidiaries worldwide including NEC Electronics America, Inc. and NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH. For additional information, visit the company's website

V850ES and V850ES/PM1 are either registered trademarks or trademarks of NEC Electronics Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other registered trademarks or trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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