Current Consumption Simulator for RL78 MCU

Take Advantage of Simulator Functions

Renesas Electronics provides free “Current Consumption Calculator” & “Current Consumption Simulator” for RL78 microcontroller evaluations in battery powered equipment designs. The first tool is to estimate consumption current during specification planning, and the second is used to verify consumption current during software design & implementation. By evaluating the consumption current at each stage before prototype board is completed, the number design cycles can be reduced, and the risk of development schedule delay due to design mistakes can be cut down.

Power consumption is often a problem while developing battery powered equipment & power supply restricted device. We often hear cases such as “consumption current actual measured current exceeded the target value” which is due to insufficient estimation during the specification planning stage.

Low power consumption is usually required in embedded control machines, therefore, an overall understanding of system design & implementation becomes necessary. However, extensive prior experience is required in order to get to that level. Lack of experience may lead to ineffective power consumption evaluation and careless mistakes.

Especially for microcontrollers, consumption current will change by the behavior of installed software. In circumstances where hardware and software design are separated, the combined consumption current will be measured in the final stage of development. If the actual figure is higher than first estimated, it will take numerous man-hours just to match the consumption current value with the original estimated target.

In order to solve this type of problem, Renesas Electronics investigated the MCU current measurement method to imitate actual testing. Therefore the current estimation tool better facilitates the initial stage of development, such as specification planning.

To manage problems such as serious development schedule delays, Renesas Electronics provides free “Current Consumption Calculator” & “Current Consumption Simulator” for consumption current evaluation to RL78 microcontroller users.

For example, by using the Current Consumption Calculator, even novice designers with little experience can achieve smooth process specification planning (Fig 1). Since the required estimation information is confirmed, there is no need to worry about miscalculation. After cross checking the estimated result against spreadsheet software such as Excel, the user can proceed to the next procedure with confidence.

Figure 1: Still estimating consumption current by manual inputs to spreadsheet software? Why not use a dedicated tool?

Realize the Power Saving Features of RL78 Microcontrollers
Reduce Specification Goal Misses and System Configuration Errors by Using Our Web Tool

We will introduce the summary of RL78 microcontrollers, suitable for low power consumption devices & the merits of two new power-saving design support tools.

Details of Consumption Current Evaluation Method

Please watch below tutorial videos to have more ideas how to process evaluation using Current Consumption Calculator & Current Consumption Simulator.

1. Current Consumption Simulator for RL78 MCU