Dusseldorf, December 11, 2013 — Renesas Electronics Europe, a premier provider of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced that it has certified the well-established KNX stack from Tapko Technologies to operate with its entire line-up of RL78 microcontrollers. KNX is a communications protocol for home and building automation, mainly used at the field level, in various segments like lighting, heating and ventilation, security and domotic applications. The strength of KNX is the ability to ensure full interoperability between different manufacturers by certifying the product prior to its introduction into the market. Companies interested in testing the KNX stack with Renesas RL78 MCUs can order the KAI Demo RL78 Evaluation Kit from Tapko Technologies.
All manufacturers are required to ensure compliance with the IEC standards defining the KNX communication protocols. KNX communication can be wired (for example, with a twisted pair bus) or wireless using transmission in the sub-GHz band.
Tapko's expertise in KNX spans more than 20 years. The company provides the full stack to designers, significantly reducing the required resource and time to market, while ensuring that the end product passes certification without issue. As well as providing the stack, Tapko can also provide support on integrating the stack within the developer's application. Tapko was also recently accredited as a KNX certification laboratory.
The use of microcontrollers in building and home automation applications is increasing, in order to meet requirements for more intelligence, more communication, and higher energy efficiency. The RL78 line-up of microcontrollers is the perfect fit for applications like detectors, small actuators, thermostats and temperature sensors. It consists of a wide family of 16-bit microcontrollers with many package, memory and peripheral options available, all featuring true low power performance. The new version 2.0 of KAIstack, Tapko’s KNX stack, utilises low power modes to support ultra-low power KNX-based systems, such as battery-driven devices, and enable truly “green” KNX-based systems. This means that RL78 is not only the ideal platform for applications requiring compact packages and ultra-low power operation, such as battery-powered detectors or sensors, but also responds to other requirements. These include thermostats and keypads needing larger packages and the performance to drive dot matrix or segment displays. Applications like lighting and motor control also benefit from the unique dedicated peripherals and features of the RL78 family. With the certification of the RL78, all these products can run the KNX stack using the many KNX transceiver options available on the market, combining communication and the application.
The KAI Demo RL78 evaluation kit is available now from Tapko Technologies. The hardware can be connected to any KNX bus via the standard connectors.
More information about the KNX stack for RL78 is available from Renesas Electronics Europe or Tapko Technologies.
About Tapko Technologies
Tapko Technologies GmbH was established in October 1999 by Klaus Adler and Petar Tomic who were part of the original development group of EIB over 2 decades ago.
The principal office is located in Regensburg, South Germany. The main business area is building automation. Tapko is full KNX Member and ISO 9001/2008 certified.
With its partner APRICUM d.o.o., Tapko has been building a constantly growing manufacturing place for innovative KNX products since 2001. APRICUM d.o.o. is located in Split, Croatia, and is under the leadership of Olivera Tomic.
In May 2011 Christian Gossé and Tapko established TAPKO GOSSÉ & TECH. This fast developing company with location in Mutzig, near Strasbourg in France, is managed by Christian Gossé. He has done a significant contribution to the KNX specification and is one of the fathers of KNX-RF. TAPKO GOSSÉ & TECH is specialised in KNX-RF products with a long lasting experience in industrial product development.
About Renesas Electronics Europe
Renesas delivers trusted embedded design innovation with complete semiconductor solutions that enable billions of connected, intelligent devices to enhance the way people work and live – securely and safely. As the number one global supplier of microcontrollers, and a leader in A&P and SoC products, Renesas provides the expertise, quality, and comprehensive solutions for a broad range of Automotive, Industrial, Home Electronics (HE), Office Automation (OA) and Information Communication Technology (ICT) applications to help shape a limitless future.
Renesas Electronics Corporation was established in 2010 and is headquartered in Japan.With over 800 hardware and software alliance partners worldwide, it has the industry’s largest local support network. Renesas Electronics’ European structure is comprised of three business units – the Automotive, the Broad-based and the Industrial Solution Business Unit.
Further information about Renesas Electronics Europe is available at www.renesas.com.
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