"Semiconductors continue to replace traditional analog or mechanical systems in common consumer applications," said Shigenobu Ishikawa, general manager, Multipurpose Microcomputer Systems Division, 4th Systems Operations Unit, NEC Electronics Corporation. "Accordingly, NEC Electronics offers a range of low-cost, high-performance 8-bit microcontrollers to serve this growing market. The new 78K0/Lx2 family has a variety of features and peripherals that makes it ideal for consumer applications."

Each 78K0/Lx2 microcontroller features an integrated LCD driver/controller for powering displays with up to 160 segments. Integrating the display driver onto the controller reduces a system's component count and increases its reliability. The MCUs have from 16 to 128 kilobytes (KB) of flash memory and up to 7 KB of RAM. An in-application self-programming capability enables programs to be easily rewritten. With power consumption of 2.5 milliamps (mA) (compared to 7.6 mA in previous mask ROM products operating at 5 volts (V) and 10 megahertz (MHz), the 78K0/Lx2 MCUs still provide a fast wake-up time, typically only five microseconds from standby to full-speed operation. The 78K0/Lx2 MCUs also have a variety of peripherals designed to provide safe operation, including power-on-clear circuitry and low-voltage indicators. Operating voltages range from 1.8V to 5.5V.

All of the Lx2 series employ NEC Electronics' advanced 0.15-micron process technology and SuperFlash® technology licensed from Silicon Storage Technology, Inc. (SST).