TOKYO -- Toshiba Corporation today announced the introduction of two new 16-bit microcontroller units (MCU) that provide 5 serial data input/output (I/O) channels for processing signals from sub-systems of electrical equipment. The new chips are designed to provide the core of portable electric equipment offering multiple functions: they remove the need for a dedicated I/O peripheral IC for each function, enabling more space-conscious, low cost system design.

The functionality of portable information and communications equipment is constantly increasing. For example, soon-to-be-seen cellular phones can be expected to offer such functions as data transmission, user identification (users insert an ID card into a slot in order to use the terminal), and dedicated memory ICs for storing names and addresses. While the data for each function has to be processed separately, use of Toshiba's new microcontrollers will remove the need for separate, dedicated I/O peripheral ICs for each one, and give customers the freedom to develop more compact, less expensive systems.

The new TMP93PW46F (OTP type) and TMP93CW46F (Mask ROM type) utilize 4 channels for both clocked-synchronous serial and UART (universal asynchronous receiver and transmitter) data transmission, and one channel for dedicated UART data transmission. They attain a high speed operating frequency of 12.5MHz operating at 2.7V, making them suitable for battery-powered portable information and communications equipment.

Sample shipment of TMP93PW will start today at a sample price of 2,500yen. TMP93CW will be sampled at a price of 1,000yen. Mass production of TMP93PW will start in April 1996 at a monthly production level of 10,000, that of the TMP93CW in August 1996 at a level of 250,000.