Toshiba Begins Mass Production of Compact Microcontrollers with Arm® Cortex®‑M4 for Single Motor Control Applications
Kawasaki, Japan – Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation (“Toshiba”) has commenced mass production of the M4L Entry-Class TXZ+™ Family, a group of compact microcontrollers equipped with Arm® Cortex®‑M4 cores and a floating-point unit (FPU). These are intended for next-generation household appliances, consumer products, and industrial equipment.
With the increasing demand for energy efficiency, compact design, IoT connectivity, and improved maintainability in modern appliances, there is a growing need for motor control microcontrollers that offer high precision and reliability. Toshiba’s new products are specifically engineered for single motor control applications, integrating specialised motor control hardware, security functions, and functional safety measures into a single chip. By offloading motor control processing to dedicated hardware, CPU load is reduced, enabling highly efficient and precise motor control.
The microcontrollers are built on the Arm® Cortex®‑M4 core with FPU, operating at frequencies up to 80MHz. They support a supply voltage range of 2.7V to 5.5V, ensuring compatibility with existing 3V and 5V systems while providing high design flexibility. The series is available in four small package types ranging from 44 to 64 pins with two different memory configurations. The integration of a high-speed oscillator with ±1% accuracy and an overcurrent detection comparator for emergency motor shutdown reduces the need for external components and minimises circuit board area. Additionally, a low-power STOP2 mode supports battery-powered applications.
The 256KB models utilise dual-bank flash memory, allowing one program to run while another is being rewritten, which facilitates over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates without interrupting system operations. The 128KB models include 64KB of data flash memory for log storage and configuration management.
For enhanced security, the microcontrollers feature Chip Protection (CPRO), Secure Access Memory (SAM), and Non-rewritable Flash Protection (NRFP) to prevent unauthorised access and protect critical areas, which is vital for IoT devices. The microcontrollers also include versatile communication interfaces such as UART, SPI, I2C, and SMIF for external memory connectivity. Functional safety measures include anomaly detection in flash memory, RAM, ADC, and the clock system. Toshiba also provides certified software compliant with UL 60730 Class B, a functional safety standard for household appliances, to assist customers with the certification process.
Toshiba supports the evaluation and development process by providing product documentation, sample software, and driver software. The company will also launch evaluation boards and various development environments in collaboration with Arm® ecosystem partners to support customers from initial implementation through to mass production.