Renesas has recently introduced the RA4L1 ultra-low-power Arm Cortex-M33 MCU family along with two evaluation/development boards. This new lineup consists of 14 ultra-low-power devices based on an 80 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 processor with TrustZone support and designed for metering, IoT sensing, smart locks, digital cameras, and human-machine interface (HMI) applications.
The RA4L1 MCU family offers high power efficiency at 168 µA/MHz while active and a standby current of 1.70 µA while retaining SRAM. Additionally, they support segment LCD, capacitive touch, USB-FS, CAN FD, low-power UART, multiple serial interfaces (SPI, QSPI, I2C, I3C, SSI), ADC, DAC, real-time clock, and security features like the RSIP security engine with TRNG, AES, ECC, and Hash.
Renesas RA4L1 microcontroller
Renesas RA4L1 specifications
- MCU core
- Arm Cortex-M33 core (Armv8-M) Up to 80 MHz operating frequency
- Arm Memory Protection Unit (MPU)
- 8 secure regions (MPU_S)
- 8 non-secure regions (MPU_NS)
- CoreSight ETM-M33
- Dual SysTick timers (secure & non-secure)
- Memory – 64 KB SRAM
- Storage
- 256 or 512 KB dual-bank code flash
- 8 KB data flash (100K P/E cycles)
- Human Machine Interface (HMI)
- Capacitive Touch Sensing Unit (CTSU)
- Segment LCD Controller (SLCDC)
- Peripherals
- 5V tolerant GPIOs with open-drain, pull-up inputs
- UART, SPI, CAN FD, I2C, I3C, IrDA interface, QSPI
- Analog
- 1x 12-bit ADC
- 1x 12-bit DAC
- 2x Low-power analog comparators
- Timers
- 2x 32-bit PWM timers (GPT32)
- 4x 16-bit PWM timers (GPT16)
- 2x Low-power AGT timers
- Audio – 1x SSIE (Serial Sound Interface Enhanced)
- Security
- Renesas Secure IP (RSIP-E11A)
- AES, ECC, SHA-224, SHA-256
- 128-bit unique ID
- Arm TrustZone – Flash, SRAM, and peripheral security control
- Device lifecycle management
- Up to 3 tamper pins
- Secure pin multiplexing
- Renesas Secure IP (RSIP-E11A)
- Misc
- Temperature sensor
- RTC
- Watchdog Timer (WDT), Independent WDT
- Event Link Controller (ELC)
- Data Transfer Controller (DTC)
- 8-channel DMA
- Power-on reset, Low Voltage Detection (LVD)
- Low power modes
- PLL
- clock-out support
- Supply Voltage – 1.6V to 3.6V
- Package
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- LQFP – 100-pin (14×14 mm), 64-pin (10×10 mm), 48-pin (7×7 mm)
- QFN – 48-pin (7×7 mm)
- BGA – 100-pin (7×7 mm), 64-pin (5.5×5.5 mm)
- WLCSP – 72-pin (3.64×4.28 mm)
-
- Operating Temperature – -40°C to +125°C
The Renesas RA4L1 ultra-low-power MCUs are supported by the Renesas Flexible Software Package (FSP), which includes board support packages, peripheral drivers, middleware, and connectivity stacks. It also includes TrustZone support for secure execution and reference software for AI, motor control, and cloud applications. The FSP enables migration between RA2, RA4, and RA6 series MCUs and supports multiple RTOS options such as Azure RTOS and FreeRTOS. Development tools include Renesas e² studio, CS+, and Renesas Flash Programmer for firmware development and debugging.
Renesas RA4L1 evaluation kits
To make the development process easier, the company provides EK-RA4L1 and RTK0EG0057S01001BJ development kits. The EK-RA4L1 evaluation kit is based on the R7FA4L1BD4CFP MCU with 512KB of flash memory and 64KB of SRAM, and offers multiple connectivity options like USB Full Speed, CAN-FD, and expansion headers for popular ecosystems like Arduino, SparkFun Qwiic, and Digilent Pmod.
The board also includes a 32MB external Quad-SPI flash, multiple clock sources, and precision current measurement points for low-power applications. It supports three debug modes via SWD, SWO, and JTAG, and comes pre-loaded with a Quick Start example project for easy evaluation. The kit also includes a segment LCD board, user-configurable buttons and LEDs, and various power input options, making it a flexible platform for prototyping and custom hardware development.
The RTK0EG0057S01001BJ Capacitive Touch Evaluation System is designed for the evaluation of Renesas RA4L1 Group’s CTSU2 capacitive touch sensors. It includes two boards, the RA4L1 Cap Touch CPU board, featuring the R7FA4L1BD4CFP MCU, and the capacitive touch application board with self-capacitance touch electrodes (3 buttons, 1 wheel, 1 slider) and 16 LEDs. The CPU board features a USB Type-C port with J-Link OB, a 10-pin SWD interface, multiple Pmod interfaces, and GPIO/CTSU interfaces via pin headers.
It operates at 3.3V–5.0V, powered via a DC jack (5.5×2.1mm) or USB bus power (5V). Clock sources include an on-chip oscillator, an optional 16 MHz ceramic resonator, and a 32.768KHz subclock crystal. Additional features include power selection, MCU reset/boot switches, J-Link OB reset, user push switches, and user LEDs. The system allows real-time sensitivity adjustment using QE for Capacitive Touch and GUI-based development with automatic source code generation.
Availability and price
Renesas RA4L1 ultra-low-power Arm Cortex-M33 MCUs can be found on Digikey, Avnet, and other distributors. The R7FA4L1BD4CFP#BA0 – the most powerful and feature-rich part – costs $5.01 on Digikey for 720 pieces order. Neither development board appears to be available for purchase at the time of writing. Check out the product page and the press release for additional information.
Debashis Das is a technical content writer and embedded engineer with over five years of experience in the industry. With expertise in Embedded C, PCB Design, and SEO optimization, he effectively blends difficult technical topics with clear communication
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