Toshiba Begins Mass Production of TXZ+ Entry-Class M4L Motor Control Microcontrollers

Toshiba has begun mass production of the TXZ+™ Family Entry-Class M4L Group, a new series of Arm® Cortex®-M4 microcontrollers designed for single-motor control applications. Operating at up to 80 MHz with an integrated floating-point unit (FPU), the devices are available with 128 KB or 256 KB of code flash memory in four compact package options.

The M4L Group integrates dedicated motor control hardware, security features, functional safety support and firmware update capabilities on a single chip for applications including industrial equipment, factory automation systems, office equipment, home appliances and consumer products.

Dedicated Hardware for Motor Control

The new microcontrollers incorporate Toshiba's latest motor control hardware, including the Advanced Vector Engine (A-VE2), Advanced Programmable Motor Driver (A-PMD2) and Advanced Encoder (A-ENC2).

These hardware accelerators offload field-oriented control (FOC) processing from the CPU, reducing processor utilisation while leaving more processing resources available for application software.

An integrated overcurrent detection comparator can also be used for emergency motor shutdown, while a built-in 10 MHz oscillator with ±1% accuracy helps reduce the need for external components.

Flash Memory, Security and Functional Safety

Devices are available with either 128 KB or 256 KB of code flash memory.

The 256 KB variants feature a dual-bank flash architecture, allowing firmware to be updated while software continues to execute from the second flash bank, supporting firmware-over-the-air (FOTA) and remote firmware updates.

The 128 KB devices include 64 KB of data flash memory for storing configuration data and operating logs.

Security features include Chip Protection (CPRO), Secure Access Memory (SAM) and Non-Rewritable Flash Protection (NRFP), providing hardware support for protecting firmware, device memory and sensitive application data. Functional safety features include diagnostic functions for flash memory, RAM, ADCs and clock systems, with UL 60730 Class B certified software available for home appliance development.

Communication Interfaces and Peripherals

The M4L Group operates from a 2.7 V to 5.5 V supply, allowing use in both 3 V and 5 V systems. Devices are offered in 44-pin to 64-pin LQFP and VQFN packages. Integrated peripherals include UART, SPI, I²C and Serial Memory Interface (SMIF) connectivity alongside 12-bit ADCs, 8-bit DACs, comparators, DMA controllers, CRC hardware and timer functions, enabling direct connection to sensors, actuators and external memory devices.

Toshiba also provides documentation, sample software, peripheral drivers and evaluation hardware, including the Clicker 2 for TMPM4L4A evaluation board developed with MIKROE.

Learn more and read the original announcement at the Toshiba Electronics website.

Technology Overview

Field-oriented control (FOC) is a motor control technique that independently regulates motor torque and magnetic flux to achieve efficient, precise control of AC motors. Dedicated hardware accelerators can perform many of the mathematical calculations required for FOC, reducing CPU workload and improving real-time performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Toshiba TXZ+ Entry-Class M4L Group?

The TXZ+ Entry-Class M4L Group is a new family of Arm Cortex-M4 microcontrollers designed for single-motor control applications. The devices integrate dedicated motor control hardware, security features and functional safety support.

What motor control hardware is integrated?

The microcontrollers incorporate Toshiba's Advanced Vector Engine (A-VE2), Advanced Programmable Motor Driver (A-PMD2) and Advanced Encoder (A-ENC2) to accelerate field-oriented motor control.

What memory options are available?

The M4L Group is available with either 128 KB or 256 KB of code flash memory. The 256 KB devices support dual-bank flash for firmware updates during operation.