The device includes an ISO7816-3 interface and integrates both DC/DC converter and LDO functions within the microcontroller, allowing it to support card voltages of 1.8V, 3V and 5V. The ISO7816-3 interface meets both the international EMV 4.3 certification and the China PBOC 3.0 Contact Level 1 certification allowing it to be used in a wide range of smart card reader microcontroller based applications.

The internal high precision 32.768kHz RTC oscillator has a very low standby current making this device suitable for battery powered products.

Some of the other special characteristics of this new device can be seen in its industrial quality specification -40℃~85℃ operating temperature range, its 2.2V~5.5V operating voltage range, a 16K word Program Memory capacity, a 1280 byte SRAM Data Memory capacity, integrated ADC, DAC and PWM functions, a high accuracy internal HIRC oscillator as well as power down and fast wake-up functions.

The device also includes a UART communication interface, dual SPI functions, dual I²C (Slave) functions providing users with maximum flexibility. The device provides a wide range of oscillators including HXT, ERC, HIRC, LXT(32.768kHz Crystal) and LIRC, and allows the system frequency to be dynamically switched between fast and slow using internal control registers to optimise both performance and power.

The ISO7816-3 interface provides card insertion and extraction detection. The extremely low standby current specification provides significant advantages in the critical area of battery life extension.

The smart card reader MCU can be applied in many kinds of smart card readers including network ATM card readers, POS machines, user authentication cards such as identity cards, social security cards, medicare cards, transportation cards as well as other identification cards etc. These features together offer a new highly competitive MCU device with superior functions and characteristics as well as competitive pricing.

With regard to development support for this new device, Holtek supplies a full suite of hardware and software tools. Known as the HT-IDE3000, this windows based system includes a real time hardware In-Circuit Emulator with full trace analysis features as well as many other functions. Along with application guides, these support facilities ensure that designers have to hand all the resources required for rapid and efficient product development and debug.