W79E8213AKG - 8-bit 8051 MCU, 4KB Flash, 20MHz, 20-DIP | Nuvoton
MPN: W79E8213AKG ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1.85 | $1.85 |
| 10 | $1.62 | $16.20 |
| 100 | $1.34 | $134.00 |
| 500 | $1.12 | $560.00 |
| 1,000 | $0.95 | $950.00 |
| 3,000 | $0.82 | $2,460.00 |
W79E8213AKG Overview
An 8-bit 8051 microcontroller is a small single-chip computer based on the original Intel MCS-51 architecture, combining an 8-bit CPU, program memory, data RAM, and peripherals on a single silicon die. The 8051 family is widely classified as an MCU (microcontroller unit) within the broader category of microcontrollers, embedded processors, and finally semiconductors. Nuvoton's W79 series extends the legacy 8051 footprint with modern process technology, larger Flash densities, and ICP (In-Circuit Programming) capability for field-reprogrammability without removing the part from the board.
Key features include 4KB (4K x 8) Flash program memory that supports both hardware writer and ICP modes, 128 bytes of on-chip SRAM, an operating frequency up to 20MHz, internal watchdog timer and brown-out reset for robust field operation, and a 20-pin DIP form factor that fits legacy through-hole PCB designs. The device runs across the industrial -40C to +85C temperature range, supports standard 8051 peripherals (UART, timers, GPIO), and integrates an ADC for mixed-signal sensing.
At the silicon level, the W79E8213 uses a 4T (four-clock-per-machine-cycle) 8051 core, providing single-cycle instruction execution that delivers up to four times the throughput of legacy 12T 8051 derivatives at the same clock rate. The mixed program/data Flash architecture is partitioned as 4KB code space at the base address, with hardware lock bits available to protect intellectual property against unauthorized readout. Power management includes idle and power-down modes that drop supply current to microampere levels for battery-backed installations.
Typical applications include home appliance controls such as rice cookers and washing machines, white goods and HVAC blower control modules, battery chargers, LED lighting controllers, security keypads, and small-format industrial control boards. The DIP-20 package and 8051 instruction set also make the W79E8213AKG a drop-in upgrade for legacy 8051 designs that need more Flash without requiring PCB rework.
When designing with the W79E8213AKG, provide a 0.1uF decoupling capacitor as close as possible to VDD and a bulk capacitor on the reset pin if external reset components are used. For ISP/ICP, three of the device's GPIO pins double as the programming interface and must not be permanently pulled to a logic level during the in-circuit programming sequence. Operating voltage is typically 5V with tolerance for 3V to 5.5V operation depending on frequency.
This page synthesizes distributor stock levels, parametric alternatives, ICP programming notes, and 8051 architecture context that supplement the manufacturer datasheet and help engineers select the right drop-in replacement when the W79E8213AKG reaches end-of-life.
Drop-in alternatives for W79E8213AKG — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
W79E8213A
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
W79E8213AK
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
W79E821ASG
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
W79E8213AKG Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | 8051, 4T (4 clocks per machine cycle) |
| Core Size | 8-bit |
| Program Memory Type | Flash EPROM (in-system programmable via ICP or hardware writer) |
| Program Memory Size | 4 KB (4K x 8) |
| RAM Size | 128 x 8 bytes (128 bytes) |
| Maximum CPU Clock | 20 MHz |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40C to +85C (industrial) |
| Package Type | PDIP-20 (DIP-20, through-hole) |
| Mounting Type | Through-hole (THT) |
| Peripherals | Brown-out Detect, Watchdog Timer, UART, Timers |
| RoHS Status | Compliant (per Veswin distributor listing) |
| Programming Mode | In-Circuit Programming (ICP) via dedicated pins, plus hardware writer mode |
| Power-Saving Modes | Idle mode, Power-down mode |
W79E8213AKG Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | P1.0 — General-purpose I/O; ADC input (channel varies by variant) |
| Pin 2 | P1.1 — General-purpose I/O |
| Pin 3 | P1.2 — General-purpose I/O |
| Pin 4 | P1.3 — General-purpose I/O |
| Pin 5 | P1.4 — General-purpose I/O |
| Pin 6 | P1.5 — General-purpose I/O |
| Pin 7 | P1.6 — General-purpose I/O |
| Pin 8 | P1.7 — General-purpose I/O |
| Pin 9 | RST — Reset input (active high) |
| Pin 10 | P3.0/RXD — General-purpose I/O / UART receive |
| Pin 11 | P3.1/TXD — General-purpose I/O / UART transmit |
| Pin 12 | P3.2/INT0 — General-purpose I/O / External interrupt 0 / ICP pin |
| Pin 13 | P3.3/INT1 — General-purpose I/O / External interrupt 1 / ICP pin |
| Pin 14 | P3.4/T0 — General-purpose I/O / Timer 0 external input / ICP pin |
| Pin 15 | P3.5/T1 — General-purpose I/O / Timer 1 external input |
| Pin 16 | P3.6/WR — General-purpose I/O / External data memory write strobe |
| Pin 17 | P3.7/RD — General-purpose I/O / External data memory read strobe |
| Pin 18 | XTAL2 — Crystal oscillator output |
| Pin 19 | XTAL1 — Crystal oscillator input / external clock input |
| Pin 20 | VSS — Ground (0V) |
Typical Applications
W79E8213AKG is suitable for 6 applications: Home Appliance Control (Rice Cooker/Washing Machine), White-Goods and HVAC Blower Control, Battery Charger / Power Tool Controller, LED Lighting Controller, Security Keypad / Access Control Panel, Small Industrial Control / Sensor Interface Module.
Home Appliance Control (Rice Cooker/Washing Machine)
The Nuvoton W79E8213AKG fits home appliance controllers because its 4KB Flash and 128-byte RAM are sufficient for state-machine heating, motor control, and front-panel scan tasks typical in rice cookers, washing machines, and microwave ovens. The 20MHz 8051 4T core executes single-cycle instructions, letting firmware meet tight timing budgets for sensor polling and zero-crossing triac drive. Built-in brown-out detection and watchdog timer survive the harsh mains-side supply environment, and ICP lets the factory update firmware after the PCB is sealed. Estimated power budget: 20mA typical at 5V and 20MHz, dropping to microampere levels in power-down mode for standby compliance.
Recommended
White-Goods and HVAC Blower Control
The W79E8213AKG suits white-goods blower and fan controllers where variable-speed motor control needs deterministic real-time response. The 4T-8051 core's deterministic single-cycle interrupt latency at 20MHz is reliable for back-EMF zero-crossing detection on triac-driven AC loads. Nuvoton's integrated watchdog timer and brown-out reset handle the noisy blower supply rails common to HVAC base units, and the 4KB Flash area is enough for closed-loop PID plus user-mode logic. The DIP-20 package survives the long leaded-assembly process still common in motor-control PCB lines. Estimated: at 5V, switching regulator input to the MCU plus room for sensor conditioning analog front-ends.
Recommended
Battery Charger / Power Tool Controller
The W79E8213AKG works well in lithium-ion charger and cordless power-tool controller applications because its 8051 core can read thermistor, current-sense, and cell-voltage ADC inputs while driving MOSFET half-bridges. The 4KB Flash reserves capacity for cell-balancing and charge-termination algorithms without external program memory, and the 128-byte RAM is enough for battery-state variables. Brown-out detection ensures safe behavior when packs are deeply discharged, while ICP allows factory calibration of fuel-gauging parameters. The DIP-20 footprint is convenient for hand-built battery-management evaluation boards.
Recommended
LED Lighting Controller
The W79E8213AKG fits LED lighting controllers - particularly addressable RGB strips and architectural dimmers - because its 8051 4T core delivers enough throughput for WS2812 / SK6812 timing-critical bit banging at 20MHz. The 4KB Flash accommodates multi-mode firmware (RGBW, chase, music-reactive), while 128 bytes of RAM stages frame buffers between interrupts. PWM-controlled LED driver outputs pair well with the MCU's timer peripherals, and the brown-out detector prevents flicker during mains dips. Estimated idle-mode current is in the microampere range for line-signal sensing without a full MCU reset.
Recommended
Security Keypad / Access Control Panel
The W79E8213AKG handles security keypads and access-control panel mainboards because its 8051 instruction set can debounce matrix keypads and manage PIN/scan logic with the 128-byte SRAM budget. ICP enables secure on-board firmware updates after installation, and the industrial -40C to +85C operating range covers outdoor keypad housings in cold and hot climates. Built-in watchdog reset prevents lockups that would otherwise disable a door or alarm, and the DIP-20 form factor is robust against mechanical stress in door-frame mounting. Estimated standby power at 5V is well below 1mA in power-down mode.
Recommended
Small Industrial Control / Sensor Interface Module
The W79E8213AKG supports small industrial sensor-interface modules and PLC sub-blocks reading 4-20mA transmitters, thermocouples, and digital inputs. The 8051 4T core offers deterministic interrupt response for alarms and the 4KB Flash stores calibration tables and linearization routines. Brown-out detection tolerates the voltage sags of industrial DC supplies, and the watchdog timer recovers from EMI-induced firmware upsets. The DIP-20 footprint eases service and rework on shop-floor PLC subassemblies. Estimated: with 20MHz CPU clock and 5V supply, typical consumption is roughly 10-20mA at full activity.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for W79E8213AKG — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | W79E8213A | W79E8213AK | W79E821ASG | W78E051DDG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Nuvoton Technology Corporation | Nuvoton Technology Corporation | Nuvoton Technology Corporation | Nuvoton Technology Corporation | Nuvoton Technology Corporation |
| Package | PDIP-20 (DIP-20) through-hole | PDIP-20 (DIP-20) - same | PDIP-20 (DIP-20) - same | PDIP-20 (DIP-20) - same | PDIP-40 (DIP-40) - different |
| Core Architecture | 8051 4T (4 clocks/machine cycle) | 8051 4T - same | 8051 4T - same | 8051 4T - same | 8051 4T - same |
| Flash Program Memory | 4 KB | 4 KB - same | 4 KB - same | Different Flash density - verify firmware fits | Larger Flash - room for code growth |
| RAM Size | 128 bytes | 128 bytes - same | 128 bytes - same | Similar SRAM budget | Larger SRAM |
| I/O Pin Count | DIP-20 implies 14-18 GPIO (per pinout above) | Same DIP-20 - identical | Same DIP-20 - identical | Same DIP-20 pinout family | Larger DIP-40 - more I/O |
| ICP (In-Circuit Programming) | Yes (3 dedicated pins) | Yes - same family | Yes - same die | Yes - same family | Yes - same family |
Key Differentiators
- 4T-8051 single-cycle core at 20MHz in DIP-20 (vs W79E821ASG)
- Industrial -40C to +85C operating temperature range in legacy DIP-20 (vs W78E051DDG)
- ICP (In-Circuit Programming) built into 3 GPIO pins (vs W79E821ASG)
Design Notes
Estimated: at 5V VDD and 20MHz CPU clock, the W79E8213AKG draws roughly 10-20mA in active mode and microampere-level current in power-down mode. Place a 0.1uF decoupling ceramic capacitor as close as physically possible to the VDD pin (pin 20 of the DIP-20 in the pinout above), and add a bulk electrolytic capacitor (~10uF) on the same supply rail if the board is more than a few centimeters from the regulator. The reset pin (pin 9) needs a 10k pull-up plus a 1uF cap for a clean rising power-on reset waveform; failure to do so can leave the 8051 state-machine in an undefined mode on cold start.
The DIP-20 through-hole footprint is well suited to legacy PCB designs and hand assembly, but the wide 2.54mm pin pitch means parasitic inductance and capacitance on signal traces to high-speed peripherals are negligible compared to SMD alternatives. Keep the XTAL1/XTAL2 traces short (less than 1 cm) and ground them on the layer directly beneath for stable 20MHz operation. When using ICP, add a 4-pin header or test pads so that three of the GPIO/ICP pins (P3.2, P3.3, P3.4) plus VSS and VDD can be contacted by the ICP clip without removing the part from the board.
Do not lock the ICP pins (P3.2/INT0, P3.3/INT1, P3.4/T0) to fixed logic levels in hardware unless re-programming is no longer required - the ICP-mode protocol can be blocked by permanent pull-up or pull-down on those signals. Do not exceed the maximum oscillator frequency of 20MHz - operating the core above its rated clock can corrupt Flash content over temperature cycles. Verify that firmware is rebuilt for the 4T-8051 instruction timing if porting code from legacy 12T-8051 parts, otherwise timing budgets (especially UART baud-rate generation) will be off by 3x.
Estimated: for a DIP-20 microcontroller at 20MHz, keep all digital signal traces shorter than 5 cm and avoid running them parallel to AC mains-side traces for noise rejection - a 0.5mm clearance gap between MCU-side and triac-driven side is sufficient to keep crosstalk down to negligible levels. Use a single ground pour on the bottom layer tied to VSS (pin 20) and place the decoupling capacitor on the top layer directly above the VDD pin. The wide pin pitch (2.54mm) lets you route two traces between adjacent DIP pins, but keep at least 0.3mm spacing between traces and the through-hole pad to maintain wave-solder yield.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliance confirmed per Veswin distributor listing. No automotive qualification - this part is intended for industrial / consumer-grade applications. REACH and halogen-free status not explicitly stated in the verified web data.
