Starter kits for memory-rich, energy-efficient apps

Energy Micro has unleashed two feature-rich starter kits (STKs) aimed at designers building more complex battery-powered products such as portable health and fitness devices and smart accessories. Based on the EFM32 Leopard Gecko and Giant Gecko MCUs, the STKs integrate onboard debug and current probe functionality, and features needed to demo the Gecko MCUs' 400nA sleep modes and 1MB built-in flash memory, said the company.

The two EFM32 starter kits support the most memory rich devices within the 240-strong ARM Cortex-M EFM32 Gecko family. Including full SEGGER J-Link support, the kits are the first products to feature the enhanced version of Energy Micro's real-time current probe, the energyAware profiler, boasted the company. The Advanced Energy Monitoring system (AEM) ensures that current data can be viewed with improved accuracy and 100 times faster than earlier versions, eliminating the need to connect external instruments to find current drains.

The EFM32-GGSTK3700 is based on the EFM32GG990F1024, which Energy Micro said is the industry's only energy-friendly MCU with 1MB on-chip flash and 128KB RAM, while the EFM32LG-STK3600 is fitted with a 256KB EFM32LG990F256 device. The range of memory options gives designers the opportunity to implement complex embedded designs while maintaining best in class energy efficiency, noted the company. Both the Leopard Gecko and Giant Gecko MCU can directly control a TFT display and feature a USB driver that supports the Host, Device and On-the-Go (OTG) protocols.

The EFM32 Leopard Gecko and Giant Gecko STKs are additionally equipped with light, metal and touch sensors. Energy Micro added that these enable designers to investigate Gecko?s unique LESENSE Low Energy Sensor interface that allows passive sensing of 16 sensors without host CPU intervention. The hardware feature set is completed by a USB plug, 32MB on-board NAND flash, LCD and a range of LEDs and push-buttons.

All Energy Micro development kits are supported by Simplicity Studio. This free EFM32 development software suite includes all the latest documentation, examples, software and drivers for Gecko designers. With the EFM32 Leopard- and Giant Gecko MCUs running in full production, the EFM32GG-STK3700 and EFM32LG-STK3600 starter kits are available for orders, priced at $79 each.