Security and IoT plus low power wireless added to dev kit line-up

Mouser has expanded its line-up of microcontroller development kits to include end-to-end IoT security, LPWAN, and automotive motor control features.

Microcontroller development kits provide a fast-track route for engineers to evaluate and prototype new embedded system designs. With the time-to-market pressures, engineering teams must speed up the architectural selection and initial design phases to keep projects on schedule. Engineers can swiftly assess device capabilities and demonstrate initial product features and functions using development kits, relevant software libraries, and code examples.

New development kit products highlighted include the following:

The Microchip Technology WBZ451 curiosity board delivers an effective prototyping platform for its WBZ451PE combined BLE and Zigbee 2.4GHz RF module. The board is powered from either a USB or Li-Po battery source and has a user LED, a user-configurable switch, and an RGB LED connected to a PWM output. This well-equipped board combines several other of the company's ICs, including the MCP73871 Li-ion/Li-Po battery charger, an MCP9700A low-power temperature sensor and an SST26VF064B 64-Mbit external QSPi flash memory. The onboard programmer employs its SAME70 microcontroller, and further sensors or peripheral ICs may be accommodated utilising the board's mikroBUS socket.

For prototyping LoRa LPWAN designs, the XCVR SX126x development board and reference design from Connected Development offers a cost-effective, proven, and pre-tested development platform for evaluating the Semtech SX126x sub-Ghz 915MHz transceiver. Accommodating various IoT use cases, from smart meters to agricultural sensors, LoRa provides an exceptional link budget of 170dB and programmable data rates from 62.5kbps up to 300kbps. The transceiver offers receive sensitivity down to -148dBm and a switchable TX power of +15dBm or +22dBm. The XCVR SX126x is packaged in an Arduino Uno shield form factor to ease prototyping. Software support includes employing Nordic Semiconductor devices (Zephyr and MBED) and the BG21 series of BLE SoCs from Silicon Labs.

Security has become a critical aspect of any IoT application, and the OPTIGA Trust M IoT security development kit from Infineon Technologies supplies embedded developers with the capability to evaluate and prototype end-to-end security for IoT-based use cases. Comprising the Infineon OPTIGA Trust M security IC, an Infineon PSoC 62 Arm Cortex-M4/M0+ microcontroller and an Infineon ARICOC CYW43012 low-power Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 wireless transceiver, the board is provided with two ready-to-use IoT security examples. Other use cases include IP protection, crypto offloading, and secured firmware updates can also be prototyped. Application examples comprise smart door locks, smart lighting, and industrial automation.

With the NXP Semiconductors MCSPTE1AK344 motor control development kit, automotive engineers can develop various BLDC and three-phase PMSM motor control applications. Based on the 32-bit Arm Cortex-M7 S32K3 microcontroller series and a functional safety FS26 system basis IC, designs compliant with ISO 26262 ASIL D can be created, such as active suspension, electric power train, eTurbo, and HVAC pumps. The kit includes a low voltage three-phase permanent magnet motor, current and position sensors.