Silicon Laboratories EFR32xG21 User Manual
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Silicon Laboratories EFR32xG21 User Manual

Efr32xg21 2.4 ghz 10 dbm wireless starter kit
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UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm
Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide
A Wireless Starter Kit with the BRD4181B Radio Board is an ex-
cellent starting point to get familiar with the EFR32™ Wireless
Gecko Wireless System-on-Chip. It also provides all necessary
tools for developing a Silicon Labs wireless application.
BRD4181B is a plug-in board for the Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard. It is a complete ref-
erence design for the EFR32xG21 Wireless SoC, with matching network and a PCB an-
tenna for 10 dBm output power in the 2.4 GHz band.
The Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard contains an on-board J-Link debugger with a Packet
Trace Interface and a Virtual COM port, enabling application development and debug-
ging of the attached radio board as well as external hardware. The mainboard also con-
tains sensors and peripherals for easy demonstration of some of the EFR32's many ca-
pabilities.
This document describes how to use the BRD4181B Radio Board together with a Wire-
less Starter Kit Mainboard.
silabs.com | Building a more connected world.
BRD4181B RADIO BOARD FEATURES
• EFR32xG21 Wireless Gecko Wireless
SoC with 1024 kB Flash and 96 kB RAM
(EFR32MG21A010F1024IM32).
• Inverted-F PCB antenna (2.4 GHz band)
• 2x user color LEDs (red and green)
WIRELESS STK MAINBOARD FEATURES
• Advanced Energy Monitor
• Packet Trace Interface
• Virtual COM port
• SEGGER J-Link on-board debugger
• External device debugging
• Ethernet and USB connectivity
• Low power 128x128 pixel Memory LCD-
TFT
• User LEDs / pushbuttons
• 20-pin 2.54 mm EXP header
• Breakout pads for Wireless SoC I/O
• CR2032 coin cell battery support
SOFTWARE SUPPORT
• Simplicity Studio™
• Energy Profiler
• Network Analyzer
ORDERING INFORMATION
• SLWSTK6006A
• SLWSTK6023A
• SLWRB4181B
Rev. 1.0

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Summary of Contents for Silicon Laboratories EFR32xG21

  • Page 1 BRD4181B is a plug-in board for the Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard. It is a complete ref- • Inverted-F PCB antenna (2.4 GHz band) erence design for the EFR32xG21 Wireless SoC, with matching network and a PCB an- • 2x user color LEDs (red and green) tenna for 10 dBm output power in the 2.4 GHz band.

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents 1. Introduction ....... . 4 1.1 Radio Boards ......4 1.2 Ordering Information .
  • Page 3 6.2.4 Troubleshooting ......23 7. Advanced Energy Monitor ......7.1 Introduction .

  • Page 4: Introduction

    1. Introduction The EFR32xG21 Wireless Gecko Wireless SoC is featured on a radio board that plugs directly into a Wireless Starter Kit (WSTK) Main- board. The mainboard features several tools for easy evaluation and development of wireless applications. An on-board J-Link debug- ger enables programming and debugging on the target device over USB or Ethernet.

  • Page 5: Hardware Overview

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Hardware Overview 2. Hardware Overview 2.1 Hardware Layout The layout of the EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit is shown in the figure below. Radio Board Breakout Pads Plug-in Radio Board Si7021 Humidity and...

  • Page 6: Block Diagram

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Hardware Overview 2.2 Block Diagram An overview of the EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit is shown in the figure below. Board USB Mini-B Controller RJ-45 Ethernet...

  • Page 7: Connectors

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Connectors 3. Connectors This chapter gives you an overview of the Wireless STK Mainboard connectivity. The placement of the connectors are shown in the figure below. Ethernet Connector J-Link USB...

  • Page 8: Breakout Pads

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Connectors 3.3 Breakout Pads Most pins of the EFR32 are routed from the radio board to breakout pads at the top and bottom edges of the Wireless STK Mainboard.

  • Page 9: Exp Header

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Connectors 3.4 EXP Header The EXP header is an angled 20-pin expansion header provided to allow connection of peripherals or plugin boards to the kit. It is loca- ted on the right-hand side of the mainboard, and it contains a number of I/O pins that can be used with most of the EFR32 Wireless Gecko's features.

  • Page 10: Exp Header Pinout

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Connectors 3.4.1 EXP Header Pinout The pin-routing on the EFR32 is very flexible, so most peripherals can be routed to any pin. However, many pins are shared between the EXP header and other functions on the Wireless STK Mainboard. The table below includes an overview of the mainboard features that share pins with the EXP header.

  • Page 11: Debug Connector

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Connectors 3.5 Debug Connector The debug connector serves multiple purposes based on the "debug mode" setting which can be configured in Simplicity Studio. When the debug mode is set to "Debug IN", the debug connector can be used to connect an external debugger to the EFR32 on the radio board.

  • Page 12: Simplicity Connector

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Connectors 3.6 Simplicity Connector The Simplicity Connector enables the advanced debugging features, such as the AEM, the virtual COM port, and the Packet Trace Interface, to be used towards an external target. The pinout is illustrated in the figure below.

  • Page 13: Debug Adapter

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Connectors 3.7 Debug Adapter The BRD8010A STK/WSTK Debug Adapter is an adapter board which plugs directly into the debug connector and the Simplicity Con- nector on the mainboard. It combines selected functionality from the two connectors to a smaller footprint 10-pin connector, which is more suitable for space constrained designs.

  • Page 14: Power Supply And Reset

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Power Supply and Reset 4. Power Supply and Reset 4.1 Radio Board Power Selection The EFR32 on a Wireless Starter Kit can be powered by one of these sources: •...

  • Page 15: Efr32 Reset

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Power Supply and Reset 4.3 EFR32 Reset The EFR32 Wireless SoC can be reset by a few different sources: • A user pressing the RESET button • The on-board debugger pulling the #RESET pin low •...

  • Page 16: Peripherals

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Peripherals 5. Peripherals The starter kit has a set of peripherals that showcase some of the features of the EFR32. Be aware that most EFR32 I/O routed to peripherals are also routed to the breakout pads or the EXP header. This must be taken into consideration when using these.

  • Page 17: Memory Lcd-Tft Display

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Peripherals 5.2 Memory LCD-TFT Display A 1.28-inch SHARP Memory LCD-TFT is available on the kit to enable interactive applications to be developed. The display has a high resolution of 128 x 128 pixels and consumes very little power. It is a reflective monochrome display, so each pixel can only be light or dark, and no backlight is needed in normal daylight conditions.

  • Page 18: Virtual Com Port

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Peripherals 5.3 Virtual COM Port An asynchronous serial connection to the board controller is provided for application data transfer between a host PC and the target EFR32. This eliminates the need for an external serial port adapter.

  • Page 19: Host Interfaces

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Peripherals 5.3.1 Host Interfaces Data can be exchanged between the board controller and the target device through the VCOM interface, which is then available to the user in two different ways: •...

  • Page 20: Hardware Handshake

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Peripherals 5.3.3 Hardware Handshake The VCOM peripheral supports basic RTS/CTS flow control. VCOM_CTS (target clear to send) is a signal that is output from the board controller and input to the target device. The board controller de-asserts this pin whenever its input buffer is full and it is unable to accept more data from the target device.

  • Page 21: Board Controller

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Board Controller 6. Board Controller The Wireless STK Mainboard contains a dedicated microcontroller for some of the advanced kit features provided. This microcontroller is referred to as the board controller and is not programmable by the user. The board controller acts as an interface between the host PC and the target device on the radio board, as well as handling some housekeeping functions on the board.

  • Page 22: Command Examples

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Board Controller 6.1.3 Command Examples PTI Configuration pti config 0 efruart 1600000 Configures PTI to use the "EFRUART" mode at 1.6 Mb/s. Serial Port Configuration serial config vcom handshake enable Enables hardware handshake on the VCOM UART connection.

  • Page 23: Troubleshooting

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Board Controller 6.2.4 Troubleshooting Problem Solution No data received after ending a After certain debugger operations the host computer manually disables SWO on the target in order debug session.

  • Page 24: Advanced Energy Monitor

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Advanced Energy Monitor 7. Advanced Energy Monitor 7.1 Introduction Any embedded developer seeking to make their embedded code spend as little energy as the underlying architecture supports needs tools to easily and quickly discover inefficiencies in the running application. This is what the Simplicity Energy Profiler is designed to do.

  • Page 25: Aem Accuracy And Performance

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Advanced Energy Monitor 7.3 AEM Accuracy and Performance The AEM is capable of measuring currents in the range of 0.1 µA to 95 mA. For currents above 250 µA, the AEM is accurate within 0.1 mA.

  • Page 26: On-Board Debugger

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide On-Board Debugger 8. On-Board Debugger The Wireless STK Mainboard contains an integrated debugger, which can be used to download code and debug the EFR32. In addition to programming a target on a plug-in radio board, the debugger can also be used to program and debug external Silicon Labs EFM32, EFM8, EZR32, and EFR32 devices connected through the debug connector.

  • Page 27: Debug Modes

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide On-Board Debugger 8.2 Debug Modes Programming external devices is done by connecting to a target board through the provided debug connector and by setting the debug mode to [Out]. The same connector can also be used to connect an external debugger to the EFR32 Wireless SoC on the kit by setting debug mode to [In].

  • Page 28: Debugging During Battery Operation

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide On-Board Debugger Note: For "Debug IN" to work, the kit board controller must be powered through the Debug USB connector. 8.3 Debugging During Battery Operation When the EFR32 is powered by battery and the J-Link USB is still connected, the on-board debug functionality is available. If the USB power is disconnected, the Debug IN mode will stop working.

  • Page 29: Kit Configuration And Upgrades

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Kit Configuration and Upgrades 9. Kit Configuration and Upgrades The kit configuration dialog in Simplicity Studio allows you to change the J-Link adapter debug mode, upgrade its firmware, and change other configuration settings.

  • Page 30: Schematics, Assembly Drawings, And Bom

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Schematics, Assembly Drawings, and BOM 10. Schematics, Assembly Drawings, and BOM Schematics, assembly drawings, and bill of materials (BOM) are available through Simplicity Studio when the kit documentation pack- age has been installed.

  • Page 31: Kit Revision History

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Kit Revision History 11. Kit Revision History The kit revision can be found printed on the kit packaging label, as outlined in the figure below. EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Radio Board...

  • Page 32: Document Revision History

    UG429: EFR32xG21 2.4 GHz 10 dBm Wireless Starter Kit User's Guide Document Revision History 12. Document Revision History Revision 1.0 April, 2020 Initial document version. silabs.com | Building a more connected world. Rev. 1.0 | 32...
  • Page 33 Trademark Information Silicon Laboratories Inc.® , Silicon Laboratories®, Silicon Labs®, SiLabs® and the Silicon Labs logo®, Bluegiga®, Bluegiga Logo®, ClockBuilder®, CMEMS®, DSPLL®, EFM®, EFM32®, EFR, Ember®, Energy Micro, Energy Micro logo and combinations thereof, "the world’s most energy friendly microcontrollers", Ember®, EZLink®, EZRadio®, EZRadioPRO®, Gecko®, Gecko OS, Gecko OS Studio, ISOmodem®, Precision32®, ProSLIC®, Simplicity Studio®, SiPHY®, Telegesis, the Telegesis Logo®, USBXpress®...

This manual is also suitable for:

Slwstk6006aSlwstk6023aSlwrb4181b

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