EFR32 Wireless Gecko Wireless System

Product Information

Specifications

• Product Name: BRD4271A Radio Board

• Compatibility: Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard (BRD4001A),
  Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A), Raspberry Pi

• Wireless SoC: EFR32FG25

• Output Power: 16 dBm

• Frequency Band: 863-870 MHz

• Connector: SMA

Product Usage Instructions

1. Introduction

The BRD4271A Radio Board is a plug-in board designed for use
with the Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard, Wireless Pro Kit
Mainboard, or Raspberry Pi. It allows users to develop applications
with the EFR32 Wireless Gecko Wireless System-on-Chip. The board
provides all necessary tools for developing a Silicon Labs wireless
application.

1.1 Radio Boards

The BRD4271A Radio Board is a complete reference design for the
EFR32FG25 Wireless SoC. It features matching networks for 16 dBm
output power and an SMA connector for the 863-870 MHz band.

1.2 Mainboards

The Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard (BRD4001A) and the Wireless
Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A) are compatible with the BRD4271A Radio
Board. These mainboards include an on-board J-Link debugger with a
Packet Trace Interface and a Virtual COM port for application
development and debugging. They also contain sensors and
peripherals for easy demonstration of the EFR32’s capabilities.

1.3 Ordering Information

For ordering information, please visit the Silabs website at
silabs.com.

1.4 Getting Started

Refer to the user manual for detailed instructions on getting
started with the BRD4271A Radio Board.

2. Hardware Overview

The BRD4271A Radio Board has a specific hardware layout and
block diagram. Refer to the user manual for detailed information on
the hardware components and their functions.

4. Power Supply and Reset

The user manual provides instructions on power supply selection
for the radio board, as well as details on kit power and EFR32
reset.

6. Wireless Expansion Board

If using the Wireless Expansion Board (BRD8016A) with the
BRD4271A Radio Board, refer to the user manual for information on
host interfaces.

8. Advanced Energy Monitor

The user manual provides an introduction to the Advanced Energy
Monitor (AEM), code correlation details, and information on the AEM
circuit.

FAQ

• Q: Can I use the BRD4271A Radio Board with other
  mainboards?

• A: The BRD4271A Radio Board is specifically designed for use
  with the Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard, Wireless Pro Kit
  Mainboard, or Raspberry Pi. Compatibility with other mainboards may
  vary.

• Q: Where can I find more information on ordering the BRD4271A
  Radio Board?

• A: For ordering information, please visit the Silabs website at
  silabs.com.

UG537: EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board User’s Guide

A Wireless Pro Kit with the BRD4271A Radio Board is an excellent 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.
BRD4271A is a plug-in board for the Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard (BRD4001A) and the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A). It is a complete reference design for the EFR32FG25 Wireless SoC, with matching networks for 16 dBm output power and an SMA connector for the 863-870 MHz band.
The mainboards contain an on-board J-Link debugger with a Packet Trace Interface and a Virtual COM port, enabling application development and debugging the attached radio board as well as external hardware. The mainboards also contain sensors and peripherals for easy demonstration of some of the EFR32’s many capabilities.
One of the available kits contains a Wireless Expansion Board (BRD8016A) that has been designed after the Raspberry Pi Hardware Attached on Top (HAT) board specification, allowing the BRD4271A Radio Board to connect to a Raspberry Pi.
This document describes how to use the BRD4271A Radio Board together with a Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard, with a Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard, or with a Raspberry Pi.

BRD4271A RADIO BOARD FEATURES
· EFR32FG25 Wireless Gecko Wireless SoC with 1920 kB Flash and 512 kB RAM (EFR32FG25B222F1920IM56)
· Sug-GHz integrated radio transceiver · 16 dBm output power · SMA antenna connector (863-870 MHz) · 8 Mbit low-power serial flash for over-the-
air upgrades.
MAINBOARD FEATURES
· Advanced Energy Monitor · Packet Trace Interface · Logic analyzer (BRD4002A only) · Virtual COM Port · SEGGER J-Link on-board debugger · External device debugging · Ethernet and USB connectivity · Silicon Labs Si7021 Relative Humidity and
Temperature sensor · Low-power 128×128 pixel Memory LCD · 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

· FG25-RB4271A · FG25-PK6012A · Wi-SUN-PK6015A

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Copyright © 2023 by Silicon Laboratories

Rev. 1.0

Table of Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1.1 Radio Boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1.2 Mainboards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1.3 Ordering Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1.4 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2. Hardware Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2.1 Hardware Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2.2 Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3. Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3.1 J-Link USB Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3.2 Ethernet Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3.3 Breakout Pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 3.4 EXP Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 3.4.1 EXP Header Pinout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 3.5 Logic Analyzer Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 3.6 Debug Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 3.7 Simplicity Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 3.8 Mini Simplicity Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 3.9 Debug Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
4. Power Supply and Reset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 4.1 Radio Board Power Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 4.2 Kit Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 4.2.1 Board Controller Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 4.2.2 AEM Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 4.3 EFR32 Reset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
5. Peripherals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 5.1 USB Micro-B Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 5.2 Push Buttons and LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 5.3 Memory LCD-TFT Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 5.4 Serial Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 5.5 Virtual COM Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 5.5.1 Host Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 5.5.2 Serial Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 5.5.3 Hardware Handshake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
6. Wireless Expansion Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 6.1 Wireless Expansion Board Host Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

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6.1.1 UART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 6.1.2 SPI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 6.2 Raspberry Pi Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 6.2.1 Wireless Expansion Board Raspberry Pi Connector Pinout. . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 6.3 Wireless Expansion Board EXP Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 6.3.1 Pass-through Expansion Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 6.3.2 Wireless Expansion Board EXP Header Pinout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 6.4 Wireless Expansion Board Mini Simplicity Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 6.5 Wireless Expansion Board Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
7. Board Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 7.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 7.2 Admin Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 7.2.1 Connecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 7.2.2 Built-in Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 7.2.3 Command Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 7.3 Virtual UART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 7.3.1 Target-to-Host. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 7.3.2 Host-to-Target. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 7.3.3 Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 7.3.4 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
8. Advanced Energy Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 8.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 8.2 Code Correlation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 8.3 AEM Circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 8.3.1 AEM Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
9. On-Board Debugger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 9.1 Host Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 9.1.1 USB Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 9.1.2 Ethernet Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 9.1.3 Serial Number Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 9.2 Debug Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 9.3 Debugging During Battery Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
10. Kit Configuration and Upgrades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 10.1 Firmware Upgrades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
11. Schematics, Assembly Drawings, and BOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
12. Kit Revision History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 12.1 FG25-RB4271A Revision history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 12.2 FG25-PK6012A Revision history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 12.3 Wi-SUN-PK6015A Revision history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
13. Document Revision History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

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UG537: EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board User’s Guide
Introduction
1. Introduction
The EFR32FG25 Wireless Gecko Wireless SoC is featured on a radio board that plugs directly into a Wireless Starter Kit (Wireless STK) Mainboard or a Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard. The mainboards feature several tools for easy evaluation and development of wireless applications. An on-board J-Link debugger enables programming and debugging on the target device over USB or Ethernet. The Advanced Energy Monitor (AEM) offers real-time current and voltage monitoring. A virtual COM port interface (VCOM) provides an easy-to- use serial port connection over USB or Ethernet. The Packet Trace Interface (PTI) offers invaluable debug information about transmitted and received packets in wireless links. All debug functionality, including AEM, VCOM, and PTI, can also be used towards external target hardware instead of the attached radio board.
To further enhance its usability, the mainboard contains sensors and peripherals that demonstrate some of the many capabilities of the EFR32FG25. The mainboard also has a 20-pin EXP header which can be used for connecting EXP boards to the kit or for easy connection to I/Os on the radio board target IC.
1.1 Radio Boards
A Wireless Pro Kit consists of one or more mainboards and radio boards that plug into the mainboard. Different radio boards are available, each featuring different Silicon Labs devices with different operating frequency bands. Because the mainboards are designed to work with different radio boards, the actual pin mapping from a device pin to a mainboard feature is done on the radio board. This means that each radio board has its own pin mapping to the Wireless Pro Kit features, such as buttons, LEDs, the display, the EXP header, and the breakout pads. Because this pin mapping is different for every radio board, it is important to consult the correct document, which shows the kit features in context of the radio board plugged in.
1.2 Mainboards
The EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board (BRD4271A) can be used with either a Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard (BRD4001A) or a Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A). The Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard is the successor to the Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard, which comes with some improvements and added features including increased AEM measurement range and sample rate, variable VMCU voltage, joystick, a logic analyzer, and a Mini Simplicity Connector. Kit features, such as the Si7021 sensor and the EXP header, are available on the same EFR32FG25 pins regardless of the mainboard being used, but the pinout to the breakout pads differs. The combination of the EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board with either one of these mainboards is hereby referred to as a Wireless Pro Kit as the figure below illustrates.

Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard (BRD4001A)

=

Radio Board (BRD4271A)

Wireless Pro Kit

Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A) 1

=

1

Figure 1.1. Wireless Pro Kit Combinations
Note: This document explains how to use the Wireless Pro Kit when the EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board (BRD4271A) is combined with either a Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard (BRD4001A) or a Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A). Since some of the functionality of the kit depends on the type of mainboard used, it is important to consult the right information in the user guide whenever there are discrepancies.

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UG537: EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board User’s Guide
Introduction
1.3 Ordering Information
BRD4271A can be obtained as a part of the FG25-PK6012A FG25 RoW Pro Kit, the Wi-SUN-PK6015A Wi-SUN FAN RoW Pro Kit, or as a separate radio board, FG25-RB4271A.

Table 1.1. Ordering Information

Part Number

Description

Contents

FG25-PK6012A FG25 RoW Pro Kit

1x BRD4002A Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard

1x BRD4271A EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board

1x 868 MHz dipole antenna (Chilisin BTEA0019130G8R2A01)

1x Flat Cable 10p 150 mm

Wi-SUN-PK6015A Wi-SUN FAN RoW Pro Kit

3x BRD4002A Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard

3x BRD4271A EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board

1x BRD8016A Wireless Expansion Board

3x 868 MHz dipole antenna (Chilisin BTEA0019130G8R2A01)

1x Flat Cable 10p 150 mm

1x 40-pin connector

FG25-RB4271A EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board 1x BRD4271A EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board

1x 868 MHz dipole antenna (Chilisin BTEA0019130G8R2A01)

1.4 Getting Started Detailed instructions for how to get started can be found on the Silicon Labs web pages: http://www.silabs.com/dev-tools.

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2. Hardware Overview

UG537: EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board User’s Guide
Hardware Overview

2.1 Hardware Layout
The layout of the EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Wireless Pro Kit when the radio board is combined with a Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A) or a Wireless STK Mainboard (BRD4001A) is shown below.

Radio Board Breakout Pads
On-board USB and Ethernet J-Link Debugger
– Virtual COM Port – Packet-trace – Advanced Energy
Monitoring
Battery or USB power
Ultra-low-power 128×128 pixel memory LCD buttons, LEDs and joystick
Note: The joystick is not available to BRD4271A

Plug-in Radio Board
Logic Analyzer
EXP-header for expansion boards
Si7021 Humidity and Temperature Sensor
RRNMMo2t2e11:ZZT000h00e0FFt1e100m224p4I.IMMs3e3n2sor 2is not available to BRD4271A
R2RMM2211ZZ000000FF11002244IIMMM332ini Simplicity Connector
ARM Coresight 19-pin trace/debug header
Simplicity Connector

Figure 2.1. Hardware Layout With A Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A)

Radio Board Breakout Pads
On-board USB and Ethernet J-Link Debugger
– Virtual COM Port – Packet-trace – Advanced Energy
Monitoring
Battery or USB power
Ultra-low-power 128×128 pixel memory LCD buttons and LEDs

Plug-in Radio Board
Si7021 Humidity and Temperature Sensor
Note: The temp. sensor is not available to BRD4271A
EXP-header for expansion boards
ARM Coresight 19-pin trace/debug header Simplicity Connector

Figure 2.2. Hardware Layout With A Wireless STK Mainboard (BRD4001A)

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UG537: EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board User’s Guide
Hardware Overview
2.2 Block Diagram An overview of the EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Wireless Pro Kit is shown in the figure below.

RJ-45 Ethernet Connector

Board Controller

USB Connector

UART AEM Packet Trace Debug Logic

Simplicity Connector

UART AEM

Debug Connector

Packet Trace

Only on BRD4002A

Debug

Mini Simplicity Connector

ETM Trace

Multiplexer OUT IN

MCU

Logic

Logic Analyzer Connector

Only on BRD4002A

UART Packet Trace
Debug ETM Trace

EXP Header

GPIO

User Buttons & LEDs

GPIO

EFR32FG25 Wireless SoC

128 x 128 pixel Memory LCD

8 Mbit

SPI

MX25R

Serial Flash

USB 863-870 MHz RF

USB Micro-B Connector

SMA Connector

Figure 2.3. Kit Block Diagram

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UG537: EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board User’s Guide
Connectors

3. Connectors

This chapter gives you an overview of the mainboard connectivity. The placement of the connectors on the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A) and the Wireless STK Mainboard (BRD4001A) is shown below.

5V GND P25 5V GND P24 EtChoenrnneetctor J-CLoinnknUecStBor

P27 P26

P29 P28

P31 P33 P30 P32
2 1

P35 P34

P37 P36

P39 P38

P41 P40
32 31

P43 P42

P45 P44

F20 F19

GND GND

3V3 3V3

CRonandeioctBoorsard

CLoongnieccAtonralyzer

EXP Header

P101

2

32

1

31

Mini Simplicty Connector
1
Debug Connector

Simplicity

VMCU GND F1 F3 VMCU GND F0 F2

F5 F4

F7 F6

F9 F11 F13 P15 P17 P19 P21 P23 GND VRF F8 F10 F12 P14 P16 P18 P20 P22 GND VRF

Connector

Figure 3.1. Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A) Connector Layout

5V GND P25 P27 P29 P31 P33 P35 P37 P39 P41 P43 P45 NC GND 3V3 5V GND P24 P26 P28 P30 P32 P34 P36 P38 P40 P42 P44 NC GND 3V3

EtChoenrnneetctor J-CLoinnknUecStBor

CRonandeioctBoorsard EXP Header CSonimnepclitcoitry

CDonenbeucgtor

VMCU GND P1 P3 P5 P7 P9 P11 P13 P15 P17 P19 P21 P23 GND VRF VMCU GND P0 P2 P4 P6 P8 P10 P12 P14 P16 P18 P20 P22 GND VRF
Figure 3.2. Wireless STK Mainboard (BRD4001A) Connector Layout
3.1 J-Link USB Connector The J-Link USB connector is situated on the left side of the mainboard and provides access to the kit features described in Section 7. Board Controller through the USB interface. In addition to providing access to development features of the kit, this USB connector is also the main power source for the kit powering both the board controller and the AEM as described in Section 4. Power Supply and Reset.
3.2 Ethernet Connector The Ethernet connector is situated on the left side of the mainboard and provides access to the kit features described in Section 7. Board Controller over TCP/IP. The J-Link USB connector must be connected while using this interface to provide power to the Wireless Pro Kit as power is not supplied over the Ethernet connector.

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UG537: EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board User’s Guide
Connectors
3.3 Breakout Pads
Most of the EFR32 pins are routed from the radio board to breakout pads at the top and bottom edges of the mainboard. A 2.54 mm pitch pin header can be soldered on for easy access to the pins. The figures below show how the EFR32 pins map to the pin numbers printed on the breakout pads on the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A) and the Wireless STK Mainboard (BRD4001A). To see the available functions on each pin, refer to the data sheet for EFR32FG25B222F1920IM56.
Note: Pinout to the breakout pads depends on the mainboard being used.

BOTTOM EDGE

VMCU GND
DBG_TMS_SWDIO / PA2 / F0 DBG_TRACED0 / DBG_TDO_SWO / PA3 / F2
DBG_RESET / RESETn / F4 EXP12 / VCOM_TX / PA8 / F6 EXP3 / VCOM_CTS / PA10 / F8
UIF_LED0 / PC6 / F10 UIF_BUTTON0 / PB0 / F12 DBG_TRACECLK / DBG_TDI / PA4 / P14 DBG_TRACED0 / DBG_TDO_SWO / PA3 / P16 DBG_TMS_SWDIO / PA2 / P18 DBG_TCK_SWCLK / PA1 / P20
NC / P22
GND VRF

VMCU GND F1 / PA1 / DBG_TCK_SWCLK F3 / PA4 / DBG_TDI / DBG_TRACECLK F5 / PA11 / VCOM_ENABLE F7 / PA9 / VCOM_RX / EXP14 F9 / PA0 / VCOM_RTS / EXP5 F11 / PC7 / UIF_LED1 F13 / PB1 / UIF_BUTTON1 P15 / PA11 / VCOM_ENABLE P17 / PB0 / UIF_BUTTON0 P19 / NC P21 / PB1 / UIF_BUTTON1 P23 / PB5 / DISP_ENABLE
GND VRF

TOP EDGE

5V GND PTI_SYNC / PD4 / P24 UIF_LED1 / PC7 / P26 NC / P28 NC / P30 NC / P32 NC / P34 NC / P36 NC / P38 NC / P40 DBG_TRACED0 / DBG_TDO_SWO / PA3 / P42 EXP11 / DBG_TRACED2 / PA6 / P44
PTI_SYNC / PD4 / F19 GND 3V3

5V GND P25 / PD3 / PTI_DATA P27 / PC6 / UIF_LED0 P29 / PC8 / DISP_EXTCOMIN P31 / PD5 / DISP_SCS P33 / PC5 / DISP_SCLK P35 / PC4 / DISP_SI P37 / NC P39 / NC P41 / PA4 / DBG_TDI / DBG_TRACECLK P43 / PA5 / DBG_TRACED1 / EXP7 P45 / PA7 / DBG_TRACED3 / EXP13
F20 / PD3 / PTI_DATA GND 3V3

Figure 3.3. Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A) Breakout Pad Pin Mapping

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UG537: EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board User’s Guide
Connectors

BOTTOM EDGE

VMCU GND
VCOM_CTS / EXP3 / PA10 / P0 VCOM_RTS / EXP5 / PA0 / P2 TRACED1 / EXP7 / PA5 / P4 NC / P6 TRACED2 / EXP11 / PA6 / P8 TRACED3 / EXP13 / PA7 / P10 I2C_SCL / EXP15 / PB2 / P12
DBG_TRACECLK / DBG_TDI / PA4 / P14 DBG_TRACED0 / DBG_TMS_SWO / PA3 / P16
DBG_TMS_SWDIO / PA2 / P18 DBG_TCK_SWCLK / PA1 / P20
NC / P22
GND VRF

VMCU GND P1 / PC0 / EXP4 / FLASH_MOSI P3 / PC1 / EXP6 / FLASH_MISO P5 / PC2 / EXP8 / FLASH_SCLK P7 / PB4 / EXP10 P9 / PA8 / EXP12 / VCOM_TX P11 / PA9 / EXP14 / VCOM_RX P13 / PB3 / EXP16 / I2C_SDA P15 / PA11 / VCOM_ENABLE P17 / PB0 / BTN0 P19 / NC P21 / PB1 / BTN1 P23 / PB5 / DISP_ENABLE
GND VRF

TOP EDGE

5V GND PTI_SYNC / PD4 / P24 UIF_LED1 / PC7 / P26 NC / P28 NC / P30 NC / P32 NC / P34 NC / P36 NC / P38 NC / P40 DBG_TRACED0 / DBG_TMS_SWO / PA3 / P42 DBG_TRACED2 / EXP11 / PA6 / P44
NC GND 3V3

5V GND P25 / PD3 / PTI_DATA P27 / PC6 / LED0 P29 / PC8 / DISP_EXTCOMIN P31 / PD5 / DISP_SCS P33 / PC5 / DISP_SCLK P35 / PC4 / DISP_SI P37 / NC P39 / NC P41 / PA4 / DBG_TDI / DBG_TRACECLK P43 / PA5 / EXP7 / DBG_TRACED1 P45 / PA7 / EXP13 / DBG_TRACED3
NC GND 3V3

Figure 3.4. Wireless STK Mainboard (BRD4001A) Breakout Pad Pin Mapping

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Connectors
3.4 EXP Header
The EXP header is an angled, 20-pin expansion header that allows connection of peripherals or plugin boards to the kit. It is located on the right-hand side of the mainboard and contains several I/O pins that can be used with most of the EFR32 Wireless Gecko’s features. Additionally, the VMCU, 3V3, and 5V power rails are also exposed.
The connector follows a standard which ensures that commonly used peripherals, such as a SPI, a UART, and an I2C bus, are available on fixed locations in the connector. The rest of the pins are used for general purpose IO. This allows the definition of expansion boards (EXP boards) that can plug into several different Silicon Labs Starter Kits.
The figure below shows the pin assignment of the EXP header. Because of limitations in the number of available GPIO pins, some of the EXP header pins are shared with kit features.

3V3 20 5V 18
I2C_SDA / PB3 16 UART_RX / PA9 14 UART_TX / PA8 12
SPI_CS / PB4 10 SPI_CLK / PC2 8 SPI_MISO / PC1 6 SPI_MOSI / PC0 4
VMCU 2

19 BOARD_ID_SDA 17 BOARD_ID_SCL 15 PB02 / I2C_SCL 13 PA7 / GPIO 11 PA6 / GPIO 9 NC / GPIO 7 PA5 / GPIO 5 PA0 / GPIO 3 PA10 / GPIO 1 GND

EFR32 I/O Pin

Reserved (Board Identification)

Figure 3.5. EXP Header

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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 Expansion Header and other functions on the mainboard. Table 3.1 Expansion Header Pinout on page 12 includes an overview of the mainboard features that share pins with the Expansion Header.
Table 3.1. Expansion Header Pinout

Pin

Connection

20

3V3

18

5V

16

PB3

14

PA9

12

PA8

10

PB4

8

PC2

6

PC1

4

PC0

2

VMCU

EXP Header Function

Shared Feature

Peripheral Mapping

Board controller supply

Board USB voltage

I2C_SDA

SENSOR_I2C_SDA

I2C0_SDA

UART_RX

VCOM_RX

USART0_RX

UART_TX

VCOM_TX

USART0_TX

SPI_CS

­

USART1_CS

SPI_SCLK

FLASH_SCLK, DISP_SCLK USART1_CLK

SPI_MISO

FLASH_MISO

USART1_RX

SPI_MOSI

FLASH_MOSI, DISP_SI

USART1_TX

EFR32 GPIO voltage domain, included in AEM measurements.

19

BOARD_ID_SDA

17

BOARD_ID_SCL

15

PB2

13

PA7

11

PA6

9

NC

7

PA5

5

PA0

3

PA10

1

GND

Connected to board controller for identification of add-on boards.

Connected to board controller for identification of add-on boards.

I2C_SCL

SENSOR_I2C_SCL

I2C0_SCL

GPIO

­

GPIO

­

GPIO

­

GPIO

­

GPIO

VCOM_RTS

GPIO

VCOM_CTS

Ground

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Connectors
3.5 Logic Analyzer Connector
The Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard includes an on-board, eight-channel logic analyzer. It enables four digital signals to be sampled and displayed in Simplicity Studio, in addition to the state of the on-board user interface LEDs and buttons. The logic analyzer is a good tool for correlating specific events to the AEM energy profile and packet trace data as these are time- synchronized and can be visualized together. The sampling rate of 100 kHz limits its use in decoding digital protocols like I2C or SPI.
The logic analyzer connector is situated on the top right side of the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard. Four signals (channel 0-3) can be connected to the logic analyzer using this connector and the test probes that are obtainable through the “Si-DA001A Pro Kit Mainboard Accessory Kit”. The test probes can be connected to the kit itself or on an external board connected to the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard. Note that in both cases the connected signals must be digital, and the voltages referenced to ground and VMCU on the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard. The table below gives an overview of the logic analyzer signals.
Note: The logic analyzer is only available on the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A). Using the external signals requires test probes which are obtainable through the “Si-DA001A Pro Kit Mainboard Accessory Kit”.

Type External signal
Internal signal

Table 3.2. Logic Analyzer Signal Description

Channel 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Description Connector (ch0) Connector (ch1) Connector (ch2) Connector (ch3) LED0 LED1 BTN0 BTN1

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Connectors
3.6 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. When set to “Debug OUT”, this connector allows the kit to be used as a debugger towards an external target. When set to “Debug MCU” (default), the connector is isolated from both the on-board debugger and the radio board target device.
Because this connector is electronically switched between the different operating modes, it can only be used when the board controller is powered (i.e., J-Link USB cable connected). If debug access to the target device is required when the board controller is unpowered, connect directly to the appropriate breakout pins.
The pinout of the connector follows that of the standard ARM Cortex Debug+ETM 19-pin connector. The pinout is described in detail below. Even though the connector has support for both JTAG and ETM Trace, it does not necessarily mean that the kit or the on-board target device supports these features.

VTARGET 1 GND 3 GND 5 NC 7
Cable Detect 9 NC 11 NC 13
GND 15 GND 17 GND 19

2 TMS / SWDIO / C2D 4 TCK / SWCLK / C2CK 6 TDO / SWO 8 TDI / C2Dps 10 RESET / C2CKps 12 TRACECLK 14 TRACED0 16 TRACED1 18 TRACED2 20 TRACED3

Figure 3.6. Debug Connector
Note: The pinout matches the pinout of an ARM Cortex Debug+ETM connector, but these are not fully compatible because pin 7 is physically removed from the Cortex Debug+ETM connector. Some cables have a small plug that prevents them from being used when this pin is present. If this is the case, remove the plug or use a standard 2×10 1.27 mm straight cable instead.

Table 3.3. Debug Connector Pin Descriptions

Pin Number(s) 1
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 9 7, 11, 13 3, 5, 15, 17, 19

Function

Description

VTARGET

Target reference voltage. Used for shifting logical signal levels between target and debugger.

TMS / SDWIO / C2D JTAG test mode select, Serial Wire data, or C2 data

TCK / SWCLK / C2CK JTAG test clock, Serial Wire clock, or C2 clock

TDO/SWO

JTAG test data out or Serial Wire Output

TDI / C2Dps

JTAG test data in or C2D “pin sharing” function

RESET / C2CKps Target device reset or C2CK “pin sharing” function

TRACECLK

ETM clock

TRACED0

ETM data 0

TRACED1

ETM data 1

TRACED2

ETM data 2

TRACED3

ETM data 3

Cable detect

Connect to ground

NC

Not connected

GND

Ground

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Connectors

3.7 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.

VMCU 1 3V3 3 5V 5 GND 7 GND 9 GND 11 GND 13 GND 15
BOARD_ID_SCL 17 BOARD_ID_SDA 19

2 VCOM_TX
4 VCOM_RX
6 VCOM_CTS 8 VCOM_RTS 10 PTI0_SYNC 12 PTI0_DATA
14 PTI0_CLK 16 PTI1_SYNC 18 PTI1_DATA
20 PTI1_CLK

Figure 3.7. Simplicity Connector
Note: Current drawn from the VMCU voltage pin is included in the AEM measurements, while the 3V3 and 5V voltage pins are not. When monitoring the current consumption of an external target with the AEM, unplug the radio board from the mainboard to avoid adding the radio board’s current consumption to the measurements.

Pin Number(s) 1 3 5 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 17 19
7, 9, 11, 13, 15

Table 3.4. Simplicity Connector Pin Descriptions

Function VMCU 3V3 5V
VCOM_TX VCOM_RX VCOM_CTS VCOM_RTS PTI0_SYNC PTI0_DATA PTI0_CLK PTI1_SYNC PTI1_DATA PTI1_CLK BOARD_ID_SCL BOARD_ID_SDA
GND

Description 3.3 V power rail, monitored by the AEM 3.3 V power rail 5 V power rail Virtual COM Tx Virtual COM Rx Virtual COM CTS Virtual COM RTS Packet Trace 0 Sync Packet Trace 0 Data Packet Trace 0 Clock Packet Trace 1 Sync Packet Trace 1 Data Packet Trace 1 Clock Board ID SCL Board ID SDA Ground

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Connectors

3.8 Mini Simplicity Connector
The Mini Simplicity Connector on the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard offers advanced debugging features on a 10-pin connector to be used towards an external target. The Mini Simplicity Connector offers the following features:
· Serial Wire Debug (SWD) with SWO · Packet Trace Interface (PTI) · Virtual COM port (VCOM) · AEM monitored voltage rail

VMCU 1 RESET 3 VCOM_TX 5 SWDIO 7 PTI_FRAME 9

2 GND 4 VCOM_RX
6 SWO
8 SWCLK 10 PTI_DATA

Figure 3.8. Mini Simplicity Connector
Note: Current drawn from the VMCU voltage pin is included in the AEM measurements. When monitoring the current consumption of an external target with the AEM, unplug the radio board from the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard to avoid adding the radio board’s current consumption to the measurements.

Table 3.5. Mini Simplicity Connector Pin Descriptions

Pin Number(s) 1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Function VMCU
GND RST VCOM_RX VCOM_TX SWO SWDIO SWCLK PTI_FRAME PTI_DATA

Description Target voltage on the debugged application. Supplied and monitored by the AEM when power selection switch is in the “AEM” position. Ground Target device reset Virtual COM Rx Virtual COM Tx Serial Wire Output Serial Wire Data Serial Wire Clock Packet Trace Frame Signal Packet Trace Data Signal

Note: Mini Simplicity Connector pin-out is referenced from the device target side.

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3.9 Debug Adapter
The BRD8010A STK/WSTK Debug Adapter is an adapter board which plugs directly into the debug connector and the Simplicity Connector 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.
For versatility, the debug adapter features three different 10-pin debug connectors: · Silicon Labs Mini Simplicity Connector · ARM Cortex 10-pin Debug Connector · Silicon Labs ISA3 Packet Trace
The ARM Cortex 10-pin Debug Connector follows the standard Cortex pinout defined by ARM and allows the Wireless Pro Kit to be used to debug hardware designs that use this connector.
The ISA3 connector follows the same pinout as the Packet Trace connector found on the Silicon Labs Ember Debug Adapter (ISA3). This enables using the Wireless Pro Kit to debug hardware designs that use this connector.
The Mini Simplicity Connector is designed to offer advanced debug features from the kit on a 10-pin connector. The connector has the same pinout and functionality as described in 3.8 Mini Simplicity Connector. It is only necessary to use the debug adapter to get access to the Mini Simplicity Connector when using the Wireless STK Mainboard (BRD4001A). If using the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A), use the Mini Simplicity Connector on the mainboard instead.

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4. Power Supply and Reset

UG537: EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board User’s Guide
Power Supply and Reset

4.1 Radio Board Power Selection
The EFR32 on a Wireless Pro Kit can be powered by one of these sources:
· The debug USB cable · The radio board USB cable
The power source for the radio board is selected with the slide switch in the lower left corner of the Wireless STK Mainboard or the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard. The figure below shows how the different power sources can be selected with the slide switch.

BAT

SELF

(USB) AEM

BRD4271A

USB

5 V

Connector

LDO

VOUT

Advanced Energy Monitor

3 V Lithium Battery (CR2032)

AEM SELF (USB) BAT
AEM SELF (USB) BAT

USB_VBUS (5 V)
5V
VMCU

USB Micro-B Connector

IN

OUT

LDO

3.3 V

IN

OUT

LDO

3.6 V

EFR32

USB_VREG (3.3 V)

Figure 4.1. Power Switch
Note: The middle position is denoted by “USB” on the Wireless STK Mainboard, while it is denoted by “SELF” on the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard. The slide switch functions the same on both mainboards.

Note: The AEM can only measure the current consumption of the EFR32 from the VMCU line when the power selection switch is in the AEM position. Current consumption from the 5V line is not measured.

AEM position: With the switch in the AEM position, the BRD4271A Radio Board is powered from the debug USB cable. All the EFR32 supply pins are powered by the 5V net through LDOs on the radio board, except for IOVDD0 and IOVDD1, which are powered by VMCU. Therefore, the current measured by the AEM on this radio board will only include the IOVDD0 and IOVDD1 current consumption and will not give a correct result of the EFR32 overall current consumption.
USB position: With the switch in the USB position, the on-board LDOs on the BRD4271A are used to power the radio board.
BAT position: Operation from the 3 V coin cell battery is not supported as the BRD4271A requires 5 V supply for the on-board LDOs.

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Power Supply and Reset
4.2 Kit Power
There are normally two main contributions to the power consumption from the mainboard USB connector, i.e., two main current paths:
· One that goes to the target power domain · One that goes to the board controller power domain
While the current consumption of the board controller section is fairly deterministic and stable, the current consumption of the radio board varies widely depending on the application. Typically, the board controller power domain draws 200 mA on the Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard (BRD4001A) and 250 mA on the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A). The radio board’s maximum current consumption from the 5V net should be under 250 mA. The mainboards use linear regulators, and the recommended input voltage is 4.4 5.25 V. Use a USB host or power supply and cables that can deliver at least the total amount of current required by the kit.
The 5V net exposed on the breakout pads, EXP header, and radio board is also sourced from the mainboard USB connector when the power select switch is in the AEM position. The 3V3 net exposed on the same peripherals is always sourced from the mainboard USB connector. The current consumption of these nets must be included in the total current consumption of the kit if these are utilized.
4.2.1 Board Controller Power
The board controller is responsible for important features, such as the debugger and the AEM, and is powered exclusively through the USB port in the top left corner of the board. This part of the kit resides on a separate power domain, so a different power source can be selected for the target device while retaining debugging functionality. This power domain is also isolated to prevent current leakage from the target power domain when power to the board controller is removed.
The board controller power domain is not influenced by the position of the power switch.
The kit has been carefully designed to keep the board controller and the target power domains isolated from each other as one of them powers down. This ensures that the target EFR32 device will continue to operate in the BAT mode.
4.2.2 AEM Power
The supply for the target power domain (VMCU) is a linear regulator integrated with the AEM described in Section 8. Advanced Energy Monitor when the power select switch is in the AEM position. The output voltage of the regulator is fixed to 3.3 V on the Wireless STK Mainboard (BRD4001A), while it can be adjusted between 1.8 V and 3.6 V on the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A) using the admin console.
The output current on the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A) is limited by an overcurrent protection (OCP) function, which depends on the programmed VMCU voltage: OCP (A) VMCUSET (V) x 0.2 (A/V). Approaching or exceeding the OCP limit is not recommended as the output voltage will be pulled low, which causes loss of function.
The maximum recommended output current on the Wireless STK Mainboard (BRD4001A) is 300 mA.
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 · An external debugger pulling the #RESET pin low
In addition to the reset sources mentioned above, a reset to the EFR32 will also be issued during board controller boot-up. This means that removing power to the board controller (unplugging the J-Link USB cable) will not generate a reset but plugging the cable back in will as the board controller boots up.

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Peripherals
5. Peripherals
The Wireless Pro Kit has a set of peripherals that showcase some of the EFR32 features. Note that most EFR32 I/Os routed to peripherals are also routed to the breakout pads or the EXP header, which must be taken into consideration when using these I/Os.
5.1 USB Micro-B Connector The BRD4271A Radio Board is equipped with a USB Micro-B connector that is connected directly to the EFR32 Wireless Gecko. Figure 5.1 Radio Board USB Connector on page 20 shows how the USB lines are connected to the EFR32.

USB_DM (PD7) USB_DP (PD6)
EFR32

D-
D+
UUSSBBMmicicrroo-BB CCoonnnneeccttoorr

Figure 5.1. Radio Board USB Connector
The EFR32 on the Wireless Pro Kit can be powered through the USB connector on the BRD4271A Radio Board. For details, refer to 4.1 Radio Board Power Selection. Note: Standalone operation of the radio board from the on-board USB connector is not supported.
5.2 Push Buttons and LEDs The kit has two user push buttons marked BTN0 and BTN1. They are connected directly to the EFR32 and are debounced by RC filters with a time constant of 1 ms. The buttons are connected to pins PB0 and PB1. The kit also features two yellow LEDs marked LED0 and LED1 that are controlled by GPIO pins on the EFR32. The LEDs are connected to pins PC6 and PC7 in an active-high configuration.

PC6 (GPIO) PC7 (GPIO) PB0 (GPIO) PB1 (GPIO)

UIF_LED0 UIF_LED1 UIF_BUTTON0 UIF_BUTTON1

User Buttons & LEDs

EFR32
Figure 5.2. Buttons and LEDs

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Peripherals
5.3 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. Data sent to the display is stored in the pixels on the glass, which means no continuous refreshing is required to maintain a static image.
The display interface consists of a SPI-compatible serial interface and some extra control signals. Pixels are not individually addressable, instead data is sent to the display one line (128 bits) at a time.
The Memory LCD-TFT display is shared with the kit’s board controller, allowing the board controller application to display useful information when the user application is not using the display. The user application always controls ownership of the display with the DISP_ENABLE signal: · DISP_ENABLE = LOW: The board controller has control of the display · DISP_ENABLE = HIGH: The user application (EFR32) has control of the display
Power to the display is sourced from the target application power domain when the EFR32 controls the display and from the board controller’s power domain when the DISP_ENABLE line is low. Data is clocked in on DISP_SI when DISP_CS is high, and the clock is sent on DISP_SCLK. The maximum supported clock speed is 1.1 MHz.
DISP_EXTCOMIN is the “COM Inversion” line. It must be pulsed periodically to prevent static build-up in the display itself. Refer to the LS013B7DH03 documentation for more information on driving the display.
4 Board Controller

PC5 (GPIO) PC4 (GPIO) PD5 (GPIO) PC8 (GPIO)
PB5 (GPIO)
EFR32

DISP_SCLK DISP_SI DISP_SCS DISP_EXTCOMIN
DISP_ENABLE
0: Board Controller controls display 1: EFR32 controls display

SCLK SI SCS EXTCOMIN

Figure 5.3. 128×128 Pixel Memory LCD

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Peripherals
5.4 Serial Flash The BRD4271A Radio Board is equipped with an 8 Mbit Macronix MX25R SPI flash that is connected directly to the EFR32. The figure below shows how the serial flash is connected to the EFR32.
VMCU

PC2 (US1_CLK) PC0 (US1_TX) PC1 (US1_RX) PC3 (US1_CS)

SCLK MOSI MISO SCS

VDD

8 Mbit
MX25R8035F

EFR32
Figure 5.4. Radio Board Serial Flash
The MX25R series are ultra-low-power serial flash devices, so there is no need for a separate enable switch to keep current consumption down. However, it is important that the flash is always put in deep power down mode when not used. This is done by issuing a command over the SPI interface. In deep power down, the MX25R typically adds approximately 100 nA to the radio board current consumption.

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Peripherals
5.5 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.

PA8 (US0_TX) PA9 (US0_RX) PA10 (US0_CTS) PA0 (US0_RTS)
PA11 (GPIO)

VCOM_TX VCOM_RX VCOM_CTS VCOM_RTS

Isolation & Level Shift

VCOM_ENABLE

USB

or

Board

ETH

Controller

Host PC

EFR32
Figure 5.5. Virtual COM Port Interface
The virtual COM port consists of a physical UART between the target device and the board controller and a logical function in the board controller that makes the serial port available to the host PC over USB or Ethernet. The UART interface consists of four pins and an enable signal.

Table 5.1. Virtual COM Port Interface Pins

Signal

Description

VCOM_TX

Transmit data from the EFR32 to the board controller

VCOM_RX

Receive data from the board controller to the EFR32

VCOM_CTS

Clear to Send hardware flow control input, asserted by the board controller when it is ready to receive more data

VCOM_RTS

Request to Send hardware flow control output, asserted by the EFR32 when it is ready to receive more data

VCOM_ENABLE Enables the VCOM interface, allowing data to pass through to the board controller

The parameters of the serial port, such as baud rate or flow control, can be configured using the admin console. The default settings depend on which radio board is used with the mainboard.
Note: The VCOM port is only available when the board controller is powered, which requires the J-Link USB cable to be inserted.

Note: There may be slight differences on the terminal prompt and settings between the Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard and the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard.

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Peripherals
5.5.1 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: · Virtual COM port using a standard USB-CDC driver · TCP/IP by connecting to the Wireless STK on TCP/IP port 4901 with a Telnet client
When connecting via USB, the device should automatically show up as a COM port. The actual device name that is associated with the kit depends on the operating system and how many devices are or have been connected previously. The following are examples of what the device might show up as: · JLink CDC UART Port (COM5) on Windows hosts · /dev/cu.usbmodem1411 on macOS · /dev/ttyACM0 on Linux
Data sent by the target device into the VCOM interface can be read from the COM port, and data written to the port is transmitted to the target device. Connecting to the Wireless STK on port 4901 gives access to the same data over TCP/IP. Data written into the VCOM interface by the target device can be read from the socket, and data written into the socket is transmitted to the target device. Note: Only one of these interfaces can be used at the same time, with the TCP/IP socket taking priority. This means that if a socket is connected to port 4901, no data can be sent or received on the USB COM port.
5.5.2 Serial Configuration
By default, the VCOM serial port is configured to use 115200 8N1 (115.2 kbit/s, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit) with flow control disabled/ignored. The configuration can be changed using the admin console:
WPK> serial vcom config Usage: serial vcom config [–nostore] [handshake <rts/cts/rtscts/disable/auto>] [speed <9600,921600>] Using this command, the baud rate can be configured between 9600 and 921600 bit/s, and hardware handshake can be enabled or disabled on either or both flow control pins.

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Peripherals
5.5.3 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. If hardware handshake is enabled in the target firmware, its UART peripheral will halt when data is not being consumed by the host. This implements end-to-end flow control for data moving from the target device to the host.
VCOM_CTS is connected to the RTS pin on the board controller and is enabled by setting handshake to either RTS or RTSCTS using the “serial vcom config” command.
VCOM_RTS (target request to send) is a signal that is output from the target device and input to the board controller. The board controller will halt transmission of data towards the target if the target device de-asserts this signal. This gives the target firmware a means to hold off incoming data until it can be processed. Note that de-asserting RTS will not abort the byte currently being transmitted, so the target firmware must be able to accept at least one more character after RTS is de-asserted.
VCOM_RTS is connected to the CTS pin of the board controller. It is enabled by setting handshake to either CTS or RTSCTS using the “serial vcom config” command in the admin console. If CTS flow control is disabled, the state of VCOM_RTS will be ignored and data will be transmitted to the target device anyway.
Table 5.2. Hardware Handshake Configuration

Mode disabled rts
cts
rtscts

Description
RTS (VCOM_CTS) is not driven by the board controller and CTS (VCOM_RTS) is ignored.
RTS (VCOM_CTS) is driven by the board controller to halt target from transmitting when input buffer is full. CTS (VCOM_RTS) is ignored.
RTS (VCOM_CTS) is not driven by the board controller. Data is transmitted to the target device if CTS (VCOM_RTS) is asserted and halted when de-asserted.
RTS (VCOM_CTS) is driven by the board controller to halt target when buffers are full. Data is transmitted to the target device if CTS (VCOM_RTS) is asserted and halted when de-asserted.

Note: Enabling CTS flow control without configuring the VCOM_RTS pin can result in no data being transmitted from the host to the target device.

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Wireless Expansion Board
6. Wireless Expansion Board
The Wi-SUN FAN RoW Pro Kit (OPN: Wi-SUN-PK6015A) containts a Wireless Expansion Board (BRD8016A). The BRD4271A Radio Board plugs directly into that board.
The primary purpose of the Wireless Expansion Board is to enable the connection of the radio board to a Raspberry Pi (not included in the kit) and so to function as a Raspberry Pi HAT. To do so, a dual row, female socket, 0.1″ pitch connector (included in the kit) must be soldered in. For a detailed description of this use case, refer to AN1332: Silicon Labs Wi-SUN Network Setup and Configuration. Although not an intended use case for the kit, the Wireless Expansion Board can also be connected to a Wireless Pro Kit (or to other MCU STKs) through the Expansion Header connectors.
Note: Do not connect the Wireless Expansion Board to both a Raspberry Pi and a Wireless Pro Kit (or an MCU STK) at the same time.

This chapter gives an overview of the Wireless Expansion Board connectivity and power connections.

Top Side

Mini-Simplicity Connector

Pass-through Expansion Header
(Not Mounted)

Expansion Header

Radio Board Connectors

Power Switch
Raspberry Pi Connector
(Not Mounted) Figure 6.1. Wireless Expansion Board Connector Layout
6.1 Wireless Expansion Board Host Interfaces Two host interfaces are on the Wireless Expansion Board, one of which can be used to connect the BRD4271A to an external host. To use either the UART or the SPI as the connection between the BRD4271A and a host, the EFR32 must be programmed accordingly.
Expansion Header Breakout

EXP1 | GND
ART_CTS | PA2
ART_RTS | PA3 EXsPila7bs|.cPomF3| Building a more connected world.
Downloaded from Arrow.com.

EXP2 | VMCU EXP4 | SPI_MOSI | PC6 EXP6 | SPI_MISO | PC7 EXP8 | SPI_SCReLv.K1.0| P| 2C68

6.1.1 UART The UART peripheral routing is illustrated in the figure below.
EFR32
PA8 (US0_TX) PA9 (US0_RX) PA10 (US0_CTS) PA0 (US0_RTS)
RESETn

UG537: EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board User’s Guide
Wireless Expansion Board
EXP Header 14 EXP14 (UART_RX) 12 EXP12 (UART_TX)
5 EXP5 3
EXP3 7 EXP7

Raspberry Pi HAT Connector
10 GPIO15 (UART_RXD0)
8 GPIO14 (UART_TXD0)
36 GPIO16
11 GPIO17
16 GPIO23
Figure 6.2. UART Peripheral Routing on the Wireless Pro Kit

6.1.2 SPI The SPI peripheral routing is illustrated in the figure below.
EFR32
PC0 (US1_TX) PC1 (US1_RX) PC2 (US1_CLK) PB4 (US1_CS)
PA6 (Notify) RESETn

EXP Header
4 EXP4 (SPI_MOSI) 6 EXP6 (SPI_MISO) 8 EXP8 (SPI_SCLK) 10 EXP10 (SPI_CS) 11 EXP11 7 EXP7

Raspberry Pi HAT Connector
19 GPIO10 (SPI_MOSI) 21 GPIO19 (SPI_MISO) 23 GPIO11 (SPI_SCLK) 24 GPIO8 (SPI_CE0_N)
7 GPIO4 16 GPIO23
Figure 6.3. SPI Peripheral Routing on the Wireless Pro Kit

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6.2 Raspberry Pi Connector
On the bottom side of the Wireless Expansion Board, a dual row, female socket, 0.1″ pitch connector can be soldered in to allow the Wireless Pro Kit to act as a Raspberry Pi Hardware Attached on Top (HAT) board.
The figure below shows how the EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm is connected to the connector and the peripheral functions that are available.

3V3 1 I2C_SDA / PB3 3 I2C_SCL / PB2 5
PB0 7 GND 9 UART_RTS / PA0 11 UART_CTS / PA10 13 PA5 15 3V3 17 SPI_MOSI / PC0 19 SPI_MISO / PC1 21 SPI_SCLK / PC2 23 GND 25 RPI_ID_SD 27 UART_RTS / PA0 29 PC7 31 PC4 33 PD5 35 PA6 37 GND 39

2 5V 4 5V 6 GND 8 PA9 / UART_RX 10 PA8 / UART_TX 12 PB5 14 GND 16 RESETn 18 NC 20 GND 22 PB1 24 PB4 / SPI_CS 26 PC6 28 RPI_ID_SC 30 GND 32 PC8 34 GND 36 PA10 / UART_CTS 38 PC5 40 PA7

EFR32 I/O Pin

Reserved (Board Identification) Figure 6.4. Raspberry Pi Connector

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Wireless Expansion Board
6.2.1 Wireless Expansion Board Raspberry Pi Connector Pinout The table below shows the pin assignments of the Raspberry Pi connector, and the port pins and peripheral functions that are available on the BRD4271A Radio Board.
Table 6.1. Raspberry Pi Connector Pinout

Raspberry Pi Connector

Pin(s) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 (29) 12 13 (36) 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 (11) 30 31

EFR32 Pin 3V3 5V PB3 5V PB2 GND PB0 PA9 GND PA8 PA0 PB5 PA10 GND PA5 RESETn 3V3 ­ PC0 GND PC1 PB1 PC2 PB4 GND PC6 ID_SD ID_SC PA0 GND PC7

Function Board 3V3 supply Board 5V supply I2C_SDA Board 5V supply I2C_SCL Ground GPIO UART_RX Ground UART_TX UART_RTS GPIO GPIO Ground GPIO Reset Board 3V3 supply GPIO SPI_MOSI Ground SPI_MISO GPIO SPI_SCLK SPI_CS Ground GPIO ID EEPROM ID EEPROM GPIO Ground GPIO

Raspberry Pi Pin 3v3 Power 5v Power BCM 2 (SDA) 5v Power BCM 3 (SCL) Ground BCM 4 (GPCLK0) BCM 14 (TXD) GND BCM 15 (RXD) BCM 17 BCM 18 (PWM0) BCM 27 Ground BCM 22 BCM 23 3v3 Power BCM 24 BCM 10 (MOSI) Ground BCM 9 (MISO) BCM 25 BCM 11 (SCLK) BCM 8 (CE0) Ground BCM 7 (CE1) BCM 0 (ID_SD) BCM 1 (ID_SC) BCM 5 Ground BCM 6

Expansion Header
Pin 20 18 16 18 15 1 11 12 1 14 3 ­ (5) 1 9 7 20 ­ 4 1 6 ­ 8 10 1 ­ ­ ­ (3) 1 ­

Mini Simplicity Con. Pin ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ 2 ­ 4 2 5 ­ ­ ­ 2 ­ 3 ­ ­ ­ 2 ­ ­ ­ ­ 2 ­ ­ ­ ­ 2 ­

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Wireless Expansion Board

Raspberry Pi Connector

Pin(s) 32 33 34 35 36 (13) 37 38 39 40

EFR32 Pin PC8 PC4 GND PD5 PA10 PA6 PC5 GND PA7

Function GPIO GPIO Ground GPIO UART_CTS GPIO GPIO Ground GPIO

Raspberry Pi Pin BCM 12 (PWM0) BCM 13 (PWM1) Ground BCM 19 (MISO) BCM 16 BCM 26 BCM 20 (MOSI) Ground BCM 21 (SCLK)

Expansion Header
Pin ­ ­ 1 ­ 5 ­ ­ 1 ­

Mini Simplicity Con. Pin ­ ­ 2 ­ ­ ­ ­ 2 ­

Note: Several of the Raspberry Pi GPIO pins (marked by brackets) are connected together when the BRD4271A Radio Board is inserted. This is because of connections on the radio board itself, and not because they are connected together on the Wireless Expansion
Board. Care must be taken when driving these pins to avoid creating short circuits.

6.3 Wireless Expansion Board EXP Header
On the left-hand side of the Wireless Expansion Board, an angled female 20-pin expansion header is provided to allow connection to one of Silicon Labs’ supported Starter Kits.
The figure below shows how the BRD4271A Radio Board is connected to the connector and the peripheral functions that are available.

3V3 20 5V 18
I2C_SDA / PB3 16 UART_TX / PA8 14 UART_RX / PA9 12
SPI_CS / PB4 10 SPI_SCLK / PC2 8 SPI_MISO / PC1 6 SPI_MOSI / PC0 4
VMCU 2

19 BOARD_ID_SDA 17 BOARD_ID_SCL 15 PB02 / I2C_SCL 13 Not Connected (NC) 11 PB0 9 PA5 7 RESETn 5 PA10 / UART_CTS 3 PA0 / UART_RTS 1 GND

EFR32 I/O Pin

Reserved (Board Identification)

Figure 6.5. Wireless Expansion Board EXP Header

6.3.1 Pass-through Expansion Header
The Wireless Expansion Board features a footprint for a secondary expansion header. The signals from the expansion header are directly tied to the corresponding pins in the footprint, allowing daisy-chaining of additional expansion boards if a connector is soldered in.

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UG537: EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board User’s Guide
Wireless Expansion Board
6.3.2 Wireless Expansion Board EXP Header Pinout Table 6.2 Wireless Expansion Board EXP Header Pinout on page 31 shows the pin assignments of the EXP Header, and the port pins and peripheral functions that are available on the BRD4271A Radio Board.
Table 6.2. Wireless Expansion Board EXP Header Pinout

Expansion Header

Pin Function

2

EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz

16 dBm voltage domain (power

switch set to Low Power)

4

SPI_MOSI

6

SPI_MISO

8

SPI_SCLK

10

SPI_CS

12

UART_TX

14

UART_RX

16

I2C_SDA

18

Board 5V supply. Used to supply

LDO regulator.

20

Board 3V3 supply. Only used for

board identification.

EFR32 Pin VMCU
PC0 PC1 PC2 PB4 PA9 PA8 PB3 5V
3V3

Peripheral

Raspberry Pi Con. Pin(s) ­

Mini Simplicity Con. Pin 1

USART1_MOSI 19

­

USART1_MISO 21

­

USART1_CLK 23

­

USART1_CS 24

­

USART0_RX 8

4

USART0_TX 10

5

I2C1_SDA

3

­

2, 4

­

1, 17

­

1

Ground

GND

6, 9, 14, 20, 25, 30, 34, 2 39

3

UART_CTS

PA0

USART0_RTS 11 (29)

­

5

UART_RTS

PA10

USART0_CTS 36 (13)

­

7

Reset

RESETn

16

3

9

GPIO

PA5

15

­

11

GPIO

PB0

7

­

13

Not Connected

­

­

15

I2C_SCL

PB2

I2C1_SCL

5

­

17

Identification of expansion boards. BOARD_ID_SC

­

­

L

19

Identification of expansion boards. BOARD_ID_SD

­

­

A

Note: Several of the Raspberry Pi GPIO pins (marked by brackets) are connected together when the BRD4271A Radio Board is inserted. This is because of connections on the radio board itself, and not because they are connected together on the Wireless Expansion
Board. Care must be taken when driving these pins to avoid creating short circuits.

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Wireless Expansion Board
6.4 Wireless Expansion Board Mini Simplicity Connector
The Mini Simplicity connector, available on the Wireless Expansion Board, offers debugging features to be used towards the EFR32 presented on the radio board plugged into the Wireless Expansion Board. For the detailed desctiption of debugging the EFR32 through the Mini Simplicity connector, see the Debug MINI option in Section 9.2 Debug Modes, where the radio board plugged into the Wireless Expansion Board should be considered as the “External Hardware”. For the detailed desctiption of the functionalities of the Mini Simplicity connector, see Section 3.8 Mini Simplicity Connector. For the valid power options, refer to Table 6.3 Wireless Expansion Board Power Options on page 33. For more information see AN958: Debugging and Programming Interfaces for Custom Designs.

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Wireless Expansion Board
6.5 Wireless Expansion Board Power Supply
There are two ways to provide power to the Wireless Expansion Board: · The board can be connected to, and powered by, a Raspberry Pi · The board can be connected to, and powered by, a Wireless Pro Kit (or to other MCU STKs)
Note: Connecting the Wireless Expansion Board to both a Wireless Pro Kit (or an MCU STK) and a Raspberry Pi at the same time is not a valid option.

A mechanical power switch on the Wireless Expansion Board is used to select between Low Power (AEM) position and High Power (LDO) position. When connected to a Raspberry Pi, the power switch must be set to High Power (LDO) position. When connected to the Wireless Pro Kit, it must be set to Low Power (AEM) position to avoid conflict between the GPIO voltage level of the host and the radio board on the Wireless Expansion Board.
When connected to a Wireless Pro Kit, with the switch set to Low Power (AEM) position, the VMCU rail of the BRD4271A Radio Board (that supplies only IOVDD0 and IOVDD1 pins of the EFR32) is powered by the VMCU rail on the Expansion Header. Therefore, the current measured by the AEM will only include the IOVDD0 and IOVDD1 current consumption. Since the rest of the supply pins of the EFR32 are supplied by the 5V net (through the LDOs on the radio board), their current consumption is not measured by the AEM, regardless of the position of the switch.
The power topology is illustrated in the figure below.

Raspberry Pi Expansion

Connector

Header

Mini Simplicity Connector

3V3 5V

Low Power (AEM)

Power Switch

5V

3.3 V

IN

OUT

LDO

High Power (LDO)

BRD4271A

VMCU

EFR32

5V

3.3 V

IN

OUT

LDO

5V

3.6 V

IN

OUT

LDO

Figure 6.6. Wireless Expansion Board Power Topology
The power supply options are summarized in the following table. Information on placement of the power switch and the connectors can be found in Section 6. Wireless Expansion Board.
Table 6.3. Wireless Expansion Board Power Options

Host Raspberry Pi

Host Power Switch
­

Debugger (WPK Mainboard) Power Switch
BAT

Wireless Expansion Board Power Switch

Power Source

High power (LDO)

Host provides power to the 5V rail of the target radio board, VMCU of the target is powered by LDO on the Wireless Expansion Board

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Wireless Expansion Board

Host

Host Power Switch

Wireless Pro Kit

AEM

(BRD4001A or BRD4002A with BRD4271A)

Debugger (WPK Mainboard) Power Switch
BAT

Wireless Expansion Board Power Switch

Power Source

Low power (AEM)

Host WPK Mainboard provides power to the 5V and VMCU rails of both the host radio board and the target radio board plugged into the Wireless Expansion Board.

Note: It is important to only use the configurations provided in the table above in order to avoid any power conflicts. Furthermore, it is important to make sure that the coin cell battery holder is empty whenever the power switch should be set to BAT.

Note: Based on the table above, either on the host or on the debugger side, other MCU STKs can be used as well.

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7. Board Controller

UG537: EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board User’s Guide
Board Controller

7.1 Introduction
The Wireless STK Mainboard and the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard contain 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.
Note: This chapter describes the board controller on both the Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard and the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard. There might be slight differences between these two boards, such as the exact menu and format on the admin console, not highlighted in this chapter. The logic analyzer is furthermore only available on BRD4002A.

Some of the kit features actively managed by the board controller are:
· The on-board debugger, which can flash and debug both on-board and external targets. · The Advanced Energy Monitor, which provides real-time energy profiling of the user application. · The Packet Trace Interface, which is used in conjunction with PC software to provide detailed insight into an active radio network. · The logic analyzer, which can capture digital signals time- synchronized to the energy profiling and packet trace data. · The Virtual COM Port and Virtual UART interfaces, which provide ways to transfer application data between the host PC and the
target processor. · The admin console, which provides configuration of the various board features.
Silicon Labs publishes updates to the board controller firmware in the form of firmware upgrade packages. These updates may enable new features or fix issues. See Section 10.1 Firmware Upgrades for details on firmware upgrade.

7.2 Admin Console The admin console is a command line interface to the board controller on the kit. It provides functionality for configuring the kit behavior and retrieving configuration and operational parameters.
7.2.1 Connecting The admin console is available when the Wireless Pro Kit is connected to Ethernet using the Ethernet connector in the top left corner of the mainboard. See Section 9.1.2 Ethernet Interface for details on the Ethernet connectivity. Connect to the admin console by opening a telnet connection to the kit’s IP address, port number 4902. When successfully connected, a WPK> prompt is displayed.

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Board Controller
7.2.2 Built-in Help
The admin console has a built-in help system which is accessed by the help command. The help command will print a list of all top level commands:

WPK> help

*** Root commands ****

aem

AEM Configuration and Information Commands [ avg, calibrate, calinfo ]

boardid

Commands for board ID probe. [ list, probe ]

dbg

Debug interface status and control [ info, mode ]

dch

Datachannel control and info commands [ info, message ]

discovery

Discovery service commands. [ key ]

net

Network commands. [ dnslookup, ip, mac ]

pti

Packet trace interface status and control [ config, disable, dump, … ]

quit

Exit from shell

serial

Serial channel commands [ vcom ]

sys

System commands [ crashlog, nickname, reset, … ]

target

Target commands. [ button, go, halt, … ]

time

Time Sync Service commands [ client, disable, info, … ]

user

User management functions [ login,]

The help command can be used in conjunction with any top level command to get a list of sub-commands with descriptions. For example, pti help will print a list of all available sub-commands of pti:

WPK> pti help

*** pti commands ****

config

Configure packet trace

disable

Disable packet trace

dump

Dump PTI packets to the console as they come

enable

Enable packet trace

info

Packet trace state information

This means that running pti enable will enable packet trace.

7.2.3 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.

7.3 Virtual UART
The Virtual UART (VUART) interface provides a high-performance application data interface that does not require additional I/O pins apart from the debug interface.
The Wireless STK makes the VUART interface available on TCP/IP port 4900.

7.3.1 Target-to-Host
Target-to-host communication utilizes the SWO-pin of the debug interface through the ITM debug peripheral. This approach allows a sleepy target device to enter all energy modes and still wake up intermittently to send debug information. The baud rate of the SWO data is locked to 875 kHz.
VUART utilizes ITM stimulus port 0 for general purpose printing. Silicon Labs’ networking stacks utilize ITM stimulus port 8 for debug printing. The data on port 8 is encapsulated in additional framing and will also appear in the Simplicity Studio Network Analyzer.

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Board Controller
7.3.2 Host-to-Target
Host-to-target communication utilizes SEGGER’s Real Time Transfer (RTT) technology. A full explanation of how this works can be found in J-Link/J-Trace User Guide (UM08001). Briefly summarized, RTT consists of a structure called the RTT Control Block, which is located in RAM. This control block points to circular buffers that the debugger can write data into. The target application can then read data out of this circular buffer.
The board controller will start searching for the RTT Control Block upon receiving data on TCP/IP port 4900. If the board controller is unable to locate the RTT Control Block, it will return an error message on the same connection. For the board controller to be able to locate the RTT Control Block, it has to be aligned on a 1024-byte boundary in RAM.
After initializing the RTT connection, the target will only enter emulated EM2 and EM3 where the power consumption remains similar to EM1. This is because RTT utilizes the debug interface, which requires use of high-frequency oscillators. Energy modes EM4S and EM4H will work as normal. When debugging energy consumption, it is therefore important to not send data on TCP/IP port 4900 as not to instantiate the RTT connection.

7.3.3 Limitations
· Because the SWO-connection can be disabled by the debugger at will, it is important for the target application to verify that SWO is enabled and configured before each transmission on the interface.
· After initializing host-to-target communication over RTT by sending data on TCP/IP port 4900, the target application will be unable to enter EM2 and EM3. This is because RTT utilizes the debug connection of the target.
· VUART might not work reliably during an active debugging session. This is because there is contention over the target’s debug interface. The board controller will defer accessing the target until it is made available by the host debugger.
· VUART is designed with the assumption that only the board controller will access the RTT control block. If the target application uses RTT for other purposes, such as Segger SystemView, refrain from using VUART.

7.3.4 Troubleshooting

Problem

Solution

No data received after ending a debug session.
No data received after flashing a new application.

After certain debugger operations, the host computer manually disables SWO on the target to conserve power. This might cause SWO data to not appear if the target application initialized SWO before the debugger has disconnected. Either press the RESET button on the Wireless Starter Kit to reset the target application or make sure that the target application verifies that SWO is enabled and configured before sending any data.

Other issues

Disconnect from TCP port 4900, press the RESET button on the kit, then reconnect to 4900. If this does not fix the issue, try to restart the kit by unplugging and replugging the USB cable.

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Advanced Energy Monitor
8. Advanced Energy Monitor
The AEM cannot measure the total current consumption of the BRD4271A Radio Board due to its specific power supply structure (EFR32 is supplied by VMCU and on-board LDOs). For other radio boards with regular power supply structure (EFR32 supplied only by VMCU), AEM can measure the total current consumption of the board.

8.1 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. In real-time, the Energy Profiler will graph and log current as a function of time while correlating this to the actual target application code running on the EFR32. There are multiple features in the profiler software that allow for easy analysis, such as markers and statistics on selected regions of the current graph or aggregate energy usage by different parts of the application. The Energy Profiler is available through Simplicity Studio.

8.2 Code Correlation
By using the Energy Profiler, current consumption and voltage can be measured and linked to the actual code running on the EFR32 in realtime. The Energy Profiler gets its data from the board controller on the mainboard through the Advanced Energy Monitor (AEM). The current signal is combined with the target processor’s Program Counter (PC) sampling by utilizing a feature of the ARM CoreSight debug architecture. The Instrumentation Trace Macrocell (ITM) block can be programmed to sample the MCU’s PC at periodic intervals and output these over SWO pin ARM devices. When these two data streams are fused and correlated with the running application’s memory map, an accurate statistical profile can be built that shows the energy profile of the running application in real-time.

8.3 AEM Circuit
The AEM circuit on the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A) and the Wireless STK Mainboard (BRD4001A) measures the current through a sense resistor inside the feedback loop of a low-dropout regulator (LDO). The output voltage of this LDO powers the EFR32 when the power slide switch is in the AEM position. AEM usage on both mainboards is similar, but the implementation and perfomance on the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A) has some key differences, including the utilization of two sense resistors instead of one, and a different LDO, which is explained in Section 8.3.1 AEM Details. The AEM implementation on the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A) is shown in the figure below.

5 V
LDO

0.5

10

Sense Resistors

High Calibrate Range

Power Select Switch
VMCU

AEM Processing

Current Sense Amplifier
G0
Multiple Gain Stages
G1

EFR32

Peripherals

Figure 8.1. Advanced Energy Monitor On The Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A) Note: The VMCU regulator feedback point is after the sense resistor to ensure that the VMCU voltage is kept constant when the output current changes. Series resistances in the current path will, however, cause some IR drop on VMCU.
Note: The AEM circuit only works when the kit is powered and the power switch is in the AEM position.

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Advanced Energy Monitor
8.3.1 AEM Details The main differences between the AEM on the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A) and the Wireless STK Mainboard (BRD4001A) is summarized in the table below with more in-depth information given in the text to follow.
Table 8.1. Advanced Energy Monitor Parameters

Parameter

BRD4002A

Voltage

1.8 – 3.6 V

Sample Rate

100 kHz

Sense Resistor

10.5 / 0.5

Measurement Range1

0 – 495 mA

Note: 1. The current sourcing capabilities of the LDO may be different than the measurement range.

BRD4001A 3.3 V 10 kHz 2.35
0 – 95 mA

Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard (BRD4002A) AEM Design Details
The AEM circuitry on the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard is capable of measuring current signals in the range of approximately 0.1 µA to 495 mA. This is accomplished through a combination of a highly capable current sense amplifier, multiple sense resistors and gain stages, and signal processing within the kit’s board controller before the current sense signal is read by a host computer with 100 kHz sample rate for display and/or storage. Averaging on the output data may be required to achieve sufficient accuracy in some situations, such as low currents, which can be traded for lower bandwidth. High current applications require that the regulator is able to supply enough current as described in Section 4.2 Kit Power.
At low currents the current sense amplifier measures the voltage drop over a 10.5 resistive path. The gain stage further amplifies this voltage with two different parallel gain settings to obtain two current ranges. The transition between these two ranges occurs around 150 µA. When the current exceeds a threshold, which is typically between 10 and 30 mA, the AEM circuitry switches from the 10.5 resistive path to a 0.5 sense resistor and is now capable of measuring currents up to approximately 495 mA. Should the current drop below the threshold again, the sense resistor is changed back to the 10.5 resistive path and the AEM is back to using two different gain stages depending on whether the current is above or below 150 µA.
The expected typical accuracy of the AEM on the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard is within 1 %, except for currents in the low tens of microamps where offset errors start to dominate. In this low current region, the expected typical accuracy is some hundred nanoamps. At kit power-up or on a power-cycle, an automatic AEM calibration is performed which compensates for offset errors in the current sense amplifiers. To achieve the stated accuracy, averaging of the AEM output data is required in certain situations (typically at low currents and close to the bottom of the measurement ranges) to reduce noise. Averaging can be applied in Energy Profiler to suit different requirements during or after the acquisition. The analog bandwidth of the measurement circuit depends on multiple factors, such as output current and capacitance on the VMCU net, and may be lower than the output data rate. Generally, higher output current and lower capacitance on VMCU gives a higher analog bandwidth.
Wireless STK Mainboard (BRD4001A) AEM Design Details
The AEM circuitry on the Wireless STK Mainboard works conceptually in a similar way to the implementation on the Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard except for two key differences: it uses only one 2.35 sense resistor and the low-dropout regulator (LDO) is different. For details about the two implementations, the reader is encouraged to see the schematics.
The AEM on the Wireless STK Mainboard is capable of measuring currents in the range of 0.1 µA to 95 mA. The second stage amplifier amplifies the signal with two different gain settings with the transition occurring around 250 µA. For currents above 250 µA, the AEM is accurate within 0.1 mA. When measuring currents below 250 µA, the accuracy increases to 1 µA. Even though the absolute accuracy is 1 µA in the sub 250 µA range, the AEM can detect changes in the current consumption as small as 0.1 µA. It is possible to source currents above the measurement range as decribed in Section 4.2 Kit Power. The board controller outputs the AEM data with 10 kHz sample rate.

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On-Board Debugger
9. On-Board Debugger
The Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard and the Wireless STK Mainboard contain 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.
The debugger supports three different debug interfaces for Silicon Labs devices: · Serial Wire Debug is supported by all EFM32, EFR32, and EZR32 devices · JTAG is supported by EFR32 and some EFM32 devices · C2 Debug is supported by EFM8 devices
For debugging to work properly, make sure the selected debug interface is supported by the target device. The debug connector on the board supports all three of these modes.
9.1 Host Interfaces The Wireless Pro Kit supports connecting to the on-board debugger using either Ethernet or USB.
Many tools support connecting to a debugger using either USB or Ethernet. When connected over USB, the kit is identified by its J-Link serial number. When connected over Ethernet, the kit is normally identified by its IP address. Some tools also support using the serial number when connecting over Ethernet; however, this typically requires the computer and the kit to be on the same subnet for the discovery protocol (using UDP broadcast packets) to work.
9.1.1 USB Interface The USB interface is available whenever the USB connector on the left-hand side of the mainboard is connected to a computer.
9.1.2 Ethernet Interface The Ethernet interface is available when the mainboard Ethernet connector in the top left corner is connected to a network. Normally, the kit will receive an IP address from a local DHCP server, and the IP address is printed on the LCD display. If your network does not have a DHCP server, you need to connect to the kit via USB and set the IP address manually using Simplicity Studio, Simplicity Commander, or J-Link Configurator.
For the Ethernet connectivity to work, the kit must still be powered through the mainboard USB connector.
9.1.3 Serial Number Identification All Silicon Labs kits have a unique J-Link serial number which identifies the kit to PC applications. This number is 9 digits and is normally on the form 44xxxxxxx.
The J-Link serial number is normally printed at the bottom of the kit LCD display.

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On-Board Debugger
9.2 Debug Modes
The kit can be used in various debug modes as explained in this chapter. The on-board debugger can be used to debug the EFR32 on the radio board, or it can be used to debug a supported external target board using either the debug connector or the Mini Simplicity Connector. An external debugger can furthermore be used to debug the EFR32 on the radio board using the debug connector. Selecting the active debug mode is done in Simplicity Studio.
Note: The Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard (BRD4001A) does not feature a Mini Simplicity Connector; therefore, debugging an external target board directly over the Mini Simplicity Connector is not supported on this mainboard. However, it is possible to debug an external target that uses a Mini Simplicity Connector from the Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard by using a BRD8010A STK/WSTK Debug Adapter.
Debug MCU: In this mode, the on-board debugger is connected to the EFR32 on the kit. To use this mode, set the debug mode to [MCU].

Host

USB

Computer

Board Controller

RADIO BOARD

DEBUG HEADER

External Hardware

Figure 9.1. Debug MCU
Debug OUT: In this mode, the on-board debugger can be used to debug a supported Silicon Labs device mounted on a custom board using the debug connector. To use this mode, set the debug mode to [Out].

Host

USB

Computer

Board Controller

RADIO BOARD

DEBUG HEADER

External Hardware

Figure 9.2. Debug OUT
Debug IN: In this mode, the on-board debugger is disconnected and an external debugger can be used to debug the EFR32 on the kit over the debug connector. To use this mode, set the debug mode to [In].

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On-Board Debugger

Host

USB

Computer

Board Controller

RADIO BOARD

DEBUG HEADER

External Debug Probe

Figure 9.3. Debug IN
Note: For “Debug IN” to work, the kit board controller must be powered through the Debug USB connector.
Debug MINI: The Wireless Pro Kit mainboard features a dedicated Mini Simplicity Connector on the board. In this mode, the on-board debugger can be used to debug a supported Silicon Labs device mounted on a custom board over Serial Wire Debug. Virtual COM port and Packet Trace Interface is also available in this mode. To use this mode, set the debug mode to [Mini].

Host

USB

Computer

Board Controller

RADIO BOARD

MINI SIMPLICITY CONNECTOR

External Hardware

Figure 9.4. Mini Out
Depending on the position of the mainboard power switch and the presence of a coin battery (or external power source on the battery connector of BRD4002A), the Wireless Pro Kit can supply voltage on the VMCU rail available on the Simplicity Connector and the Mini Simplicity Connector. Careful consideration must be taken to avoid any power conflicts with the external hardware. For more information regarding debugging external hardware see AN958: Debugging and Programming Interfaces for Custom Designs.
9.3 Debugging During Battery Operation
When the EFR32 is battery-powered 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.
If debug access is required when the target is running off another energy source, such as a battery, and the board controller is powered down, make direct connections to the GPIOs used for debugging, which are exposed on the breakout pads.

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Kit Configuration and Upgrades 10. 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. To download Simplicity Studio, go to silabs.com/simplicity. In the main window of the Simplicity Studio’s Launcher perspective, the debug mode and firmware version of the selected J-Link adapter are shown. Click the [Change] link next to any of these settings to open the kit configuration dialog.
Figure 10.1. Simplicity Studio Kit Information

Figure 10.2. Kit Configuration Dialog
10.1 Firmware Upgrades You can upgrade the kit firmware through Simplicity Studio. Simplicity Studio will automatically check for new updates on startup. You can also use the kit configuration dialog for manual upgrades. Click the [Browse] button in the [Update Adapter] section to select the correct file ending in .emz. Then, click the [Install Package] button.

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Schematics, Assembly Drawings, and BOM
11. Schematics, Assembly Drawings, and BOM
Schematics, assembly drawings, and bill of materials (BOM) are available through Simplicity Studio when the kit documentation package has been installed. They are also available from the kit page on the Silicon Labs website: silabs.com.

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Kit Revision History
12. Kit Revision History
The kit revision can be found printed on the kit packaging label, as outlined in the figure below. The revision history given in this section may not list every kit revision. Revisions with minor changes may be omitted.

EFR32FG25 863-870 MHz 16 dBm Radio Board

FG25-RB4271A

02-02-23

124802042 A00

12.1 FG25-RB4271A Revision history

Kit Revision A03 A02 A01 A00

Released 14 November 2022 26 October 2022 21 July 2022 7 January 2022

12.2 FG25-PK6012A Revision history

Kit Revision A02 A01 A00

Released 14 November 2022 21 June 2022 28 April 2022

12.3 Wi-SUN-PK6015A Revision history

Kit Revision A01 A00

Released 15 November 2022 21 June 2022

Figure 12.1. Kit Label
Description Updated BRD4271A to Rev. A06. Updated BRD4271A to Rev. A05. Updated BRD4271A to Rev. A04. Initial release.
Description Updated BRD4271A to Rev. A06. Updated BRD4271A to Rev. A04. Initial release.
Description Updated BRD4271A to Rev. A06. Initial release.

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13. Document Revision History
Revision 1.0 Feb 2023 · Initial document release.

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Document Revision History

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Disclaimer Silicon Labs intends to provide customers with the latest, accurate, and in-depth documentation of all peripherals and modules available for system and software implementers using or intending to use the Silicon Labs products. Characterization data, available modules and peripherals, memory sizes and memory addresses refer to each specific device, and “Typical” parameters provided can and do vary in different applications. Application examples described herein are for illustrative purposes only. Silicon Labs reserves the right to make changes without further notice to the product information, specifications, and descriptions herein, and does not give warranties as to the accuracy or completeness of the included information. Without prior notification, Silicon Labs may update product firmware during the manufacturing process for security or reliability reasons. Such changes will not alter the specifications or the performance of the product. Silicon Labs shall have no liability for the consequences of use of the information supplied in this document. This document does not imply or expressly grant any license to design or fabricate any integrated circuits. The products are not designed or authorized to be used within any FDA Class III devices, applications for which FDA premarket approval is required or Life Support Systems without the specific written consent of Silicon Labs. A “Life Support System” is any product or system intended to support or sustain life and/or health, which, if it fails, can be reasonably expected to result in significant personal injury or death. Silicon Labs products are not designed or authorized for military applications. Silicon Labs products shall under no circumstances be used in weapons of mass destruction including (but not limited to) nuclear, biological or chemical weapons, or missiles capable of delivering such weapons. Silicon Labs disclaims all express and implied warranties and shall not be responsible or liable for any injuries or damages related to use of a Silicon Labs product in such unauthorized applications. Note: This content may contain offensive terminology that is now obsolete. Silicon Labs is replacing these terms with inclusive language wherever possible. For more information, visit www.silabs.com/about-us/inclusive- lexicon-project
Trademark Information Silicon Laboratories Inc.®, Silicon Laboratories®, Silicon Labs®, SiLabs® and the Silicon Labs logo®, Bluegiga®, Bluegiga Logo®, EFM®, EFM32®, EFR, Ember®, Energy Micro, Energy Micro logo and combinations thereof, “the world’s most energy friendly microcontrollers”, Redpine Signals®, WiSeConnect , n-Link, ThreadArch®, EZLink®, EZRadio®, EZRadioPRO®, Gecko®, Gecko OS, Gecko OS Studio, Precision32®, Simplicity Studio®, Telegesis, the Telegesis Logo®, USBXpress® , Zentri, the Zentri logo and Zentri DMS, Z-Wave®, and others are trademarks or registered trademarks of Silicon Labs. ARM, CORTEX, Cortex-M3 and THUMB are trademarks or registered trademarks of ARM Holdings. Keil is a registered trademark of ARM Limited. Wi- Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. All other products or brand names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective holders.

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References

• data.No
• easyname | Domain geparkt
• Silicon Labs

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