UG179: EFR32MG 2400/915 MHz 19.

5 dBm
Dual Band Radio Board
The SLWRB4150B Radio Board for the Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard is an excellent starting point to get familiar with the
EFR32 Mighty Gecko Wireless System-on-Chip.
The Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard contains sensors and peripherals demonstrating
some of the Mighty Gecko's many capabilities. These together provide all necessary
tools for developing a Silicon Labs wireless application.
The WSTK Mainboard is included with all Silicon Labs Wireless Starter Kits. It is not included when purchasing a single radio board.

RADIO BOARD FEATURES

EFR32 Mighty Gecko Wireless SoC with

256 kB Flash and 32 kB RAM.
(EFR32MG1P233F256GM48)
Inverted-F PCB antenna (2.4 GHz band)
SMA connector (915 MHz band)
WSTK MAINBOARD FEATURES

Ethernet and USB connectivity

Advanced Energy Monitor
Packet Trace Interface support
SEGGER J-Link on-board debugger
Debug Multiplexer supporting external
hardware as well as radio board
Silicon Labs' Si7021 Relative Humidity and
Temperature sensor
Ultra low power 128x128 pixel Memory
LCD
User LEDs / Pushbuttons
20-pin 2.54 mm header for expansion
boards
Breakout pads for direct access to all radio
I/O pins
Power sources includes USB, CR2032
coin cell and AA batteries.
SOFTWARE SUPPORT

Simplicity Studio
Energy Profiler
Network Analyzer

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UG179: EFR32MG 2400/915 MHz 19.5 dBm Dual Band Radio Board

Introduction

1. Introduction
The SLWRB4150B Radio Board is a single EFR32MG 2400/915 MHz 19.5 dBm radio board for the Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard.
A radio board and a mainboard used together makes a complete development platform for Silicon Labs EFR32 Mighty Gecko Wireless
System-on-Chips.
The Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard features an on-board J-Link debugger, an Advanced Energy Monitor for real-time current and voltage monitoring, a virtual COM port interface, and access to the Packet Trace Interface (PTI).
All debug functionality, including AEM, VCOM and PTI, can also be used towards an external target instead of the connected radio
board.
To further enhance the WSTK usability, the WSTK Mainboard contains sensors and peripherals demonstrating some of the Wireless
SoC's many capabilities.
The radio board features an EFR32 and the RF interface. Please refer to the Radio Board Reference Manual for detailed specifications
and RF performance figures.
1.1 Kit Contents
The following items are included with the SLWRB4150B:
1x BRD4150B EFR32MG 2400/915 MHz 19.5 dBm Radio Board
1x 915 MHz antenna with SMA connector
1.2 Getting Started
Detailed instructions for how to get started can be found on the Silicon Labs web pages:
http://www.silabs.com/start-efr32mg

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UG179: EFR32MG 2400/915 MHz 19.5 dBm Dual Band Radio Board

Kit Hardware Overview

2. Kit Hardware Overview

A view of the EFR32MG 2400/915 MHz 19.5 dBm Dual Band Radio Board with a Wireless STK Mainboard is shown below.

Plug-in Radio Board

Radio Board Breakout Pads
On-board USB and
Ethernet J-Link
Debugger

Si7021 Humidity and

Temperature Sensor

USB-serial-port
Packet-trace
Advanced Energy
Monitoring
Battery or
USB power

EXP-header for
expansion boards

Ultra-low power 128x128

pixel memory LCD,
buttons and LEDs

ARM Coresight 19-pin

trace/debug header
Serial-port, packet trace and Advanced
Energy Monitoring header

Figure 2.1. SLWRB4150B with Wireless STK Mainboard

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UG179: EFR32MG 2400/915 MHz 19.5 dBm Dual Band Radio Board

Block Diagram

3. Block Diagram
A system overview of the EFR32MG 2400/915 MHz 19.5 dBm Dual Band Radio Board used together with an Wireless STK Mainboard
is shown in the figure below.

Board
Controller

UART

Simplicity
Connector

USB Mini-B
Connector

Debug

Packet Trace

AEM

UART

RJ-45 Ethernet
Connector

Multiplexer

Packet Trace

IN

Debug

Debug
Connector

MCU

U
T

AEM

EXP
Header

ETM Trace

Debug

Packet Trace

AEM

UART

ETM Trace

128 x 128 pixel

Memory LCD

GPIO

SPI

Serial Flash

915 MHz RF

EFR32MG
Wireless SoC
2.4 GHz RF

User Buttons
& LEDs

GPIO

8 Mbit
MX25R

Inverted-F
PCB Antenna

SMA
Connector

Si7021

I2C

Temperature
& Humidity
Sensor

Figure 3.1. Kit Block Diagram

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UG179: EFR32MG 2400/915 MHz 19.5 dBm Dual Band Radio Board

Connectors

4. Connectors
This chapter gives you an overview of the Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard connectivity. The placement of the connectors can be seen in
the figure below.

3
3V V3
3

D
N D
G GN
C
N NC
5 4
P4 P4
3 2
P4 P4
1 0
P4 P4
9 8
P3 P3
7 6
P3 P3
5 4
P3 P3
3 2
P3 P3
1 0
P3 P3
9 8
P2 P2
7 6
P2 P2
5 4
P2 P2
D
N D
G GN 5V
5V

Ra
Co dio B
nn
ec oard
tor
s
Ex
He pans
ad
i
er on

Simplicity
Connector

In/Out Debug
Header

F F
VR R
V
D
N D
G GN
3 2
P2 P2
1 0
P2 P2
9 8
P1 P1
7 6
P1 P1
5 4
P1 P1
3 2
P1 P1
1 0
P1 P1
P9 P8
P7 P6
P5 P4
P3 P2
P1 P0
D
N D
G GN
U
C U
VM MC
V
Figure 4.1. Mainboard Connector Layout

4.1 Breakout Pads

Most of the EFR32's pins are routed from the radio board to breakout pads at the top and bottom edges of the Wireless Starter Kit
Mainboard. A 2.54 mm pitch pin header can be soldered on for easy access to the pins. The figure below shows you how the pins of
the EFR32 maps to the pin numbers printed on the breakout pads. To see the available functions on each, please refer to the
EFR32MG1P233F256GM48 Data Sheet.

J101
VMCU
GND
VCOM_CTS / PA2 / P0
VCOM_RTS / PA3 / P2
BTN0 / PF6 / P4
BTN1 / PF7 / P6
LED0 / PF4 / P8
DBG_TDI / PF3 / P10
I2C_SCL / PC10 / P12
FLASH_SCS / PA4 / P14
VCOM_ENABLE / PA5 / P16
PTI_CLK / PB11 / P18
PTI_DATA / PB12 / P20
PTI_FRAME / PB13 / P22
GND
VRF

J102

VMCU
GND
P1 / PC6 / FLASH_MOSI / DISP_SI
P3 / PC7 / FLASH_MISO
P5 / PC8 / FLASH_SCLK / DISP_SCLK
P7 / PC9
P9 / PA0 / VCOM_TX
P11 / PA1 / VCOM_RX
P13 / PC11 / I2C_SDA
P15 / NC
P17 / NC
P19 / NC
P21 / NC
P23 / NC
GND
VRF

5V
GND
DBG_TCK_SWCLK / PF0 / P24
DBG_TMS_SWDIO / PF1 / P26
DBG_TDO_SWO / PF2 / P28
NC / P30
LED1 / PF5 / P32
NC / P34
NC / P36
NC / P38
NC / P40
NC / P42
NC / P44
NC
GND
3V3

5V
GND
P25 / NC
P27 / NC
P29 / NC
P31 / PD13 / DISP_EXTCOMIN
P33 / PD14 / DISP_SCS
P35 / PD15 / DISP_ENABLE
P37 / PD15 / SENSOR_ENABLE
P39 / NC
P41 / NC
P43 / NC
P45 / NC
NC
GND
3V3

Figure 4.2. Radio Board Pin Mapping on Breakout Pads

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UG179: EFR32MG 2400/915 MHz 19.5 dBm Dual Band Radio Board

Connectors
4.2 Expansion Header
On the right hand side of the board an angled 20-pin expansion header is provided to allow connection of peripherals or plugin boards.
The connector contains a number of I/O pins that can be used with most of the EFR32 Mighty Gecko's features. Additionally, the
VMCU, 3V3 and 5V power rails are also exported.
The connector follows a standard which ensures that commonly used peripherals such as an 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
that can plug into a number of different Silicon Labs starter kits.
The figure below shows the pin assignment of the expansion header for the EFR32MG 2400/915 MHz 19.5 dBm Dual Band Radio
Board. Because of limitations in the number of available GPIO pins, some of the expansion header pins are shared with kit features.

3V3
5V
I2C_SDA / PC11
UART_RX / PA1
UART_TX / PA0
SPI_CS / PC9
SPI_CLK / PC8
SPI_MISO / PC7
SPI_MOSI / PC6
VMCU

20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2

19
17
15
13
11
9
7
5
3
1

Board ID SDA
Board ID SCL
PC10 / I2C_SCL
PF3 / GPIO
PF4 / GPIO
PF7 / GPIO
PF6 / GPIO
PA3 / GPIO
PA2 / GPIO
GND

EFR32 I/O Pin

Reserved (Board Identification)

Figure 4.3. Expansion Header

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UG179: EFR32MG 2400/915 MHz 19.5 dBm Dual Band Radio Board

Connectors
4.2.1 Expansion Header Pin-out
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 Wireless STK Mainboard. Table 4.1 Expansion Header Pinout on page 6 includes
an overview of the mainboard features that share pins with the Expansion Header.
Table 4.1. Expansion Header Pinout
Pin

Connection

EXP Header function

Shared feature

Peripheral mapping

20

3V3

Board controller supply

18

5V

Board USB voltage

16

PC11

I2C_SDA

SENSOR_I2C_SDA

I2C1_SDA #16

14

PA1

UART_RX

VCOM_RX_MISO

USART0_RX #0

12

PA0

UART_TX

VCOM_TX_MOSI

USART0_TX #0

10

PC9

SPI_CS

PC8

SPI_SCLK

FLASH_SCLK, DISP_SCLK

USART1_CLK #11

PC7

SPI_MISO

FLASH_MISO

USART1_RX #11

PC6

SPI_MOSI

FLASH_MOSI, DISP_MOSI

USART1_TX #11

VMCU

EFR32 voltage domain, included in AEM measurements.

19

BOARD_ID_SDA

Connected to Board Controller for identification of add-on boards.

17

BOARD_ID_SCL

Connected to Board Controller for identification of add-on boards.

15

PC10

I2C_SCL

SENSOR_I2C_SCL

13

PF3

GPIO

DBG_TDI

11

PF4

GPIO

LED0

PF7

GPIO

BTN1

PF6

GPIO

BTN0

PA3

GPIO

VCOM_RTS_CS

USART0_CS #0

PA2

GPIO

VCOM_CTS_SCLK

USART0_CLK #0

GND

Ground

USART1_CS #11

I2C1_SCL #14

Note: Pin PF3 is used for DBG_TDI in JTAG mode only. When Serial Wire Debugging is used, PF3 can be used for other purposes.

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UG179: EFR32MG 2400/915 MHz 19.5 dBm Dual Band Radio Board

Connectors
4.3 Debug Connector
The Debug Connector serves multiple purposes based on the "debug mode" setting which can be configured in Simplicity Studio. When
mode is set to "Debug IN", this connector allows an external debug emulator to be used with the radio board EFR32. 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), this
connector is isolated from the debug interface of both the Board Controller and the on-board target device.
Because this connector is automatically switched to support the different operating modes, it is only available when the Board Controller
is powered (J-Link USB cable connected). If debug access to the target device is required when the Board Controller is unpowered, this
should be done by connecting 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 this.

VTARGET
GND
GND
NC
Cable Detect
NC
NC
GND
GND
GND

1
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19

2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20

TMS / SWDIO / C2D

TCK / SWCLK / C2CK
TDO / SWO
TDI / C2Dps
RESET / C2CKps
TRACECLK
TRACED0
TRACED1
TRACED2
TRACED3

Figure 4.4. Debug Connector

Note: The pinout matches the pinout of an ARM Cortex Debug+ETM connector, but these are not fully compatible as pin 7 is physically
removed from the Cortex Debug+ETM connector. Some cables have a small plug that prevent them from being used when this pin is
present. If this is the case, remove the plug, or use a standard 2x10 1.27 mm straight cable instead.

Table 4.2. Debug Connector Pin Descriptions

Pin number(s)

Function

Description

VTARGET

Target voltage on the debugged application.

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

10

RESET / C2CKps

Target device reset, or C2CK "pin sharing" function

12

TRACECLK

Not connected

14

TRACED0

Not connected

16

TRACED1

Not connected

18

TRACED2

Not connected

20

TRACED3

Not connected

Cable detect

Connect to ground

11, 13

NC

Not connected

3, 5, 15, 17, 19

GND

Ground

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UG179: EFR32MG 2400/915 MHz 19.5 dBm Dual Band Radio Board

Connectors
4.4 Simplicity Connector
The Simplicity Connector featured on the Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard enables 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
3V3
5V
GND
GND
GND
GND
GND
Board ID SCL
Board ID SDA

1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19

2 Virtual COM TX / MOSI

4 Virtual COM RX / MISO

6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20

Virtual COM CTS / SCLK

Virtual COM RTS / CS
Packet Trace 0 Sync
Packet Trace 0 Data
Packet Trace 0 Clock
Packet Trace 1 Sync
Packet Trace 1 Data
Packet Trace 1 Clock

Figure 4.5. 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. To
monitor the current consumption of an external target with the AEM, unplug the WSTK Radio Board from the WSTK Mainboard to avoid
that the Radio Board current consumption is added to the measurements.

Table 4.3. Simplicity Connector Pin Descriptions

Pin number(s)

Function

Description

VMCU

3.3 V power rail, monitored by the AEM

3V3

3.3 V power rail

5V

5 V power rail

VCOM_TX_MOSI

Virtual COM Tx/MOSI

VCOM_RX_MISO

Virtual COM Rx/MISO

VCOM_CTS_SCLK

Virtual COM CTS/SCLK

VCOM_RTS_CS

Virtual COM RTS/CS

10

PTI0_SYNC

Packet Trace 0 Sync

12

PTI0_DATA

Packet Trace 0 Data

14

PTI0_CLK

Packet Trace 0 Clock

16

PTI1_SYNC

Packet Trace 1 Sync

18

PTI1_DATA

Packet Trace 1 Data

20

PTI1_CLK

Packet Trace 1 Clock

17

EXT_ID_SCL

Board ID SCL

19

EXT_ID_SDA

Board ID SDA

7, 9, 11, 13, 15

GND

Ground

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UG179: EFR32MG 2400/915 MHz 19.5 dBm Dual Band Radio Board

Power Supply and Reset

5. Power Supply and Reset

5.1 Radio Board Power Selection

The EFR32 on a Wireless Starter Kit can be powered by one of these sources:
the debug USB cable;
a 3V coin cell battery; or
a USB regulator on the Radio Board (for devices with USB support only).

BA
T
U
SB
AE
M

The power source for the radio board is selected with the slide switch in the lower left corner of the Wireless STK Mainboard. Figure
5.1 Power Switch on page 9 shows how the different power sources can be selected with the slide switch.

5V

USB Mini-B
Connector

LDO

3.3 V

Advanced
Energy
Monitor

AEM
USB

VMCU

BAT

EFR32

3 V Lithium Battery
(CR2032)

Figure 5.1. Power Switch

With the switch in the AEM position, a low noise 3.3 V LDO on the WSTK Mainboard is used to power the Radio Board. This LDO is
again powered from the debug USB cable. The Advanced Energy Monitor is now also connected in series, allowing accurate high
speed current measurements and energy debugging/profiling.
With the switch in the USB position, radio boards with USB-support can be powered by a regulator on the radio board itself. BRD4150B
does not contain an USB regulator, and setting the switch in the USB postition will cause the EFR32 to be unpowered.
Finally, with the switch in the BAT position, a 20 mm coin cell battery in the CR2032 socket can be used to power the device. With the
switch in this position no current measurements are active. This is the recommended switch position when powering the radio board
with an external power source.
Note: The current sourcing capabilities of a coin cell battery might be too low to supply certain wireless applications.
Note: The Advanced Energy Monitor can only measure the current consumption of the EFR32 when the power selection switch is in
the AEM position.

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UG179: EFR32MG 2400/915 MHz 19.5 dBm Dual Band Radio Board

Power Supply and Reset

5.2 Board Controller Power
The board controller is responsible for important features such as the debugger and the Advanced Energy Monitor, 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 exclusively supplied by the J-Link USB cable, and 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 USB and BAT modes.
5.3 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, the Board Controller will also issue a reset to the EFR32 when booting up. This
means that removing power to the Board Controller (plugging out 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

6. 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. This must be taken into consideration when
using the breakout pads for your application.
6.1 Push Buttons and LEDs
The kit has two user push buttons marked PB0 and PB1. 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 PF6 and PF7.
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 PF4 and PF5 in an active-high configuration.

PF4 (GPIO)

UIF_LED0

PF5 (GPIO)

UIF_LED1

PF6 (GPIO)

UIF_PB0

PF7 (GPIO)

UIF_PB1

User Buttons
& LEDs

EFR32
Figure 6.1. Buttons and LEDs

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Peripherals
6.2 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 by 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 continous refreshing is required to maintain a static image.
The display interface consists of an 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 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_COM is the "COM Inversion" line. It must be pulsed periodically to prevent static build-up in the display itself. Please refer to the
display application information for details on driving the display:
http://www.sharpmemorylcd.com/1-28-inch-memory-lcd.html

PC8 (US1_CLK#11)
PC6 (US1_TX#11)
PD14 (US1_CS#19)
PD13 (LETIMER0)
PD15 (GPIO)
0: Board Controller controls display
1: EFR32 controls display

EFR32
Figure 6.2. 128x128 Pixel Memory LCD

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Peripherals
6.3 Serial Flash
The BRD4150B radio board is equipped with an 8 Mbit Macronix MX25R SPI flash that is connected directly to the EFR32 Mighty
Gecko. Figure 6.3 Radio Board Serial Flash on page 13 shows how the serial flash is connected to the EFR32.

VMCU

VDD

PC8 (US1_CLK#11)

SCLK

PC6 (US1_TX#11)

MOSI

PC7 (US1_RX#11)

MISO

PA4 (US1_CS#1)

SCS

8 Mbit

MX25R8035F

EFR32
Figure 6.3. 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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UG179: EFR32MG 2400/915 MHz 19.5 dBm Dual Band Radio Board

Peripherals
6.4 Si7021 Relative Humidity and Temperature Sensor
The Si7021 I2C relative humidity and temperature sensor is a monolithic CMOS IC integrating humidity and temperature sensor elements, an analog-to-digital converter, signal processing, calibration data, and an I2C Interface. The patented use of industry-standard,
low-K polymeric dielectrics for sensing humidity enables the construction of low-power, monolithic CMOS Sensor ICs with low drift and
hysteresis, and excellent long term stability.
The humidity and temperature sensors are factory-calibrated and the calibration data is stored in the on-chip non-volatile memory. This
ensures that the sensors are fully interchangeable, with no recalibration or software changes required.
The Si7021 is available in a 3x3 mm DFN package and is reflow solderable. It can be used as a hardware- and software-compatible
drop-in upgrade for existing RH/ temperature sensors in 3x3 mm DFN-6 packages, featuring precision sensing over a wider range and
lower power consumption. The optional factory-installed cover offers a low profile, convenient means of protecting the sensor during
assembly (e.g., reflow soldering) and throughout the life of the product, excluding liquids (hydrophobic/oleophobic) and particulates.
The Si7021 offers an accurate, low-power, factory-calibrated digital solution ideal for measuring humidity, dew-point, and temperature,
in applications ranging from HVAC/R and asset tracking to industrial and consumer platforms.
The I2C bus used for the Si7021 is shared with the Expansion Header. The temperature sensor is normally isolated from the I2C line. To
use the sensor, PD15 must be set high. When enabled, the sensor's current consumption is included in the AEM measurements.

VMCU
VDD

PC10 (I2C0_SCL#14)
PC11 (I2C0_SDA#16)
PD15 (GPIO)

SENSOR_I2C_SCL

SCL

SENSOR_I2C_SDA

SDA

Si7021

Temperature
& Humidity
Sensor

SENSOR_ENABLE
0: I2C lines are isolated, sensor is not powered
1: Sensor is powered and connected

EFR32
Figure 6.4. Si7021 Relative Humidity and Temperature Sensor
Please refer to the Silicon Labs web pages for more information: http://www.silabs.com/humidity-sensors

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Peripherals
6.5 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.

Isolation & Level Shift

PA0 (US0_TX#0)
PA1 (US0_RX#0)
PA2 (US0_CTS#30)
PA3 (US0_RTS#30)
PA5 (GPIO)

VCOM_TX
VCOM_RX
VCOM_CTS

Board
Controller

USB
or
ETH

Host
PC

VCOM_RTS

VCOM_ENABLE

EFR32
Figure 6.5. 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 6.1. 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
depends on which radio board is used with the Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard. Please see 10. Device Connectivity for more details.
Note: The VCOM port is only available when the board controller is powered, which requires the J-Link USB cable to be inserted.

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Board Controller

7. Board Controller
The Wireless Starter Kit Mainboard contains a microcontroller separate from the EFR32 Mighty Gecko that is responsible 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
house-keeping functions on the board.
Some of the kit features actively managed by the board controller are:

The , 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 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 form of firmware upgrade packages. These updates may enable new
features or fix issues. See 11.2 Firmware Upgrades for details on firmware upgrade.
7.1 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 retreiving configuration and operational parameters.

Connecting

The SLWRB4150B must be connected to Ethernet using the Ethernet connector in the top left corner of the mainboard for the admin
console to be available. See 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 WSTK> prompt is displayed.

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Board Controller

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:

WSTK> help
*************** Root commands ****************
aem
AEM commands
[ calibrate, current, dump, ... ]
boardid
Commands for board ID probe.
[ list, probe ]
dbg
Debug interface status and control
[ info, mode,]
dch
Datachannel control and info commands
[ info ]
discovery
Discovery service commands.
net
Network commands.
[ dnslookup, geoprobe, ip ]
pti
Packet trace interface status and control
[ config, disable, dump, ... ]
quit
Exit from shell
sys
System commands
[ nickname, reset, scratch, ... ]
target
Target commands.
[ button, flashwrite, go, ... ]
time
Time Service commands
[ client, server ]
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 description. For example, pti help will print a list of all available sub-commands of pti:

WSTK> 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.

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.

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Advanced Energy Monitor

8. Advanced Energy Monitor

8.1 Introduction
Any embedded developer seeking to make his 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. It will in real-time 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 allows 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.
8.2 Theory of Operation
The Advanced Energy Monitor (AEM) circuitry on the board is capable of measuring current signals in the range of 0.1 A to 95 mA,
which is a dynamic range of alomst 120 dB. It can do this while maintaining approximately 10 kHz of current signal bandwidth. This is
accomplished through a combination of a highly capable current sense amplifier, multiple gain stages and signal processing within the
kit's board controller before the current sense signal is read by a host computer for display and/or storage.
The current sense amplifier measures the voltage drop over a small series resistor, and the gain stage further amplifies this voltage with
two different gain settings to obtain two current ranges. The transition between these two ranges occurs around 250 A.
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 ITM (Instrumentation Trace Macrocell) block can be programmed to sample the MCU's PC at periodic intervals
(50 kHz) 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.
At kit power-up or on a power-cycle, and automatic AEM calibration is performed. This calibration compensates for any offset errors in
the current sense amplifiers.

LDO

EFR32

Peripherals

AEM
Processing

Figure 8.1. Advanced Energy Monitor

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Advanced Energy Monitor

8.3 AEM Accuracy and Performance
The AEM is capable of measuring currents in the range of 0.1 A to 95 mA. For currents above 250 A, the AEM is accurate within 0.1
mA. When measuring currents below 250 A, the accuracy increases to 1 A. Even though the absolute accuracy is 1 A in the sub
250 A range, the AEM is able to detect changes in the current consumption as small as 100 nA.
The AEM current sampling rate is 10 kHz.
Note: The AEM circuitry only works when the kit is powered and the power switch is in the AEM position.

8.4 Usage
The AEM data is collected by the board controller and can be displayed by the Energy Profiler, available through Simplicity Studio. By
using the Energy Profiler, current consumption and voltage can be measured and linked to the actual code running on the EFR32 in
realtime.

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On-Board Debugger

9. On-Board Debugger
The WSTK Mainboard contains an integrated debugger, which can be used to download code and debug the EFR32. In addition to
programming the EFR32 on the connected radio board, the debugger can also be used to program and debug external Silicon Labs
EFM32, EFM8, EZR32 and EFR32 devices.
The debugger supports three different debug interfaces used with Silicon Labs devices:
Serial Wire Debug, is used with all EFM32, EFR32 and EZR32 devices
JTAG, which can be used with some newer EFR32 and EFM32 devices
C2 Debug, which is used with EFM8 devices
In order for debugging to work properly, make sure you have the approriate debug interface selected that works with your device. The
debug connector on the board supports all three of these modes.
9.1 Host Interfaces
The SLWRB4150B 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, this typically require the computer and the kit to be on the same subnet for the discovery protocol (using UDP broadcast packets) to work.
USB Interface
The USB interface is available whenever the mini-B USB connector on the left hand side of the kit is connected to a computer.
Ethernet Interface
The Ethernet interface is available when the kit's 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 mini-B USB connector. See 5.2 Board Controller Power
for details.
Serial Number Identification
All Silicon Labs kits have a unique J-Link serial number which can 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
Programming external devices is done by connecting to a target board through the provided Debug IN/OUT 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 the debug mode to [In]. A summary of the different supported debug modes is given in 9.2 Debug Modes.
Selecting the active debug mode is done with a drop-down menu in the Kit Manager tool in Simplicity Studio.
Debug MCU: In this mode the on-board debugger is connected to the EFR32 on the SLWRB4150B.

Host
Computer

USB

Board
Controller
RADIO BOARD

External
Hardware
DEBUG HEADER

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.

Host
Computer

USB

Board
Controller
RADIO BOARD

External
Hardware
DEBUG HEADER

Figure 9.2. Debug OUT

Debug IN: In this mode, the on-board debugger is disconnected, and an external debugger can be connected to debug the EFR32 on
the SLWRB4150B.

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On-Board Debugger

Host
Computer

USB

Board
Controller
RADIO BOARD

External Debug Probe

DEBUG HEADER

Figure 9.3. Debug IN

Note: For "Debug IN" to work, the board controller on the kit must be powered throught the USB connector.

9.3 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.
If debug access is required when the target is running of another energy source, such as a battery, and the board controller is powered
down, the user should make direct connections to the GPIO used for debugging. This can be done by connecting to the appropriate
pins of the breakout pads. Some Silicon Labs kits provide a dedicated pin header for this purpose.

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Device Connectivity

10. Device Connectivity

The SLWRB4150B provides several convenient ways to communicate with a target application without soldering or using external hardware.
10.1 Virtual COM Port
When the target device drives the VCOM_ENABLE (PA5) signal high, a communication line to the Board Controller is enabled. The
target can then communicate to the host computer via the Board Controller using USART0, Location 0 (TX pin PA0, RX pin PA1).
When enabling VCOM, the Board Controller makes communication to the host computer possible on the following interfaces:
Virtual USB serial port using a CDC driver.
TCP/IP, by connecting to the Wireless STK on port 4901 with a Telnet client.
Note: Only one of these can be used at the same time, meaning that if a socket is connected to port 4901, no data can be sent or
received on the USB COM port.

10.2 Virtual UART

The Virtual UART port outputs data that the target application outputs over SWO, ITM channel 0.

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Kit Manager and Upgrades

11. Kit Manager and Upgrades

The Kit Manager is a program that comes with Simplicity Studio. It can perform various kit and EFR32 specific tasks.
11.1 Kit Manager Operation
This utility gives the ability to program the EFR32, upgrade the kit, lock and unlock devices and more. Some of the features will only
work with Silicon Labs kits, while other will work with a generic J-Link debugger connected.

Figure 11.1. Kit Manager

11.2 Firmware Upgrades

Upgrading the kit firmware is done through Simplicity Studio. Simplicity Studio will automatically check for new updates on startup.
You can also use the Kit Manager for manual upgrades. Click the [Browse] button in the [Update Kit] section to select the correct file
ending in ".emz". Then, click the [Install Package] button.

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Schematics, Assembly Drawings and BOM

12. Schematics, Assembly Drawings and BOM

The schematics, assembly drawings and bill of materials (BOM) for the hardware included in the EFR32MG 2400/915 MHz 19.5 dBm
Dual Band Radio Board are available through Simplicity Studio when the kit documentation package has been installed.

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Kit Revision History and Errata

13. Kit Revision History and Errata

13.1 Revision History

The kit revision can be found printed on the box label of the kit, as outlined in the figure below.

EFR32MG 2400/915 MHz 19.5 dBm Radio Board

SLWRB4150B

01-05-16

124802042
A01

Figure 13.1. Revision info

Table 13.1. Kit Revision History

Kit Revision

Released

Description

A01

2016-04-20

Initial release.

13.2 Errata
There are no known errata at present.

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Document Revision History

14. Document Revision History

Revision 1.00
2016-04-15
Initial document release.

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 Kit Contents

. 1

1.2 Getting Started

. 1

2. Kit Hardware Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

3. Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
4. Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
4.1 Breakout Pads

. 4

4.2 Expansion Header . . . .

4.2.1 Expansion Header Pin-out .

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

.
.

. 5
. 6

4.3 Debug Connector.

. 7

4.4 Simplicity Connector.

. 8

5. Power Supply and Reset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

5.1 Radio Board Power Selection

. 9

5.2 Board Controller Power.

.10

5.3 EFR32 Reset .

.10

6. Peripherals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
6.1 Push Buttons and LEDs

.11

6.2 Memory LCD-TFT Display .

.12

6.3 Serial Flash

.13

6.4 Si7021 Relative Humidity and Temperature Sensor .

.14

6.5 Virtual COM Port .

.15

7. Board Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16

7.1 Admin Console

.
.

.
.

8. Advanced Energy Monitor

8.1 Introduction.

.16

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

18

.18

8.2 Theory of Operation .

.18

8.3 AEM Accuracy and Performance

.19

8.4 Usage

.19

9. On-Board Debugger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20

9.1 Host Interfaces

.20

9.2 Debug Modes .

.21

9.3 Debugging During Battery Operation .

.22

10. Device Connectivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

23

10.1 Virtual COM Port

.23

10.2 Virtual UART .

.23

Table of Contents

28

11. Kit Manager and Upgrades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

24

11.1 Kit Manager Operation

.24

11.2 Firmware Upgrades

.24

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

25

13. Kit Revision History and Errata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

26

12. Schematics, Assembly Drawings and BOM

13.1 Revision History.

.26

13.2 Errata .

.26

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

27

Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

28

Table of Contents

29

14. Document Revision History

Simplicity Studio
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software, source code libraries &
more. Available for Windows,
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Disclaimer
Silicon Laboratories 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 Laboratories 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 Laboratories reserves the right to
make changes without further notice and limitation to product information, specifications, and descriptions herein, and does not give warranties as to the accuracy or completeness of the
included information. Silicon Laboratories shall have no liability for the consequences of use of the information supplied herein. This document does not imply or express copyright licenses
granted hereunder to design or fabricate any integrated circuits. The products are not designed or authorized to be used within any Life Support System without the specific written consent
of Silicon Laboratories. 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 Laboratories products are not designed or authorized for military applications. Silicon Laboratories 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.
Trademark Information
Silicon Laboratories Inc. , Silicon Laboratories, Silicon Labs, SiLabs and the Silicon Labs logo, Bluegiga, Bluegiga Logo, Clockbuilder, CMEMS, DSPLL, EFM, EFM32,
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