Microchip — EA71C53A Development Kit

Microchip has released the EA71C53A, a development kit which supports the WBZ451 wireless module based on the PIC32CX-BZ2 wireless microcontroller. The EA71C53A kit consists of one WBZ451 early access Curiosity board and three WBZ451 early access modules.

The Microchip PIC32CX-BZ2 family is a series of general-purpose, low-cost, 32-bit wireless MCUs. Featuring an on-chip 2.4 GHz radio, the PIC32CX-BZ2 supports the Bluetooth® Low Energy v5.2 specification and provides a proven Zigbee networking stack. Strong security capabilities give developers the confidence to implement simultaneous multi-protocol wireless connectivity in designs for smart, connected products.

The WBZ451 is a fully RF-certified wireless module based on the PIC32CX-BZ2 MCU.

The PIC32CX-BZ2 wireless microcontroller gives designers the opportunity to benefit from the broad interoperability of Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity and from long range between nodes. The device’s long range is because of the high transmit power of up to +12 dBm and its support for the new Bluetooth Coded PHY feature, as well as for the mesh-networking capability of the Zigbee protocol.

The EA71C53A kit is compatible with the MPLAB® Harmony v3 embedded software development framework, enabling the rapid development of applications. The kit is supplied with a pre-configured demonstration application to help developers to get started quickly. Microchip has published extensive documentation on GitHub, including building blocks, a training module which guides developers through the creation of a complex Bluetooth Low Energy application, and code examples. Automatic code generation performed through the MPLAB® MCC tool enables developers to accelerate the testing of applications.