Development kit eases evaluation of the SimpleLink Wireless MCU platform

Texas Instruments' SimpleLink CC2650 Development Kit, which includes all the hardware needed to evaluate the SimpleLink Wireless MCU ultra-low-power platform, is now available from Farnell element14. The CC2650 can also be used to evaluate the SimpleLink Bluetooth Smart CC2640 wireless MCU and the ZigBee/6LoWPAN CC2630 wireless MCU. Two SmartRF06 evaluation boards, two CC2650 evaluation modules, two micro USB cables and a get started guide are included in the kit. The CC2650 evaluation module contains the wireless MCU and shows a variant of the RF layout using the 7x7 package, internal bias and differential RF output (variant 7ID). The board is equipped with a high performance PCB antenna. Users can also attach an SMA connector to connect the radio to external test equipment. The SmartRF06 evaluation board (i.e. the motherboard) is specifically designed for running radio performance tests and for developing software. The kit is equipped with a 128x64 pixels LCD screen, five pushbuttons, four LEDs, an SD card holder, a 3-axis digital accelerometer, an analogue ambient light sensor, break-out pins and a XDS100v3 debugger. The CC2650 comes pre-programmed with a packet error rate test, which can be used to test the practical range of the radio, whether in Bluetooth low energy mode or in IEEE 802.15.4 mode, says the company.