company blog about Supply Silicon Labs Development Board Series: Interface, MCU, PMIC, Wireless

Supply Silicon Labs Development Board Series: Interface, MCU, PMIC, Wireless

Amidst the rapid advancement of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, hardware development serves as the bridge connecting innovative ideas to tangible products. As a renowned distributor of electronic components, Shenzhen Mingjiada Electronics Co., Ltd. not only supplies globally leading chips but also provides development kits for Silicon Labs' core chips. This aims to assist developers and enterprises in efficiently transforming complex IoT concepts into reliable products.

This article comprehensively examines the four core pillars of Silicon Labs' development board series: interface chips, microcontrollers (MCUs), power management integrated circuits (PMICs), and wireless chips.

Four Core Technological Pillars: From Connectivity and Computing to Power Management

Silicon Labs' product strategy extends beyond isolated chip provisioning to construct a synergistic technology matrix. This matrix addresses the integrated demands of modern IoT devices concerning size, power consumption, and functionality.

1. Smart Interface Chips: The “Translators” Simplifying System Connectivity

Interface chips serve as the bridge between devices and external communication. Silicon Labs offers a range of highly optimised bridging solutions designed to simplify design, reduce bill of materials (BOM) costs, and accelerate time-to-market.

USB Bridge: Exemplified by the classic CP2102C, it rapidly and effortlessly adds USB interfaces to existing designs without complex code development. Supporting UART baud rates up to 3 Mbps, it is widely used in POS terminals, diagnostic equipment, and similar applications.

Digital Audio Bridge: Examples like the CP2615 focus on seamlessly transferring USB audio data to an I²S interface. With high integration, it is an ideal choice for USB speakers and high-end headphones.

LCD Controllers: The CP240x series enables designers to drive LCD displays with up to 128 segments via simple I²C or SPI interfaces. With power consumption as low as 3μA, it is highly suitable for thermostats, handheld instruments, and similar devices.

2. Microcontrollers (MCUs): The “Intelligent Brain” of IoT Devices

The MCU serves as the core for executing control logic and processing data. Silicon Labs' MCU portfolio spans a complete spectrum from classic 8-bit to high-performance 32-bit solutions, providing one-stop offerings for applications with varying complexity and cost requirements.

32-bit EFM32 Series: Renowned as the world's most energy-efficient microcontrollers. Based on the ARM Cortex-M core family, active current can be as low as 21μA/MHz, with sleep current merely 900nA. They integrate high-performance analogue and digital peripherals, optimised specifically for battery-powered devices where power consumption is critically important.

8-bit MCUs (such as the C8051F series): As evergreen solutions in the embedded domain, Silicon Labs' 8-bit MCUs (like the classic C8051F020) significantly enhance the traditional 8051 core, executing 70% of instructions within a single cycle. They continue to play a vital role in industrial control, sensor interfacing, and similar applications, offering exceptional cost-effectiveness and outstanding real-time performance.

3. Power Management ICs (PMICs): The “Dispatch Centre” for Energy Efficiency

With the rise of Ambient IoT, harnessing and managing electricity from faint environmental sources—such as light, heat, or kinetic energy—has become critical. PMICs are central to realising this vision.

Optimised for Energy Harvesting: Silicon Labs has collaborated extensively with e-peas, a leading PMIC provider, to launch a series of evaluation kits. For instance, the EFP0108 is a highly efficient power management IC with a static current as low as 150nA, supporting boost conversion from a single cell battery to deliver stable power to wireless SoCs.

Empowering Battery-Free Devices: When paired with specific PMICs (such as e-peas' AEM13920), development boards can manage multiple energy sources—including photovoltaic cells and thermoelectric generators—while efficiently charging energy storage components like supercapacitors. This enables devices to operate perpetually or for decades without battery replacement.

4. Wireless System-on-Chip (Wireless SoC): The “Neural Hub” Integrating Connectivity and Security

This crown jewel of Silicon Labs' technology integrates a high-performance MCU, RF front-end, and security engine onto a single chip, defining the future of wireless connectivity for the Internet of Things.

Third-generation wireless platforms (e.g., SiXG301/SiXG302): Utilising advanced 22nm process technology, these represent a significant leap in performance and energy efficiency.

SiXG301: Optimised for mains-powered smart devices (e.g., premium smart lighting, gateways), it integrates an LED pre-driver and supports concurrent operation of Bluetooth, Zigbee, Thread, and Matter protocols, greatly simplifying product design.

SiXG302: Designed specifically for battery-powered applications, it operates at 30% lower current than comparable products, making it ideal for power-constrained devices such as wireless sensors.

Ultra-Low Power Series (e.g., xG22E): Silicon Labs' most energy-efficient SoC series to date, deeply optimised for energy harvesting and environmental IoT applications. Enables communication via Bluetooth, Zigbee Green Power and other protocols using minimal energy.

Integrated top-tier security: All wireless SoCs incorporate Silicon Labs' Secure Vault™ technology, delivering industry-leading physical tamper protection, secure boot, and key management to meet stringent IoT security standards.