Oki Semiconductor now has a low-cost, full-featured development kit for its IEEE802.15.4-based ML7065 2.4-GHz ZigBee-compatible radio. The kit contains the Oki ML7065 radio and Oki’s ARM7TMDI-based 4060 Series Advantage microcontroller.
The ZigBee Developers Kit (ZDK) provides designers with a comprehensive, flexible plug-and-play development environment that’s easy to use. The ML67Q4061 MCU used in this kit offers large on-chip memories and fast processor speeds.
The ZDK contains all the necessary elements for rapid proof of concept and prototype product development. Its key hardware element is the ZigBee Network Evaluation/Demo (zNED) board, which features Oki’s ML7065 radio and ML67Q4061 ARM7 MCU. Also included in the kit is an Integration Associates USB radio dongle that, combined with zNED, enables developers to quickly show a working wireless demo. A Windows-based PC emulates any missing elements of the ZigBee network. This combination provides a simple and stable starting point for the development of any ZigBee embedded networking application.
The ZDK can be configured as a coordinator, router, or end device with the provided demonstration software. After initial experiments are complete, a more thorough evaluation is possible using the provided evaluation software, which includes the evaluation runtime libraries of the Oki ZigBee Stack for ARM and Segger embOS real-time operating system as well as an evaluation copy of IAR development tools. A second USB dongle is also included so simultaneous monitoring of the network activity via an evaluation copy of the Daintree Networks Sensor Network Analyzer can be done while the PC continues to emulate missing elements of the ZigBee network.
When evaluation and proof-of-concept work is completed, any or all of the demo version software products can be upgraded to full-use versions without the need to modify application code developed during the evaluation phase, minimizing overall development cycle time.
Oki’s zNED board meets a broad spectrum of evaluation scenarios. In addition to providing the basic radio link functionality, zNED senses motion in three dimensions, measures temperature, detects ambient light levels, and optionally measures relative humidity.
The ZDK, Oki part number OKI-ZDK-01, contains everything necessary for evaluation and development of an ARM-based ZigBee solution. It’s available for a suggested manufacturers retail price of $499. Additional zNED boards are available as an expansion kit, Oki part number OKI-zNED-01, for a suggested manufacturers retail price of $75. To pre-order your ZDK, visit www.okisemi.com/us/zigbee.