Energy Micro has introduced a low cost starter kit for its EFM32 Gecko microcontroller family.

Priced at $69, the kit provides the basic functionality a system developer needs to build energy efficient applications based on the 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3-based EFM32 Gecko microcontrollers, states the company.

The starter kit board features Energy Micro's EFM32G890F128 microcontroller, a 160 segment LCD display driven by the microcontroller's energy efficient on-chip LCD controller, and a touch slider to demonstrate the microcontroller's capacitive sensor interface capability.

Other I/O facilities include 4 x LEDs, 2 x push buttons and a dedicated MCU reset button. All unused I/O is terminated at the board edge for users to access via a standard PCB header. An expansion port is also included for more complex application development.

To further optimise application energy efficiency, Energy Micro's Advanced Energy Monitoring system (AEM) means current consumption data can be viewed in real time, allowing adverse energy drains to be identified and remedied at an early stage.

To simplify application debugging and programming the on-board J-Link emulator is accessible via both USB and standard 20-pin connectors.

The starter kit is supported by Energy Micro's energyAware software library, built around ARM's standard CMSIS abstraction layer. Third party support includes IAR's Embedded Workbench, Keil's MDK-ARM, and CrossWorks from Rowley Associates.

The EFM32 Gecko starter kit is available from Energy Micro's regular distribution channels: http://www.energymicro.com/buy and is priced at $69.

Further information can be found at http://www.energymicro.com/products/tools