The nPZero is a power-saving IC which reduces the energy consumption of battery-powered applications by up to 90%.
The kit demonstrates the full feature set and capabilities of the nPZero chip and by using the kit developers can configure the nPZero IC to autonomously power up sensor peripherals, read data, and wake up the system as needed.
In normal operation, the ultra-low power nPZero IC powers down a microcontroller host, takes over the controller role, and autonomously handles power-up, configuration, and reading of data from up to four sensors or other peripherals.
The nPZero will power up the host and return control to the host when triggered by user-defined rules. This allows the host to remain off for long periods while the system continues to detect and respond to events. As a result, typical battery-powered, wireless IoT systems can reduce total power consumption by as much as 90%.
The availability of the nPZero Evaluation Kit enables OEMs for the first time to assess the performance of the nPZero power-saving IC in their application. Shipments of the kit to partners and to fulfil online pre-orders begin later in March. From April, Nanopower will accept pre-orders. The kit is expected to be generally available for shipping by the end of Q2 2025.
The kit is a full-featured, easy-to-use platform for working with the nPZero IC. It consists of a main evaluation board with headers for attaching a microcontroller host board in Arduino format. To make it easy to start using the kit, Nanopower supplies it with an MCU board featuring a low-power STMicroelectronics STM32L053C8.
The evaluation board also includes PMOD headers for connecting up to four sensor boards. Developers can use any PMOD sensor board that has either an I2C or SPI interface. To aid fast system evaluation, Nanopower supplies an ams OSRAM AS6212 temperature sensor board and STMicroelectronics LIS2DW12 accelerometer board with the kit.
For configuration and programming of the kit’s main board, Nanopower provides full access to the nPZero Configurator development tool which enables the developer to adjust settings through an intuitive graphical user interface, without needing to manually write code. Once setup is complete, the nPZero Configurator will automatically generate the necessary code for the API. This makes the entire setup process faster, more efficient, and user-friendly.
Nanopower CEO Tore Irgens Kuhnle said: “The release of the first evaluation kit for the nPZero IC is a transformative moment for our company. Now our customers can start working with the IC, and experience first-hand how Nanopower can help them lower power consumption, enabling them to create new and exciting products.”
