Silicon Labs FG23L low-cost Arm Cortex-M33 SoC targets proprietary Sub-GHz IoT applications

Silicon Labs EFR32FG23L, or FG23L for short, is an ultra-low power, Sub-GHz wireless Arm Cortex-M33 SoC, which the company claims offers the best price/performance ratio for Sub-GHz IoT applications such as home and industrial automation, key fobs, and smart city sensor nodes.

It’s a cost-down version of the PSA Certified Level 3 FG23 SoC equipped with less memory (32KB vs 64KB) and storage (128KB vs 512KB), less advanced security features, no segment LCD interface, and fewer GPIOs. The new FG23L is only designed for proprietary protocols, while the FG23 supports Amazon Sidewalk, Wi-SUN, Wireless M-Bus (WM-Bus), and Wirepas.

Silicon Labs FG23L specifications:

• MCU core – Arm Cortex-M33 @ 78 MHz with DSP instruction and floating-point unit
• Memory – 32 kB RAM data memory
• Storage – 128 kB flash program memory
• Sub-GHz radio
  • Tx power up to +20 dBm
  • Rx sensitivity
    • -98.6 dBm @ 400 kbps 920 MHz 4-GFSK
    • -125.8 dBm @ 4.8 kbps 915 MHz O-QPSK
    • -96.9 dBm @ 2 Mbps 915 MHz GFSK
    • -125.3 dBm @ 2.4 kbps 868 MHz GFSK
    • -111.5 dBm @ 38.4 kbps 868 MHz FSK
    • -110.7 dBm @ 100 kbps 433 MHz 2GFSK
  • Supported Modulation Format
    • 2/4 (G)FSK with fully configurable shaping
    • OQPSK DSSS
    • (G)MSK
    • OOK
  • Protocol Support – Proprietary
• Peripherals
  • Up to 23x General Purpose I/O pins with output state retention and asynchronous interrupts
  • 3x Enhanced Universal Synchronous/Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (EUSART)
  • Universal Synchronous/Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART/SPI/SmartCard (ISO 7816)/IrDA/I2S)
  • 2x I2C interface with SMBus support
  • Keypad scanner supporting up to 6×8 matrix (KEYSCAN)
  • 8-channel DMA Controller
  • 12-channel Peripheral Reflex System (PRS)
  • Analog
    • 12-bit ADC @ 1 Msps
    • 16-bit ADC @ 76.9 ksps
    • 2x Analog Comparator (ACMP)
    • 2x Digital to Analog Converter (VDAC)
    • Low-Energy Sensor Interface (LESENSE)
    • Die temperature sensor with +2/-2 °C accuracy across the temperature range
  • Timers
    • 4 x 16-bit Timer/Counter with 3x Compare/Capture/PWM channels
    • 32-bit Timer/Counter with 3x Compare/Capture/PWM channels
    • 32-bit Real Time Counter
    • 24-bit Low Energy Timer for waveform generation
    • 16-bit Pulse Counter with asynchronous operation (PCNT)
    • 2x Watchdog Timer
• Security Features (Secure Vault Mid)
  • True Random Number Generator
  • Crypto Engine
  • Secure Application Boot
  • Secure Engine
  • Secure Boot with RTSL
  • Secure Debug Lock/Unlock
• Supply Voltage – 1.71 V to 3.8 V
• Energy Consumption
  • 4.2 mA Rx current at 920 MHz (400 kbps 4-FSK)
  • 3.8 mA Rx current at 915 MHz (4.8 kbps O-QPSK)
  • 5.1 mA Rx current at 915 MHz (2 Mbps GFSK)
  • 3.7 mA Rx current at 868 MHz (2.4 kbps GFSK)
  • 3.7 mA Rx current at 868 MHz (38.4 kbps FSK)
  • 4.0 mA Rx current at 433 MHz (100 kbps 2GFSK)
  • 25.0 mA Tx current @ 14 dBm output power at 915 MHz (14 dBm part numbers)
  • 85.5 mA Tx current @ 20 dBm output power at 915 MHz (20 dBm part numbers)
  • 26 μA/MHz in Active Mode (EM0) at 39.0 MHz
  • 1.5 μA EM2 DeepSleep current (32 kB RAM retention and RTC running from LFXO)
  • 1.2 μA EM2 DeepSleep current (16 kB RAM retention and RTC running from LFRCO)
  • Over 10 years of battery life
• Package – QFN40 5 x 5 x 0.85 mm
• Temperature Range – -40°C to +85°C

The new FG23L wireless microcontroller is supported by Simplicity Studio 5 and the Radio Configurator, and the company points to the $202 EFR32xG23 (xG23) Pro Kit for development. It’s the same board as used for the FG23 SoC.

The EFR32FG32L wireless SoCs will be available on September 30, starting at $2.05 for single-unit orders. Additional information may be found on the product page.

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