Developing the necessary expertise in communications protocols, security and low-power hardware design can be both time consuming and resource intensive when you are creating cloud-connected applications. Most designers turn to large software frameworks and Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS) to try and manage the complexity of the typical IoT application. But as the application size grows, this approach can actually increase development time, debugging effort and eventually cost.

As part of an expanded partnership with Google Cloud, Microchip recently announced a new development board and a set of rapid development tools that will help you quickly connect your IoT designs to the cloud. Design complexity is reduced by splitting the responsibilities and workload among a powerful AVR microcontroller (MCU), a CryptoAuthentication™ secure element IC and a fully certified Wi-Fi® network controller. Each component is optimized to perform its unique task. The combined effort results in a solution that is smaller and easier to develop and maintain, and that delivers the ultimate performance in terms of security and responsiveness.

The AVR-IoT WG Development Board (AC164160) features the ATmega4808, an 8-bit MCU that delivers the processing power and simplicity of the AVR architecture with added advanced sensing and robust actuation features. This MCU incorporates the latest Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) to reduce power consumption and provide cutting-edge performance in real-time sensing and control applications.

To keep private keys private and protect the root of trust in hardware, the ATECC608A secure element combines with Google Cloud IoT Core to enable secure authentication. Leveraging Microchip’s secure provisioning service, each ATECC608A device comes preregistered on Google Cloud IoT Core and is ready for use with zero touch provisioning. This provides a unique, trusted and protected identity that can be securely authenticated for each device.

Connectivity to the cloud is enabled by the ATWINC1510, an industrial-grade, fully certified IEEE 802.11 b/g/n IoT network controller. This smart module eliminates the need for you to have expertise in networking protocols and can authenticate your server’s connection to the Google Cloud automatically. It also provides an easy connection to the MCU of your choice via its flexible SPI interface.

The IoT Experience

In a joint development effort with Google, Microchip has also designed a free, dedicated portal—avr-iot.com—where you can immediately visualize the sensor data, such as board temperature and ambient luminosity by default, as it is published in real time to Google Cloud.

Access to the portal and all interactions with the evaluation board, including Wi-Fi credentials updates, diagnostics and firmware updates, can be performed without requiring any application or software installation. It works with PCs running Windows®, macOS® and Linux® operating systems and any modern web browser.

Rapid Development Tools

You can get started in just minutes using the AVR-IoT WG Development Board to add Google Cloud connectivity to your new and existing projects. With Atmel START, you can generate and customize a complete project with a single click of your mouse. If you are more familiar with the traditional PIC® MCU toolchain, beta support is now available for AVR devices in MPLAB® X Integrated Development Environment (IDE). You can use MPLAB Code Configurator (MCC) to generate and customize your AVR-IoT WG Development Board project too.

The AVR-IoT WG Development Board features a mikroBUS™ connector compatible with more than 500 MikroElektronika Click boards™, offering expanded sensor and actuator options to provide you with practically unlimited opportunities to innovate.

If you are ready to get your things quickly and securely connected to the Internet, you can purchase the AVR-IoT WG Development Board today from microchipDIRECT or from Microchip’s worldwide distribution network.