STMicroelectronics' Multi-Connectivity Development Kit for Asset Tracking

By Taryn Engmark

Associate Editor

Embedded Computing Design

August 12, 2022

News

STMicroelectronics' Multi-Connectivity Development Kit for Asset Tracking

STMicroelectroncs' STEVAL-ASTRA1B multi-connectivity evaluation platform is a complete, small form factor, battery-powered ecosystem for building complete proof-of-concept for asset tracking systems. This evaluation kit's included firmware simplifies development-targeted applications like fleet management and logistics.

The kit helps users evaluate ST’s short- and long-range STM32 wireless System-on-Chip (SoC) devices such as the STM32WL55JC sub-GHz SoC for long-range connectivity (LPWAN) and the STM32WB5MMG module for 2.4GHz Bluetooth® Low Energy and Zigbee® connectivity. Each device is equipped with an Arm® Cortex®-M4 core for application processing with a dedicated Cortex-M0+ to control the radio.

STEVAL-ASTRA1B includes an ST25DV64K near-field communication (NFC) contactless chip for secure pairing and communication, an STSAFE-A110 secure component to ensure privacy and protect from hacking, and a Teseo-LIV3F mini GNSS module that enables accurate outdoor positioning capabilities.

The kit is equipped with several ST temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and accelerometer sensors to monitor asset condition and environment, as well as an inertial module with a 3D accelerometer and gyroscope, and a machine learning core.

The STEVAL-ASTRA1B's smart power and battery-management architecture helps maximize application runtime and includes the ST1PS02 nano-quiescent synchronous step-down converter, STBC03 Li-ion battery charging controller, and TCPP01-M12 USB-C port-protection IC.

The comprehensive ecosystem incorporates software and tools to test applications in development, including the FP-ATR-ASTRA1 STM32Cube software function pack with firmware libraries and application examples; ST’s asset-tracking mobile app; and the DSH-ASSETRACKING web-based cloud dashboard, which streamlines end-to-end proof of concept creation.

For more information, visit www.st.com/STEVAL-ASTRA1B.