STMicroelectronics AEK-MCU-C4MLIT3 MCU Evaluation Kit

STMicroelectronics AEK-MCU-C4MLIT3 MCU Evaluation Kit consists of an MCU board (AEK-MCU-C4M3) and a connector board (AEK-CON-LIT). The AEK-MCU-C4M3 is designed to address automotive and transportation applications as well as other applications requiring automotive safety and security levels. A cryptography-dedicated MCU core, employed as a hardware secure module (HSM), is paired with a dual 180MHz general-purpose 32-bit core, hosted by the onboard SPC58EC80E5 MCU, which features 4MB of Flash memory.

Two CAN-FD transceivers support high-speed CAN-FD applications utilizing up to 8Mbps communication speed, featuring low quiescent current, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), and electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection. The board also hosts an OpenOCD debugger/programmer, MCU peripheral connectors, wakeup, and reset buttons. The MCU ADC reference voltage is provided by a stable linear voltage regulator (LDO) embedded in the L5963 IC or by the L99VR02JTR IC, depending on the chosen voltage.

The STMicroelectronics AEK-MCU-C4MLIT3 has a dedicated supply capacity for an external 5V or 3.3V load. Two e-fuses (STEF05L for 5V and STEF033 for 3.3V) are used to increase the external output voltage in a smooth and controlled manner, at board power-up. This careful ramp-up helps prevent a surge of inrush current from the power source to the load, thereby protecting the external power supply from overload. This feature is beneficial in setups where a single power supply supplies multiple loads. For system reset during the development phase, a reset button was added to the board layout, while a reverse battery protection circuit has been integrated for robust protection.

A preloaded demo firmware makes an onboard LED blink at power-up. The MCU board can be used standalone or easily connected to another functional board, also known as a daughter board, thanks to the standardized 96-pin plug-and-play automotive unified connector. If the functional board being used does not feature the same 96-pin connector, the user can connect it to the MCU board through the AEK-CON-LIT connector board (not available for separate sale) that is included in the kit carton box.

Features

AEK-MCU-C4M3 MCU board featuring the SPC58EC80E5QMC1Y dual-core, 180MHz, 32-bit Power Architecture MCU for automotive general-purpose applications
AEK-CON-LIT connector board for simplified access to the 96 pins of the automotive unified connector
12V_DC power supply connector for external supply, and the board can also be supplied via the automotive unified connector
L5963 automotive dual monolithic switching regulator with LDO that provides up to 2A for 5V and 3.3V rails, both for internal and external supply
Two voltage configurations for the microcontroller (5V or 3.3V)
STEF033/STEF05L-electronic fuses for 3.3V and 5V lines, featuring an I_LIMIT current up to 2.5A and I_SHORT current up to 0.5A for external supply with integrated protection as short circuit, overload, and thermal latch
L99VR02JTR automotive linear voltage regulator with configurable output voltage featuring 500mA current capability with integrated protection for both 5V/3.3V rails, in addition to the one provided by the DC-DC

JTAG connector
Five generic LEDs
Reset and wakeup buttons
Four 3.3V/5V SPIs
One SPI working at 3.3V, thanks to a fixed voltage-level translator
Standardized 96-pin plug-and-play automotive unified connector, featuring external supply voltage and general-purpose pins for ADCs, EMIOs, interrupts, GPIOs, DSPI, CAN, I²C, and UART
Two CAN-FD transceivers
Reverse battery-protection dedicated circuit
Extremely low quiescent current in standby conditions
Compact size
- AEK-MCU-C4M3 - 127mm x 90mm
- AEK-CON-LIT - 127mm x 65mm
Included in the AutoDevKit ecosystem