SparkFun Thing Plus - Development Board with Renesas RA6M5 Microcontroller

Description

SparkFun RA6M5 Thing Plus is a development board featuring the RA6M5 microcontroller from Renesas, operating at a frequency of 200 MHz. It is an ideal solution for real-time applications, providing smooth responses, fast data processing, and the ability to handle complex calculations. The Feather format and Qwiic connector allow for easy connection of the board to a wide range of sensors and accessories in a simple plug-and-play manner. With a built-in 2 MB Flash memory and a convenient microSD card slot, you have plenty of space for code and data.

The RA6M5 Thing Plus is designed for both ease of use and advanced applications. With 512 kB of SRAM, 21 general-purpose pins, and an additional 16 MB of Flash memory, it offers the flexibility to execute even more demanding projects. Although the default Arduino platform may not utilize all features, experienced users can explore the full potential of the microcontroller to create impressive applications. It is worth noting that while the SparkFun RA6M5 Thing Plus board offers several 5V tolerant pins, it primarily operates at a logic level of 3.3 V. The board is also equipped with Bluetooth® Low Energy connectivity via the DA14531MOD module (also from Renesas). During active data transmission, the DA14531MOD consumes just 4 mA and can operate from a small battery. The software provided with the module uses SmartBond™ - CodeLess™ AT command Datapump technology, meaning users only need to send AT commands to configure the Bluetooth connection without the need to reprogram the module.

Features

• Renesas RA6M5
  • Core: Arm® Cortex®-M33
  • Package: 100-pin LQFP
  • Clock Frequency: 200 MHz
  • Flash Memory:
    • 2 MB (code)
    • 8 kB (data)
  • SRAM: 512 kB
  • Error Detection Code (ECC) support
  • Arm Memory Protection Unit (Arm MPU)
  • Secure Cryptographic Engine
  • Two Watchdog Timers (WDT)
  • Supply Voltage: 3.0V to 3.6V
  • Power Consumption:
    • Maximum: 143 mA
    • Normal: 32 mA
    • Sleep Mode: 11 mA
    • Deep Sleep Mode: 0.9-131 µA
  • Operating Modes:
    • Standalone
    • SCI/USB boot
  • I/O Pins: 75
  • 5V Tolerance: 14
  • 12-bit ADC: 6
  • 12-bit DAC: 2
  • 32-bit PWM Channels: 4
  • 16-bit PWM Channels: 6
  • UART: 10
  • I2C Bus: 3
  • SPI Bus: 2
  • QSPI: 1
  • OSPI: 1
  • USB 2.0 (Full/High Speed)
  • CAN Interface
  • Ethernet MAC/DMA Controller
  • SD/MMC Host Interface
  • RTC (Real-Time Clock) with Calendar
  • CRC Calculator
  • Temperature Sensor
  • Capacitive Touch Sensor
  • Operating Temperature Range: -40 to 85 °C
• Renesas DA14531MOD
  • Bluetooth 5.1 System-on-Chip (SoC)
  • Supports up to three connections
  • 32-bit Arm® Cortex® M0+ core
  • Clock Frequency: 16 MHz
  • Memory:
    • Flash Memory: 128 Kb
    • RAM: 48 Kb
    • ROM: 144 Kb
    • OTP Memory: 32 Kb
  • Operating Range: 1.8 V - 3.6 V
  • Power Consumption:
    • Receiving: 2 mA
    • Transmitting: 4 mA
    • Sleep Mode: 1.8 µA
  • Radio:
    • Transmit Power: -19 to +2.2 dBm
    • Receiver Sensitivity: -93 dBm
• USB Type-C connector
• 2-pin JST connector for LiPo battery (not included)
• 4-pin Qwiic connector
• 28 pins 2.54 mm
• micro SD slot
• Battery charger MCP73831, charging current: 213 mA at 3.3V
• Battery level monitoring IC MAX17048, I2C address: 0x36
• LEDs:
  • Red Power LED (PWR)
  • Yellow Battery Charging LED (CHG)
  • Blue Status LED (STAT)
  • WS2812 RGB LED (STAT) on IO23
• Buttons: BOOT and RESET
• Four mounting holes
• Dimensions: 73.66 x 22.86 mm