Hardware Description
The SPARK Evaluation Kit hardware platforms are used to run the SDK. Two platforms are available, but are limited by the transceiver used. The EVK1.4 platform supports the SR10xx tranceivers only, while the Quasar platform supports both SR10xx and SR11xx transceivers.
This hardware platform includes a STMicroelectronics STM32U5A5 MCU, which interfaces with a host PC over a USB connection. The MCU is responsible for running the SPARK Wireless Core and managing the data flow required for UWB wireless communications.
The STM32U5A5 is an Arm Cortex-M33 ultra-low-power microcontroller capable of running at clock rates up to 160 MHz. It uses a SPI bus to communicate with the SPARK transceiver.
Figure 1: SR1120 monopole antenna transceiver module mounted on a Quasar carrier board.
A block diagram of the Quasar board is shown below.
Figure 2: Quasar carrier board system diagram.
The Quasar board also hosts a MAX98091 audio codec with analog line-in and headphone jacks, and some LEDs and buttons for user interaction.
This hardware platform includes a STMicroelectronics STM32G473 MCU, which interfaces with a host PC over a USB connection. The MCU is responsible for running the SPARK Wireless Core and managing the data flow required for UWB wireless communications.
The STM32G473 is an Arm Cortex-M4 microcontroller capable of running at clock rates up to 170 MHz. It uses a SPI bus to communicate with the SPARK transceiver.
Figure 3: SR1020 monopole antenna transceiver module mounted on an EVK1.4 carrier board.
A block diagram of the EVK board is shown below.
Figure 4: EVK1.4 carrier board system diagram.
The EVK1.4 board also hosts a MAX98091 audio codec with analog line-in and headphone jack, an expansion connector for extra GPIOs, and some LEDs and buttons for user interaction.