Silicon Labs Unveils the Tiny BG29 Bluetooth Low Energy Microcontrollers — for Smart Teeth and More
Ultra-tiny wireless microcontroller packs Bluetooth 5.4 Low Energy (BLE), an Arm Cortex-M33F core, and a surprising number of peripherals.
Silicon Labs has announced the BG29 family of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless microcontrollers — boasting of an extremely small package size suitable for wearables and even, the company says, "smart teeth" implants.
"With the BG29, developers don't have to settle," claims Silicon Labs senior vice president for the company's home and life business unit of its latest chip design. "We're combining high connectivity and performance with small size and exceptional security — empowering device makers to break records in tiny connectivity."
The BG29 family chips, part of the company's EFR32 series of wireless microcontrollers, come with a single Arm Cortex-M33F core running at up to 76.8MHz, up to 256kB of static RAM (SRAM), and up to 1MB of flash program storage. The on-board 2.4GHz radio module is designed primarily for Bluetooth 5.4 Low Energy (BLE) operation, but the company says it can also be configured for proprietary protocols if required.
Despite the parts' small size — just 2.6×2.8×0.5mm (around 0.1×0.11×0.02") for the WLCSP45-packaged variant and 5×5×0.85mm (0.2×0.2×0.03") for the QFN40 version — SiLabs has packed in a surprising number of peripherals: there's a 16-bit analog to digital converter (ADC), analog comparator, an eight-channel direct memory access (DMA) controller, a 12-channel peripheral reflex system (PRS), three 16-bit timers/counters with three compare/capture/pulse-width modulation (PWM) channels, two 32-bit timers/counters with three compare/capture/PWM channels, a 32-bit real-time counter, 24-bit low-energy timer for waveform generation, a watchdog timer, two UART buses compatible with SPI. ISO 7816 Smart Card, IrDA, and I2S operation, two enhanced UARTS, two I2C interfaces, a PDM digital microphone input, a die temperature sensor, and a Coulomb counter for battery level monitoring, plus up to to 26 general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins with asynchronous interrupts.
The company says the parts are capable of a wide range of workloads, ranging from battery-powered sensors and on-body single-use medical devices like insulin delivery patches and disposable continuous glucose monitors to access control systems, industrial automation systems, and heart rate monitors — and the company even suggests the smallest WLCSP45 package could find its way into BLE-connected smart tooth implants.
SiLabs says the BG29 family is expected to enter general availability in the third quarter, at as-yet unannounced pricing; more information is available on the company's website.
