Hello
I would like to know if there is intention to include the EFR32 family in the following updates.
Many thanks,
Jose
No, there are no plans to have the EFR32 Bluetooth SoC supported
I just got an update from our team. We are working with Silabs on supporting the device and it will be available soon. The plan is to support it in a software pack. I lack the exact release date, but the best way to check for new device support is to click the Pack Installer's "Check for Updates" button on a regular basis.
OK, there is a catch, here.
The wireless stack used by EFR32 devices is only designed for IAR compiler or GCC. I'd contact Silabs support directly to ask if the software libraries will be built for use in other IDEs and compilers, like MDK - ARMCC/ARMCLANG.
Hi, any un dates about when the pack is available ? Thanks, Thomas
Thank You Zack
Any news?
Hi, Any news on this thread? Does keil is now supporting this device? can we use Keil compiler or can we integrate gcc with keil?
I need to work on a project with an EFR32MG12 using the bluetooth with keil Uvision 5.18a. If it is supported, Do you have any how to or forum I can red from?
Hello Mary and All,
Basic device support for the EFR32 series was released in a software pack, in June 2017.
But the devil is in the details. At least one of the wireless stacks in this device family, is only designed for specific compilers.
For instance, SiLabs RAIL layer for EFR32 is only available for Studio Simplicity's compiler, GCC, and IAR. See Pg. 2 of the following document, for verification: www.wless.ru/.../QSG121.pdf
You can use GCC with Keil, it just takes some setup: http://www.keil.com/support/man/docs/uv4/uv4_gnucomp.htm In the picture on the above webpage, be sure to move the *.a files to the "Library:" field, because these are now more likely to be libraries than assembly files.
Using GCC is the only compiler option, in MDK-ARM, to fully take advantage of the wireless stacks offered for the EFR32, which are designed for other compilers. If you do not know, feel free to contact SiLabs support, who can better answer questions about their wireless stacks.
It's a good idea for any MDK-ARM user who want to develop on EFR32, to contact SiLabs support: http://www.keil.com/support/docs/3871.htm to request an extension of the wireless stack's supported compilers with the ARM Compiler (armcc, or the newer one, armclang). This way, MDK-ARM developers using EFR32 devices can take full advantage of our tools.
Device family packs, written by ARM, almost always provide startup files for multiple toolchains in the pack's Device folder. This is one advantage of using a CMSIS device family pack.
Assuming you installed MDK-ARM to "C:\Keil_v5", and assuming you have download one of the EFR32 device family packs, from the Pack Installer, the packs (written by ARM's Keil team) will be stored at: C:\Keil_v5\ARM\PACK\Keil This will allow you to find the "Device" folder, with GCC startup files.
Remember not to use the Manage Run-Time environments device startup component, because this is only useful for startup files designed for armcc/armclang, as of this writing. In the future, a component variant could be used to distinguish between different startup files.
The software pack does not contain any MDK-ARM examples, so MDK-ARM users would have to migrate an existing example from another IDE.
For now, GCC and a project migration are your best bet. Hopefully, if enough users contact SiLabs support, about this limitation, they will add armclang or armcc support. And hopefully, they'll also write an MDK-ARM example, for the EFR32 devices, to help convince even more developers to choose their hardware and wireless stacks.
Thanks, Zack