Freescale Kinetis L Series Overview

More Resources Freescale Line card Other Freescale Product Families Freescale CodeWarrior IDE Knode Development Kits & Platform Room element14 Knode Overview   The Kinetis L series is an entry-level 32-bit MCU family built on the ARM Cortex-M0+ core. The ARM Cortex-M0+ is the world’s mostenergy-efficient MPU and adds new energy efficiency, performance, ease of use, development and debug capabilities to its predecessor, the Cortex-M0, while maintaining 100 percent instruction set and tool compatibility. Kinetis L series combines exceptional energy-efficiency and ease-of-use with the performance, peripheral sets, enablement and scalability of the Kinetis 32-bit MCU portfolio, while leveraging the inherent low-power and high-performance features of the ARM Cortex architecture.   Manufactured using Freescale’s low-leakage, 90 nm thin film storage (TFS) process technology, the Kinetis L series frees power-critical designs from 8- and 16-bit MCU limitations by combining excellent dynamic and stop currents with superior processing performance. A broad selection of on-chip flash memory densities and extensive analog, connectivity and HMI peripheral options enable increased energy efficiency and intelligence for a range of applications, including battery-operated devices, medical systems, smart meters and motor control systems. Kinetis L series MCUs are also hardware and software compatible with the ARM Cortex-M4-based Kinetis K series, providing a scalable migration path to more performance, memory and feature integration.   The Kinetis L series also addresses the ease-of-use requirement critical for entry-level designs that is frequently a barrier to developers considering 32-bit solutions. Features within the MCU and in the accompanying enablement package will provide an easy look and feel, enabling quick access to new device capabilities. This will allow developers to leverage the full power of Kinetis L series MCUs, while maintaining the rapid development cycles common to entry-level designs.

Key Features

Kinetis KL0 Family - Ultra-low-power MCUs with 8-bit S08 compatibility

The Kinetis KL0 MCU family is the entry point into the Kinetis L series of ARM CortexTM-M0+ MCUs. Pin compatible with the new 8-bit S08P family, the Kinetis KL0 MCU family provides a bridge for 8-bit customers migrating into the Kinetis portfolio and is software and tool compatible with all other Kinetis L series families. Devices start from 8 KB of flash in a small-footprint 4 x 4 mm 24 QFN package, extending up to 32 KB in a 48 LQFP package. Each family member combines ultra-low-power performance with a rich suite of analog, communication, timing and control peripherals.

Kinetis KL02 Family - World's smallest ARM Powered MCU on Chip-Scale Package (CSP)

Freescale introduces the Kinetis KL02 chip-scale package (CSP), the world's smallest ARM Powered MCU.  Available in the ultra-small 1.9 mm x 2.0 mm wafer level chip-scale package, the KL02 CSP (MKL02Z32CAF4R) drastically reduces board space while retaining rich MCU feature integration. The KL02 CSP consumes 25 percent less PCB area, yet delivers 60 percent more GPIO than the nearest competing MCU. The Kinetis KL0  family is the entry point into the low-power Kinetis L series MCUs based on the ARM Cortex-M0+ processor, delivering 32-bit performance with class-leading code density, integrated flash memory, precision analog, connectivity and timers.

Kinetis KL1 Family - Ultra-low-power, entry-level MCUs

The Kinetis KL1 MCU family is pin, software and tool compatible with all other Kinetis L families and provides additional memory, communications and analog peripheral options beyond those offered on the KL0 family. The Kinetis KL1 MCU family is also compatible with the Kinetis K10 MCU (ARM Cortex-M4) family, providing a migration path to higher performance and feature integration. Devices start from 32 KB of flash in a small-footprint 5 x 5 mm 32 QFN package, extending up to 256 KB in a 80 LQFP package. Each family member combines ultra-low-power performance with a rich suite of analog, communication, timing and control peripherals.

Kinetis KL2 Family - Ultra-low-power MCUs with USB OTG

The Kinetis KL2 MCU family is pin, software and tool compatible with all other Kinetis L families and adds a Full-Speed USB 2.0 On-The-Go controller with an integrated low-voltage regulator. The Kinetis KL2 MCU family is also compatible with the Kinetis K20 MCU (ARM Cortex-M4) family, providing a migration path to higher performance and feature integration. Devices start from 32 KB of flash in a small-footprint 5 x 5 mm 32 QFN package, extending up to 256 KB in a 100 LQFP /100 MBGA package. Each family member combines ultra-low-power performance with a with a rich suite of analog, communication, timing and control peripherals.

Kinetis KL3 Family - Ultra-low-power Segment LCD MCUs

The KL3x MCU family is pin, peripheral and software compatible with all other Kinetis L families and adds a flexible, low-power segment LCD controller with support for up to 376 segments. The KL3x family is also compatible with the K30 (ARM Cortex-M4) core family, providing a migration path to higher performance and feature integration. Devices start from 64 KB of flash in a 64 LQFP package, extending up to 256 KB in a 100 LQFP/121 MAPBGA package, and combine ultra- low-power performance with a rich suite of analog, communication, timing and control peripherals.

Kinetis KL4 Family - Ultra-low-power, USB and Segment LCD MCUs

The KL4x family is pin, peripheral and software compatible with all other Kinetis L families and combines a Full-Speed USB 2.0 On-The-Go controller with integrated low-voltage regulator and a flexible, low-power segment LCD controller with support for up to 376 segments. The KL4x family is also compatible with the K40 (ARM Cortex-M4) core family, providing a migration path to higher performance and feature integration. Devices start from 128 KB of flash in a 64 LQFP package extending up to 256 KB in a 100 LQFP/121 MAPBGA package and combine ultra- low-power performance with a rich suite of analog, communication, timing and control peripherals.

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Development Tools

Software Development Tools:

Tool Type	Supplier	MPN	Supported Family	Description
IDE	Freescale	CodeWarrior	All Freescale MCU's	Freescale's software and development solutions take you beyond the silicon, helping to bring your embedded applications to life.  Learn More
IDE	ARM Keil	MDK ARM	ARM Cortex-M  / Cortex-R4 / ARM7 / ARM9	The MDK-ARM (Microcontroller Development Kit) is the complete software development environment for ARM7, ARM9, Cortex-M, and Cortex-R4 processor-based devices.  Learn More
RTOS	Freescale	MQX	ColdFire / HC08 / HC12 / ARM / S08 / RS08 / PowerPC	The Freescale MQX Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) provides real-time performance within a small, configurable footprint. This RTOS is designed to allow you to configure and balance code size with performance requirements. Learn More
RTOS	Micrium	uC/OS III	ColdFire / HC08 / HC12 / ARM / S08 / RS08 / PowerPC	μC/OS-III is Micrium’s newest RTOS, designed for developers who need to save time on their current and next embedded sytem projects. Using a commercial real-time kernel such as μC/OS-III provides a solid foundation and framework to the design engineer dealing with the growing complexity of embedded designs.  Learn More
RTOS	Segger	embOS	ColdFire / HC08 / HC12 / ARM / S08 / RS08	SEGGER embOS (Real Time Operating System) follows strict, yet efficient coding and documentation standards. embOS is a priority-controlled real time operating system, designed to be used as foundation for the development of embedded real-time applications.  Learn More

Hardware Development Tools:

Tool Type	Supplier	MPN	Supported Family	Description
Debuggers, Emulators & JTAG Tools	Freescale	U-MULTILINKU-MULTILINK	HC08 / HCS12 / S08 / RS08 / Coldfire / Kinetis	P&E USB Multilink Universal debug and programming interface for HCS08, HC(S)12(X), ColdFire, Qorivva MPC55xx/56xx, and Kinetis
Debuggers, Emulators & JTAG Tools	ARM	ULINK2ULINK2	ARM Cortex-M  / ARM7 / ARM9	USB DEBUG
Debuggers, Emulators & JTAG Tools	ARM	ULINKProULINKPro	ARM Cortex-M  / ARM7 / ARM9	High-Speed Debug and Trace Unit
Emulator	Segger	J-LinkJ-Link	ARM Cortex-M  / Cortex-R4 / Cortex-A / ARM7 / ARM9	JTAG/SWD Emulator with USB interface
Programmer	Segger	Flasher ARMFlasher ARM	ARM Cortex-M  / Cortex-R4 / Cortex-A / ARM7 / ARM9	Flash Programmer for ARM and Cortex cores

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Applications

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Video

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Technical Documents

Learning Center

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Kits & Evaluation Modules

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