Part 1: Prep for road testing the EFM32
Zero Gecko Starter Kit
I received the kit two days ago. I've unboxed it and completed my first road test goal.
Unboxing
There was not that much to do at package opening time. The box contains two boards in plastic shields bag and a usb cable.
At the bottom of the box was this tiniest Quick Start Guide that I've ever seen - the size of a business card.
Everything was safely packed and secured. The only thing you 'll have to add yourself is a CR2032 battery.
The two break-out connectors on the long sides of the board are not populated. I haven't checked yet what processor pins are routed to there.
Getting Started
Road Test 1: testing the quick start and demo, how easy is it to get them working
Running the pre-loaded example: This worked right out of the box. It's the Space Invaders classic of the 80s. This demo showcases the lcd and the two capacitive touch buttons.
Loading and running a demo: Simplicity Studio recognized the zero gecko starter kit and pre-loaded content related to that board. I was able to load the weather station demo from Simplicity Studio in one go. I selected to run it with the power monitor enabled. This demo focuses on the sensor board's capabilities.
Building and running the first project: I opened the source of the 'blink' example in the IDE. I used the 'Software Examples' wizard to get the project set up in the Simplicity IDE. The wizard sets up the project properties. It also guides you through your first compile and Debug cycle.
I was able to complete all three exercises without reading any documentation. I know the Eclipse environment well, but still the start pages and wizards are a great help to get you going without frustrations. All focus could be spent on learning and experimenting.
All these activities in Road Test 1 worked without errors or issues. The board behaved well. I didn't have a single setup, compile or runtime error.
Part 3: