NXP LPC4330-Xplorer Board

Table of contents

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The LPC4330-Xplorer is a compact and versatile evaluation platform for NXP's new line of dual core microcontrollers.  The board features the LPC4330 dual core microcontroller which contains an ARM Cortex-M4 based digital signal controller with an ARM Cortex-M0 coprocessor designed for embedded applications requiring signal processing. The ARM Cortex-M4 core offers single-cycle Multiply-Accumulate and SIMD instructions and a hardware floating-point unit to support signal processing while the M0 coprocessor handles I/O and digital control processing. The LPC4330 includes 264 KB of data memory, two High Speed USB 2.0 Host/OTG/Devices, advanced configurable peripherals such as the State Configurable Timer (SCT), Serial General Purpose I/O (SGPIO), and SPI Flash Interface (SPIFI) as well as Ethernet, an external memory controller and multiple digital and analog peripherals.
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Salient features of the board include:
  • Controller: LPC4330, 100 pin BGA
  • PCB: 4-layer (86mm x 40mm, RoHS Compliant)
  • Two LEDs
  • One user switch and one reset switch
  • Boot select switch
  • 32Mb Quad flash
  • On board crystals for controller, RTC and audio codec
  • On board Ethernet PHY, 50 MHz Oscillator and RJ45 connector with magnetics
  • On board audio codec and audio jacks
  • On board USB host power switch
  • On board Micro SD card slot
  • Two USB ports, one HS (High speed) port and one FS (Full Speed) port
  • 10-pin cortex debug header
  • Unused I/Os brought to a header
Kit Contents
  • LPC4330-Xplorer Evaluation Board
  • 1 meter USB AM to Micro B
  • 0.2 meter USB AF to Micro B

 

Q&A
What we would like to see in the road test?
The NGX LPC4330 Xplorer board features the LPC4330 dual-core Cortex-M4/Cortex-M0 digital signal controller. What we would like to see in this road test are projects that take advantage the dual-cores and one or more advanced peripherals available on the Xplorer board (HS/FS USB, Ethernet, SDIO, SPIFI, SGPIO, SCT). Examples could include:
  • Applications that use the Cortex-M4 core for signal processing (free DSP algorithms available from ARM as part of CMSIS release at http://www.onarm.com/)
  • Audio processing on the Cortex-M4 and USB connectivity on the Cortex-M0 (using onchip device drivers or free nxpUSBlib software)
  • Machine vision using either the SCT or SGPIO as a camera interface (code available from NXP)

 

Reference Material
  • NGX LPC4330 Xplorer board Schematics & Sample Code
  • LPC4350/30/20/10 Datasheet: click here
  • LPC43xx User’s Manual: click here
  • nxpUSBlib software for LPC: click here
  • Application Note: Inter Processor Communication on LPC43xx: click here.
  • Application Note: Using SPIFI on LPC1800 and LPC4300: click here
  • Application Note: Using the SCT in LPCxpresso, Keil, and IAR: click here
  • Application Note: Using SGPIO to emulate an SPI master interface: click here
  • Article: “Two Heads are Better Than One: NXP’s Dual-core LPC4300 DSP Controller Enhances a 7.1 Audio System”:  click here
  • NXP Lab for LPC4330-Xplorer using the Keil-MDK: click here.
  • Videos on YouTube: click here.

 

For more ideas read “Two Cores, Ten Experts” and visit the Expert Opinion website.
Terms & Conditions
  • Testers will be selected on the basis of quality of applications: we expect a full and complete description of why you want to test this particular product.
  • Testers are required to produce a full, comprehensive and well thought out review within 2 months of receipt of the product.
  • Failure to provide this review within the above timescale will result in the enrolee being excluded from future Road Tests.
RoadTest Reviews
Comment List
Anonymous
  • For all the selected reviewers

     

    Were you able to use the provided Keil licence PSN? I installed Keil tools at the begining of 2013 but in the Licence Management windows it shows the licence key has expired.

    I wasn't able to use the provided licence key. I intended to work on a more complex project and add the findings to my review. I'll switch to LPCXpresso

  • Geez, ARMs are in everything these days! I'd like to see how TI competes with some of the biggies of 32bit micros image

  • We (element14) have sent out the information to all the Roadtest winners on the temporary license from ARM/Keil for the MDK. This enables the full functionality of the software with no limitations. Please let us know if you havent received it. Thanks!

  • I haven't received any message regarding the Keil licence.

    As for the way the IDEs (Keil, LPCXPresso) are loading the SPI flash memory, I believe the mechanism involved uses a sort of bootloader that is able to take the data from JTAG and program the SPI using the target microcontroller.

    The .cfx file used by the LPCXpresso as the "algorithm" for programming the SPI memory is in fact an ELF file.

  • almost all compilers have STlink support, so you can use IAR and others (this is what i did, and that works quite well as long as you have power)

    Just have no idea how to download to spi flash and debug it in that mode...

  • I haven't seen anything about the license, either.

     

    Mike

  • That new board is just great. LCD with SRAM and other peripherals are great to try out.

     

    About the temporary license for Keil I haven't received any mail regarding it has anyone received it ?

  • Apparently my phone number information was not updated in the account info. I received the UPS exception mail, I replied with my phone number to Element14, I updated my profile, and contacted UPS to solve this problem. The answer was:

     

    "Thank you for your inquiry. Regretfully, I am unable to update your contact information for this package. Our records indicate that the package was abandoned and is now undeliverable. For assistance with this package, please contact the shipper. In the future if you need to provide additional information for a shipment, please contact UPS International at 1-800-782-7892. I apologize that I was unable to assist you with this package."  (from UPS).

     

    Tracking number status (From UPS Website):

     

    "The receiver did not want the order and refused this delivery. / Package abandoned by the sender and the receiver."

     

    Timeline:

    10/31/20124:11 P.M.Order Processed: Ready for UPS

     

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    11/16/20126:00 P.M.A phone number is needed prior to clearance or delivery. / UPS will contact the sender and/or receiver regarding the status or disposition of this package.11/21/20123:10 P.M.The receiver's address is incomplete. UPS is attempting to obtain the entire address and complete the delivery. / Shipment has been forwarded to Corporate Overgoods.11/26/20125:03 P.M.The receiver did not want the order and refused this delivery. / Package abandoned by the sender and the receiver.

     

     

    I replied and updated my info on 22/11.(mail landed in spam, didn't notice).

     

    Just wanted to let you know about this issue.


  • wow, now that new LPC board is something much better than this , and it has better processor to with SRAM and so on. Just what i need image