Seeed Studio has added two members to its XIAO family of tiny MCU boards with the XIAO MG24 and XIAO MG24 Sense boards based on Silicon Labs EFR32MG24 multi-protocol wireless SoC and designed for battery-powered Matter over Thread and Bluetooth LE 5.3 applications. Both 21×17.8 mm USB-C boards feature a 78MHz Silabs MG24 Cortex-M33 microcontroller with 256kB SRAM and 1536KB flash, an additional 4MB SPI flash on-board, and 22 pins and pads for GPIO pins, analog inputs, and power signals, plus a reset button and two LEDs. The “Sense” model adds an analog microphone and a 6-axis IMU sensor. XIAO MG24/MG24 Sense specifications: SoC – Silicon Labs EFR32MG24 (EFR32MG24B220F1536IM48-B) MCU cores Arm Cortex-M33 @ 78.0 MHz with DSP instruction and floating-point unit for user application Arm Cortex-M0+ core for wireless Memory – 256 KB RAM Storage – 1536 KB flash Wireless protocols – Matter, OpenThread, Zigbee, Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3, [...]

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Choosing the right SoC for the next Seeed Studio XIAO is always challenging. It must represent cutting-edge technology, bringing innovation in communication networking, computing performance, or ecosystem compatibility. When Silicon Labs EFR32MG24 came into our view, we were immediately excited by its enormous potential to make the promising Matter® wireless communication protocol accessible to ALL – perfectly aligning with Seeed’s vision of Making Technology Accessible for ALL.

Matter connects IoT platforms and smart home devices across different brands, bridging the gap between different ecosystems like Amazon, Google, and Apple. This new industry-unifying standard provides reliable connections and simplifies development for makers. We are now thrilled to introduce the Seeed Studio XIAO MG24 and the Seeed Studio XIAO MG24 Sense, thumb-sized Matter®-native dev boards all powered by Silicon Labs EFR32MG24!

Seeed Studio XIAO MG24 (Sense), Tailored for Battery-Powered Matter Applications

The Seeed Studio XIAO MG24 and XIAO MG24 Sense are two tiny Arduino-compatible development boards that uniquely combine Matter with the Seeed Studio XIAO ecosystem. The EFR32MG24 Wireless SoC features a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M33 core processor running at 78MHz with DSP instructions, 1536KB Flash memory, and 256KB RAM. Thanks to the Silicon Labs SoC inside, the XIAO MG24 and XIAO MG24 Sense support Matter® over Thread® and Bluetooth® Low Energy 5.3. In the future, there will be support for the other common 2.4 GHz protocols on the Arduino Core.

In the signature Seeed Studio XIAO form factor (21×17.8mm), both XIAO MG24 and XIAO MG24 Sense feature 4MB onboard Flash capacity, LED, and 19 GPIOs. The XIAO MG24 Sense additionally includes two onboard sensors: an analog microphone and a 6-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). These new XIAO boards excel in battery management, featuring an onboard charging circuit, internal IO for battery voltage measurement, and support for an increased charging current of 160mA. Their battery management system and ultra-low-power consumption design make them ideal for the rapid development and prototyping of Matter-based battery-powered IoT devices.

“Seeed Studio has consistently delivered innovative and cost-effective hardware solutions that empower developers around the globe. We are thrilled to collaborate with them on the XIAO MG24 boards, which integrate our EFR32MG24B220F1536IM48-B chip. This partnership not only broadens the reach of our technology but also aligns with our vision of fostering a vibrant developer community. We look forward to seeing the creative and impactful applications that will emerge from this collaboration,” says Rob Shane, Vice President, Mass Market Sales & Applications at Silicon Labs.

Seeed Studio XIAO for Matter: XIAO MG24 (Sense) & XIAO ESP32C6

These aren’t our first Matter-compatible XIAOs. Earlier this year, we launched the XIAO ESP32C6, supporting multiple protocols including Zigbee, Wi-Fi 6, BLE 5, and Thread. For those wondering about the differences between these models, please refer to the comparison table below to find the perfect match for your Matter applications.

Join Our Seeed Studio XIAO Early Adopter Program

XIAO MG24 and XIAO MG24 Sense are now available for pre-order through our Bazaar webstore at $7.9 and $10.9 respectively, with shipping expected in late November 2024. To celebrate the launch, here is a limited-time offer: 10% off for the first 100 purchases. Shop NOW.

Seeed Studio XIAO MG24

Seeed Studio XIAO MG24 Sense

To help developers quickly adapt their projects to the XIAO MG24 (Sense), we’re launching our XIAO Early Adopter Program. If you’re an author or maintainer of a popular open-source Matter or IoT project on GitHub, or an influencer on YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram, ensure your users can run your code on the XIAO MG24. Join to receive two free early sample boards (shipping mid-November) and technical support for making your code compatible with this exciting new board.

Notes at the end.

Hey community, we’re curating a monthly newsletter centering around the beloved Seeed Studio XIAO. If you want to stay up-to-date with:

 Cool Projects from the Community to get inspiration and tutorials
 Product Updates: firmware update, new product spoiler
 Wiki Updates: new wikis + wiki contribution
 News: events, contests, and other community stuff

Please click the image below to subscribe now!

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Synaptic has unveiled the SYN4383 and SYN43756(E) high-performance “Veros” SoCs with tri-band Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3/5.4, and an optional 802.15.4 radio. The SYN4383 is an upgrade to SYN4382 SoC that supports 1,200 Mbps 2×2 MIMO Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4, and 802.15.4 for Zigbee and Thread support. It supports real simultaneous dual-band (RSDB) operation and offers “greater system integration”. The SYN43756(E) is similar but lacks an 802.15.4 radio and RSDB support. SYN4383 “Triple Combo 3” Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4, 802.15.4 SoC Synaptics Veros SYN4383 key features: Tri-band 2×2 MIMO Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) up to 1200 Mbps throughput, RSDB with 2.4 GHz radio and either 5 or 6 GHz radio, and support for legacy 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi Bluetooth 5.4 (Bluetooth 6.0 compatible) with LE Audio, Channel Sounding for accurate positioning 802.15.4 radio for Thread and Zigbee Application-layer support for Matter-compliant security and interoperability Smart Co-Ex for WiFi/Bluetooth coexistence in the 2.4 GHz band [...]

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The NXP RW612 is an Arm Cortex-M33 SoC with three radios, namely WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, and 802.15.4 for Thread and Matter connectivity. It also has a small sibling called the RW610 without the 802.15.4 radio. I first came across RW61x chips, when Debashis wrote about the Trimension SR250 UWB chip mentioning it can work with “host processors like NXP’s i.MX, RW61x, and MCX families”. I initially thought it was a typo for the iW612 tri-radio solution introduced in 2022, and the RW612 is indeed similar, but it’s a complete wireless microcontroller/SoC with an Arm Cortex-M33 application core so it can be used independently as a host instead of a companion chip. NXP RW612 and RW610 specifications: MCU sub-system Core – 260 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 with TrustZone-M Memory On-chip 1.2 MB SRAM PSRAM interface for memory expansion Storage – Quad FlexSPI Flash XIP with on-the-fly decryption Peripheral interfaces Up to [...]

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Following up on his successful Doom port last year, engineer Nicola Wrachien – who works at Silicon Labs, a leader in secure, intelligent wireless technology for a more connected world and long-time Arduino partner – has now tackled an even bigger challenge: porting Quake, the iconic 1990s’ first-person shooter, to an Arduino gamepad. 

What a great warm-up for the upcoming Matter Challenge! If this kind of project sounds like fun, follow the competition or submit your own entry by October 31st. 

Sponsored by Mouser Electronics, Silicon Labs and Arduino, the Matter Challenge is open to all skill levels. Take the opportunity to inspire others, by creating an incredible project with the Arduino Nano Matter board.

Released just three years after Doom, Quake was a huge leap forward in gaming technology. It introduced full 3D environments complete with dynamic lighting effects, and its enemies and weapons were 3D models rather than 2D sprites. The game also featured a scripting engine that gave modders a lot of creative freedom. But with more realistic graphics, a particle engine, and more complex sound effects, Quake was also a far bigger technical challenge to port.

Tackling this project required Wrachien to level up on memory and speed constraints. If you want to dive deeper into these challenges, be sure to check out the dedicated post on the Silicon Labs community blog.

In the face of demanding requirements, Wrachien turned to the Arduino Nano Matter, developed with the powerful Silicon Labs® MGM240S as part of a partnership to better enable seamless development of Matter over Thread applications on the Arduino platform, which also led to the release of Arduino’s first-ever Matter software library earlier this year. 

Reflecting on the Arduino Nano Matter board, Wrachien said: “The Nano Matter board, featuring the Silabs xG24, offers impressive processing power and versatility in a compact size, making it a fantastic tool for both simple and complex projects like this one.”

If you’re intrigued and want to explore more technical details, dive into Wrachien’s full post and get into the nitty-gritty of this remarkable project on his blog. You can get your Arduino Nano Matter from our store and replicate his idea thanks to all the information he shares, or imagine a new challenging project of your own! 

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The primary appeal of microcontrollers is their versatility. They are, essentially, the embedded equivalent of computers — general purpose devices that can perform a wide range of functions. And to get the most out of a microcontroller, you’ll also want connectivity suitable for your application. That’s why we released the Arduino Nano Matter and YouTuber Mr Innovative has shared a great video illustrating how easy it is to build an energy meter using this new development board.

The Nano Matter is based on the powerful Silicon Labs MGM240S, which has an Arm Cortex-M33 processor and support for a number of wireless connectivity options, including 802.15.4 (Zigbee and Thread), Bluetooth® Low Energy 5.3, Bluetooth® Mesh, and Matter. That makes the Nano Matter perfect for smart home and other Internet of Things applications. To demonstrate that, Mr Innovative created an energy meter that would be useful to many people around the world.

This unit monitors the power flowing to any device or appliance connected to mains AC power. It displays information about that power consumption on a small OLED screen, and also sends the data over Bluetooth to a connected smartphone for logging. The Nano Matter can’t monitor mains AC voltage directly, so Mr Innovative used a ZMCT103C current transformer for the job. The Arduino receives its power from a 9V battery and the components fit inside a 3D-printed enclosure. A printed sticker label gives that a nice, smooth top finish. 

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