Silicon Labs has cherry-picked its FG23 family of sub-GHz wireless MCUs to create the simpler FG23L family (right).
“FG23L is optimised for the simple applications that have been the backbone of proprietary wireless networks,” SiLabs marketing manager Chad Steider told Electronics Weekly. “These applications, like smart city sensors, home automation and security sensors, as well as fobs and remotes, don’t need the overhead of more complex peripherals and larger memory footprints that often result in high price points for current generation wireless SoCs.”
EFR32FG23L parts can only have 128kbyte flash and 32kbyte ram, while the earlier EFR32FG23 family had 128 to 512kbyte flash and 32 to 64kbyte ram, depending on the part.
Electronics Weekly has looked though the specs, and it seems that FG23L parts are the same as low-end FG23 parts in their 5 x 5mm QFN40 package option, while the FG23 family also offers 6 x 6mm QFN48.
RF performance and power consumption remain the same: +14dBm or +20dBm output power, up to ~146dB link budget, 36μA/MHz operation and capable of 10 year battery life.
The processor in both families is a 78MHz Arm Cortex-M33, and the security package is the company’s ‘Secure Vault Mid’.
The only difference seems to be – and Electronics Weekly has requested clarification on this – is that the original non-L family can run proprietary protocols, Connect, Wi-Sun, Sidewalk, WM-Bus and Wirepas, while the new L suffix parts can only run proprietary protocols.
The same block diagram (above) is offered for FG23 and FG23L parts.
Prior to clarification, please take comments on difference and similarity with a pinch of salt.
