RedBearLab CC3200

Everyone talks about the Internet of Things but few boards are available. The ARM Cortex-M4 CC3200 MCU from Texas Instruments combines a Cortex-M4 with a built-in WiFi radio. 

This is a variant of the RedBearLab WiFi Mini, but with the standard Arduino Uno form-factor. 

This allow to use any Arduino-compatible shield, with two warnings:
  • The board operates at 3.3 V, not 5 V as the original Arduino Uno. Digital inputs are not 5 V-tolerant.
  • The analog inputs only accept up to 1.5 V, higher voltage will damage the MCU.

The CC3200MOD is certified for FCC, IC and CE, which means the board can be used in end products.
The major challenges with the CC3200 are the 1.5 V limitation of the analog inputs and non 5 V-tolerant digital inputs. For the analog limitation, a sticker on the pins clearly mentions that limit. 

However, once removed, there is no permanent warning printed on the silk-screen.

Two extension headers allow to connect either the BLE mini or the BLE shield to the board.

The board has no SD-card slot. This is unfortunate as the CC3200 can act as a server but also as an access point.

The schematics are available at RedBearLab GitHub repository.
A welcomed warning

Software

The board runs on Energia right out of the box, with two frameworks: standard Energia and Energia MT based on RTOS.
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Energīa is the Wiring / Arduino-compatible IDE or integrated development environment.  It is derived from Arduino 1.0. As Processing-based Wiring-derived, it is platform-agnostic and runs on Windows, Mac OS X or Linux.  

Other tools like CCS and IAR also support the board. 
Upload is done directly through USB and is managed by the K20DX128VLF5 from Freescale. 

However, once upload has been completed, the user needs to press the RESET button to launch the sketch. Energia release 15 displays an error message because it tries to perform an automatic reset of the board. Just ignore the error message.

I haven't found any debugging capabilities.

Pins Map

Picture

A Good Introduction to Internet of Things

Although more expensive than the LaunchPad WiFi with CC3200, the RedBearLab CC3200 board come with a certified CC3200. It thus offers a ready-to-use and certified module for an Internet of Things end product. 

The 1.5 V limitation on the analog inputs is clearly stated but, once the sticker has beed removed, any shield should be carefully checked to prevent the CC3200 from being destroyed and turned into a zombie. 

Another potential issue with the Arduino-compatible shields is their operating voltage, 5 V when the RedBearLab operates at 3.3 V. 

I would have appreciated 5 V-tolerant digital inputs and, for the analog inputs, a voltage converter or, at least, a permanent warning printed on the silk-screen.

Pros

  • Standard Arduino form-factor
  • Energia support
  • Certified CC3200MOD
  • Standard software offer with Arduino-like Energia

Cons

  • Real risk with Arduino-compatible shields —non 5 V-tolerant digital inputs, 1.5 V-limited analog inputs
  • No debugging

Wrap-Up

  • Good value
  • Certified WiFi module
  • Real risk with Arduino-compatible shields —non 5 V-tolerant digital inputs, 1.5 V-limited analog inputs

Links