GigaDevice launches GD32 Colibri series development kit with support for Arduino interface

     GigaDevice, in conjunction with third party partner Trochili, announced the launch of a new full suite of development boards based on the GD32 family of general purpose 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 core microcontrollers. The GD32 Colibri development board further strengthens the product advantages of GD32 series microcontrollers with high performance, low cost and ease of use, providing a complete low-cost solution for solution evaluation and prototyping using GigaDevice GD32 Series MCUS in a compact 8.6cm × 5.4cm standard form factor.

     The GD32 Colibri development board consists of a baseboard and expansion board, and supports standard Arduino interfaces. The baseboard is composed of basic functional modules, which have basic functions to support MCU peripheral resources, including LED indicator, button, USART, SPI, I2C, buzzer, potentiometer, TF card and USB OTG, etc., and support USB program download and virtual serial port, which can meet the embedded development needs of MCU and interface technology. At the same time, it also highlights the Ethernet interface, which is convenient for users to develop the Ethernet interconnection function. The baseboard and expansion board can be connected via the Arduino interface. The on-board Arduino pin is compatible with the various existing Shield expansion boards of the Arduino ecosystem, and can connect more expansion modules to easily and quickly add needed special features, enhancing development flexibility and resource reuse.

     At present, it has synchronously launched Shield dedicated function expansion board supporting 2.4GHz wireless interface and Bluetooth functions for applications in the field of Internet of Things and wireless communication, and free Trochili RTOS supporting multi-task, multi-priority and preemptive scheduling. Arduino Shield with support for motor control, Wi-Fi and various sensors will also be introduced. The development board covers embedded MCU technology, interface technology, RTOS system development, Ethernet interconnection, and wireless communication technology, providing developers, educators, students, and electronics enthusiasts with a flexible introduction to using GD32 series MCUS for iot product prototyping and validation, board level programming, and code debugging.

     The GD32 Colibri development board has a compact design and the appearance size is the same as that of a standard credit card, making it easy to carry. Koichi Kansei, MCU Product Manager at GigaDevice, said, "The GD32 Colibri development board further enrichs the integrated development application environment for GD32 series MCU products, and the combination of this inexpensive development tool and free RTOS software provides a mature and easy-to-use development platform for embedded control applications. We will also work with university professors to provide teaching resources for basic courses, and this pocket lab will help students and many designers who are embarking on microcontroller development and iot applications."

     GigaDevice's GD32 series of development tools, including a full-featured evaluation board and an entry-level learning suite, has four series of nine products, making it the ideal platform for embedded development using GD32 series MCUS. There are also more applications and production burning tools from third-party developers that are supported. The first GD32 Colibri Basic development board and Arduino Shield using GD32F107VCT6 Ethernet connected MCUS are already available, and Trochili plans to launch follow-up products supporting other package types in the second quarter of 2014.