Avnet Offers New SmartFusion2 KickStart Development Kit for Applications Requiring Highest Levels of Design and Data Security

PHOENIX—September 17, 2015—Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), a leading global technology distributor, and Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC), a leading provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, today introduced the new SmartFusion^™2 KickStart Kit. The versatile prototyping solution designed by Avnet offers engineers in communications, medical, automotive, video, smart energy and industrial markets the much-needed low power, high security and reliability required for today’s Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled devices in a low-cost development and demonstration platform. The SmartFusion2 KickStart Kit is priced at $59.95.

Avnet’s SmartFusion2 KickStart board features the low power, single event upset (SEU)-immune Microsemi M2S010S SmartFusion2 SoC FPGA, a secure and integrated programmable system-on-a-chip device with 10k logic elements and a 166 MHz ARM^® Cortex^®-M3 processor. Unlike existing SmartFusion2 development boards, Avnet’s KickStart Board does not require a separate JTAG emulator or power supply, as this is now integrated onto the USB-powered board. For communications, Microchip Technology’s RN4020 Bluetooth^® Low Energy Module is provided in addition to USB serial. Two tiny, low power onboard sensors also allow engineers access to ambient light, a gyrometer, accelerometer and a temperature sensor. The Arduino and Pmod-compatible interfaces provide for the easy addition of existing custom modules to implement applications such as bridging, acceleration and I/O expansion. An easy–to-use Windows-based GUI and an Android app are available to demonstrate the full functionality of the SmartFusion2 KickStart Kit.

“New technologies may come and go, but a constant for design engineers is the demand to get differentiated products to market on time and on budget. We created the SmartFusion2 KickStart Kit as an entry level development platform to facilitate rapid prototyping of low power IoT implementations using Microsemi’s SmartFusion2 SoC FPGAs,” said Stefan Rousseau, senior technical marketing engineer, Avnet Electronics Marketing. “This Avnet-designed board is a lower cost alternative to current solutions on the market, and is great for applications that require the highest levels of design and data security. By minimizing both the complexity and price of this solution, we hope to inspire a whole new generation of reliable and innovative IoT and M2M-enabled devices and applications.”

“Microsemi is excited to collaborate with Avnet on such a compelling SoC FPGA evaluation kit. The Avnet KickStart Kit will enable the broad customer base to easily see the value that SmartFusion2 can bring to their design,” said Ted Marena, director of product marketing, Microsemi. “At a time when security is constantly in the public eye, the unique features of SmartFusion2 offer the high level of security needed to protect data and valuable application IP, which are essential in today’s demanding market.

The SmartFusion2 KickStart board features:

SmartFusion2 M2S010S SoC FPGA with embedded security
Bluetooth 4.1 (BLE) interface and an Android app
USB serial with Windows-based GUI
Arduino-compatible interface
Three 12-pin PMOD-compatible connectors (supply voltages can be set to 3.3V or 2.5V)
On-board 6DoF motion plus temperature sensor and MAX44009 ambient light sensor
USB power and JTAG
Two user push-button switches
Four dual-filament user LEDs (red, green or yellow)

The SmartFusion2 KickStart Kit comes with an Avnet reference design that provides examples of how to use device features and interfaces, and includes a number of easy-to-follow demonstrations. To see videos of the kit, click here. To purchase the kit, visit www.em.avnet.com/SmartFusion2-KickStart.

Avnet will also be conducting a number of Speedway Seminars based on the SmartFusion2 KickStart Kit. To see the locations and dates, click here.