ON Semiconductor has announced the launch of the Internet of Things (IoT) Development Kit (IDK), a development board ecosystem designed to make prototyping and test as rapid as possible.

“ON Semiconductor recognised early on that something needed to be done about the disjointed situation that exists between the hardware and software aspects of IoT/IIoT [Internet of Things/Industrial Internet of Things] development,” ON Semi’s Cole Sikes explains in a piece introducing the project over on RS DesignSpark. “Its technical staff were given the job of attempting to bridge this gap − bringing a solution to market that covered both distinctive types of competency. The result of this endeavour was the ON Semiconductor IoT Development Kit (IDK).

“The IDK presents engineers with a ready-to-use single platform that exhibits a high degree of flexibility, upon which the demands of both hardware and software are fully accommodated. Based on the company’s highly sophisticated NCS36510 system-on-chip (SoC) with a 32-bit Arm Cortex M3 processor core, it has all the necessary hardware resources for constructing highly effective, differentiated IoT systems, along with a comprehensive software framework to attend to interfacing with the cloud. By attaching different shields to the IDK baseboard, a wealth of connectivity (Wi-Fi, SIGFOX, Ethernet, ZigBee and Thread protocols, etc.), sensor (motion, ambient light, proximity, heart rate, etc.) and actuator (with stepper and brushless motor driving, plus the ability to drive LED strings) options can be added to the system. This means that compromises do not have to be made, and the most suitable technology can be chosen.”

Current modules in the IDK ecosystem include the Base Board host plus evaluation boards for Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Bluetooth 5, SIGFOX, Power-over-Ethernet (PoE), CAN-bus, passive infra-red sensing, touch sensing, multiple motor types, and dual LED ballast operation. More information is available on RS DesignSpark.