Silicon Laboratories Biometric-EXP EVB User Manual

Biometric-EXP EVB

BIOMETRIC-EXP Evaluation Board USER’S GUIDE

1. Introduction

The Silicon Labs’ Biometric-EXP Evaluation Board is a hardware plugin card for EFM32™ Starter Kits (STK’ s). The
Biometric-EXP is intended to demonstrate and evaluate the biometric applications of Silicon Labs Si7013 Humidity
and Temperature Sensor and the Si1146 Proximity/UV/Ambient Light Sensor which is capable of monitoring pulse
rate and oxygen saturation (SpO2). A Biometric-EXP Software Demo is available to download to an EFM32
Wonder Gecko STK through Simplicity Studio. The software is capable of displaying humidity, temperature, UV,
pulse rate, and SpO2 readings on the Wonder Gecko STK display. In addition to the Silicon Labs sensors, it is also
notable that the Biometric-EXP EVB contains a Silicon Labs’ TS3310 Boost DC-DC Converter.

Figure 1. EFM32 Wonder Gecko STK (Left) Connected to a Biometric-EXP (Right)

1.1. Key Features

Si7013 Humidity and Temperature Sensor
Si1146 Proximity/UV/Ambient Light Sensor capable of monitoring Pulse Rate and SpO2
6-pin ribbon cable connector for attaching a postage stamp board
20-pin expansion header
Battery operated with low power optimizations for long battery life
Demonstration software source code available
USB debug mode allowing HRM and SpO2 samples to be tra nsferred to a PC
Windows GUI to visualize pulse signals and to record samples from USB debug mode
Easy use through Simplicity Studio

1.2. Getting Started

The first step to getting started with your new Biometric-EXP-EVB is to download Simplicity Studio from

www.silabs.com/simplicity-studio.

The simplicity studio software package contains all the tools, drivers, software examples, and documentation
needed to use the Biometric-EXP-EVB.

You will need to connect the Biometric-EXP-EVB to the EFM32WG-STK3800 Wonder Gecko STK or the
EFM32GG-STK3700 Giant Gecko STK. The demo code can be loaded using the USB cable and the J-Link debug
interface.

Rev. 0.4 12/15 Copyright © 2015 by Silicon Laboratories Biometric-EXP EVB

Biometric-EXP EVB

2. Loading the Demo Onto the Gecko Starter Kit

The following steps will load the demo firmware onto the Gecko STK. This process requires Simplicity Studio which
is available for download at www.silabs.com/simplicity-studio.

1. Use a USB mini type cable to connect the J-Link debug interface on the Gecko STK to the PC and set the
3-position Power Source Select switch to DBG (right-most position).

2. Launch Simplicity Studio.

3. Click on Refresh Detected Hardware.

4. Select the Gecko STK device, under Detected Hardware.

5. Click on the Demos button on the top right of Simplicity Studio.

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Figure 2. Simplicity Studio

6. Select the Biometric-EXP demo from the list and click Start.

Biometric-EXP EVB

Figure 3. Demo Selection Dialog

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Biometric-EXP EVB

3. Running the Demo

A Silicon Labs EFM32 Wonder Gecko Starter Kit (EFM32WG-STK3800) and a Silicon Labs Biometric-EXP (see
Figure 1) is needed to run the Biometric EXP Demo.

The Biometric-EXP demo application uses the Wonder-Gecko STK’s LCD to display sensor output and the two
push buttons, PB0 and PB1, to cycle through the modes of the demo. The full operation including startup is
illustrated in Figures 4 and 5.

3.1. Demo Startup

Upon reset, the demo will first check whether PB0 is pressed then store the result. It will then search for a
supported device on the 6-pin ribbon cable connector. If a Si1143-M01-PS or Si1147-M01-PS is detected, the
demo will automatically use that device for HRM measurements. In this case, the Si1146 sensor onboard the
Biometric-EXP will not be utilized. SpO2 is not available with the Si114x-M01-PS EVB's. If a HRM-GGG-PS EVB is
detected, the demo will display ‘Error’. The Biometric-EXP demo does not support wrist-based heart rate
monitoring. Please contact Silicon Labs to inquire about our wrist-based heart rate monitor solutions.

Following the search for a ribbon cable device, the demo will check the stored value of PB0 to enable or disable the
USB debug mode accordingly and display an USB On or USB Off message for one second. Refer to Section “4.
USB Debug Mode” for details on USB debug mode. Lastly, the demo will display version information then start the
demo in Heart Rate Monitor mode.

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Biometric-EXP EVB

Figure 4. Biometric-EXP Demo Startup Sequence Flash Programmer Dialog

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