Introduced at CES 2017, hardware, firmware, and integrated development environment (IDE)
Supports everything from simple exercise equipment to sophisticated smartwatches.

ON Semiconductor has unveiled comprehensive development resources targeting wearable electronics, which utilize a variety of semiconductor technologies including analog, power management, sensor interface, and signal conditioning.

The newly released Wearable Development Kit (WDK 1.0) consists of several highly optimized components designed to support OEMs seeking to bring differentiated products to market. This kit significantly accelerates the design cycle for wearable electronics and reduces engineering costs.


The new product includes the highly efficient, programmable NCP6915 power management IC, which provides five LDOs and one DC-DC, supporting the essential power and other essential requirements of a smartwatch. The kit also includes the LC709203F fuel gauge, the 10-watt (W) rated SCY1751 wireless charging front-end controller (which supports AirFuel-compatible magnetic resonance charging), and the NCP1855 battery charger IC.

The sensor function is performed by the FIS1100 inertial measurement unit (IMU), which has a built-in 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope that enable precise multi-dimensional motion tracking. Also included in this kit is an embedded temperature sensor and the LC898301 driver IC for haptic feedback.

Crucial to WDK 1.0 is wireless connectivity, enabled by Nordic Semiconductor's ultra-low-power nRF52832 multi-protocol system-on-chip (SoC). This features a 32-bit ARM® Cortex™ processor core and a 2.4GHz transceiver supporting Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and other related wireless technologies.

This kit is also available as a SmartApp, available for download directly from the Android Play Store and Apple's App Store. This app allows you to adjust various user-device interface aspects, such as adjusting screen brightness, controlling clock text, setting alarms, and setting fitness goals, as well as modifying various information, such as steps, calories burned, distance, and activity duration.

Additionally, an Eclipse-based IDE is included with the kit, giving engineering teams easy access to all the resources they need to quickly conceptualize and debug the code needed for their designs. The intuitive Project Wizard also makes it easy for engineers to access a variety of useful wearable-related projects, further streamlining the development process.

The WDK 1.0 solution also features a 1.44-inch format, 128 x 128 pixel TFT display with an integrated capacitive touchscreen. A 26-pin expansion port complements all other components in the kit, allowing for system design enhancements such as additional microcontrollers, signal processing, or GPS functionality, additional sensors, or a different display. More information about this kit, which also includes hardware schematics and Cadence EDA design files, can be found on the WDK 1.0 blog or website.

ON Semiconductor will showcase WDK 1.0, as well as several of its latest solutions for automotive, Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), and wearable applications, including CES Innovation Award winners, at CES 2017 in Las Vegas, USA, from January 5th to 8th. Booth tours and consultation appointments can be made through your local distributor.