STMicroelectronics Launches STLINK-V3PWR for Accurate Power Measurement in IoT and Wireless Applications

STLINK-V3PWR is a new online debugging and programming tool from STMicroelectronics that is suitable for electronic components distributors. It accurately measures the power consumption of applications running on any STM32 microcontroller (MCU). With a wide dynamic range, it can handle power-sensitive development projects such as those for IoT and wireless applications, measuring current values from nanoamps to 500mA with an accuracy of ±0.5%. The product can provide up to 2A of current to the target system via a single USB data cable, eliminating the need for an additional power supply to power the circuit board.

The STM32CubeMonitor-Power graphical tool directly supports the STLINK-V3PWR, displaying real-time power demand for the application, analyzing the impact of design changes on power consumption, and improving energy efficiency. In addition, the Arm Keil development tools and IAR integrated development environment (IDE) also support this product, allowing code execution and energy measurement to be synchronized to optimize application energy relationships.

According to Reinhard Keil, the Senior Director of Embedded Technology at Arm, "Ultra-low-power microcontroller applications rely on energy harvesting or battery operation for several years, and even minor design errors can cause unexpected power consumption problems. The new STLINK-V3PWR debugging and programming tool allows developers to analyze power consumption using Keil MDK. This µVision debugger can associate program events with power consumption, provide analysis results, and help developers identify potential design errors to greatly extend battery life."

Anders Holmberg, the CTO of IAR Systems, added, "IAR Embedded Workbench for Arm fully supports the STLINK-V3PWR debugging and programming tool, allowing developers to access accurate, repeatable, and high-resolution power analysis results faster and more easily. It will certainly help the next generation of ultra-low-power and ultra-efficient smart IoT devices achieve greater energy savings and efficiency, while greatly speeding up the time to market for new products."

STLINK-V3PWR further enhances STMicroelectronics' energy-efficient embedded development toolkits. The STM32 Power Shield (X-NUCLEO-LPM01A) is a programmable power supply with a dynamic current measurement range of 100nA to 50mA, typically used to analyze the power consumption of applications running on ultra-low-power STM32 MCUs. Additionally, the meter on the intermediate board of the STM32L562E-DK exploration kit can measure dynamic currents from 300nA to 150mA. STM32CubeMonitor-Power can obtain power measurement values through any of these three tools, presenting real-time data and updating collected power parameters.

As a microcontroller debugging and programming tool, STLINK-V3PWR communicates with the STM32 MCU on the application board through a single-wire debugging (JTAG/SWD) interface, as well as a virtual COM port interface and a multi-path bridging device that allows the host controller to communicate with the target microcontroller using SPI/UART/I2C/CAN/GPIO interfaces, facilitating firmware updates and on-site power measurement testing.