NXP Semiconductors

UM11597

PCF2131-ARD evaluation board

1 Introduction

This document describes the PCF2131-ARD evaluation board. The evaluation board

is built around the PCF2131TF IC, a CMOS Real-Time Clock (RTC) and calendar with

an integrated Temperature Compensated Crystal Oscillator (TCXO) and a 32.768 kHz

quartz crystal optimized for very high accuracy and ultra-low power consumption. The

PCF2131TF has a selectable I2C-bus or SPI-bus, a backup battery switch-over circuit, a

programmable watchdog function, four timestamps function, and other features. For more

details see the PCF2131TF datasheet. The PCF2131-ARD works as a daughtercard

which can be connected through an Arduino port to various Arduino compatible (including

original Arduino UNO R3) boards. Alternatively, the board can be connected through a

dedicated connector to an Aardvark USB to I2C/SPI host adapter, allowing for rapid tests

of the DUT IC. The board is equipped with a battery holder and an adjustable voltage

regulator, allowing the user to test the RTC over the entire range of power supply voltage,

and the battery switch-over circuit.

The evaluation board is intended to test and evaluate all characteristics of the silicon,

such as I2C/SPI communication, power management, battery backup, timestamps,

interrupts, and other internal features of the PCF2131 RTC.

Additionally, the daughterboard has software support and a graphical user interface

(Windows platform) for the following NXP evaluation boards: IMXRT1050 EVK Board,

LPCXpresso55S69 Development Board and i.MX 8M Mini LPDDR4 EVK Board. All three

evaluation boards contain Arduino ports, allowing the user to attach and operate from the

GUI the PCF2131-ARD daughterboard.

2 Finding kit resources and information on the NXP web site

NXP Semiconductors provides online resources for evaluation board and its supported

device(s) on http://www.nxp.com.

The information page for the PCF2131-ARD evaluation board is at http://www.nxp.com/

PCF2131-ARD. The information page provides overview information, documentation,

software and tools, parametrics, ordering information and a

Getting Started tab.

The Getting Started tab provides quick-reference information applicable to using the

PCF2131-ARD evaluation board, including the downloadable assets referenced in this

document.

2.1 Collaborate in the NXP community

The NXP community is for sharing ideas and tips, ask and answer technical questions,

and receive input on just about any embedded design topic.

The NXP community is at http://community.nxp.com.

3 Getting ready

Working with the PCF2131-ARD evaluation board requires the kit contents, additional

hardware, and a Windows PC workstation with installed software.

3.1 Kit contents

• Assembled and tested evaluation board in an antistatic bag

UM11597

All information provided in this document is subject to legal disclaimers.

© NXP B.V. 2021. All rights reserved.

User manual

Rev. 1.0 — 15 September 2021

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