NXP Semiconductors FRDM-MCXA153 User manual
NXP Semiconductors UM12012
FRDM-MCXA153 Board User Manual
1 Board overview
The FRDM-MCXA153 board is a design and evaluation platform based on the NXP MCXA1xx MCU. The
MCXA1xx MCU is a low-power microcontroller for industrial and consumer Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
It has one Arm Cortex-M33 core running at speeds of up to 96 MHz. It supports industrial communication
protocol, brushless direct current (BLDC) motor / permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) control, and
integrated sensor interfaces (MIPI-I3C, I2C, and SPI).
The board is compatible with the Arduino UNO R3 and Mikroe click boards. It can be used with a wide range
of development tools, including NXP MCUXpresso IDE, IAR Embedded Workbench, and Arm Keil MDK. The
board is lead-free and RoHS-compliant.
For debugging the MCXA1xx MCU, the FRDM-MCXA153 board uses an onboard (OB) debug probe, MCU-
Link OB, which is based on another MCU, LPC55S69. The MCXA1xx MCU and the LPC55S69 MCU are also
referred to as "target MCU" and "debug MCU", respectively, in this document.
This document provides details about the FRDM-MCXA153 board interfaces, power supplies, clocks,
connectors, jumpers, push buttons, and LEDs.
1.1 Block diagram
Figure 1 shows the FRDM-MCXA153 board block diagram.
EXTAL
Clock
SWD
UART VCOM
FS USB DP/DM
GPIO RGB LED
Arduino
mikroBUS
mikroBUS device
ROM boot interface
USB DP
USB DM
GND
GND
+5 V
+5 V
CLKOUT
P3T1755DP
8 MHz crystal
FY0800027
XTAL
8
P3T1755 7
6
5
VCC
A0
A1
A2
SDA
SCL
ALERT
GND
1
2
3
4
MHPA2525RGBDT-S
Motor control
USB
Type-C
USB
Type-C
MCU-Link
Pmod
Pmod
I3C sensor
PTS820 J15M SMTR LFS
SW1 (Reset)
SW2 (ISP)
SW3 (Wake-up)
MCXA153VLH
Figure 1. FRDM-MCXA153 block diagram
1.2 Board features
Table 1 lists the features of the FRDM-MCXA153 board.
Board feature Target MCU features
used
Description
MCU NXP MCXA1xx MCU (part number: MCXA153VLH) based on an
Arm Cortex-M33 core, running at speeds of up to 96 MHz.
Note: For details on the MCXA1xx MCU, see MCXA1xx Reference
Manual and MCXA1xx Low-Power MCU sub-family Data Sheet.
Table 1. FRDM-MCXA153 features
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Board feature Target MCU features
used
Description
USB interface USBFS0 module USB Type-C connector J8
LPUART0 module MCU-Link (LPC55S69)LPUART interface
LPUART2 module mikroBUS socket connector J5 or Arduino socket connector J1
LPSPI0 module mikroBUS socket connector J6 or Pmod connector J7 (DNP)LPSPI interface
LPSPI1 module Arduino socket connector J2
LPI2C interface LPI2C0 module mikroBUS socket connector J5, Pmod connector J7 (DNP), and
Arduino socket connector J2
I3C interface I3C0 module Digital temperature sensor (P3T1755DP)
Pmod connector Pmod connector J7 (DNP)
mikroBUS socket Two mikroBUS socket connectors J5 and J6
Arduino socket Four Arduino socket connectors J1, J2, J3, and J4
Debug interface MCU-Link onboard debug probe with a USB Type-C connector J15
for debugging the MCXA1xx MCU
Power supply The following power supply options are available:
•Two USB Type-C connectors, each can receive 5 V external
power
•5-9 V input supply option from Arduino socket connector J3
Clocks 8 MHz clock for target MCU (MCXA1xx) and 16 MHz clock for
debug MCU (LPC55S69)
Orderable part number FRDM-MCXA153
Table 1. FRDM-MCXA153 features...continued
1.3 Kit contents
Table 2 lists the items included in the FRDM-MCXA153 board hardware kit.
Item Quantity
FRDM-MCXA153 board hardware assembly 1
USB 3.0 Type-A to Type-C cable, 1 meter 1
FRDM-MCXA153 Quick Start Guide 1
Table 2. Kit contents
1.4 Board pictures
Figure 2 shows the top-side view of the FRDM-MCXA153 board with MCXA1xx MCU highlighted.
Figure 2. Board top-side view
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FRDM-MCXA153 Board User Manual
Figure 3 shows the bottom-side view of the FRDM-MCXA153 board.
Figure 3. Board bottom-side view
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1.5 Connectors
Figure 4 shows the FRDM-MCXA153 board connectors.
J2 (Arduino) J1
J3 (Arduino) J4
J5
(mikroBUS)
J6
J11 (GND, DNP)
J7
(Pmod,
DNP)
J10 (GND, DNP)
J13 J14
(Power, DNP)
J12 (GND, DNP)
J9 (GND, DNP)
J19
(Clock output,
DNP)
J25
(MCU-Link VCOM,
DNP)
J15
(MCU-Link
USB)
J8
(USB FS)
J18
(Ext. debugger,
DNP)
J22
(5 V regulator,
DNP)
J21
(I3C, DNP)
J20
Figure 4. Connectors
Note: External debugger connector (J18), which is shown populated in Figure 4, is not populated on the
FRDM-MCXA153 boards shipped to customers.
Table 3 describes the connectors available on the FRDM-MCXA153 board.
Part identifier PCB label Connector type Description Reference section
J1 2x8-position receptacle
J2 2x10-position receptacle
J3 2x8-position receptacle
J4 2x6-position receptacle
Arduino socket connectors Section 2.10
J5 1x8-position receptacle
J6
mikroBUS
SOCKET
BOARD 1x8-position receptacle
mikroBUS socket connectors Section 2.9
J7 (DNP) PMOD 2x6-pin/position
connector
Pmod connector Section 2.8
J8 MCU USB USB Type-C connector USB full-speed connector Section 2.3
J9 (DNP) GND 1-pin/position connector
J10 (DNP) GND 1-pin/position connector
J11 (DNP) GND 1-pin/position connector
J12 (DNP) GND 1-pin/position connector
GND test point connectors For more information
on these connectors,
see FRDM-MCXA153
board schematics.
Table 3. FRDM-MCXA153 connectors
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Part identifier PCB label Connector type Description Reference section
J13 (DNP) POWER 1-pin/position connector
J14 (DNP) POWER 1-pin/position connector
Power test point connectors
J15 MCU-Link USB Type-C connector MCU-Link USB connector Section 3.6
J18 (DNP) EXT_
DEBUGGER
2x5-pin/position
connector
Target MCU external debugger
connector
Section 3.2
J19 CLKOUT 1-position receptacle Clock output test point connector Section 2.2
J20 I3C_SDA 1-pin header I3C data test point connector
J21 I3C_SCL 1-pin header I3C clock test point connector
Section 2.7
J22 (DNP) 1x3-pin/position
connector
5 V DC voltage regulator Section 2.1
J25 (DNP) MCU-Link
VCOM
1x3-pin/position
connector
MCU-Link VCOM connector Section 2.4
Table 3. FRDM-MCXA153 connectors...continued
1.6 Jumpers
Figure 5 shows the FRDM-MCXA153 board jumpers.
JP20 JP8 JP1 (DNP) JP2
JP10 JP19 JP3
(DNP)
JP6
(DNP)
Figure 5. Jumpers
Table 4 describes the FRDM-MCXA153 board jumpers.
Part identifier Jumper type Description Reference
section
JP1 (DNP) 1x2-pin header Target MCU (MCXA1xx) analog power enable jumper.
JP1 is not populated on the board. When populated
Section 2.1
Table 4. FRDM-MCXA153 jumpers
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Part identifier Jumper type Description Reference
section
(after removing resistor R66), it can be used to serve the
following two purposes:
•To produce the target MCU analog power supply,
VDDA_MCU.
•To measure the current consumption of analog IPs of
the target MCU. For more details, see Section 2.1.1.
JP2 1x2-pin header Target MCU digital power enable jumper:
•Open: The target MCU digital power supply, VDD_MCU,
is OFF.
•Shorted (default setting): The target MCU digital power
supply, VDD_MCU, is produced.
JP2 can also be used to measure current consumption
of digital IPs of the target MCU. For more details, see
Section 2.1.1.
JP3 (DNP) 1x2-pin header Target MCU total (analog + digital) power enable jumper.
JP3 is not populated on the board. When populated (after
removing resistor R2), it can be used to serve the following
two purposes:
•To produce the target MCU analog + digital power
supply, MCU_VDD_P3V3.
•To measure the total current consumption of the target
MCU. For more details, see Section 2.1.1.
JP6 (DNP) 1x2-pin header Board (except target MCU) power enable jumper. JP6
is not populated on the board. When populated (after
removing resistor R68), it can be used to serve the
following two purposes:
•To produce the board (except target MCU) power
supply, VDD_BOARD.
•To measure the current consumption of the
board (except target MCU). For more details, see
Section 2.1.1.
JP20 1x2-pin header MCU-Link SWD disable jumper:
•Open (default setting): MCU-Link serial wire debug
(SWD) feature is enabled. MCU-Link can be used to
drive SWD of the target MCU.
•Shorted: MCU-Link SWD feature is disabled. This
setting of JP20 can be used when connecting an
external debugger through connector J18 (not
populated) for debugging the target MCU.
Section 3.2
JP8 1x2-pin header MCU-Link (LPC55S69) ISP mode enable jumper:
•Open (default setting): MCU-Link follows the normal
boot sequence (MCU-Link boots from internal flash if
a boot image is found). With the internal flash erased,
the MCU-Link normal boot sequence falls through to In-
System Programming (ISP) boot mode.
•Shorted: MCU-Link is forced to ISP mode (USB1). Use
this setting to reprogram the MCU-Link internal flash
with a new image or use the MCUXpresso IDE with the
CMSIS-DAP protocol.
Section 3.4
Table 4. FRDM-MCXA153 jumpers...continued
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Part identifier Jumper type Description Reference
section
Note: By default, MCU-Link flash is preprogrammed with
a version of CMSIS-DAP firmware.
JP19 1x2-pin header MCU-Link VCOM port disable jumper:
•Open (default setting): MCU-Link virtual communication
(VCOM) port is enabled.
•Shorted: MCU-Link VCOM port is disabled.
Section 3.7
JP10 1x2-pin header MCU-Link SWD clock enable jumper:
•Open: MCU-Link SWD clock is disabled.
•Shorted (default setting): MCU-Link SWD clock is
enabled. MCU-Link drives SWD of the target MCU.
For more
information on
these jumpers,
see FRDM-
MCXA153 board
schematics.
Table 4. FRDM-MCXA153 jumpers...continued
1.7 Push buttons
Figure 6 shows the FRDM-MCXA153 board push buttons.
SW1 (Reset)
SW2 (ISP)
SW3 (Wake-up)
Figure 6. Push buttons
Table 5 describes the FRDM-MCXA153 board push buttons.
Part identifier PCB label Name/function Description
SW1 RESET Reset button Pressing SW1 asserts the MCXA1xx MCU pin P1_29
(RESET_b), which wakes up the target MCU from any
mode. Keep SW1 pressed for a reasonable period of time
to let the MCU perform a JTAG boundary scan.
SW2 ISP ISP button Helps the target MCU boot code to determine if the MCU
should enter into the ISP mode. It connects to the target
MCU pin P3_29.
Table 5. FRDM-MCXA153 push buttons
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Part identifier PCB label Name/function Description
The main purpose of this button is to force the target
MCU into ISP mode at boot time. To do this, hold down
this button while pressing and releasing the reset button,
or while connecting power to the board.
If an application in the target MCU internal flash is
crashing or disabling the SWD port unintentionally, the
ISP mode can be useful to recover control of the board.
SW3 WAKEUP Wake-up button Wakes up the target MCU from Deep Power-Down mode.
It connects to the target MCU pin P1_7.
Table 5. FRDM-MCXA153 push buttons...continued
1.8 LEDs
The FRDM-MCXA153 board provides numerous light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for monitoring system status. The
information collected from the LEDs can be used for debugging purposes.
Figure 7 shows the FRDM-MCXA153 board LEDs.
D5
(MCU-Link USB)
D7
(MCU-Link status
(SWD) / ISP)
D8
(MCU-Link VCOM)
D14
(Reset)
D4 (Power)
D15
(RGB)
Figure 7. LEDs
Table 6 describes the FRDM-MCXA153 board LEDs that correspond to the target MCU. The board also has
some MCU-Link specific LEDs, which are described in Section 3.8.
Part identifier PCB label LED color Description (when LED is ON)
D4 POWER Green LDO_3V3 supply is available.
D14 RESET Red Indicates system reset activity. When board reset is
initiated, for example, by pressing the reset button (SW1),
D14 turns ON.
D15 RGB Red/green/blue User application LED. It can be controlled through a user
application.
Table 6. FRDM-MCXA153 LEDs
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2 Functional description
This section contains the following subsections:
•Section 2.1 "Power supplies"
•Section 2.2 "Clocks"
•Section 2.3 "USB interface"
•Section 2.4 "LPUART interface"
•Section 2.5 "LPSPI interface"
•Section 2.6 "LPI2C interface"
•Section 2.7 "I3C sensor"
•Section 2.8 "Pmod connector"
•Section 2.9 "mikroBUS socket"
•Section 2.10 "Arduino socket"
2.1 Power supplies
The FRDM-MCXA153 board is powered up using the following primary power supplies:
•External 5 V power through USB Type-C connector J8
•External 5 V power through USB Type-C connector J15
•5-9 V power from Arduino socket connector J3, pin 16
The primary power supplies are used to produce secondary power supplies for the board to power up other
board components, including the MCXA1xx MCU, MCU-Link, I3C sensor, push buttons, and LEDs.
Table 7 describes the FRDM-MCXA153 board power supplies.
Power source Manufacturer and part
number
Power
supply
Description
External supply
through USB Type-C
connector J8
P5V_USB_FS
(5 V)
One of the three power source options for SYS_5V0
supply
External supply
through USB Type-C
connector J15
P5V_MCU_
LINK_USB (5
V)
•Second power source option for SYS_5V0 supply
•Provides USB1_VBUS power to the LPC55S69 MCU
(MCU-Link)
Arduino socket
connector J3, pin 16
P5-9V_VIN
(5-9 V)
Supplies power to 5 V DC voltage regulator J22 (not
populated)
Voltage regulator J22
(DNP)
P5V_HDR_IN
(5 V)
Third power source option for SYS_5V0 supply
From P5V_USB_FS /
P5V_MCU_LINK_
USB / P5V_HDR_IN
supply
Note: By default,
the option to produce
SYS_5V0 supply
from P5V_HDR_IN
supply is disabled.
SYS_5V0 (5
V)
Supplies power to:
•LDO voltage regulator U2
•mikroBUS socket connector J5
•Arduino socket connector J3
LDO voltage
regulator U2
Torex Semiconductor
XC6227C331PR-G
LDO_3V3 (3.3
V)
•Produces MCU_VDD_P3V3 supply through either 2.7 Ω
resistor R2 or jumper JP3 (not populated)
Table 7. FRDM-MCXA153 power supplies
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