Thank you to everyone who participated in our Community EFM8 LCK contest! We enjoyed reading your answers to the different application possibilities you could build with the Busy Bee Starter Kit. Submissions were graded on a point basis and the correct answers are shown above.

Summarizing all this, we would like to congratulate the following winners for the EFM8 Busy Bee Contest: 

• Ravi R 
• Wojtek S
• Harri R
• Gordon M
• Philip S
• Alan S
• Eugene N
• Harsh K
• Leijo T
• Miroslaw S

Please join us in congratulating the winners! 

Each of the winners will receive a follow-up email with details on how to receive their prizes. Again, we thank all the participants who took part in the contest. It's great to know there are many cool EFM8 LCK-based projects out there, and we would love to see your final projects shared in the Community or through social media by tagging @siliconlabs. We hope you enjoyed this contest, and wish you a great holiday season! 

The Silicon Labs Team

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Community EFM8 LCK contest! We enjoyed reading your answers to the different application possibilities you could build with the Busy Bee Starter Kit. Submissions were graded on a point basis and the correct answers are shown above.

Summarizing all this, we would like to congratulate the following winners for the EFM8 Busy Bee Contest: 

• Ravi R 
• Wojtek S
• Harri R
• Gordon M
• Philip S
• Alan S
• Eugene N
• Harsh K
• Leijo T
• Miroslaw S

Please join us in congratulating the winners! 

Each of the winners will receive a follow-up email with details on how to receive their prizes. Again, we thank all the participants who took part in the contest. It's great to know there are many cool EFM8 LCK-based projects out there, and we would love to see your final projects shared in the Community or through social media by tagging @siliconlabs. We hope you enjoyed this contest, and wish you a great holiday season! 

The Silicon Labs Team

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Community EFM8 LCK contest! We enjoyed reading your answers to the different application possibilities you could build with the Busy Bee Starter Kit. Submissions were graded on a point basis and the correct answers are shown above.

Summarizing all this, we would like to congratulate the following winners for the EFM8 Busy Bee Contest: 

• Ravi R 
• Wojtek S
• Harri R
• Gordon M
• Philip S
• Alan S
• Eugene N
• Harsh K
• Leijo T
• Miroslaw S

Please join us in congratulating the winners! 

Each of the winners will receive a follow-up email with details on how to receive their prizes. Again, we thank all the participants who took part in the contest. It's great to know there are many cool EFM8 LCK-based projects out there, and we would love to see your final projects shared in the Community or through social media by tagging @siliconlabs. We hope you enjoyed this contest, and wish you a great holiday season! 

The Silicon Labs Team

We invite Silicon Labs Community members to participate in this exciting contest where you can win an EFM8 Busy Bee Starter Kit! The EFM8BB1 Low Cost Kit is an easier to use yet powerful development starting point. With full support in Simplicity Studio, code examples, and a free unlimited Keil license, you can get to prototyping your design quickly. The contest consists of 5 questions related to the EFM8 Busy Bee and 10 winners will receive a kit for free.  

Prize:  

Number of Winners: 10  

Prize: 1 x EFM8BB1LCK 

How to Participate:  

• Contest Period: Oct 18, 2019 - Nov 5, 2019 CDT  

• Answer the 5 questions below and send an email to anna.qi@silabs.com with your answers no later than Nov 5, 2019. You will receive a confirmation that you entered the contest.  

• Winners will be announced on Nov 18, 2019 CDT

  • We highly encourage winners to post a quick demo inside the Silicon Labs Community or personal social media channels on how they are using their new EFM8 Busy Bee Starter Kit!  

Judging:  

If there are more than 10 contestants who answer all the correct answers, we will decide the final 10 winners based on their open-ended question (Q5). Silicon Labs’ staff will evaluate the answers based on relevance and usefulness. The bonus point question is not required but will provide an extra point to your overall score.  

Contest Questions:  

Tip: Use the EFM9BB1LCK Kit Page and User Guide  

Q1 : What key features does the EFM8BB1 have?

1. On-board USB debugger
2. 512 bytes RAM
3. 20-pin expansion header
4. Both 1 and 3
5. All of the above

Q2: The ________________ software packages contains all the tools, drivers, software examples and documentation needed to use the EFM8BB1 Low Cost Kit.

1. VCP Drivers
2. Clockbuilder Pro
3. Simplicity Studio
4. Bluetooth SDK
5. Bluegiga Wi-Fi

Q3: What does the kit hardware layout not contain?

1. MCU Reset Button
2. Hall Effect Sensor
3. Programmable LED
4. Debugger C2 Interface Pins
5. 2.54 mm breakout pads

Q4: What expansion boards are compatible with the Busy Bee kit?

1. WGM110 Wi-Fi Expansion Kit
2. LTE-M Expansion Kit
3. ISOLATED-RS-EK
4. Both 1 and 3
5. All of the above

Q5: Give a specific example of an application that you can build with the Busy Bee and explain why. 

Bonus: We’re excited to hear how you will use your EFM8 Busy Bee Starter Kit! You will earn an extra bonus point if you post your answer to Q5 on Facebook or Twitter. Posts must be public - tag @siliconlabs and use #EFM8BusyBee to enter.   

By entering the contest you acknowledge that you have read and agree to the Community Contest Terms and Conditions. Please review them before entering the contest. 

We invite Silicon Labs Community members to participate in this exciting contest where you can win an EFM8 Busy Bee Starter Kit! The EFM8BB1 Low Cost Kit is an easier to use yet powerful development starting point. With full support in Simplicity Studio, code examples, and a free unlimited Keil license, you can get to prototyping your design quickly. The contest consists of 5 questions related to the EFM8 Busy Bee and 10 winners will receive a kit for free.  

Prize:  

Number of Winners: 10  

Prize: 1 x EFM8BB1LCK 

How to Participate:  

• Contest Period: Oct 18, 2019 - Nov 5, 2019 CDT  

• Answer the 5 questions below and send an email to anna.qi@silabs.com with your answers no later than Nov 5, 2019. You will receive a confirmation that you entered the contest.  

• Winners will be announced on Nov 18, 2019 CDT

  • We highly encourage winners to post a quick demo inside the Silicon Labs Community or personal social media channels on how they are using their new EFM8 Busy Bee Starter Kit!  

Judging:  

If there are more than 10 contestants who answer all the correct answers, we will decide the final 10 winners based on their open-ended question (Q5). Silicon Labs’ staff will evaluate the answers based on relevance and usefulness. The bonus point question is not required but will provide an extra point to your overall score.  

Contest Questions:  

Tip: Use the EFM9BB1LCK Kit Page and User Guide  

Q1 : What key features does the EFM8BB1 have?

1. On-board USB debugger
2. 512 bytes RAM
3. 20-pin expansion header
4. Both 1 and 3
5. All of the above

Q2: The ________________ software packages contains all the tools, drivers, software examples and documentation needed to use the EFM8BB1 Low Cost Kit.

1. VCP Drivers
2. Clockbuilder Pro
3. Simplicity Studio
4. Bluetooth SDK
5. Bluegiga Wi-Fi

Q3: What does the kit hardware layout not contain?

1. MCU Reset Button
2. Hall Effect Sensor
3. Programmable LED
4. Debugger C2 Interface Pins
5. 2.54 mm breakout pads

Q4: What expansion boards are compatible with the Busy Bee kit?

1. WGM110 Wi-Fi Expansion Kit
2. LTE-M Expansion Kit
3. ISOLATED-RS-EK
4. Both 1 and 3
5. All of the above

Q5: Give a specific example of an application that you can build with the Busy Bee and explain why. 

Bonus: We’re excited to hear how you will use your EFM8 Busy Bee Starter Kit! You will earn an extra bonus point if you post your answer to Q5 on Facebook or Twitter. Posts must be public - tag @siliconlabs and use #EFM8BusyBee to enter.   

By entering the contest you acknowledge that you have read and agree to the Community Contest Terms and Conditions. Please review them before entering the contest. 

We invite Silicon Labs Community members to participate in this exciting contest where you can win an EFM8 Busy Bee Starter Kit! The EFM8BB1 Low Cost Kit is an easier to use yet powerful development starting point. With full support in Simplicity Studio, code examples, and a free unlimited Keil license, you can get to prototyping your design quickly. The contest consists of 5 questions related to the EFM8 Busy Bee and 10 winners will receive a kit for free.  

Prize:  

Number of Winners: 10  

Prize: 1 x EFM8BB1LCK 

How to Participate:  

• Contest Period: Oct 18, 2019 - Nov 5, 2019 CDT  

• Answer the 5 questions below and send an email to anna.qi@silabs.com with your answers no later than Nov 5, 2019. You will receive a confirmation that you entered the contest.  

• Winners will be announced on Nov 18, 2019 CDT 

  We highly encourage winners to post a quick demo inside the Silicon Labs Community or personal social media channels on how they are using their new EFM8 Busy Bee Starter Kit!  

Judging:  

If there are more than 10 contestants who answer all the correct answers, we will decide the final 10 winners based on their open-ended question (Q5). Silicon Labs’ staff will evaluate the answers based on relevance and usefulness. The bonus point question is not required but will provide an extra point to your overall score.  

Contest Questions:  

Tip: Use the EFM9BB1LCK Kit Page and User Guide  

Q1 : What key features does the EFM8BB1 have?

1. On-board USB debugger
2. 512 bytes RAM
3. 20-pin expansion header
4. Both 1 and 3
5. All of the above

Q2: The ________________ software packages contains all the tools, drivers, software examples and documentation needed to use the EFM8BB1 Low Cost Kit.

1. VCP Drivers
2. Clockbuilder Pro
3. Simplicity Studio
4. Bluetooth SDK
5. Bluegiga Wi-Fi

Q3: What does the kit hardware layout not contain?

1. MCU Reset Button
2. Hall Effect Sensor
3. Programmable LED
4. Debugger C2 Interface Pins
5. 2.54 mm breakout pads

Q4: What expansion boards are compatible with the Busy Bee kit?

1. WGM110 Wi-Fi Expansion Kit
2. LTE-M Expansion Kit
3. ISOLATED-RS-EK
4. Both 1 and 3
5. All of the above

Q5: Give a specific example of an application that you can build with the Busy Bee and explain why. 

Bonus: We’re excited to hear how you will use your EFM8 Busy Bee Starter Kit! You will earn an extra bonus point if you post your answer to Q5 on Facebook or Twitter. Posts must be public - tag @siliconlabs and use #EFM8BusyBee to enter.   

By entering the contest you acknowledge that you have read and agree to the Community Contest Terms and Conditions. Please review them before entering the contest. 

We invite Silicon Labs Community members to participate in this exciting contest where you can win an EFM8 Busy Bee Starter Kit! The EFM8BB1 Low Cost Kit is an easier to use yet powerful development starting point. With full support in Simplicity Studio, code examples, and a free unlimited Keil license, you can get to prototyping your design quickly. The contest consists of 5 questions related to the EFM8 Busy Bee and 10 winners will receive a kit for free.  

Prize:  

Number of Winners: 10  

Prize: 1 x EFM8BB1LCK 

How to Participate:  

• Contest Period: Oct 18, 2019 - Nov 5, 2019 CDT  

• Answer the 5 questions below and send an email to anna.qi@silabs.com with your answers no later than Nov 5, 2019. You will receive a confirmation that you entered the contest.  

• Winners will be announced on Nov 18, 2019 CDT 

  We highly encourage winners to post a quick demo inside the Silicon Labs Community or personal social media channels on how they are using their new EFM8 Busy Bee Starter Kit!  

Judging:  

If there are more than 10 contestants who answer all the correct answers, we will decide the final 10 winners based on their open-ended question (Q5). Silicon Labs’ staff will evaluate the answers based on relevance and usefulness. The bonus point question is not required but will provide an extra point to your overall score.  

Contest Questions:  

Tip: Use the EFM9BB1LCK Kit Page and User Guide  

Q1 : What key features does the EFM8BB1 have?

1. On-board USB debugger
2. 512 bytes RAM
3. 20-pin expansion header
4. Both 1 and 3
5. All of the above

Q2: The ________________ software packages contains all the tools, drivers, software examples and documentation needed to use the EFM8BB1 Low Cost Kit.

1. VCP Drivers
2. Clockbuilder Pro
3. Simplicity Studio
4. Bluetooth SDK
5. Bluegiga Wi-Fi

Q3: What does the kit hardware layout not contain?

1. MCU Reset Button
2. Hall Effect Sensor
3. Programmable LED
4. Debugger C2 Interface Pins
5. 2.54 mm breakout pads

Q4: What expansion boards are compatible with the Busy Bee kit?

1. WGM110 Wi-Fi Expansion Kit
2. LTE-M Expansion Kit
3. ISOLATED-RS-EK
4. Both 1 and 3
5. All of the above

Q5: Give a specific example of an application that you can build with the Busy Bee and explain why. 

Bonus: We’re excited to hear how you will use your EFM8 Busy Bee Starter Kit! You will earn an extra bonus point if you post your answer to Q5 on Facebook or Twitter. Posts must be public - tag @siliconlabs and use #EFM8BusyBee to enter.   

By entering the contest you acknowledge that you have read and agree to the Community Contest Terms and Conditions. Please review them before entering the contest. 

Automotive manufacturers across the globe are announcing aggressive plans to launch new models of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and full-hybrid electric vehicles (FHEV). As automotive designs move to electrification, high-wattage power electronics become critical components in the drivetrain and battery systems. These high-wattage electronics need to be communicated with and controlled by low-voltage digital controllers requiring electrical isolation of the low-voltage side from the high-power system. In these applications, galvanic isolation is required to allow the digital controllers to safely interface with the high-voltage systems of a modern EV. 

Electric Vehicle System Overview 

EV/HEV battery management systems typically include four major circuit assemblies: 

1. Battery management system (BMS): Battery cells are monitored and managed by the BMS to ensure high efficiency and safety. The BMS controls the charge, state of health, depth of discharge and conditioning of individual battery cells.
2. DC/DC converter: The DC/DC converter connects the high-voltage battery to the internal 12 V DC network, which also provides power to the accessories and bias to the local switching converters.
3. On-board charger (OBC): Energy storage is provided by Lithium-Ion batteries charged by an onboard charger consisting of an AC-to-DC converter with power factor correction and supervised by a battery management system.
4. Traction Inverter: The main inverter drives the electric motor and is also used for regenerative braking and returning unused energy to the battery.

Battery Management System Overview

The BMS manages stored power in a non-board high voltage (HV) battery and delivers power to the rest of the vehicle. The main functions include cell balancing, cell health and wear leveling, charge and discharge monitoring, and safety assurance. These functions require galvanic isolation to separate lower voltage systems from high voltage domain in the following ways: 

• Voltage: Assure safe and useful battery voltage output 
  • Isolated voltage sensor for the full battery stack
• Current: Protect batteries from overload or high charging rates
  • Isolated current sensor monitors discharge and charge current
• Communications: CAN or serial bus for module data
  • Digital isolators enable safe and robust communication

DC-DC Converter Overview

DC-DC converters are used to convert DC voltages from one voltage domain to another for powering various auxiliary systems. Isolation products have numerous uses inside DC-DC converters in the electrical domains of EV or HEV. These functions require galvanic isolation to separate control systems from high-voltage domains in the following areas: 

• Converters: Implemented with silicon FETs, IGBTs, or SiC FETs
  • Isolated gate drivers for the four high/low-side switches
  • Isolated voltage sensor for input and output of the converter
• Communications and Sensing: Data for closed-loop control
  • Isolators for digital CAN or other bus types

On-Board Chargers Overview 

The OBC converts AC power from an external charging source into a DC voltage that is used to charge the battery pack in the vehicle. In addition, the OBC performs other functions including charge rate monitoring and protection. 

In the OBC system, isolated gate drivers are used to chop the input signal into a switched square wave to drive a transformer to create the required output DC voltage. This output voltage can be monitored to provide closed-loop feedback to the system controller using isolated analogy sensors. Furthermore, the entire system can be monitored and controlled via an isolated CAN bus with digital isolators with and without integrated DC/DC power converters.

Traction Inverter Overview: 

Traction inverters are used to convert stored DC high voltage from a battery or DC bus link into multi-phase AC power for driving a traction motor. Isolation products have numerous uses inside traction inverters in the drive train of EV or HEV through the following: 

• Inverter: Solutions available for silicon FETs, IGBTs, or SiC FETs
  • Isolated gate drivers for the six high/low-side switches
• Booster: Optional DC-DC booster to increase HV battery voltage
  • Isolated gate drivers needed for 2 switches
• Generator (Hybrid): Recharges battery when ICE is running
  • Isolated gate drivers for high/low-side switches

Silicon Labs Solutions: 

The race to electrify automotive fleets is accelerating with more vehicles arriving from more manufacturers every year. Semiconductor-based isolation offers significant advantages over legacy optocoupler solutions, which make them an ideal choice in demanding EV applications. 

Silicon Labs offers a broad portfolio with a rich variety of digital isolators, isolated gate drivers, and current sensors. With robust qualification, support, and excellent technical performance, learn more about how you can fit Silicon Labs’ product offerings in your design solutions in this Quick Reference Guide. 

Automotive manufacturers across the globe are announcing aggressive plans to launch new models of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and full-hybrid electric vehicles (FHEV). As automotive designs move to electrification, high-wattage power electronics become critical components in the drivetrain and battery systems. These high-wattage electronics need to be communicated with and controlled by low-voltage digital controllers requiring electrical isolation of the low-voltage side from the high-power system. In these applications, galvanic isolation is required to allow the digital controllers to safely interface with the high-voltage systems of a modern EV. 

Electric Vehicle System Overview 

EV/HEV battery management systems typically include four major circuit assemblies: 

1. Battery management system (BMS): Battery cells are monitored and managed by the BMS to ensure high efficiency and safety. The BMS controls the charge, state of health, depth of discharge and conditioning of individual battery cells.
2. DC/DC converter: The DC/DC converter connects the high-voltage battery to the internal 12 V DC network, which also provides power to the accessories and bias to the local switching converters.
3. On-board charger (OBC): Energy storage is provided by Lithium-Ion batteries charged by an onboard charger consisting of an AC-to-DC converter with power factor correction and supervised by a battery management system.
4. Traction Inverter: The main inverter drives the electric motor and is also used for regenerative braking and returning unused energy to the battery.

Battery Management System Overview

The BMS manages stored power in a non-board high voltage (HV) battery and delivers power to the rest of the vehicle. The main functions include cell balancing, cell health and wear leveling, charge and discharge monitoring, and safety assurance. These functions require galvanic isolation to separate lower voltage systems from high voltage domain in the following ways: 

• Voltage: Assure safe and useful battery voltage output 
  • Isolated voltage sensor for the full battery stack
• Current: Protect batteries from overload or high charging rates
  • Isolated current sensor monitors discharge and charge current
• Communications: CAN or serial bus for module data
  • Digital isolators enable safe and robust communication

DC-DC Converter Overview

DC-DC converters are used to convert DC voltages from one voltage domain to another for powering various auxiliary systems. Isolation products have numerous uses inside DC-DC converters in the electrical domains of EV or HEV. These functions require galvanic isolation to separate control systems from high-voltage domains in the following areas: 

• Converters: Implemented with silicon FETs, IGBTs, or SiC FETs
  • Isolated gate drivers for the four high/low-side switches
  • Isolated voltage sensor for input and output of the converter
• Communications and Sensing: Data for closed-loop control
  • Isolators for digital CAN or other bus types

On-Board Chargers Overview 

The OBC converts AC power from an external charging source into a DC voltage that is used to charge the battery pack in the vehicle. In addition, the OBC performs other functions including charge rate monitoring and protection. 

In the OBC system, isolated gate drivers are used to chop the input signal into a switched square wave to drive a transformer to create the required output DC voltage. This output voltage can be monitored to provide closed-loop feedback to the system controller using isolated analogy sensors. Furthermore, the entire system can be monitored and controlled via an isolated CAN bus with digital isolators with and without integrated DC/DC power converters.

Traction Inverter Overview: 

Traction inverters are used to convert stored DC high voltage from a battery or DC bus link into multi-phase AC power for driving a traction motor. Isolation products have numerous uses inside traction inverters in the drive train of EV or HEV through the following: 

• Inverter: Solutions available for silicon FETs, IGBTs, or SiC FETs
  • Isolated gate drivers for the six high/low-side switches
• Booster: Optional DC-DC booster to increase HV battery voltage
  • Isolated gate drivers needed for 2 switches
• Generator (Hybrid): Recharges battery when ICE is running
  • Isolated gate drivers for high/low-side switches

Silicon Labs Solutions: 

The race to electrify automotive fleets is accelerating with more vehicles arriving from more manufacturers every year. Semiconductor-based isolation offers significant advantages over legacy optocoupler solutions, which make them an ideal choice in demanding EV applications. 

Silicon Labs offers a broad portfolio with a rich variety of digital isolators, isolated gate drivers, and current sensors. With robust qualification, support, and excellent technical performance, learn more about how you can fit Silicon Labs’ product offerings in your design solutions in this Quick Reference Guide. 

We invite Silicon Labs Community members to participate in this exciting contest where you can win an EFM8 Busy Bee Starter Kit! The EFM8BB1 Low Cost Kit is an easier to use yet powerful development starting point. With full support in Simplicity Studio, code examples, and a free unlimited Keil license, you can get to prototyping your design quickly. The contest consists of 5 questions related to the EFM8 Busy Bee and 10 winners will receive a kit for free.  

Prize:  

Number of Winners: 10  

Prize: 1 x EFM8BB1LCK 

How to Participate:  

• Contest Period: Oct 18, 2019 - Nov 5, 2019 CDT  

• Answer the 5 questions below and send an email to anna.qi@silabs.com with your answers no later than Nov 5, 2019. You will receive a confirmation that you entered the contest.  

• Winners will be announced on Nov 18, 2019 CDT 

• We highly encourage winners to post a quick demo inside the Silicon Labs Community or personal social media channels on how they are using their new EFM8 Busy Bee Starter Kit!  

Judging:  

If there are more than 10 contestants who answer all the correct answers, we will decide the final 10 winners based on their open-ended question (Q5). Silicon Labs’ staff will evaluate the answers based on relevance and usefulness. The bonus point question is not required but will provide an extra point to your overall score.  

Contest Questions:  

Tip: Use the EFM9BB1LCK Kit Page and User Guide  

Q1 : What key features does the EFM8BB1 have?

1. On-board USB debugger
2. 512 bytes RAM
3. 20-pin expansion header
4. Both 1 and 3
5. All of the above

Q2: The ________________ software packages contains all the tools, drivers, software examples and documentation needed to use the EFM8BB1 Low Cost Kit.

1. VCP Drivers
2. Clockbuilder Pro
3. Simplicity Studio
4. Bluetooth SDK
5. Bluegiga Wi-Fi

Q3: What does the kit hardware layout not contain?

1. MCU Reset Button
2. Hall Effect Sensor
3. Programmable LED
4. Debugger C2 Interface Pins
5. 2.54 mm breakout pads

Q4: What expansion boards are compatible with the Busy Bee kit?

1. WGM110 Wi-Fi Expansion Kit
2. LTE-M Expansion Kit
3. ISOLATED-RS-EK
4. Both 1 and 3
5. All of the above

Q5: Give a specific example of an application that you can build with the Busy Bee and explain why. 

Bonus: We’re excited to hear how you will use your EFM8 Busy Bee Starter Kit! You will earn an extra bonus point if you post your answer to Q5 on Facebook or Twitter. Posts must be public - tag @siliconlabs and use #EFM8BusyBee to enter.   

By entering the contest you acknowledge that you have read and agree to the Community Contest Terms and Conditions. Please review them before entering the contest.