Adapter Firmware Nomenclature#

Simplicity Link Adapter#

The Simplicity Link Adapter, or just adapter, is the system described in this document. It is composed of a dedicated microcontroller and related circuitry that runs proprietary Simplicity Link Adapter firmware. The adapter provides several interfaces between the host PC and the target device connected to the kit. See services for a list of services provided by the adapter.

Kit#

The term kit describes a system consisting of one or more Silicon Labs boards, one of which contains a Simplicity Link Adapter. Typical examples include a Wireless Pro Kit Mainboard with an attached Radio Board and a Pro Kit board with an embedded target MCU.

Admin Console#

The Admin Console is a command-line interface for the adapter. See Admin Console for a list of available commands.

Versioning#

The Simplicity Link Adapter firmware follows this versioning scheme: MajorVersion_MinorVersion_PatchVersion_BuildNumber (for example: 1v6p1b373). The build number is intended solely for traceability, any functional changes will result in a change to the major, minor, or patch version number.

Firmware Packages#

The Simplicity Link Adapter firmware includes packages for a variety of kits. These firmware packages share a common set of features, but differences exist based on hardware capabilities of each kit. Firmware versioning is generally consistent across packages. However a release may include fixes that are only relevant for specific kits; in such cases, only those firmware packages are updated in the following release.

Currently supported adapter firmware packages are named A through F. Each letter corresponds to a specific type of kit.

Firmware Package Name

Kit Type

Abbreviation

Icon

A

Starter Kit (Legacy)

STK

N/A

B

Wireless Starter Kit

WSTK

wstk-tablewstk-table

C

Thunderboards (Legacy)

TB

N/A

D

Explorer Kit / Developer Kit

EK/DK

ek-dk-tableek-dk-table

E

Wireless Pro Kit

WPK

wpk-tablewpk-table

F

Pro Kit

PK

pk-tablepk-table

The legacy firmware packages are no longer updated, and this documentation might not be applicable to those packages. For the remainder of this documentation, sections will be marked with icons representing the firmware package to which the information applies. If the information applies to all firmware packages, it will be marked with all-tableall-table.

Abbreviation List#

Abbreviation

Meaning

AEM

Advanced Energy Monitor

VCOM

Virtual COM Port

VUART

Virtual UART

CoS

Configuration over SWO

PTI

Packet Trace Interface

DCH

Data Channel