Overview

To get started with Simplicity Studio® 5 (SSv5):

You do not need hardware to install SSv5 and the relevant software packages or, for 32-bit devices, to explore the project configuration interface for a particular SDK. However, having your target hardware connected during installation ensures that your SSv5 installation is configured precisely for your environment.

You should also have an account set up in the Silicon Labs Customer Support Portal. Access to some software packages is controlled by your customer profile.

See Prerequisites for more information.

New Features

Simplicity Studio® 5 version SV5.0.0.0

The initial release of SSv5 includes the following key features:

Launcher
- Fresh, clean user interface
- Automatic detection of connected development boards
- Context-aware development board and target device developer resources
- SDK download and update manager
- Easy programming of pre-built demo apps
- Simple cloning of software examples
- Quick access to software and hardware documentation with search and filter capabilities
Software creation & management tools
- Support for Gecko SDK Suite 3.0 and later
- Creation of projects for
  - The integrated Simplicity Studio IDE
  - IAR Embedded Workbench
  - Command-line GNU toolchain (GNU makefiles)
- Searchable library of device-relevant software making it easy to add software components to projects
- Configure software components in a GUI or text (C source) editor
  - Configurable peripheral initialization, drivers, middleware, kernels and utilities
- Built-in software configuration error-checking
- Software dependency manager simplifies porting from
  - SDK to SDK
  - Silicon Labs development kits to custom hardware designs
- Graphical configuration tools
  - Pin tool to assign pin and peripheral hardware resources
  - Proprietary radio configurator tool
  - Editor for Bluetooth LE Generic Attribute Profile (GATT)
- Source/Project management and revision control
  - Option to copy or link SDK source
  - No hard-coded paths
  - Clear separation between SDK and customer source code
  - Easy transfer of projects (share/import/export of projects)
  - Source code management and software engineering workflows
Development Tools
- Powerful integrated development environment (IDE)
  - Built on latest Eclipse framework (v4.14 and newer)
  - C/C++ Development Tooling (CDT, v9.10 and newer)
  - Eclipse marketplace to enhance and customize
- Valuable insights with Silicon Labs analysis tools
  - Wireless network traffic capture and analysis
    - Test and analyze the traffic of your wireless devices and networks
    - Data collected directly from devices under test
    - Includes signal strength, LQI (Link Quality Indicator) and filtering information (unique to Silicon Labs)
  - Capture and display energy usage
    - Monitor single device or multiple nodes on a wireless network
    - Code-correlated energy data – identify where your embedded application is consuming energy and design power-optimized applications
    - Advanced trigger and search functions locate power events
  - Energy monitoring and profiling tools

Known Issues

Simplicity Studio® 5 version SV5.0.0.0

ID	Issue	Workaround
495086	If you have the Component Editor open and you change the Gecko SDK Suite to a version that does not contain that component, when you return to the component editor it will not work properly because the component no longer exists.	Close the component editor.
498387	If a debug session is started using a WSTK and then the Device Console tool is launched, the console tool works correctly. However if the debug session is ended, then the Device Console cannot be made functional again without restarting SSv5.	None
499669, 499661	The EmberZNet SDK's dynamic multiprotocol (DMP) sample applications rely on the Micrium OS and Bluetooth SDKs also being installed. If those SDKs are not installed, the DMP sample applications are still presented as options. Attempting to create a DMP sample application may fail, or may appear to complete but subsequently fail to generate because of unresolved dependencies on those SDKs. Subsequently installing those SDKs may not resolve the issues in that existing DMP sample application project.	Install the Micrium OS and BLE SDKs before creating an EmberZNet DMP sample application project.
501464	Pintool is showing errors for pin selections in modules you are not currently configuring, even if, by selecting a different module, you were expecting any pin assignments previously made to no longer matter.	Find the 'Selected Module' that has the pin conflict and set the field to 'None' to remove the conflict.
519744	When the Energy Profiler is used, the target part debug module TMS/SWDIO pin is set low by the Jlink shared library. Therefore, an extra 80 uA of current runs through the TMS/SWDIO pullup.	None
520104	The project shows indexer (semantic) errors.	Try unchecking the following in Preferences > C/C++ > Indexer: 1) Index source files not included in the build; 2) index unused headers; and 3) Allow heuristic resolution of includes. Click Apply and Close.
522243	Building a project when a Proprietary Radio Configuration or a Bluetooth GATT Configuration contains unsaved changes causes a race condition, which leads to a case where the build picks up the old configuration.	Save the configuration before building the project or build the project again.
522660	If you change the part using the Overview tab's Change Target/SDK function, the part definition in the created <project>.pintool file does not change.	1. Exit SSv5. 2. Delete the <project>.pintool file from the project directory. 3. Start SSv5. On the Overview tab, click Force Generation in the Project Details card.
525212	If a project has a space in the name, the Project Configurator Overview tab is empty and no components are listed in the Software Components tab.	Use project names without spaces.

For Simplicity Studio 4 Users

If you are transitioning from Simplicity Studio 4 (SSv4) to SSv5, you will see many improvements. Some familiar tasks have changed:

GCC is the default compiler. If you use IAR, be sure to change toolchains on the first Project Creation dialog.
If you are transitioning to Project Configurator (Bluetooth and Proprietary Flex):
- Project changes are autosaved in the Project Configurator and Component Editor.
- Project files are autogenerated in the background, so there is no GENERATE control in the Simplicity IDE. Generation progress is shown in the lower right of the perspective.

See Migrate from SSv4 for additional information about migrating projects developed with different tools and protocols.