This application note introduces the power domains, power modes, highlight configurations, wake up, and low power and wake-up optimization of MCXA345/346. It provides different low power and wake-up configurations through demo for user reference.
- MCUXpresso IDE V25.6 or later
- SDK_25_06_00_FRDM-MCXA346
- MCUXpresso for Visual Studio Code: This example supports MCUXpresso for Visual Studio Code, for more information about how to use Visual Studio Code please refer here.
- FRDM-MCXA346 board
- USB Type-C cable
- Personal Computer
If you want to measure power consumption, rework the FRDM-MCXA346 to remove R52 and R26 and prepare MCU-Link Pro or Multimeter.
If you want to measure wake-up time, rework the FRDM-MCXA346 to remove C39 and prepare an oscilloscope or logic analyzer.
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Open MCUXpresso IDE, in the Quick Start Panel, choose Import from Application Code Hub.
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Enter the demo name in the search bar.
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Click Copy GitHub link, MCUXpresso IDE will automatically retrieve project attributes, then click Next>.
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Select main branch and then click Next>, Select the MCUXpresso project, click Finish button to complete import.
You need to install the SDK_25_06_00_FRDM-MCXA346 on your MCUXpresso IDE.
- Click Build to start compiling the project.
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Use a Type-C USB cable to connect J15 of FRDM-MCXA346 and the USB port of the PC.
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Select the GUI Flash Tool from the toolbar to program the executable to the board.
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Open a serial terminal with 115200 baud rate.
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Follow the prompts and enter one from A to E to enter different low power mode.
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Different low power modes will provide different configurations, and you need to select the corresponding configuration according to the prompts. The following screenshot shows the configurations provided in Deep Power Down mode.
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The following screenshot shows the entire configuration process, and press SW2 on FRDM-MCXA346 to wake up the MCU. Please only press the wakeup button when prompt message appears, otherwise it will result in failure to wake up!
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Use an multimeter to measure the current at JP1 of the FRDM-MCXA346 board.
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Use MCU-Link Pro and MCUXpresso IDE to measure power consumption:
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Configure the MCU-Link Pro current measurement range from 350mA to 50mA by changing the 3 jumpers J16/J17/J18 to short pins 2-3.
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Connect MCU-Link Pro board to FRDM-MCXA346 board.
MCU-Link Pro FRDM-MCXA346 J9-1 (Current in) JP1-1 (IDD_MCU in) J9-3 (Current out) JP1-2 (IDD_MCU out) J9-2 (GND) J3-14 (GND)
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Follow the below steps to measure current with MCUXpresso IDE.
- Get the wake-up time by measuring the delay between the falling edges of J6-2 (P1_7) and J6-1 (P1_6) using logic analyzer or oscilloscope.
The following power consumption and wake-up time are provided as a reference.
Different samples, temperature, and measuring instruments affect test results.
Before measuring each data, POR is recommended.
This demo is not configured exactly the same as the data sheet, so the test data may be slightly different.
Refer to “Power mode transition operating behaviors” table in MCXA346 data sheet that lists wake-up time, and “Power consumption operating behaviors” section in MCXA346 data sheet that describes different power consumption data.
| Power mode | Description | Tested power consumption | Power consumption in data sheet | Tested wake-up time | Wake-up time in data sheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep | VDD_CORE=1.2V CPU_CLK=180MHz |
8.36mA | 8.08mA | 0.13µs | N/A |
| Sleep | VDD_CORE=1.2V CPU_CLK=90MHz |
4.60mA | N/A | 0.24µs | N/A |
| Sleep | VDD_CORE=1.0V CPU_CLK=45MHz |
2.23mA | 2.16mA | 0.44µs | 0.42µs |
| Sleep | VDD_CORE=1.0V CPU_CLK=12MHz |
0.583mA | 0.579mA | 1.66µs | N/A |
| Deep Sleep | VDD_CORE=1.2V CPU_CLK=180MHz FRO12M disabled |
555.2µA | 542.27µA | 7.18µs | N/A |
| Deep Sleep | VDD_CORE=1.2V CPU_CLK=90MHz FRO12M disabled |
555.0µA | N/A | 7.74µs | N/A |
| Deep Sleep | VDD_CORE=1.0V CPU_CLK=45MHz FRO12M disabled |
92.43µA | 96.02µA | 8.89µs | 9.01µs |
| Deep Sleep | VDD_CORE=1.0V CPU_CLK=45MHz FRO12M enabled |
160.86µA | 155.29µA | 8.89µs | N/A |
| Deep Sleep | VDD_CORE=1.0V CPU_CLK=12MHz FRO12M disabled |
92.34µA | N/A | 17.23µs | N/A |
| Power Down | VDD_CORE=1.2V CPU_CLK=180MHz All RAM retained |
553.5µA | N/A | 8.14µs | N/A |
| Power Down | VDD_CORE=1.2V CPU_CLK=90MHz All RAM retained |
553.3µA | N/A | 8.69µs | N/A |
| Power Down | VDD_CORE=retention voltage CPU_CLK=45MHz All RAM retained |
32.62µA | 31.95µA | 18.45µs | 18.84µs |
| Power Down | VDD_CORE=retention voltage CPU_CLK=45MHz RAM X0/X1/B0/B1/A0 retained |
30.49µA | N/A | 18.45µs | N/A |
| Power Down | VDD_CORE=retention voltage CPU_CLK=12MHz All RAM retained |
32.59µA | N/A | 26.70µs | N/A |
| Deep Power Down | VDD_CORE=1.0V CPU_CLK=45MHz All RAM OFF Wake timer enabled FRO16K enabled |
0.68µA | 0.646µA | 1.57ms | 1.57ms |
| Deep Power Down | VDD_CORE=1.0V CPU_CLK=45MHz All RAM retained Wake timer enabled FRO16K enabled |
3.84µA | 3.4µA | 1.57ms | N/A |
| Deep Power Down | VDD_CORE=1.0V CPU_CLK=45MHz RAM X0/X1/B0/B1 and A0-A4 retained Wake timer enabled FRO16K enabled |
2.57µA | 2.29µA | 1.57ms | N/A |
| Deep Power Down | VDD_CORE=1.0V CPU_CLK=45MHz RAM X0/X1/B0/B1/A0 retained Wake timer enabled FRO16K enabled |
1.84µA | 1.66µA | 1.57ms | N/A |
| Deep Power Down | VDD_CORE=1.0V CPU_CLK=45MHz RAM A0 retained Wake timer enabled FRO16K enabled |
0.89µA | 0.849µA | 1.57ms | N/A |
| Deep Power Down | VDD_CORE=1.0V CPU_CLK=45MHz RAM X0/X1/B0/B1 retained Wake timer enabled FRO16K enabled |
1.73µA | 1.55µA | 1.57ms | N/A |
- No FAQs have been identified for this project.
- For additional information and support, visit NXP's official website.
Questions regarding the content/correctness of this example can be entered as Issues within this GitHub repository.
Warning: For more general technical questions regarding NXP Microcontrollers and the difference in expected functionality, enter your questions on the NXP Community Forum
| Version | Description / Update | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Initial release on Application Code Hub | September 9th 2025 |