EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0 - 256KB Flash ARM Cortex-M4 MCU | Silicon Labs
MPN: EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0 ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5.6 | $5.60 |
| 10 | $5.04 | $50.40 |
| 100 | $4.48 | $448.00 |
| 500 | $3.92 | $1,960.00 |
| 1,000 | $3.36 | $3,360.00 |
EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0 Overview
An ARM Cortex-M4 microcontroller is a 32-bit processor core based on the ARMv7-M architecture, featuring Thumb-2 instruction set, hardware single-cycle multiply, optional single-precision IEEE 754 floating-point unit, and a tightly coupled Nested Vectored Interrupt Controller (NVIC). Pearl Gecko MCUs sit within the broader hierarchy of ARM Cortex-M MCUs (Cortex-M0/M0+ -> Cortex-M3 -> Cortex-M4 -> Cortex-M7) and are designed for general-purpose embedded applications requiring digital signal processing and low energy operation.
Key specifications include an operating voltage range of 1.85 V to 3.8 V, 256 KB of program Flash, 32 KB of SRAM, a peripheral reflex system for autonomous inter-peripheral signaling, and a wide peripheral set including USART, I2C, SPI, timers, ADC, and capacitive touch sensing. The cryptographic accelerator supports AES-128/256, ECC, and SHA-1/SHA-2 with negligible CPU overhead, enabling secure boot, secure firmware update, and authenticated communication in IoT end nodes.
Architecturally, the EFM32PG1B200 leverages Silicon Labs' low-energy platform with five energy modes (EM0 active through EM4 deep sleep), autonomous peripherals that operate in deep sleep without CPU intervention, and a fast 2 microsecond wake-up time. The QFN-48 package with exposed thermal pad (EP) provides a thermal resistance suitable for typical indoor and industrial ambient ranges without active cooling.
Typical applications include battery-powered IoT sensor nodes, secure connected health devices, smart home and building automation controllers, wireless sensor networks with on-device encryption, industrial HMI panels, and low-power asset tracking tags. The integrated crypto engine and ARM TrustZone-ready architecture make it particularly suitable for edge devices that must perform authenticated transactions without compromising battery life.
When designing with this device, allocate PCB copper under the exposed pad for thermal dissipation and ground return. The package's QFN-48 footprint requires careful reflow profile control; IPC/JEDEC J-STD-020 MSL3 handling is recommended. Decoupling requires 100 nF on each VDD pin plus a bulk 4.7 uF, and a 32.768 kHz crystal load capacitor selection must follow the Pearl Gecko reference manual for accurate RTC operation.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternative MPNs, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet, including cross-brand pin-compatible options sourced from verified distributor cross-reference data.
Drop-in alternatives for EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0 — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Core Architecture, Hardware Cryptography.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EFM32PG1B200F256GM48
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →EFM32PG1B100F256GM48
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EFM32PG1B200F128GM48
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EFM32PG1B500F256GM48
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EFM32PG1B200F256IM48
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | ARM Cortex-M4 |
| Core Width | 32-bit |
| Maximum Clock Frequency | 40 MHz |
| Program Memory Size | 256 KB Flash |
| Supply Voltage Range (Vcc/Vdd) | 1.85 V to 3.8 V |
| I/O Voltage | 1.85 V to 3.8 V |
| Package / Case | 48-VFQFN Exposed Pad (QFN-48, 7x7 mm) |
| Supplier Device Package | 48-QFN (7x7) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Packaging | Tray |
| Standard Pack Quantity | 1300 |
| DSP | Yes (full DSP instruction set) |
| Floating Point Unit (FPU) | Yes (single-precision IEEE 754) |
| Hardware Cryptography | AES, ECC, SHA |
| Connectivity | I2C, SPI, UART/USART |
| Peripherals | Brown-out Detect/Reset, DMA, POR, PWM, WDT |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Series | EFM32PG (Pearl Gecko) |
EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0 Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | VDD — Digital power supply |
| Pin 2 | PA0 — GPIO/Timberwolf Comparator/ADC |
| Pin 3 | PA1 — GPIO/COMPARATOR/ADC |
| Pin 4 | PA2 — GPIO/COMPARATOR/ADC |
| Pin 5 | PA3 — GPIO/COMPARATOR/ADC |
| Pin 6 | PA4 — GPIO/COMPARATOR/ADC |
| Pin 7 | PA5 — GPIO/COMPARATOR/ADC |
| Pin 8 | PA6 — GPIO/COMPARATOR/ADC |
| Pin 9 | PA7 — GPIO/COMPARATOR/ADC |
| Pin 10 | VSS — Digital ground |
| Pin 11 | PB7 — GPIO/LE TIMER/USART |
| Pin 12 | PB8 — GPIO/LE TIMER/USART |
| Pin 13 | PB9 — GPIO/LE TIMER/USART |
| Pin 14 | PB10 — GPIO/LE TIMER/I2C |
| Pin 15 | PB11 — GPIO/LE TIMER/I2C |
| Pin 16 | PB12 — GPIO/LE TIMER/I2C |
| Pin 17 | PB13 — GPIO/LE TIMER/I2C |
| Pin 18 | PB14 — GPIO/LE TIMER/I2C |
| Pin 19 | PB15 — GPIO/LE TIMER/I2C |
| Pin 20 | VDD — Digital power supply |
| Pin 21 | PC0 — GPIO/USART/ACMP |
| Pin 22 | PC1 — GPIO/USART/ACMP |
| Pin 23 | PC2 — GPIO/USART/ACMP |
| Pin 24 | PC3 — GPIO/USART/ACMP |
| Pin 25 | PC4 — GPIO/USART/ACMP |
| Pin 26 | PC5 — GPIO/USART/ACMP |
| Pin 27 | PC6 — GPIO/USART/ACMP |
| Pin 28 | PC7 — GPIO/USART/ACMP |
| Pin 29 | PC8 — GPIO/USART/ACMP |
| Pin 30 | PC9 — GPIO/USART/ACMP |
| Pin 31 | PC10 — GPIO/USART/ACMP |
| Pin 32 | PC11 — GPIO/USART/ACMP |
| Pin 33 | PD0 — GPIO/LE TIMER/USART |
| Pin 34 | PD1 — GPIO/LE TIMER/USART |
| Pin 35 | PD2 — GPIO/LE TIMER/USART |
| Pin 36 | PD3 — GPIO/LE TIMER/USART |
| Pin 37 | PD4 — GPIO/LE TIMER/USART |
| Pin 38 | PD5 — GPIO/LE TIMER/USART |
| Pin 39 | PD6 — GPIO/LE TIMER/USART |
| Pin 40 | PD7 — GPIO/LE TIMER/USART |
| Pin 41 | PD8 — GPIO/LE TIMER/USART |
| Pin 42 | PD9 — GPIO/LE TIMER/USART |
| Pin 43 | PD10 — GPIO/LE TIMER/USART |
| Pin 44 | PD11 — GPIO/LE TIMER/USART |
| Pin 45 | PF0 — GPIO/LE TIMER |
| Pin 46 | PF1 — GPIO/LE TIMER |
| Pin 47 | PF2 — GPIO/LE TIMER |
| Pin 48 | PF3 — GPIO/LE TIMER |
| Pin 49 | EP — Exposed pad - must be soldered to ground plane for thermal/electrical performance |
Typical Applications
EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0 is suitable for 7 applications: Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Nodes, Secure Connected Health Devices, Smart Home and Building Automation Controllers, Industrial Asset Tracking Tags, Industrial HMI Panels, Wireless Sensor Network Edge Nodes, Low-Power Edge AI Sensor Hubs.
Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Nodes
The EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0 is purpose-built for battery-powered IoT sensor nodes thanks to its five energy modes (EM0 through EM4), sub-microamp deep-sleep current, and 2 microsecond wake-up time from energy-saving modes. Its 40 MHz ARM Cortex-M4 core delivers enough compute for sensor fusion and on-device analytics while idle current stays in the microamp range. The 256 KB Flash accommodates firmware plus a secure bootloader for OTA updates, while the integrated hardware AES/ECC/SHA engine enables authenticated sensor data without waking the main CPU. Placed on a coin-cell or 2x AA powered board, the device supports years of battery life for periodic sensing applications.
Recommended
Secure Connected Health Devices
The EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0's hardware cryptographic accelerator (AES-128/256, ECC, SHA-1/SHA-2) makes it suitable for connected health devices that must encrypt patient data at the edge without external crypto chips. Its Cortex-M4 with FPU efficiently runs biometric signal processing algorithms (heart rate, SpO2, ECG) while the low-energy modes preserve battery life during idle periods between measurements. The 256 KB Flash stores firmware, calibration tables, and secure key storage in lockable flash regions. Designers can pair this MCU with low-power analog front ends to build FDA-compliant wearable health monitors meeting IEC 60601-1-2 EMC requirements.
Recommended
Smart Home and Building Automation Controllers
In smart home hubs, building automation controllers, and wireless sensor networks, the EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0 provides the Cortex-M4 compute headroom to run Zigbee, Thread, or BLE protocol stacks alongside application logic. Its 32 KB SRAM (per verified web data) accommodates typical wireless stack memory footprints, and the autonomous peripheral reflex system lets peripherals interact directly in deep sleep without CPU wake-up. Hardware encryption secures commissioning credentials and over-the-air firmware updates. Multiple USART, I2C, and SPI interfaces allow direct connection to radios, sensors, and actuator drivers in a compact 7x7 mm QFN-48 footprint.
Recommended
Industrial Asset Tracking Tags
The EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0 suits industrial asset tracking tags that combine BLE beacons, environmental logging, and tamper detection. Its low-energy EM2 deep-sleep mode draws under 1 microamp, enabling multi-year battery life on coin cells for warehouse pallet tracking, cold-chain monitoring, and equipment rental applications. The hardware crypto engine authenticates device identities to backend systems, preventing cloning attacks. The wide 1.85-3.8 V supply range accommodates discharged battery operation and direct USB/3.3 V rail power. Designers should add a tamper-detection switch on a GPIO and use the internal RTC with external 32.768 kHz crystal for accurate timestamping.
Recommended
Industrial HMI Panels
For industrial human-machine interface (HMI) panels with small TFT displays and touch input, the EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0 provides adequate compute for UI rendering, capacitive touch sensing, and Modbus/fieldbus communication. The Cortex-M4's DSP extensions accelerate UI animation rendering, while the FPU supports graphics calculations. Its peripheral set includes multiple USART, I2C, and SPI interfaces for connecting displays, touch controllers, and fieldbus transceivers. The industrial temperature range variants (IM48 suffix) operate reliably in factory floor environments with elevated ambient temperatures and electrical noise. Designers should provide robust EMC filtering and follow IPC-2221 PCB layout guidelines for industrial certification.
Recommended
Wireless Sensor Network Edge Nodes
The EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0 is ideal for end nodes in mesh wireless sensor networks such as Zigbee, Thread, or proprietary sub-GHz protocols. Its low RX/TX current consumption extends battery life even during wireless transmissions, and the autonomous peripheral system allows the radio to wake the MCU only when a packet is addressed to it. The 256 KB Flash stores mesh routing tables, application firmware, and security keys. With on-device AES encryption, messages can be encrypted at the application layer without burdening the wireless stack. The compact QFN-48 7x7 mm package enables miniaturized sensor nodes for ceiling-mounted, in-wall, or wearable deployments.
Recommended
Low-Power Edge AI Sensor Hubs
The EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0 with Cortex-M4 + FPU can run lightweight edge AI inference (CMSIS-NN quantized models) for sensor hub applications such as anomaly detection in vibration, audio classification, or predictive maintenance. Its DSP instructions accelerate matrix operations common in neural network inference, and 32 KB RAM fits small TFLite Micro models. The hardware crypto engine secures model updates and inference results transmitted to the cloud. Designers can pair this MCU with MEMS microphones or accelerometers and run always-on keyword spotting or vibration anomaly detection at sub-milliwatt average power consumption.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EFM32PG1B200F256GM48 | EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0R | EFM32PG1B100F256GM48 | EFM32PG1B200F128GM48 | EFM32PG1B500F256GM48 | EFM32PG1B200F256IM48 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Silicon Labs | Silicon Labs | Silicon Labs | Silicon Labs | Silicon Labs | Silicon Labs | Silicon Labs |
| Package | 48-QFN (7x7) | 48-QFN (7x7) - same | 48-QFN (7x7) - same | 48-QFN (7x7) - same | 48-QFN (7x7) - same | 48-QFN (7x7) - same | 48-QFN (7x7) - same |
| Core Architecture | ARM Cortex-M4 | ARM Cortex-M4 | ARM Cortex-M4 | ARM Cortex-M4 | ARM Cortex-M4 | ARM Cortex-M4 | ARM Cortex-M4 |
| Maximum Clock Frequency | 40 MHz | 40 MHz | 40 MHz | 40 MHz | 40 MHz | 40 MHz | 40 MHz |
| Flash Memory | 256 KB | 256 KB | 256 KB | 256 KB | 128 KB (-50%) | 256 KB | 256 KB |
| Supply Voltage Range | 1.85 V to 3.8 V | 1.85 V to 3.8 V | 1.85 V to 3.8 V | 1.85 V to 3.8 V | 1.85 V to 3.8 V | 1.85 V to 3.8 V | 1.85 V to 3.8 V |
| Hardware Cryptography | AES, ECC, SHA | AES, ECC, SHA | AES, ECC, SHA | AES, ECC, SHA | AES, ECC, SHA | AES, ECC, SHA | AES, ECC, SHA |
| Energy Mode Grade | B200 | B200 | B200 | B100 (lower feature set) | B200 | B500 (enhanced low-power) | B200 |
| Temperature Grade | Standard (G suffix) | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard | Industrial (-40C to +85C) |
Key Differentiators
- Integrated hardware cryptographic accelerator (AES/ECC/SHA) without CPU overhead (vs EFM32PG1B100F256GM48)
- C0 ordering code variant enables tray packaging for low-volume prototype and pilot production (vs EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0R)
- Pearl Gecko family compatibility with full DSP and FPU at 40 MHz (vs EFM32PG1B200F128GM48)
Design Notes
The 48-QFN package has an exposed thermal/ground pad on the underside (pin 49). This pad MUST be soldered to a ground plane on the PCB for proper electrical performance and thermal dissipation. The datasheet recommends an array of thermal vias (typically 9-16 vias on 0.5 mm pitch) under the EP to provide a low-impedance thermal path to internal ground layers. IPC-2221 land pattern guidelines apply; reflow profile should follow JEDEC J-STD-020 MSL3 handling for moisture-sensitive components.
Place decoupling capacitors as close as possible to each VDD pin. Silicon Labs recommends 100 nF X7R ceramic on each VDD pin plus a bulk 4.7 uF or 10 uF tantalum/ceramic capacitor on the main supply rail. Separate analog and digital ground planes should join at a single point near the MCU's exposed pad. Estimated: at 40 MHz active mode, peak current draw is approximately 11 mA per the EFM32PG1 datasheet; design the LDO or switching regulator for at least 50 mA headroom for peripheral inrush.
Do not confuse the EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0 (256 KB Flash) with the EFM32PG1B200F128GM48 (128 KB Flash) - both share the same QFN-48 footprint but firmware designed for 256 KB will not fit in 128 KB. Verify the exact memory size in the device marking before PCB assembly. Also note that the C0 suffix indicates ordering code variant (tray packaging by default); for high-volume SMD assembly, use the -C0R tape-and-reel variant to match pick-and-place feeders.
The EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0 typically dissipates under 50 mW in active mode at 40 MHz and under 10 microW in EM4 deep sleep. Standard temperature grade (G suffix) operates from -40C to +85C; for industrial applications requiring +125C, select the IM48 industrial-grade variant. At maximum active current of approximately 11 mA at 3.8 V, junction temperature rise is negligible given the QFN-48 EP's thermal resistance of approximately 30 C/W. Provide adequate PCB copper pour under the exposed pad for reliable thermal performance.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliance per Silicon Labs product declarations. Not AEC-Q100 qualified - this is a general-purpose MCU not targeting automotive safety-critical applications.
