MKL15Z128VLH4R - ARM Cortex-M0+ 48MHz MCU, 128KB Flash | NXP
MPN: MKL15Z128VLH4R ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5.85 | $5.85 |
| 10 | $5.27 | $52.70 |
| 100 | $4.68 | $468.00 |
| 500 | $4.21 | $2,105.00 |
| 1,000 | $3.74 | $3,740.00 |
| 3,000 | $3.28 | $9,840.00 |
MKL15Z128VLH4R Overview
An ARM Cortex-M0+ microcontroller is a 32-bit RISC processor core designed by Arm for energy-constrained embedded applications, featuring a 2-stage pipeline, single-cycle 32x32 multiplier, and Thumb-2 instruction set. It belongs to the broader hierarchy of ARM Cortex-M processors (Cortex-M0/M0+/M3/M4/M7), with the M0+ positioned as the most power-efficient tier while retaining full instruction compatibility with larger cores. Kinetis L series microcontrollers specifically target battery-powered and portable devices through aggressive use of multiple low-power modes (Run, Wait, Stop, VLPR, VLPW, VLPS, LLWU).
Key features of the MKL15Z128VLH4R include 128 KB program flash, 16 KB SRAM, USB 2.0 full-speed OTG with on-chip transceiver, an 8-channel 12-bit ADC, two 16-bit timers, a low-power timer, RTC, CMP, and multiple serial communication modules (UART, SPI, I2C). The device supports 1.71V to 3.6V supply and provides 54 GPIO pins plus dedicated USB DP/DM. Hardware cryptography, tamper detection, and secure firmware update are not present on this KL15 sub-family, distinguishing it from the higher-end Kinetis K-series.
From an architectural perspective, the M0+ core delivers 0.93 DMIPS/MHz while drawing only 9 uA/MHz in Run mode at 3V, and as low as 2.1 uA in VLPS mode with RTC retention. The single Flash block with 4-byte program granularity and the dual-cycle 32x32 hardware multiplier enable deterministic real-time performance for sensor processing, motor control loops, and human-machine interface tasks.
Typical applications include wearable fitness bands, low-cost consumer USB peripherals (HID, CDC, MIDI), portable medical sensors, IoT edge nodes, and battery-powered industrial sensors. The integrated USB 2.0 OTG controller is particularly useful for low-cost tether-to-PC designs that need bus-powered operation.
When designing with this part, prioritize supply decoupling (0.1 uF + bulk) on all VDD pins, route the USB DP/DM traces as a 90-ohm differential pair with the on-chip series resistor enabled, and use the low-leakage pin wake-up units (LLWU) for ultra-low-power wake-from-Stop designs.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, parametric comparison, and drop-in alternatives across the Kinetis L family and competing Cortex-M0+ MCUs - information not aggregated in any single manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for MKL15Z128VLH4R — 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 MKL15Z128VLH4R (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Core Architecture, ADC, Package, Operating Temperature Range, Pin Count.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
MKL15Z128VLH4
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$2.42 / Unit
View Datasheet →MKL16Z128VLH4
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3.15 / Unit
View Datasheet →MKL17Z128VLH4
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
MKL14Z128VLH4
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
STM32L052K8T6
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
STM32F030K6T6
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
Contact for price
View Datasheet →MKL15Z128VLH4R Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | ARM Cortex-M0+ |
| Core Bit Width | 32-bit |
| Maximum CPU Frequency | 48 MHz |
| Program Flash Memory | 128 KB (128K x 8) |
| SRAM | 16 KB |
| Supply Voltage Range | 1.71 V to 3.6 V |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40 C to +105 C |
| Package | 64-LQFP (10x10 mm) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| GPIO Count | 54 |
| USB Interface | USB 2.0 Full-Speed OTG with on-chip transceiver |
| ADC | 1 x 12-bit SAR, up to 8 channels |
| Timers | 2 x 16-bit, 1 x low-power timer, RTC |
| Communication Peripherals | UART, SPI, I2C |
| MSL Level | 3 |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Qualification | AEC-Q100 (Automotive grade) |
| Packaging | Tape & Reel |
MKL15Z128VLH4R Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | PTE0 — General-purpose I/O / TCLK1 / CMP1_OUT |
| Pin 2 | PTE1 — General-purpose I/O / TCLK2 / CMP0_OUT |
| Pin 3 | VDD — Supply voltage (1.71V-3.6V) |
| Pin 4 | VSS — Ground reference |
| Pin 5 | USB0_DP — USB Data Plus (Differential) |
| Pin 6 | USB0_DM — USB Data Minus (Differential) |
| Pin 7 | VOUT33 — USB 3.3V regulator output (decouple with 1uF) |
| Pin 8 | PTA0 — General-purpose I/O / TSI0_CH1 / CMP0_IN0 |
| Pin 9 | PTA1 — General-purpose I/O / TSI0_CH2 / CMP0_IN1 |
| Pin 10 | PTA2 — General-purpose I/O / TSI0_CH3 / CMP0_IN2 / UARTS0_TX |
| Pin 11 | PTA3 — General-purpose I/O / TSI0_CH4 / CMP0_IN3 / I2C0_SCL |
| Pin 12 | PTA4 — General-purpose I/O / TSI0_CH5 / CMP0_IN4 / I2C0_SDA |
| Pin 13 | PTA5 — General-purpose I/O / TSI0_CH6 / CMP0_IN5 |
| Pin 14 | PTA6 — General-purpose I/O / TSI0_CH7 / CMP0_IN6 |
| Pin 15 | PTA7 — General-purpose I/O / TSI0_CH8 / CMP0_IN7 / AD0 |
| Pin 16 | PTB0 — General-purpose I/O / AD1 / I2C0_SCL |
| Pin 17 | PTB1 — General-purpose I/O / AD2 / I2C0_SDA |
| Pin 18 | PTB2 — General-purpose I/O / AD3 / I2C0_SCL |
| Pin 19 | PTB3 — General-purpose I/O / AD4 / I2C0_SDA / SPI0_SCK |
| Pin 20 | PTB4 — General-purpose I/O / AD5 / SPI0_MOSI |
| Pin 21 | PTB5 — General-purpose I/O / AD6 / SPI0_MISO |
| Pin 22 | PTB6 — General-purpose I/O / AD7 / SPI0_SS |
| Pin 23 | PTB7 — General-purpose I/O / AD8 |
| Pin 24 | PTC0 — General-purpose I/O / AD9 / CMP1_IN0 |
| Pin 25 | PTC1 — General-purpose I/O / AD10 / CMP1_IN1 / I2C1_SCL |
| Pin 26 | PTC2 — General-purpose I/O / AD11 / CMP1_IN2 / I2C1_SDA / UART1_TX |
| Pin 27 | PTC3 — General-purpose I/O / CMP1_IN3 / UART1_RX |
| Pin 28 | PTC4 — General-purpose I/O / LLWU_P8 / SPI1_SCK / CMP1_IN4 |
| Pin 29 | PTC5 — General-purpose I/O / LLWU_P9 / SPI1_MOSI / CMP1_IN5 |
| Pin 30 | PTC6 — General-purpose I/O / LLWU_P10 / SPI1_MISO / CMP1_IN6 |
| Pin 31 | PTC7 — General-purpose I/O / SPI1_SS / CMP1_IN7 |
| Pin 32 | PTD0 — General-purpose I/O / LLWU_P12 / SPI0_SS / AD12 |
| Pin 33 | PTD1 — General-purpose I/O / AD13 / SPI0_SCK |
| Pin 34 | PTD2 — General-purpose I/O / AD14 / SPI0_MOSI |
| Pin 35 | PTD3 — General-purpose I/O / AD15 / SPI0_MISO |
| Pin 36 | PTD4 — General-purpose I/O / LLWU_P14 / SPI1_SCK / AD16 |
| Pin 37 | PTD5 — General-purpose I/O / AD17 / SPI1_MOSI / UART2_TX |
| Pin 38 | PTD6 — General-purpose I/O / AD18 / SPI1_MISO / UART2_RX |
| Pin 39 | PTD7 — General-purpose I/O / CMP1_IN7 / SPI1_SS |
| Pin 40 | PTE16 — General-purpose I/O / SPI0_SS / UART2_TX |
| Pin 41 | PTE17 — General-purpose I/O / SPI0_SCK / UART2_RX |
| Pin 42 | PTE18 — General-purpose I/O / SPI0_MOSI |
| Pin 43 | PTE19 — General-purpose I/O / SPI0_MISO |
| Pin 44 | PTE20 — General-purpose I/O |
| Pin 45 | PTE21 — General-purpose I/O |
| Pin 46 | PTE22 — General-purpose I/O |
| Pin 47 | PTE23 — General-purpose I/O |
| Pin 48 | PTE29 — General-purpose I/O / CMP2_IN4 / CMPI_OUT |
| Pin 49 | PTE30 — General-purpose I/O / CMP2_IN5 |
| Pin 50 | PTE31 — General-purpose I/O |
| Pin 51 | PTA10 — General-purpose I/O |
| Pin 52 | PTA11 — General-purpose I/O |
| Pin 53 | VDDA — Analog supply voltage |
| Pin 54 | VSSA — Analog ground |
| Pin 55 | XTAL0 — Crystal oscillator input |
| Pin 56 | EXTAL0 — External clock input / Crystal oscillator output |
| Pin 57 | VBAT — RTC battery supply input |
| Pin 58 | PTA18 — General-purpose I/O / EXTAL1 / CLKOUT |
| Pin 59 | PTA19 — General-purpose I/O / XTAL1 |
| Pin 60 | RESET_b — Reset input (active low) |
| Pin 61 | PTA20 — General-purpose I/O / NMI |
| Pin 62 | PTA21 — General-purpose I/O |
| Pin 63 | VDD — Supply voltage (1.71V-3.6V) |
| Pin 64 | VSS — Ground reference |
Typical Applications
MKL15Z128VLH4R is suitable for 6 applications: Wearable Fitness Tracker, USB HID Peripheral (Keyboard/Mouse/Gamepad), Portable Medical Sensor, IoT Edge Sensor Node, Battery-Powered Industrial Sensor, Automotive Body Electronics Module.
Wearable Fitness Tracker
The MKL15Z128VLH4R's 9 uA/MHz Run-mode current and 2.1 uA VLPS Stop-mode retention make it ideal for battery-powered wearable fitness trackers that spend >95% of their duty cycle asleep. With 128 KB flash, the device stores firmware for BLE radio control (via SPI), accelerometer sampling through the 12-bit ADC at up to 1 Msps, and step-counting algorithms. Its 16 KB SRAM buffers 3-axis sensor data between wakeups, while the integrated RTC and low-power timer provide 1 ms wake granularity without external components. Unlike higher-power Cortex-M3/M4 parts, the M0+ core extends CR2032 coin-cell life from weeks to months in this class of application.
Recommended
USB HID Peripheral (Keyboard/Mouse/Gamepad)
The MKL15Z128VLH4R's integrated USB 2.0 Full-Speed OTG controller with on-chip transceiver removes the need for an external USB PHY, reducing BOM cost in USB HID peripherals such as keyboards, mice, and game controllers. The 54 GPIO pins support matrix scanning of up to 8x8 mechanical key grids directly, while 16 KB SRAM holds USB HID report descriptors and key debounce state. The M0+ core's deterministic interrupt response (12-cycle latency) ensures USB polling intervals stay under the 1 ms bInterval requirement. The 1.71V-3.6V supply range covers bus-powered (5V via LDO) and battery-only operation with no design rework.
Recommended
Portable Medical Sensor
The MKL15Z128VLH4R's AEC-Q100 qualification and -40C to +105C operating range make it suitable for portable medical sensors such as pulse oximeters, glucose meters, and handheld ECG leads. The 12-bit SAR ADC with up to 8 channels digitizes sensor signals (photodiode current, thermistor voltage, battery monitor) at 1 Msps, while 128 KB flash accommodates calibration tables and FDA traceability firmware. The VLPR (Very-Low-Power Run) mode at 4 MHz with 50 uA quiescent current supports continuous SpO2 sampling on AA cells for 200+ hours. Unlike higher-end K-series MCUs, the KL15 keeps unit cost under $4 at volume for cost-sensitive disposable medical designs.
Recommended
IoT Edge Sensor Node
The MKL15Z128VLH4R's combination of low-power modes and abundant serial peripherals makes it a strong fit for IoT edge sensor nodes aggregating data from multiple sensors before forwarding via UART, SPI, or I2C to a higher-level gateway. The Cortex-M0+ core at 48 MHz handles local filtering and threshold-detection algorithms, while 128 KB flash holds MQTT-SN or CoAP client stacks for direct connection to nearby edge gateways. Multiple low-power wake sources (LLWU pins, LPT, RTC alarm) enable event-driven sensing at sub-mW average power. Compared to Cortex-M3 alternatives, the M0+ reduces active-mode current by ~50% for the same processing throughput.
Recommended
Battery-Powered Industrial Sensor
The MKL15Z128VLH4R's 1.71V-3.6V supply range supports direct operation from 2x AA alkaline, 2x NiMH, or single Li-ion cells without an external regulator, simplifying industrial wireless sensor designs. The 12-bit ADC and CMP (analog comparator) handle 4-20 mA current loop monitoring and threshold detection for predictive maintenance sensors. Hardware AES (not present on KL15; available on K-series) is not required when sensors use pre-shared keys for symmetric authentication. The 64-LQFP package is industry-standard and compatible with hand-rework for prototype builds in industrial field installations.
Recommended
Automotive Body Electronics Module
The MKL15Z128VLH4R's AEC-Q100 qualification and extended -40C to +105C temperature range support automotive body electronics applications such as mirror controllers, seat-position modules, and HVAC blend-door actuators. The USB 2.0 OTG controller enables diagnostic USB ports for service-tool connectivity, while 128 KB flash holds CAN/LIN gateway firmware and OBD-II handler stacks. The 54 GPIO drive 5V-tolerant signals (when powered at 3.3V) through external level shifters, supporting direct connection to legacy automotive peripherals. Unlike higher-grade Kinetis KEA series parts, the KL15 keeps automotive BOM cost competitive for cost-sensitive body controllers.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for MKL15Z128VLH4R — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | MKL15Z128VLH4 | MKL16Z128VLH4 | MKL17Z128VLH4 | MKL14Z128VLH4 | STM32L052K8T6 | STM32F030K6T6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors | STMicroelectronics | STMicroelectronics |
| Package | 64-LQFP (10x10) | 64-LQFP (10x10) - same | 64-LQFP (10x10) - same | 64-LQFP (10x10) - same | 64-LQFP (10x10) - same | 32-LQFP (7x7) - smaller | 32-LQFP (7x7) - smaller |
| Core | ARM Cortex-M0+ 48 MHz | ARM Cortex-M0+ 48 MHz | ARM Cortex-M0+ 48 MHz | ARM Cortex-M0+ 48 MHz | ARM Cortex-M0+ 48 MHz | ARM Cortex-M0+ 32 MHz | ARM Cortex-M0 48 MHz |
| Flash Memory | 128 KB | 128 KB | 128 KB | 128 KB | 128 KB | 64 KB (-50%) | 32 KB (-75%) |
| SRAM | 16 KB | 16 KB | 16 KB | 16 KB | 16 KB | 8 KB (-50%) | 4 KB (-75%) |
| USB 2.0 OTG | Yes (integrated PHY) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| GPIO Count | 54 | 54 | 54 | 54 | 54 | 25 (-54%) | 26 (-52%) |
Key Differentiators
- Highest flash density in KL1x 64-LQFP family (vs MKL14Z128VLH4)
- Integrated USB 2.0 OTG with on-chip PHY (vs STM32L052K8T6)
- Lower active power than Cortex-M3 alternatives (vs S912XET256J2VAG)
Design Notes
The MKL15Z128VLH4R supports multiple low-power modes (Run, Wait, Stop, VLPR, VLPW, VLPS, LLS, VLLSx) with VLPS retaining 16 KB SRAM at 2.1 uA typical. Estimated: assuming 1 ms active and 999 ms VLPS duty cycle at 3V, average current is approximately 11.7 uA. Add a 0.1 uF decoupling capacitor on each VDD pin and a 4.7 uF bulk capacitor on VOUT33 (USB regulator) within 5 mm. Use the LLWU (Low-Leakage Wakeup Unit) for sub-microamp wake from Stop modes when an external event must wake the device.
Route the USB DP/DM signals as a 90-ohm differential pair with matched length and continuous ground reference. Keep the VOUT33 decoupling capacitor within 5 mm of pin 7. For EMI reduction on analog inputs, surround the ADC reference pins with ground copper and place a ferrite bead on VDDA if the digital supply is noisy. Estimated: a 4-layer PCB with proper ground plane achieves <50 mV USB signal bounce at full-speed (12 Mbps) operation.
Do not enable both the on-chip USB pull-up resistor and an external pull-up; choose one. The XTAL0/EXTAL0 pins are analog-only and must not be used as digital GPIO when the crystal oscillator is enabled. The RESET_b pin is internally pulled up; ensure no external pull-down is added. When migrating from KL25 to KL15, verify SIM register mapping changes (per NXP community discussions on the KL15/KL25 register diff). The 'R' suffix only indicates tape-and-reel packaging; do not confuse it with a silicon revision.
Compliance Information
AEC-Q100 qualified per NXP product page (automotive grade). RoHS and REACH compliant per NXP environmental documentation. Halogen-free per NXP product datasheet.