* *Reviewer:* @ngu25
* *Full Review and Getting Started Guide:* https://www.devheads.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DA16200MOD-DEVKT-P_DevHeads_Review.pdf

The DA16200MOD-DEVKT-P is an ultra-low-power Wi-Fi module development kit based on the DA16200MOD and DA16200 Wi-Fi system-on-chip (SoC). It’s part of the Dialog Semiconductor (now part of Renesas) VirtualZero portfolio of ultra-low power Wi-Fi SoCs and modules. Its key features include:

● 1 year-plus battery life for most applications
● Strong IoT security, including WPA3 and TLS for authentication and encryption
● A full offload device with complete Wi-Fi and TCP/IP networking stack
● End-application code can run on-chip with no external MCU required
● Multiple sleep modes are supported for different applications
● Processes analog or digital sensor information on-chip
● 37 pin module package. Size(mm): 13.8 x 22.1 x 3.3

The DA16200MOD-DEVKT-P kit comes in two parts. The main board is a PCIe x4 card format and a DA16200 SB Power Meter board designed for quick evaluation of the onboard Wi-Fi SoC as a single-chip solution. The Power Meter board encompasses current waveform measurement features using the Wi-Fi IoT Power Profiler tool.

The DA16200MOD comes in two variants: The DA16200MOD-AAC4WA32 with a chip antenna and the DA16200MOD-AAE4WA32 with a u.FL connector for external antennas. The modules are certified by the Wi-Fi alliance for IEEE802.11b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, and Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) functionality.

The DA16200 SoC is the world’s first Wi-Fi SoC to deliver more than a year of battery life for always-connected Wi-Fi IoT devices.

# Highlights
## 1. Dynamic Power Management (DPM)
Dynamic Power Management achieves low power consumption during sustained connection to an access point (AP) or peer. If a device is not sending data to peers or communicating with external devices, the device can remain in a low-power state. DPM shuts down all elements on the chip when not in use, which allows near-zero power consumption when not actively transmitting or receiving data. DPM also enables ultra-low power transmit/receive modes to exchange data with other devices when the SoC is awake.

DPM provides two different sub modes: DPM fully functional mode (FFM) allows a device to communicate over the network and with external devices, and DPM low-power mode (LPM) enables a device to receive data from an AP only.

## 2. Wi-Fi IoT Power Profiler Tool
The Wi-Fi IoT Power Profiler tool uses DA16200 SB Power Meter board to perform measurements and connect to PC software via USB communication. Users need to configure jumpers on the DA16200 main board so as to route the current to pass through the measurement board connected via the PCIe interface. Through high-level reverse engineering I found that the configuration likely uses a very accurate analog front-end involving the THS4521 differential amplifier to measure voltage drop across a sense resistor and feed it to the ADS1217 24-bit ADC. The ADC then resolves the voltage measurements and transfers data serially to the Power Profiler PC tool.

##3. Sleep Modes
The DA16200 provides three low-power operation modes:
● **Sleep Mode 1** is an operation mode with all internal blocks OFF and only the leakage current from a minimal number of internal blocks connected to VBAT remaining. The RTC_PWR_KEY is in the LOW state and the DA16200 is only supplied with VBAT power.
● **Sleep Mode 2** sets the RTC_PWR_KEY to high and while the RTC block runs. It is activated by setting RTC registers to control the power management unit via a command from the CPU. To turn Sleep Mode 2 back to Sleep Mode 1, set RTC_PWR_KEY to low.
● **Sleep Mode 3** is the same as Sleep Mode 2 but also retains memory during sleep. This allows the software to maintain information such as network connection state while asleep.

# Next: [Unboxing & Getting Started](https://www.devheads.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DA16200MOD-DEVKT-P_DevHeads_Review.pdf)