Oki announced the availability of a development kit for its IEEE802.15.4 based ML7065 2.4GHz ZigBee compatible radio. The kit contains the Oki ML7065 radio and Oki's ARM7TMDI-based 4060 Series Advantage Microcontroller. At a suggested resale price of $499, Oki's ZigBee Developers Kit (ZDK) is a 'complete-in-one-box' ARM-based ZigBee evaluation solution. The key hardware element of the ZDK is the ZigBee Network Evaluation/Demo (zNED) board, which features Oki's ML7065 radio and ML67Q4061 ARM7 MCU. Also included in the kit is an Integration Associates USB radio dongle that combined with zNED enables developers to show a working wireless demo, with any missing elements of the ZigBee network emulated by a Windows based PC.

The ZDK can be configured as a coordinator, router or end device with the provided demonstration software. After initial experiments are complete, a more thorough evaluation is possible using the provided evaluation software which includes the evaluation run time libraries of the Oki ZigBee Stack for ARM and Segger embOS real time operating system as well as an evaluation copy of IAR development tools which is also included in the kit. A second USB dongle is also included, so that simultaneous monitoring of the network activity via an evaluation copy of the Daintree Networks Sensor Network Analyzer can be done while the PC continues to emulate missing elements of the ZigBee network. Additional zNED boards may be purchased separately. When evaluation and proof of concept work is completed, any or all of the demo version software products can be upgraded to full use versions without the need to modify application code developed during the evaluation phase.

ZNED provides three user definable momentary switches, three user definable display LEDs, an RS-232 port and has an option for connecting a two line by sixteen character LCD display. Realizing that some functions of the developers system may require custom hardware a 16-pin expansion port with power, I2C, A/D and GPIO has been provided to interface with developer built peripheral boards. To support application program development zNED has incorporated a full JTAG interface to the MCU. zNED also includes three options for powering the board; AC mains power (via a user provided power supply), battery power, or power from USB via the JLINK JTAG host interface adapter provided in the kit. zNED makes use of a modular design concept to enhance flexibility and future proof the system, by partitioning the radio functionality to a pluggable radio board. This modular radio concept will allow for various radio boards, enabling evaluation of various antenna choices and radio power transmission options without the need to purchase multiple zNED boards. It also allows for the radio board to be re-used with customers' proof of concept or prototype systems removing the complexity of RF design from the product and allowing for a known good radio board to be used during the proof of concept and prototyping phases of product design. Additionally future radio boards from Oki may be used with the zNED board. zNED was also design to consider long life battery operation modes. To facilitate long life all sensors can be powered down by the MCU, the MCU has an internal real time clock for system wake up.

The ZDK is available for a suggested manufactures retail price of $499. Additional zNED boards are available as an expansion kit for a suggested manufacturers retail price of $75, allowing customers to purchase as few or as many nodes as required to build and evaluate networks that meet the needs of their applications. Oki's ZDK is available for pre-orders now through Nu Horizons for $499.