NXP Semiconductors KW45B41Z-EVK

Overview

KW45B41Z-EVK from NXP Semiconductors is an evaluation kit for the KW45B41Z Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3 + CAN FD wireless MCU, designed to accelerate development of secure automotive and industrial wireless systems. It supports full hardware validation of the 96 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 core, 1 MB flash/128 KB SRAM, EdgeLock™ Secure Enclave, FlexCAN FD, and BLE 5.3 radio with –106 dBm sensitivity at 125 kbps.

For engineers reviewing the KW45B41Z-EVK datasheet, KW45B41Z-EVK pinout, KW45B41Z-EVK application, or KW45B41Z-EVK equivalent, this kit enables rapid prototyping of secure car access, PEPS, WBMS, and industrial automation systems requiring AEC-Q100 Grade 2 qualification, -40°C to +105°C operation, and OTA firmware update capability.

Technical Context

The KW45B41Z-EVK provides complete hardware reference implementation for the KW45B41Z SoC, including on-board 32 MHz RF crystal, 32.768 kHz RTC oscillator, DC/DC regulator, CAN FD transceiver (ISO 11898-1 compliant), and dual LPUARTs with LIN support. It exposes all 48 pins of the HVQFN package and integrates debug interface via OpenSDA circuitry compatible with CMSIS-DAP.

It enables validation of the dual-core architecture: the 96 MHz Cortex-M33 application core with TrustZone-M and the dedicated 64 MHz CM3 radio core running BLE stack; concurrent operation of FlexCAN FD (up to 5 Mbps) and BLE 5.3 (24 simultaneous connections, +10 dBm TX); and secure boot flow leveraging PRINCE encryption, TRNG, and EdgeLock Secure Enclave key management.

Key Specifications

Availability

KW45B41Z-EVK is available at Aetrix Electronics and suitable for automotive secure access, industrial IoT gateway, battery management system, and wireless sensor network development requiring stable component supply and long-term design-in support.

Supply support for KW45B41Z-EVK includes scheduled delivery planning, volume procurement assistance, BOM continuity management, traceable sourcing, and lifecycle availability coordination for OEM customers, industrial embedded developers, connected-device designers, and electronics production programs.

Manufacturer

NXP Semiconductors is a global semiconductor leader specializing in secure connectivity solutions for automotive, industrial, and IoT markets, with deep expertise in wireless MCUs and automotive-grade security IP.

The KW45 product line delivers highly secure, dual-core wireless MCUs integrating BLE 5.3 and CAN FD for automotive PEPS, WBMS, and industrial edge control - built on Arm Cortex-M33 with EdgeLock Secure Enclave and AEC-Q100 qualification.

FAQ

What is the KW45B41Z-EVK used for?

The KW45B41Z-EVK is an evaluation kit designed to validate and develop applications using the KW45B41Z wireless MCU. It enables engineers to evaluate the full feature set of the SoC - including BLE 5.3 radio performance, FlexCAN FD compliance, EdgeLock Secure Enclave operation, and low-power modes - without designing custom hardware. The KW45B41Z-EVK supports out-of-box flashing, debugging, and peripheral interface testing for automotive and industrial use cases.

Does the KW45B41Z-EVK include the KW45B41Z IC?

Yes, the KW45B41Z-EVK board integrates a fully populated KW45B41Z wireless MCU in a 48-pin HVQFN package. This is the same AEC-Q100 Grade 2 qualified device listed in NXP's ordering information (e.g., KW45B41Z83AFTBT), featuring 1 MB flash, 128 KB SRAM, BLE 5.3 radio, and integrated FlexCAN FD controller.

Can the KW45B41Z-EVK support CAN FD development?

Yes, the KW45B41Z-EVK includes a certified ISO 11898-1 compliant CAN FD transceiver and full hardware routing for CAN_H/CAN_L signals, enabling direct validation of CAN FD communication up to 5 Mbps. The on-board KW45B41Z SoC implements the full CAN FD protocol stack in hardware and firmware, allowing real-time testing of mixed CAN FD and BLE 5.3 traffic.

Is the KW45B41Z-EVK suitable for automotive-grade design validation?

Yes - the KW45B41Z-EVK is built around the AEC-Q100 Grade 2 qualified KW45B41Z SoC and supports the full operating temperature range (–40°C to +105°C). Its power architecture, clocking, and I/O conditioning reflect automotive requirements, and it enables validation of secure boot, tamper detection, and OTA update flows required for automotive ECUs like PEPS and WBMS.

What software tools are supported with the KW45B41Z-EVK?

The KW45B41Z-EVK is supported by NXP's MCUXpresso SDK, IDE, and Config Tools, along with the KW45-specific BLE stack (NXP BLE Host Stack v5.3) and CAN FD drivers. It also supports third-party tools including Zephyr RTOS, FreeRTOS, and SEGGER Embedded Studio. All firmware examples and reference designs for KW45B41Z-EVK are available in the official NXP GitHub repository and MCUXpresso SDK.