MCX N Knowledge Hub

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MCX N series of highly integrated Arm Cortex-M33 microcontrollers are designed for high performance and low power consumption. MCX N includes intelligent peripherals and on-chip accelerators providing multitasking capabilities and performance efficiency.

Select MCX N families include NXP's eIQ® Neutron neural processing unit (NPU) for machine learning applications. The low-power cache enhances system performance, while the dual-bank flash and full ECC RAM support system safety and offer an extra layer of protection and advanced security. These secure MCUs include our EdgeLock® Secure Enclave, Core Profile offering a secure-by-design approach, secure boot with an immutable root-of-trust and hardware-accelerated cryptography.

Documents:

• MCX N Series 
• MCX N Fact Sheet
• MCX N Series Hardware Design Guide
• MCX Nx4x TSI QSG
• UG10101 MCX Nx4x Power Management User Guide
• Migration Guide Froom LPC55xx to MCX Nx4x

MCX N Series Products:

• MCX N94/N54/N53/N52/N24:  The MCX N94, N54, N53, N52 and N24 include up to two are based on dual high-performance Arm® Cortex®-M33 cores running up to 150 MHz, with 2 MB of Flash with optional full ECC RAM, a DSP co-processor and an integrated eIQ Neutron NPU. The NPU delivers up to 42x faster machine learning throughput compared to a CPU core alone enabling it to spend less time awake and reducing overall power consumption.

  The multicore design delivers improved system performance and reduces consumption by enabling smart, efficient distribution of workloads to the analog and digital peripherals.

  •  Documents:
    • Data Sheet MCX N947/946/547/546/536/527/526/247
    • MCXN_1P02G Errata
    • MCXNx4x_0P02G Errata
    • Reference Manual 
    • Secure Reference Manual 
    • AFCI 8HC Demo QSG
    • Omdia Market Radar: AI Processors for the Edge 2024
    • MCX N94x MCUs: Bringing more intelligence to the Edge
•  MCX N23: The MCX N23x is based on a high-performance Arm® Cortex®-M33 running up to 150 MHz, with 1 MB of Flash, 352 kB ECC RAM and SmartDMA. The MCX N23x is optimized for cost, memory and system performance and offers a single core option with efficient distribution of workloads to the analog and digital peripherals.

  The EdgeLock Secure Enclave on the MCX N23x is a self-contained, on-die hardware security subsystem that has its own dedicated security core, internal ROM, secure RAM and it supports state-of-the-art side-channel attack-resilient symmetric and asymmetric crypto accelerators and hashing functions for security services.

  • Documents:
    • MCX N23x Data Sheet
    • MCXN23x_0P21K Errata
    • Reference Manual
    • Security Reference Manual
    • MCX N23 HLQFP100 Hardware Design Guide

Boards:

• FRDM-MCXN947: FRDM-MCXN947 are compact and scalable development boards for rapid prototyping of MCX N94 and N54 MCUs. They offer industry standard headers for easy access to the MCU’s I/Os, integrated open-standard serial interfaces, external flash memory and an on-board MCU-Link debugger.
  
  
  • Documents:
    • FRDM-MCXN947 QSG
    • MCUXpresso SDK Field-Oriented Control of 3-Phase PMSM and BLDC Motors -FRDM-MCXN947
    • FRDM-MCXN947 Getting Started
    • FRDM-MCXN947 Board User Manual 

• FRDM-MCXN236FRDM-MCXN236 is a compact and scalable development board for rapid prototyping of MCX N23x MCU. It offers industry-standard headers for easy access to the MCU's I/Os, integrated open-standard serial interfaces, external flash memory and an onboard MCU-Link debugger

  • Documents:
    • FRDM-MCXN236 Development Board QSG
    • Getting Started with FRDM-MCXN236
    • FRDM-MCXN236 Board User Manual 
• MCX-N9XX-EVK is a full featured evaluation kit for prototyping of MCX N94 / N54 MCUs. They offer industry standard headers for access to the MCU’s I/Os, integrated open-standard serial interfaces and an on-board MCU-Link debugger with power measurement capability.
  • Documents:
    • Getting Started with MCX-N9XX-EVK
    • MCX-N9XX-EVK Board User Manual

MCX N to FRDM Board Mapping:

Supported MCU(s)	Recommended Board	Best fit for	Key Differentiators
MCX N94 / N54 / N53 / N52 / N24	FRDM-MCXN947	Rapid prototyping across the MCX N portfolio	Arduino-compatible headers, MCU-Link debugger, Ethernet PHY, CAN-FD, camera and LCD expansion support.
MCX N94x / N54x	MCX-N9XX-EVK	Full-featured evaluation, performance benchmarking, advanced prototyping	Energy monitoring, external memory support, Ethernet, CAN, PMIC, M.2 expansion, MCU-Link debugger.
MCXN236	FRDM-MCXN236	Ultra-low-power IoT devices, battery-powered sensors, edge nodes	Arm Cortex-M33 MCU, low-power architecture, integrated analog peripherals, optimized for connected sensing applications.

Applications Notes:

Software, hardware and Peripherals

• AN15071 Implementation of Optical module CMIS protocol over I3C on the MCX N94: This application note introduces how to implement the CMIS protocol demo on an MCX N947 microcontroller using the I3C interface.
• AN15072 Implementation of an I3C Secondary Bootloader on MCX N947: The I3C interface is widely used in many scenarios, such as data center, PCs, and optical modules. As a result, I3C-based secondary bootloader for firmware updates have become a common requirement.
• AN14407 DICE Attestation for MCX N Series Devices: This application note explains and provides a demo on how to implement DICE on MCX N series devices. In this implementation, DICE uses the UDS of the device, its hardware state, firmware, and RTF to create a unique identity that gets registered on an offline database system. This offline database system is later used to verify the genuineness of the device.
• AN14320 Ease ISA/IEC 62443-4-2 Compliance with MCX N Series: This document is addressed to OEMs interested in understanding how the MCX N can be used to facilitate the implementation of ISA/IEC 62443-4-2 requirements.
• AN14166 MCX N Over-The-Air (OTA) Update by Using SB3 file: This document describes a method to secure OTA via SB3 files. For demonstration purposes, this documentation uses the EVK and onboard Ethernet.
• AN15087 Implementing Three I2C Target Interfaces Using SmartDMA on the MNC N947: This demo implements three virtual I2C target ports on MCX N947 using SmartDMA-assisted GPIO-style signaling, without dedicating three hardware LPI2C target peripherals
• AN14900 Using eDMA and Ping-Pong Buffer ti deserialize Multi-Channel ADC Result FIFO:  This application note describes how to use eDMA to tackle the Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) result First-In First-Out (FIFO) and deserialize each channel data in FIFO to respective buffer for each channel. It is useful for high-speed and multi-channel ADC result process by reducing CPU loading and improving data processing speed.
• AN14807 Accelerate FFT Computation with PowerQuad: In high-performance signal processing applications, the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) plays a critical role. To enhance efficiency, the LPC55 Series and MCX N Series microcontrollers integrate a hardware accelerator called PowerQuad. This application note presents an approach to accelerate FFT computation using PowerQuad while addressing its limitation of a maximum FFT length of 512 points
• AN14175 Using FlexIO to emulate Quad SPI controller: Quad SPI serves as a common interface for flash memory, Wi-Fi modules, and LCD displays. However, some microcontrollers do not support the Quad SPI interface. In such cases, FlexIO offers a versatile alternative.
• AN14712 Advanced PowerQuad Operation Guide: This application note provides some information, code snippets, and tips to help users accelerate their calculations with MAU. The MCX N Series microcontrollers feature a powerful and efficient coprocessor called PowerQuad. It operates in parallel with the CPUs to offload intensive mathematical computations and enhance overall performance.
• AN14650 SmartDMA Cookbook: This application note primarily introduces the internal architecture, main functions, and features of EZH or SmartDMA, and finally lists the usage and meanings of the main instructions
• AN14520 General MCU PWM DAC Application: This application note introduces how to set the low-cost Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) using the PWM output. The main application is household electrical and industry appliances, which need a low cost and accurate DAC without a high-bandwidth requirement. 
• AN14567 How to implement USB microphone on MCX Series MCUs: This documentation describes how to implement a USB microphone on MCX Series MCUs. The data source could be an external digital microphone or generated data. A USB Audio Class 1.0 (UAC 1.0) and USB Audio Class 2.0 (UAC 2.0) microphone is used in this document.
• AN14553 Building a GPS Speedometer using GUI Guider and FREM-MCXN947: This application note provides examples to build a GPS-based speedometer with FRDM-MCXN947, LVGL, GUI Guider tool, and a GPS module. The document describes how to deploy LVGL on the MCX Nx4x platform with GUI Guider and SDK.
• AN14470 How to Use FlexIO State Mode to Generate Center-Aligned PWM: This application note describes how to use the FlexIO state mode to generate a center-aligned PWM waveform on the MCXN series MCUs.
• AN14259 SDK Example to Write CMPA and CFPA with monotonic Counter dor MCXN947: This document provides an example of changing the Customer Field Programmable Area (CFPA) bit field using the ROM APIs. 
• AN14532 Migration from Kinetis K Series to MCXNx4x Series: This application note is about migrating Kinetis K series to MCXN94x/N54x series and lists the differences between both the series.
• AN14543 Connect Barcide Scanner with MCX N Series USB Host port: This application note describes how to build a USB host port connected with a USB barcode scanner using the FRDM-MCXN947 board for demonstration. NXP’s MCX N series devices feature a high-speed (HS) USB port capable of reaching transmission speeds up to 480 Mbit/s and compatible with Full-speed mode.
• AN14509 How to Use SmartMDA to Implement MDIO Slave Interface on MCX MCU:  This application note describes the use of SmartDMA to implement the MDIO slave interface on MCX series MCUs.
• AN14479 OTA Recovery Boot Image Stored in 1-bit SPI Flash: This application note describes the step-by-step process to load a recovery image to the external 1-bit SPI flash memory using a secure firmware update. In addition, the steps demonstrate how to trigger a recovery boot from the application using the ROM APIs.
• AN14300 MCX Nx4x Unleashing the Power of eDMA Controller: his application note provides a working knowledge by covering the following topics: introduction and overview of eDMA controllers, features of the MCX Nx4x eDMA module, interaction between the eDMA and DMA multiplexer (DMAMUX), and configuration advice for applications.
• AN14423 On-Device Training for Fan Anomaly Detection Using FRDM-MCXN947: This document describes how to prepare the software environment and set up the hardware for fan anomaly detection using FRDM-MCXN947. This demo uses an accelerator sensor on the fan to monitor in real-time whether the fan is operating normally.
• AN14145 Flash Memory Swap feature on MCX N Series: This application note describes how to use the flash remap feature of MCX series.
• AN14305 Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Field Oriented Control Using MCX Microcontrollers: This application note describes the implementation of Field Oriented Control (FOC) application for a 3-phase Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) on NXP MCX MCUs, including the N and A series.
• AN14184 Using SmartDMA for Keyscan on MCX N Series MCU: This application note mainly introduces the Keyscan solution for MCX N series MCU. It includes the introduction of the Keyscan solution, its features and API routines, and a demo.
• AN14191 How to use SmartDMA to implement Camera Interface in MCXN MCU: This application note describes the parallel interface for the camera solution in MCXN947 and MCXN236. It includes the introduction of camera interface, features, API routines, and demo. 
• AN14172 Using SmartDMA for Graphic on MCX N Series MCU: This application note introduces the application of SmartDMA on the graphic.
• AN14196 Flex Pulse Width Modulator (FlexPWM) usage on MCXN MCU: This document introduces several operation modes, including the corresponding implementation, to provide reference for different applications. 
• AN14253 USB to CAN-FD Adapter based on MCXN Microcontroller: This application note provides two demo examples to build a USB to CAN-FD adapter where the USB retransmits data to the CAN-bus and vice versa. It uses MCX_N9XX_EVK and MCX_N9XX_FDRM boards for the demo. 
• AN14284 Timing Parameter tuning for FlexIO Emulated Interface: This application note describes how to use additional timers to tune the setup time in SPI master.
• AN14254 Use QDC/ENC/Quad Timer Peripherals to Calculare the Angle and Speed of the Quadrature Encoder: This application note provides an angle measurement method and an enhanced M/T speed measurement method that can take into account both high and low speeds.
• AN14167 Internal Reference Clock (IRC) Trim Feature on MCX N Series: This application describe how to use auto-trim feature on MCX N series.
• AN14241 How to integrate Customer ML Model to NPU on MCX N94x: This document describes how to integrate the customer ML model to NPU on the FRDMMCXN947 board.
• AN14195 USB Remote Wake-up on MCXN947: MCXN947 contains two USB 2.0 interfaces. USB0 is a full-speed interface. It comprises an On The-Go (OTG) dual-role subsystem with OTG protocol support.
• AN14185 DCDC Usage on MCXNx4x/Nx3x: This application note is designed to provide a better understanding of the on-chip DCDC module. It offers a comprehensive guide on how to control both basic and advanced parameters, as well as how to configure the DCDC module to work efficiently with other peripherals.
• AN14178 MCXNx4x Flash Command Example: This document explains how to use the flash command controller to perform flash read and write operations, which can be more efficient than using calls to the ROM API.
• AN14177 Headset with Touch Function on MCX Nx4x: This application note describes how to use the MCX-N5XX-EVK to implement USB audio with touch control.
• AN14151 MCX Nx4x MICFIL interface: This application note is based on examples how to leverage the MICFIL coupled with eDMA, interrupts to send the audio stream to the SRAM for postprocessing.
• AN14146 CANopen Bootloader in MCX N Series: This application note discusses how to implement CANopen bootloader
• AN14132 Face Detection demo with elQ Neutron NPU Accelerated on MCX N947: This application note shows how to implement the face detection example on the FRDM-MCXN947 board.
• AN14150 MCX Nx4x Inter-Core Communication Application Note: This application note introduces how dual core devices can communicate using the Mailbox
  interface.

Power Management

• AN15066 Direct Current arc Fault Circuit Interrupters Solution with Time Series Studio: This application note presents a DC AFCI reference solution based on the MCX N547 MCU. It describes the system architecture, hardware design considerations, and software and algorithm concepts to assist system designers in implementing reliable and standards-compliant arc fault detection solutions
• AN14180 Estimating Device Lifetime for MCX Nx4x: This document describes the estimated product Power-on Hours (PoH) for the MCX N94x and MCX N54x devices, based on the criteria used in the qualification process.
• AN14190 OPAMP usage on MCXM947: This application note describes the functions of OPAMP module and how to use OPAMP features on MCXN947.
• AN14139 Design Considerations for Optimizing Performance with MCX N Series: This application note explains the features of MCX N-series devices that can affect system performance

Security

• AN14148 Secure Boot on MCX N Series: This application note describes the steps for secure boot using the Secure Provisioning Tool (SEC)
• AN14162 MCX N Debug Authentication: This application note describes the secure debug feature on the MCX N series devices. The document walks through the steps used to configure a device to enable secure debug using the Secure Provisioning Tool. The document also shows the debug authentication steps to unlock the debug port.
• AN14096 Encryption and Decryption Enablement Using NPX Module on SEC tool:  
• AN14361 Generating Digital Signature Using ELS ECSIGN command with RTF Enabled: This application note focuses mostly on the ECSIGN command and creates a demo to use it with Run Time Fingerprint (RTF) enabled. The MCX N series SDK contains various ELS command example projects including the ECSIGN usage but not with RTF enabled. 
• AN14154 Secure Provisioning Guidelines for MCX N Series MCUs: This application note assumes that you are already familiar with the security features available on the MCX N series devices.
• AN14086 Encryption and Decryption Enablement Using IPED Module on SPSDK Tool: IPED is the abbreviation of Inline Prince Encryption Decryption. The MCX N series devices offer support for real-time encryption and decryption for external flash using the IPED algorithm. Compared to AES, IPED is fast because it can decrypt and encrypt without adding extra latency. IPED operates as data is read or written, without the need to first store data in RAM and then encrypt or decrypt to another space. It operates on a block size of 64 bits with a 128-bit key. This functionality is useful for asset protection, such as securing application code that resides in external NOR flash memory.
• AN14095 Encryption and Decryption Enablement using IPED Module on SEC Tool: The MCX N series supports seven regions for encryption and decryption. Each crypto region resides at a memory address boundary of the external flash from 0x0800_0000 to 0x0FFF_FFFF. There must be no overlap among these seven ranges. Otherwise, the behavior of IP is undefined.
• AN14087 Encryption and Decryption Enablement Using NPX Module on SPSDK tool: A trend in embedded processor design is an increasing need for hardware to support cryptographic calculations that are required for system security. There are emerging customer requirements to protect application code and data stored in flash memories in an encrypted form.
• AN15038 EdgeLock 2GO Provisioning MCUs via Product Type using Secure Provisioning (SEC) tool:  This document offers an outline of the EdgeLock 2GO platform and discusses the "Device provisioning via product type" flow. In this case, the MCUXpresso Secure Provisioning Tool (SEC) is the proxy being used to provision an MCU.
• AN14670 EdgeLock 2GO Provisioning via SPSDK for MCUs: This document offers an outline of the EdgeLock 2GO platform and discusses the “Device provisioning via proxy” flow. In this case, the SPSDK command line tool is the proxy being used to provision an MCU.
• AN14687 Ease CRA Compliance with MCX N: This document addresses OEMs who want to understand how the MCX N series can facilitate the implementation of CRA requirements. While the MCX N series provides core security capabilities that can be mapped to the cybersecurity requirements of the CRA, the OEM must fill the remaining compliance gap by performing additional actions. 
• AN14624 EdgeLock 2Go Provisioning via Secure Provisioning (SEC) tool: This document offers an outline of the EdgeLock 2GO platform and discusses the "Device provisioning via proxy" flow. In this case, the MCUXpresso Secure Provisioning Tool (SEC) is the proxy being used to provision an MCU.
• AN14460 How to program MCX N series internal flash through ISP: This application note describes how to use USB/UART/SPI/I²C ISP to program internal flash of MCX N series MCUs via blhost or MCUXpresso Secure Provisioning Tool
• AN14544 EdgeLock 2GO Service for MPU and MCU: This application note introduces various methods that the EdgeLock 2GO service can be used with MCU and MPU devices and the features available for each method.
• AN14248 Recovery Boot from IFR0 for MCX Nx4x: This application note describes the step-by-step process of boot recovery of the signed binary image from Flash Bank 1 IFR 0 of the MCX Nx4x device upon failure of the image execution from the program flash.
• AN14255 Recovery Boot from 1-bit SPI Flash for MCXNx4x: This application note describes the step-by-step process of boot recovery of the signed binary image from 1-bit SPI flash on the MCXNx4x device upon failure of the image.
• AN14475 Dual Boot Secure Firmware Update using OTA HTTP Server:  This application note describes the step-by-step process to do a secure firmware update with dual image boot enabled. Covers the example provided in the SDK, which runs from internal flash and what changes are necessary to run from external memory.
• AN14271 CRC Calculation Features and Performance on MCX: This application note has been divided into two main parts. The first part provides information about the cyclic redundant checker (CRC). The second part introduces the features and performance of the CRC module on an MCX MCU.

Training:

Introduction: Flexible and Rapid Development with MCUXpresso: Getting Started with Your FRDM Development Boards Fe.... Learn more about NXP's FRDM Development Platform featuring our MCX MCUs portfolio. Discover why specific applications benefit from MCX and features to help differentiate your next product. You will also learn more about the MCUXpresso Developer Experience and how to get started with your FRDM development board.

MCX Lab NXP initiative designed to foster collaboration with universities, providing students and educators with cutting-edge hardware, software, and educational resources. 

ML/AI:

• eIQ Time Series Studio Training: Build and Run Time Series ML Models on FRDM-MCXN947
• Getting Started with eIQ Time Series Studio

Graphics

Getting Started with Embedded GUI Development Using GUI Guider and LVGL

Useful Links:

• See some demo videos created based on FRDM-MCXN
• Application Code Examples
• Expansion Boards and Accesories: accessories list in Expansion Board Hub compatible with FRDM-MCXN boards. Find displays, rotary, joystick, sensors, and more. Explore the different expansion boards which are supported by software to help you extend and evaluate the features in combination with FRDM-MCXN boards.

Community Support

If you have questions regarding this training, please leave your comments in our MCU Community! here