NXP Application Code Hub

UART Status Monitoring with Button Control

This demo shows how to configure and use the UART driver from the RTD Low-Level Drivers (LLD) package on the FRDM-A-S32K356 microcontroller using S32 Design Studio. The example demonstrates UART communication through a loopback connection, where transmitted data is received back, validating UART TX/RX functionality using the LPUART peripheral.

Boards: FRDM-A-S32K356

Categories: Communication, GPIO

Peripherals: LPUART, GPIO

Toolchains: S32 Design Studio IDE

Table of Contents

1. Software and Tools
2. Hardware
3. Setup
4. Results
5. Support
6. Release Notes

1. Software and Tools

This example was developed using the FRDM Automotive Bundle for S32K3 + S32M27. To download and install the complete software and tools ecosystem, use the following link:

• FRDM Automotive S32K3 + S32M27 Board Installation Package

2. Hardware

2.1 Required Hardware

• Personal Computer
• Type-C USB cable
• FRDM-A-S32K356

  

2.2 Debugger Connection

• Connect the Type-C USB cable to PC and FRDM-A-S32K356 board for power supply and debugging

3. Setup

3.1 Import the Project into S32 Design Studio IDE

1. Open S32 Design Studio IDE, in the Dashboard Panel, choose Import project from Application Code Hub.

   

2. Find the demo by searching: dm-uart-button-S32K356

3. Open the project, click the GitHub link, S32 Design Studio IDE will automatically retrieve project attributes, then click Next>.

   

4. Select main branch and then click Next>.

5. Select your local path for the repo in Destination->Directory: window. The S32 Design Studio IDE will clone the repo into this path, click Next>.

6. Select Import existing Eclipse projects then click Next>.

7. Select the project in this repo (only one project in this repo) then click Finish.

3.2 Generating, Building and Running the Example

1. In Project Explorer, right-click the project and select Update Code and Build Project. This will generate the configuration (Pins, Clocks, Peripherals), update the source code and build the project using the active configuration (e.g. Debug_FLASH). Make sure the build completes successfully and the *.elf file is generated without errors.

   

   Press Yes in the SDK Component Management pop-up window to continue.

2. Go to Debug and select Debug Configurations. There will be a debug configuration for this project:

   

    Configuration Name                  Description
    -------------------------------     -----------------------
    $(example)_debug_flash_pemicro      Debug the FLASH configuration using PEmicro probe
   

   Select the desired debug configuration and click on Debug. Now the perspective will change to the Debug Perspective. Use the controls to control the program flow.

4. Results

Open a serial terminal on the enumerated COM port (typical settings: 115200 baud, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit, no flow control).

Button control: Onboard buttons control Green LED ON/OFF functionality (as defined by the board mapping) The Blue LED indicates UART activity or command handling (for example, toggles briefly on RX/TX or on command parse).

Press enter to display the prompt, supported commands:

• Help – displays the list of available commands
• Led on – turns the Green LED on
• Led off – turns the Green LED off
• Status – prints the current Green LED state

5. Support

For general technical questions related to NXP microcontrollers, please use the NXP Community Forum.

Project Metadata

Questions regarding the content/correctness of this example can be entered as Issues within this GitHub repository.

Note: For more general technical questions regarding NXP Microcontrollers and the difference in expected functionality, enter your questions on the NXP Community Forum

6. Release Notes

Version	Description / Update	Date
1.0	Initial release on Application Code Hub	June 22th 2026
1.1	Updated to FRDM Automotive S32K3 + S32M27 (RTD 7.0.1)	August 25th 2026