SparkFun Thing Plus Matter - MGM240P Hookup Guide

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Contributors: El Duderino
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Introduction

The SparkFun Thing Plus Matter - MGM240P is the first easily accessible board of its kind that combines Matter® and SparkFun's Qwiic ecosystem for agile development and prototyping of Matter-based IoT devices. The board features the MGM240P wireless module from Silicon Labs®. The MGM240P provides secure connectivity for both 802.15.4 (Matter, Zigbee®, and OpenThread®) and Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3 protocols and is built to integrate seamlessly into the Matter IoT protocol using the Simplicity Studio IDE from Silicon Labs.

SparkFun Thing Plus Matter - MGM240P

SparkFun Thing Plus Matter - MGM240P

DEV-20270
$24.95
6

You may be curious as to what exactly Matter is. In a nutshell, Matter allows for consistent operation between smart home devices and IoT platforms without an Internet connection, even from different providers. This allows communication between major IoT ecosystems to create a single wireless protocol that is easy, reliable and secure to use.

This guide covers the hardware present on this Thing Plus development board, basic assembly, and a quick intro to using the Thing Plus Matter in Silicon Labs' Simplicity Studio development environment.

Required Materials

All you need to follow along with this tutorial is the SparkFun Thing Plus MGM240P as well as a USB-C cable to connect it to your computer for programming. You may also want a single-cell LiPo battery to power the board in your application.

Reversible USB A to C Cable - 0.3m

Reversible USB A to C Cable - 0.3m

CAB-15426
$4.50
1
Reversible USB A to C Cable - 2m

Reversible USB A to C Cable - 2m

CAB-15424
$8.95
1
USB 3.1 Cable A to C - 3 Foot

USB 3.1 Cable A to C - 3 Foot

CAB-14743
$5.50
4

Optional Accessories

Depending on your application's needs, you may want some additional accessories along with the Thing Plus Matter - MGM240P and USB-C cable.

LiPo Battery

The Thing Plus Matter includes a 2-pin JST connector to connect a single-cell lithium-ion battery for power in mobile applications. Below are a few options we recommend:

Lithium Ion Battery - 400mAh

Lithium Ion Battery - 400mAh

PRT-13851
$5.50
11
Lithium Ion Battery - 110mAh

Lithium Ion Battery - 110mAh

PRT-13853
$5.50
4
Lithium Ion Battery - 2Ah

Lithium Ion Battery - 2Ah

PRT-13855
$13.95
9

Lithium Ion Battery - 1Ah

PRT-13813
8 Retired

Headers

Headers allow you connect external parts to your board with just a set of jumper wires for prototyping circuits with a breadboard. The list below outlines a few options we recommend. If you don't find what you need, check out our Headers Category. If you need soldering tools, head over to our Soldering Category:

Break Away Headers - Straight

Break Away Headers - Straight

PRT-00116
$1.75
20
Break Away Headers - Long

Break Away Headers - Long

PRT-10158
$3.25
3
Feather Stackable Header Kit

Feather Stackable Header Kit

PRT-15187
$1.75

SparkFun Beginner Tool Kit

TOL-14681
Retired

Solder Jumper Modification

The Thing Plus Matter - MGM240P has several solder jumpers users can modify to change behavior on the board. Modifying the jumpers requires a knife and soldering equipment. The list below covers some recommended options but in case you do not find what you need there, head over to our Soldering Category:

Solder Lead Free - 100-gram Spool

Solder Lead Free - 100-gram Spool

TOL-09325
$9.95
8
Chip Quik No-Clean Flux Pen  - 10mL

Chip Quik No-Clean Flux Pen - 10mL

TOL-14579
$7.95
4
Hobby Knife

Hobby Knife

TOL-09200
$3.50
2

Weller WLC100 Soldering Station

TOL-14228
2 Retired

Suggested Reading

Before getting started with this Hookup Guide, you may want to read through the tutorials below if you are not familiar with the concepts covered in them or want a refresher:

How to Solder: Through-Hole Soldering

This tutorial covers everything you need to know about through-hole soldering.

Serial Communication

Asynchronous serial communication concepts: packets, signal levels, baud rates, UARTs and more!

Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI)

SPI is commonly used to connect microcontrollers to peripherals such as sensors, shift registers, and SD cards.

Logic Levels

Learn the difference between 3.3V and 5V devices and logic levels.

I2C

An introduction to I2C, one of the main embedded communications protocols in use today.

Analog vs. Digital

This tutorial covers the concept of analog and digital signals, as they relate to electronics.

Bluetooth Basics

An overview of the Bluetooth wireless technology.

How to Work with Jumper Pads and PCB Traces

Handling PCB jumper pads and traces is an essential skill. Learn how to cut a PCB trace, add a solder jumper between pads to reroute connections, and repair a trace with the green wire method if a trace is damaged.