BLE-Pmod for the Azure Sphere Starter Kit
Manufactured By:Avnet
Part Number:AES-PMOD-NRF-BLE-G
A wireless communication accessory for the Avnet Azure Sphere MT3620 Starter Kit
The BLE-Pmod is an optional wireless communication accessory for Avnet Azure Sphere MT3620 Starter Kits. The board is fitted with a Laird BL654 module (with integrated antenna), which is designed-around the popular Nordic nRF52840 2.4 GHz wireless SoC. The board supports a range of low-power wireless protocols including Bluetooth 5.1 BLE, Bluetooth Mesh, Thread, Zigbee, and more. With an Arm Cortex M4F core, substantial memory plus pinned-out peripheral interfaces, this accessory opens-up a range of new use cases including significant system-level implementations such as:
- Setup of Azure Sphere Starter Kit’s Wi-Fi network credentials from a BLE-connected Smartphone
- System expansion via BLE, BLE Mesh or 802.15.4 based wireless sensors or peripheral devices
Target Applications:
- Medical equipment and fitness applications
- Industrial-monitoring
- IoT devices
- Smart home automation
- Smart energy
Features
- ARM® Cortex™-M4F CPU @ 64 MHz (1MB Flash, 256k RAM). Allows hostless operation
- Bluetooth v5.1 BLE / Bluetooth mesh. BLE Peripheral/Central roles with DTM embedded
- Thread/Zigbee 802.15.4 functionality (via Nordic SDK)
- Transmit Power: +8 dBm (max) configurable down to -40 dBm. Integrated PCB Trace antenna
- Receive Sensitivity: -95 dBm (typical @ BLE 1 Mpbs), -103 dBm (typical @ BLE 125 kbps)
- Link Budget 103 dB (@ BLE 1 Mbps), 111 dB (@ BLE 125kpbs)
- 2Mbps & LE Long Range. Support for 2Mbps, 1Mbps, & 125kps coded
- User configurable RGB LED
- Pmod 2x6 pin interface: Supports UART (4-pin) and GPIOs (4)
- GPIOs map to MT3620 WAKEUP, nRF RESET, nRF AUTORUN, nRF OTA functions
- Configurable I/O expansion headers (2x 7pin headers). J2: GPIO/I2C/AIN, J3: GPIO
- Application Development: Laird smartBASIC, or Nordic SDK, or simple AT Command Set
- Optional RTOS: Zephyr RTOS or FreeRTOS
- Firmware upgrade via UART (Pmod connector) or JTAG (mini 10-pin header)
- Temperature Rating: Industrial (-40º to +85º C)
- PCB dimensions: 32mm x 20mm
- Supply Voltage: 1.7V – 5.5V operation (power connection via Pmod interface or I/O headers)
Ships With
- BLE-Pmod wireless multi-protocol SoC communication board (for Azure Sphere Starter Kit)
- Pmod 2x6 right-angle female connector (must be soldered onto Avnet Azure Sphere Starter Kit)