Connectivity Card NRF52840 mPCIe

Datasheet. Release 1.6

Overview

Remote monitoring of critical infrastructure with edge computing

The nRF52 Connectivity Cards from CTHINGS.CO® are extension cards based on the Nordic® Semiconductor nRF52840 SoC. They are multi-protocol chips designed to empower IoT integrators to implement Bluetooth® 5.3 including Bluetooth Low Energy, Bluetooth Mesh, Wirepas®, Thread®, Zigbee®, IEEE 802.15.4, ANT, and other 2.4 GHz protocol stacks.

The extension card allows for full-fledged utilisation of the on-board 32-bit ARM® Cortex™-M4 CPU with FPU. In addition, the ARM TrustZone® CryptoCell cryptographic unit brings an extensive range of cryptography options.

The product comes with full CE class-B and RED certification and can be used to quickly and reliably add 2.4 GHz protocol stack support to any existing device with a mini-PCIe slot without worrying about certification or radio performance. A full J-Trace connector is available on a programming jig for convenient firmware development.

CTHINGS.CO also provides various pre-flashing options, including support for DFU bootloader for in-system programming of Zephyr® RTOS applications, and tested support for Wirepas Mesh 2.4 GHz profile.

Specifications

Hardware Features	Mini PCI Express connector pinout compliant Single-ended U.FL antenna connector Based on Nordic® Semiconductor nRF52840 Ultra-low power consumption RF output power up to +8 dBm Arm® Cortex®-M4 32-bit processor with FPU, 64 MHz USB 2.0 Full-Speed controller, up to 12 Mbps Compatible with the CTHINGS.CO Programming Jig
Software Features	DFU bootloader support for in-system programming of Zephyr RTOS applications Compatible with Wirepas Mesh 2.4 GHz profile firmware, including sink functionality Compatible with nRF Connect SDK
Electrical Specification	3.3 V nominal supply voltage, electrically Mini PCIe compliant 3.0 V to 5.0 V supply voltage range ESD protected Ultra-low power consumption
RF Interface	2360 MHz to 2500 MHz operating frequency 1 MHz PLL channel spacing ±170 kHz frequency deviation at 1 Mbps ±320 kHz frequency deviation at 2 Mbps 125 kbps to 2000 kbps over-the-air data rate
Embedded Security	Arm® CryptoCell 310 security subsystem Secure boot ready Secure erase
Certifications	The CTHINGS.CO® nRF52 mPCIe 5G Suite Connectivity Card is CE Class B, Radio Equipment Directive (RED) and EU RoHS Directive compliant. US FCC and UKCA certification is planned. The device has been tested to meet the following electromagnetic compatibility standards: Electromagnetic emissions: Conducted emissions: EN 55022, EN 55014-1 and EN 55011 Radiated emissions up to 6 GHz Harmonic current emissions: EN 61000-3-2 Voltage fluctuations and flicker: EN 61000-3-3 Immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI): Electrostatic discharge immunity: EN 61000-4-2 Radiated electromagnetic field immunity: EN 61000-4-3
Use Cases	IoT gateways Workstations and laptops Cellular backhaul systems for non-cellular Wirepas meshes Bluetooth interface for IoT sensors Gateways for Nordic® Semiconductor nRF52-based IoT systems

Capabilities

Wirepas Mesh	Plug-and-play support for Wirepas 2.4 GHz profile mesh networks.
Mini-PCIe Pinout Compliance	Small and standardized form factor compliant with common hardware.
Bluetooth® 5.3	Plug-and-play support for Bluetooth® 5.3 and 2.4 GHz wireless communication.
Multiprotocol	Bluetooth Low Energy Bluetooth Mesh Thread Zigbee ANT Wirepas Mesh
Certified Radio Equipment	Full CE Class B and Radio Equipment Directive (RED) certification.
In-System Firmware Upgrades	Supports in-system programming with an optional factory-provided DFU bootloader for Zephyr RTOS applications.
High-Performance CPU	32-bit Arm® Cortex®-M4 processor with a floating-point unit.
Zephyr Support	Out-of-the-box support for Zephyr RTOS.

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