Ultra low power (ULP) RF specialist Nordic Semiconductor has announced that Korean electronics materials and components giant, LG Innotek, has developed a Nordic nRF51822 SoC-based Bluetooth Smart (previously known as Bluetooth low energy) module that carries little or no size penalty compared to a discrete (individual component-built) solution and requires no RF expertise to employ.
The LG 4403 module measures just 5.3 x 4.7 x 1.0mm in size and is supplied in an LGA package small enough to fit into any current or next-generation Bluetooth Smart smartphone, tablet, or computer accessory including the smallest wearable, smart watch, sports, health, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
The module includes, in addition to the multiple award-winning Nordic Semiconductor nRF51822 and its 32-bit ARM Cortex M0 microprocessor, 256 kB of Flash memory, and full range of analog and digital peripherals (including GPIO, ADC, SPI, I2C and UART): a 32 MHz high stability X-Tal quartz oscillator, fully-matched RF matching circuit, 19 GPIOs (general purpose input/outputs), and can run from 1.8 to 3.6V power source.
Power consumption is also optimised for ultra low power operation with a claimed typical performance of 10.5mA for transmission (TX), 13mA for reception (RX), and 0.6µA for deep sleep ‘off’ mode. RX sensitivity is quoted at -93dBm at 1Mbps data transfer rates, and TX power -20 up to +4dBm.
“LG Innotek has a long history in module development stretching all the way back to TV tuners in the 1970s and more recently variable connectivity modules such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and LTE for the mobile, TV, and automotive industries,” explained Mr. Kwangjae Park, senior research engineer for LG Innotek. “But because we are also an electronics component manufacturer, we used that expertise to achieve extreme levels of miniaturisation and integration in our modules that developers would often struggle to match even if designing with separate discrete components.”
“Bluetooth Smart modules allow customers to develop products and devices without being experts in RF or Bluetooth wireless technology,” commented Geir Langeland, Nordic Semiconductor’s director of sales and marketing. “But because Bluetooth Smart wireless technology is employed in some of the smallest devices and sensors - including those intended to be worn or carried by the end-user – size and miniaturisation are key design parameters.”
