Nordic Semiconductor – Specialist in Low Power Wireless Technology

Who is Nordic Semiconductor?

Nordic Semiconductor is a Norwegian fabless semiconductor company specializing in wireless communication technology that powers the Internet of Things. Nordic was established in 1983 and has more than 1,000 employees across the globe. Nordic’s award-winning Bluetooth® Low Energy solutions pioneered ultra-low power wireless, making them the global market leader. The company’s technology range was later supplemented by ANT+, Thread and Zigbee, and in 2018 they launched their low-power, compact LTE-M/NB-IoT cellular IoT solutions to extend the penetration of the IoT.

The Nordic portfolio was further complemented by Wi-Fi® technology in 2021, which now makes the company one of just a few suppliers offering all three of the world’s most popular wireless IoT technologies; Bluetooth LE, cellular IoT, and Wi-Fi; covering short-, mid-, and long-range wireless connectivity.

They built their market reputation by supplying leading-edge wireless technologies supported by development tools that shield the designer from RF complexity, allowing anyone with a bright idea to build innovations based on the IoT platform. Today, their award-winning, high-performance, yet easy-to-design-in, Bluetooth® LE solutions are used by the world’s leading brands in a variety of products, including wireless PC peripherals, gaming, sports & fitness, mobile phone accessories, consumer electronics, toys, healthcare, and automation. Nordic is a member of the ANT+ Alliance, Bluetooth® SIG, Thread Group, CSA, Wi-Fi Alliance, and GSMA.


Long-Range Wireless Technology – Low Power Cellular IoT

nRF91 Series

nRF9160 – Low power SiP with integrated LTE-m/NB-IOT modern and GNSS

The nRF9160 is a compact, highly integrated System-in-Package (SiP) that makes the latest low power LTE technology and advanced processing and security accessible, and easy to use, for a wide range of single device low power cellular IoT (cIoT) designs.

Key Features:

  • Fully integrated SiP for cellular IoT
  • Multimode LTE-M/NB-IoT modem with GNSS
  • 700-2200 MHz LTE band support
  • Certified for global operation
  • Dedicated application processor and memory
  • 64 MHz Arm Cortex-M33
  • 1 MB Flash + 256 kB RAM
  • Arm TrustZone + Arm CryptoCell

Applications:

  • Logistics and asset tracking
  • Smart city & smart agriculture ­
  • Predictive maintenance & industrial
  • Wearables & medical

Getting Started:

The nRF9160 DK is an affordable, pre-certifed single-board development kit for evaluation and development on the nRF9160 SiP for LTE-M, NB-IoT and GNSS. It also includes an nRF52840 board controller that for example can be used to build a Bluetooth Low Energy gateway.

The Nordic Thingy:91 is an easy-to-use battery-operated prototyping platform for cellular IoT using LTE-M, NB-IoT and GNSS. It is ideal for creating Proof-of-Concept (PoC), demos and initial prototypes in your cIoT development phase.


Short-Range Wireless Technology

nRF53 Series

nRF5340 - Dual processor SoC supporting Bluetooth® 5.3, Bluetooth® mesh, NFC, Thread & Zigbee

The nRF5340 is the world’s first wireless SoC with two Arm® Cortex®-M33 processors. It is truly secure, and the combination of two flexible processors, the advanced feature set, and an operating temperature of up to 105 °C, make it the ideal choice for professional lighting, advanced wearables, and other complex IoT applications.

Key Features:

  • High-performance application processor
    • 128/64 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 with FPU & DSP instructions
    • 1 MB Flash + 512 kB low leakage RAM
    • 8 kB 2-way set associative cache
  • Fully-programmable network processor
    • 64 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 with 2 kB instruction cache
    • 256 kB Flash + 64 kB RAM
    • Ultra low power
  • A truly secure SoC
    • Trusted execution with Arm TrustZone
    • Root-of-trust with Arm CryptoCell-312
  • Ultra-low-power 2.4 GHz multiprotocol radio
    • Bluetooth® Direction Finding
    • Long Range
    • Bluetooth® mesh, Thread and Zigbee
    • 3.2 mA in TX (0 dBm) and 2.6 mA in RX
    • -97.5 dBm RX sensitivity
  • NFC
    • Full range of digital interfaces with EasyDMA y Full-speed USB
    • 96 MHz encrypted QSPI for external memory32 MHz high-speed SPI for displays and fast sensors
    • -40 to 105 °C extended operating temperature
    • 1.7 V to 5.5 V supply voltage range

Applications:

  • Professional lighting
  • Industrial
  • Advanced wearables
  • Healthcare & Medical
  • Smart Home
  • Asset tracking and RTLS
  • Direction Finding
  • Automation
  • Gaming VR + AR
  • Mesh Networks

Getting Started:

The nRF5340 DK is the development kit for the nRF5340 SoC, containing everything needed to get started with development, on a single board. The DK supports development with an extensive range of wireless protocols.

The nRF5340 Audio Development Kit (DK) is the recommended platform for Bluetooth “LE Audio” products and contains everything needed to start development. The kit is configurable and can function as a USB dongle to send or receive audio data from a PC. It can also function as a Business Headset a broadcast receiver or a True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earbud. For most use-cases, we recommend using two or more DKs.

The Nordic Thingy:53 is the rapid prototyping platform, based on the nRF5340 System-on-Chip (SoC), Nordic´s current flagship dual-core wireless SoC. With integrated sensors for motion, sound, light and environmental factors, it is the perfect platform for building proof-of-concepts and developing new prototypes in a very short time.


nRF52 Series

Multiprotocol SoCs supporting Bluetooth 5.3, Bluetooth mesh, NFC, Thread and Zigbee

The nRF52 Series consists of seven multiprotocol Bluetooth 5.3 SoCs that integrate a powerful yet efficient 64 MHz Arm Cortex-M4 CPU. Flash memory range from 192 kB to 1024 kB while RAM range from 24 kB to 256 kB. The nRF52 Series offers simpler cost-effective options and highly-advanced options, all with ultra-low power consumption.

nRF52840

The nRF52840 is an advanced, highly flexible single chip solution for today’s increasingly demanding ULP wireless applications for connected devices on our person, connected living environments and the IoT at large.


Key Features:

  • 64 MHz Arm® Cortex-M4 with FPU ­
  • 1 MB Flash + 256 kB RAM ­
  • Bluetooth 5.3 multiprotocol radio
    • 2 Mbps y CSA #2
    • Advertising Extensions
    • Long Range
    • +8 dBm TX power
    • -95 dBm sensitivity
    • Integrated balun with 50 Ω single- ended output ­
  • IEEE 802.15.4 radio support
    • Thread
    • Zigbee ­
  • 1.7-5.5 V supply voltage range ­
  • Full-speed 12 Mbps USB ­
  • NFC-A tag ­
  • Arm CryptoCell CC310 security subsystem ­
  • QSPI/SPI/TWI/I²S/PDM/QDEC ­
  • High speed 32 MHz SPI ­
  • Quad SPI interface 32 MHz ­
  • EasyDMA for all digital interfaces ­
  • 12-bit 200 ksps ADC ­
  • 128 bit AES/ECB/CCM/AAR co-processor ­
  • On-chip DC-DC buck converter ­
  • Regulated supply for external components up to 25 mA

 

Applications:

  • IoT
    • Smart Home products
    • Matter connected home products
    • Industrial mesh networks
    • Smart city infrastructure
  • Advanced wearables
    • Connected watches
    • Advanced personal fitness devices Wearables with wireless payment
    • Connected Health
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality applications
  • Interactive entertainment devices
    • Advanced remote controls
    • Gaming controller

nRF52833

The nRF52833 is an ultra-low-power multiprotocol SoC qualified for operation at an extended temperature range of -40° C to 105° C. Its feature set fulfills the requirements of professional lighting, advanced wearables, and higher value IoT applications. It supports Bluetooth LE, Bluetooth mesh, 802.15.4, Thread, Zigbee, and proprietary 2.4 GHz protocols.


Key Features:

  • Arm processor
    • 64 MHz Arm® Cortex-M4 with FPU
    • 512 kB Flash + 128 kB RAM
    • 8 kB Cache ­
  • Bluetooth 5.3 Radio
    • Direction Finding
    • Long Range
    • Bluetooth mesh
    • +8 dBm TX power
    • -95 dBm sensitivity (1 Mbps) ­
  • IEEE 802.15.4 radio support
    • Thread
    • Zigbee ­
  • NFC ­
  • Full range of digital interfaces with EasyDMA
    • Full-speed USB
    • 32 MHz high-speed SPI ­
  • 128 bit AES/ECB/CCM/AAR accelerator ­
  • 12-bit 200 ksps ADC ­
  • 105 °C extended operating temperature ­
  • 1.7-5.5 V supply voltage range

 

Applications:

  • Professional lighting ­
  • Industrial ­
  • Advanced wearables ­
  • Gaming ­
  • Smart home ­
  • Asset tracking and RTLS

nRF52832

The nRF52832 is a general-purpose multiprotocol SoC. It meets the challenges of a broad range of applications that need advanced Bluetooth® LE features, protocol concurrency and a rich and varied set of peripherals and features.

 


Key Features:

  • Arm processor
    • 64 MHz Arm® Cortex-M4 with FPU
    • 512/256 kB Flash + 64/32 kB RAM
    • Cache ­
  • Bluetooth 5.3 Radio
    • Long Range
    • Bluetooth mesh
    • +4 dBm TX power
    • -96 dBm sensitivity (1 Mbps)
  • Programmable output power +4 dBm to -20 dBm ­
  • Flexible and configurable 32 pin GPIO ­
  • Automatic smart power management ­
  • Full set of digital interfaces with DA:
    • SPI
    • TWI
    • I²S
    • UART
    • PDM
    • QDEC ­
  • 128-bit AES/ECB/CCM/AAR accelerator
  • 12-bit 200 ksps ADC
  • 1.7-3.6 V supply voltage range

 

Applications:

  • Smart Home ­
  • Sensor Networks ­
  • Building automation ­
  • Medical ­
  • Remote control ­
  • Beacons ­
  • PC peripherals ­
  • Toys ­ Wearables

nRF52820

The nRF52820 System-on-Chip (SoC) is the 6th addition to the industry-leading nRF52® Series. It augments the already extensive collection of wireless SoCs with a lower-end option with built-in USB and a fully-featured multiprotocol radio.


Key Features:

  • Arm processor
    • 64 MHz Arm® Cortex-M4 with FPU
    • 256 kB Flash + 32 kB RAM
  • Bluetooth 5.3 Radio
    • Direction Finding
    • Long Range
    • Bluetooth mesh
    • +8 dBm TX power
    • -95 dBm sensitivity (1 Mbps)
  • IEEE 802.15.4 radio support
    • Thread
    • Zigbee ­
  • Full range of digital interfaces with EasyDMA
    • Full-speed USB 2.0
    • 32 MHz high-speed SPI
  • 128-bit AES/ECB/CCM/AAR accelerator
  • 105 °C extended operating temperature
  • ­ 1.7-3.6 V supply voltage range

 

Applications:

  • Professional lighting ­
  • Industrial ­
  • Human Interface device ­
  • Wearables ­
  • Gaming ­
  • Smart home ­
  • Gateways ­
  • Asset tracking and RTLS

nRF52811

The nRF52811 SoC is the 4th addition to the nRF52 Series, and adds capabilities for Bluetooth® Low Energy (LE) Direction Finding. Direction Finding enables positioning solutions to not only rely on received signal strength indicator (RSSI), but also the actual direction of a signal.


Key Features:

  • 64 MHz Arm® Cortex-M4 ­
  • 192 kB Flash + 24 kB RAM ­
  • Bluetooth 5.3 radio
    • Direction Finding
    • Long Range
    • +4 dBm TX power
    • -96 dBm sensitivity
    • 4.6 mA in TX (0 dBm)
    • 4.6 mA in RX
    • Integrated balun with 50 Ω single- ended output ­
  • IEEE 802.15.4 radio support
    • Thread
    • Zigbee ­
  • 1.7-3.6 V supply voltage range ­
  • Integrated DC-DC regulator ­
  • 0.3 μA in System OFF ­
  • 1.1 uA in System ON with RTC and full RAM retention ­
  • Full range of digital interfaces with EasyDMA ­
  • 12-bit 200 ksps ADC
  • Small size

 

Applications:

  • Beacons ­
  • Network processor ­
  • Proximity solutions ­
  • Real time locating systems ­
  • Asset tracking ­
  • Smart home

nRF52810

The nRF52810 is one of the baseline members of the nRF52 Series. It is a cost-effective and high-performance Bluetooth 5.3 SoC, with more available GPIOs and packe options as compared to the nRF52805. It completes our lineup of Bluetooth 5.3 devices that collectively offer the full spectrum of possibilities when designing Bluetooth® Low Energy connectivity into your products.


Key Features:

  • 64 MHz ARM® Cortex-M4 ­
  • 192 kB Flash + 24 kB RAM ­
  • Bluetooth 5.3 2.4 GHz transceiver
    • 2 Mbps
    • CSA #2
    • Concurrent multiprotocol operation
    • +4 dBm TX Power
    • -96 dBm Sensitivity
    • 4.6 mA TX (0 dBm)
    • 4.6 mA RX (1 Mbps)
    • Integrated balun with 50 Ω single- ended output ­
  • 1.7-3.6 V supply voltage range ­ Integrated DC-DC regulator ­
  • 0.3 μA in System OFF ­
  • 1.5 μA in System ON with RTC ­
  • Full range of digital interfaces with EasyD-MA ­
  • 12-bit 200 ksps ADC ­
  • Small size

 

Applications:

  • Beacons ­
  • Network processor ­
  • Disposable medical sensors ­
  • PC peripherals ­
  • Remote controls ­
  • Fitness sensors ­
  • Toys ­
  • Logistics and tagging

nRf52805

The nRF52805 System-on-Chip (SoC) is the BEST SOC in the industry-leading nRF52® Series. It augments the already extensive collection of wireless SoCs with an SoC in a WLCSP optimized for small two-layer PCB designs, ideal for cost-constrained applications.


Key Features:

  • 64 MHz Arm Cortex-M4 ­
  • 192 kB Flash + 24 kB RAM ­
  • Bluetooth Low Energy
    • Bluetooth 5.3
    • High-throughput 2 Mbps
    • Channel selection algorithm #2 ­
  • 2.4 GHz proprietary protocol support ­ Ultra-low-power 2.4 GHz multiprotocol radio
    • +4 dBm TX power
    • -97 dBm RX sensitivity
    • 7 mA in TX (4 dBm)
    • 4.6 mA in TX (0 dBm)
    • 4.6 mA in RX (1 Mbps)
    • Integrated balun with single-ended output ­
  • SPI, TWI, UART, QDEC ­
  • 2-channel 12-bit ADC ­
  • Integrated DC/DC regulator ­
  • 0.3 μA in System OFF ­
  • 1.1 μA in System ON with 24 KB RAM retained and RTC running ­
  • Optimized for small two-layer PCB designs
    • 2.48x2.46 mm WLCSP package
    • Significanly lower cost than four-layer PCB designs
    • Only 10 external passive components
    • 9.5x8.8 mm reference layout is available, giving access to all 10 GPIOs

 

Applications:

  • IoT
    • Smart Home products
    • Matter connected home products
    • Industrial mesh networks
    • Smart city infrastructure
  • Advanced wearables
    • Connected watches
    • Advanced personal fitness devices Wearables with wireless payment
    • Connected Health
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality applications
  • Interactive entertainment devices
    • Advanced remote controls
    • Gaming controller


Getting Started:

The nRF52 DK is a development kit that includes hardware, firmware source code, documentation, hardware schematics, and layout files. This kit can be used for developing for either the nRF52832 or nRF52810 SoCs. The content of the kit is the nRF52 DK, a CR2032 battery and a NFC antenna.


The nRF52833 DK is an affordable single-board development kit for Bluetooth® Low Energy (LE), Bluetooth® mesh, Thread, Zigbee, 802.15.4 and 2.4 GHz proprietary applications using the nRF52833 multi-protocol SoC. It also supports development for the nRF52820 SoC. The kit is hardware compatible with the Arduino Uno Rev3 standard, making it possible to use a wide range of 3rd-party shields that are compatible with this standard, including the Power Profiler Kit or Power Profiler Kit II from Nordic Semiconductor.


The nRF52840 DK is a development kit including hardware, firmware source code, documentation, hardware schematics, and layout files. This kit can be used for developing for either the nRF52840 or nRF52811 System on Chip (SoC)s.


nRF52840 Dongle

The nRF52840 Dongle (PCA10059) is the preferred hardware to be used with the nRF Connect for Desktop software package to develop and test your nRF-based wireless solutions. The hardware supports all the short range wireless standards available on the nRF52 family of devices, and the built-in USB device controller provides a high data throughput communication interface.



Range Extender

nRF21 Series – RF front end module (FEM)

nRF21540

The nRF21540 is an RF front end module (FEM) that improves range and connection robustness for Nordic Semiconductor's shortrange wireless portfolio. As a complementary device, the nRF21540 is a "plug and play" range extender, which offers enhanced link robustness using an integrated low-noise-amplifier.


Key Features:

  • Supports
    • Bluetooth® Low Energy (incl. Bluetooth® mesh)
    • Thread and Zigbee (802.15.4)
    • Proprietary 2.4 GHz
  • Adjustable output power in small increments up to +21 dBm
  • +13 dB receive gain with 2.5 dB noise figure
  • Two antenna ports for antenna diversity
  • Control interface via GPIOs, SPI, or a combination
  • -40°C to +105°C operating temperature range
  • 1.7 V to 3.6 V input supply range
  • 4 x 4 mm QFN16 package
  • When combined with an nRF52 or nRF53 Series SoC:
    • Up to 16x range increase
    • -100 dBm RX sensitivity (Bluetooth® LE, 1 Mbps)
  • Current consumption:
    • TX tuned to +20 dBm: 115 mA
    • RX: 4.1 mA
  • Power down mode: 30 nA

Applications:

  • Asset tracking and RTLS
  • Professional lighting
  • Smart Home
  • Industrial
  • Toys
  • Audio

Getting Started:

The nRF21540 DB consists of the nRF21540 development kit (DK) and the nRF21540 evaluation kit (EK). The nRF21540 DK is the perfect tool to develop products that require the range extension capabilities or link budget improvements provided by the nRF21540 RF front-end module (FEM). The nRF21540 EK can connect to lab equipment via SMA connectors to monitor the RF FEM’s performance.



Power Management ICs

nPM Family

nPM1100

The nPM1100 is a dedicated power management IC (PMIC) with dual-mode configurable buck regulator and integrated battery charger. It is designed as a complementary component to Nordic’s nRF52 and nRF53 Series SoCs to ensure reliable power delivery and stable operation, whilst maximizing battery life through high efficiency and low quiescent currents.


Key Features:

  • Ultra-small form factor PMIC
    • 2.075 x 2.075 mm WLCSP package
  • 400 mA battery charger
    • Automatic charging mode
    • For Li-ion and Li-Polymer batteries
    • Battery thermal protection
  • Highly efficient regulator
    • Up to 92 % power conversion efficiency
    • Hysteretic and PWM mode
    • Selectable output voltage
    • 150 mA current limit
  • Input regulator with USB support
    • SDP, CDP, DCP port detection
    • Overvoltage protection
  • Ship mode that disables power output
  • Drivers for charge and error LEDs
  • -40°C to 85°C operating temperature

Applications:

  • Wearables
  • Remote controls
  • Personal medical devices
  • Smart home sensors
  • Computer peripherals

Getting Started:

The nPM1100 Evaluation Kit (EK) is a tool for evaluating the nPM1100 and its features in your application. The kit features switches for all selectable settings, buttons to enter and exit ship mode and connectors for batteries, USB and headers for all pins on the PMIC.



Power Measurement

Power Profiler Kit II

The Power Profiler Kit II is a standalone unit for measuring and optionally supplying all Nordic development boards and additional hardware. It enables easy and affordable power measurements for wireless product development on all Nordic DKs, in addition to aforementioned external hardware.


Key Features:

  • Current measuring range between 200 nA and 1 A
  • Measurement resolution between 100 nA and 1 mA
  • Ampere meter mode and source mode
  • Source mode includes a built-in programmable regulator with an output range between 0.8 V and 5.0 V and output currents of up to 1 A
  • 100ksps sampling rate
  • 8 digital inputs for low-end logic analyser support
  • nRF Connect supported

Applications:

  • Power debugging of embedded applications
  • Estimation of battery lifetime of completed application

Leave Us a Message

Micropages