Sensing and Control Applications Can Be Installed Within NINA-B1 Module Stack

u-blox (SIX:UBXN) has announced the NINA-B1 Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth Smart) standalone module.

Complying with the latest Bluetooth 4.2 specification and certified for global radio format, this module aims to play a key role in bringing Bluetooth Low Energy-based Internet of Things (IoT) designs to market in the shortest possible timeframe.

Composed of an antenna, wireless transceiver, integrated ARM Cortex M4F microcontroller, and Bluetooth Low Energy stack, the NINA-B1 can be applied to the design of various applications. The NINA-B1 is suitable for IoT solutions in diverse fields including sensor-connected IoT, building automation, medical devices, telematics applications, and monitoring and control systems. This module, which supports ARM mbed, and the evaluation kit (EVK) are open to designers who wish to include their applications on top of the Bluetooth Low Energy stack.

The latest Bluetooth 4.2 specification provides enhanced connection security performance, IPv6, and faster throughput compared to previous versions. Through firmware upgrade, this module can also support the future Bluetooth 5.0 specification. The application memory, consisting of 512 kB flash and 64 kB RAM, supports firmware upgrade via wireless (OTA method).

The NINA-B1 comes with u-blox Serial Port Service pre-installed, enabling rapid integration with devices running serial protocols, and AT commands are compatible with other u-blox modules, minimizing the effort required for system configuration.

Through enhanced power management capabilities, the NINA-B1 can reduce power consumption to as low as 400 nA and operates upon external events. In idle mode, it consumes 2 µA, and during transmission, it consumes 5 mA at 3.0 VDC (0 dBm state). This module integrates near field communication (NFC), which can be used to support the Touch-and-Pair use case for simplified Bluetooth pairing.

Pelle Svensson, Product Marketing Manager for Short Range Radio at u-blox, stated: "The NINA-B1 is a certified Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) module with excellent RF capabilities. By employing an open architecture approach based on ARM mbed for software development, we have accelerated the pace of IoT application development and significantly reduced the time and cost to bring products to market."

This module operates as a completely standalone Bluetooth Low Energy product and does not require additional hardware. Sensors, accelerometers, LEDs, and other sensing and control devices can be connected directly to this module through GPIO, ADC, I2C, SPI, and UART interfaces. It is available in two versions: the NINA-B112 (10 x 14 mm) with integrated antenna, and the NINA-B111 (10 x 10 mm) with pins designed to accommodate customer-specific antenna solutions.