BGM12x module, 6.5 mm x 6.5 mm size with built-in chip antenna
Reduced board area and minimized Bluetooth-based final node design without performance degradation

Silicon Labs (Country Manager Baek Woon-dal) has launched the industry's smallest Bluetooth® low energy (BLE) system-in-package (SiP) module with an embedded chip antenna.

This product is a complete and cost-effective connectivity solution that delivers high performance in a compact size. The BGM12x Blue Gecko SiP module, supplied in a small 6.5mm x 6.5mm package, has a PCB footprint of only 51mm² including antenna area, allowing developers to miniaturize Internet of Things (IoT) designs.

This ultra-compact, high-performance Bluetooth module can be applied to a variety of applications, such as sports and fitness wearables, smartwatches, personal medical devices, wireless sensor nodes, and other space-constrained connected devices.

The BGM12x module, based on Silicon Labs' Blue Gecko wireless SoC, is an all-in-one Bluetooth connectivity solution featuring an ARM® Cortex-M4 processor, a high-output Bluetooth power amplifier, a high-efficiency internal antenna, an external antenna option, oscillators and passive components, a reliable and secure Bluetooth 4.2 stack, and best-in-class development tools. The BGM12x module's exceptional level of SiP integration allows developers to bypass complex RF system engineering, protocol selection, and antenna design tasks, enabling them to focus solely on the end application. This module is very small, making it suitable for applications with space constraints and battery power, such as low-cost 2-layer PCB designs.

Like all of Silicon Labs' Blue Gecko modules, the BGM12x module offers the flexibility for developers to start designing based on the module and then transition to the Blue Gecko SoC, minimizing system redesign efforts and fully reusing software. The Blue Gecko SoC will also be available in an ultra-small 3.3mm x 3.14mm x 0.52mm WLCSP (wafer-level chip-scale package) to enable developers to further miniaturize wearable and other Bluetooth-based IoT product designs.

Since the BGM12x module is pre-certified for use in many key global markets, developers can minimize development costs as well as the effort required for RF regulatory compliance. All application code can run on the BGM12x module, eliminating the need for a separate external MCU, which reduces system costs, board area, and time-to-market. BLE application profiles and examples are also provided to enhance development efficiency.

Both the BGM12x Blue Gecko module and the WLCSP SoC product are supported by the same software framework developed for Silicon Labs’ currently widely used BGM11x module and the EFR32BG SoC, which is available in a QFN package. Silicon Labs’ wireless software development kit (SDK) provides the flexibility to allow developers to choose between host or fully standalone operation using the easy-to-use Bluegiga BGScript™ scripting language or the ANCI C programming language.

Silicon Labs’ Bluetooth SDK has been improved to support new Bluetooth 4.2 features, including LE Secure Connections for more secure Bluetooth bonding, LE Packet Extensions for improved throughput, and LE dual-topology to enable multiple central and peripheral functions to be performed simultaneously.

The BGM12x module provides a transmit output power option of 3dBm (BGM123) or 8dBm (BGM121) to support various transmit/receive distance requirements of connected device applications.