SparkFun Thing Plus – nRF9160 (WRL-17354)

SparkFun Thing Plus – nRF9160 (WRL-17354) is a low-power IoT solution that features the powerful Nordic nRF9160 microcontroller in a Feather-compatible footprint. This device is capable of CAT M1 LTE and NB-IoT cellular communications and works with Zephyr, the go-to RTOS for embedded development. The Thing Plus – nRF9160 integrates an Arm^® Cortex^®-M33 processor with advanced security features, a range of peripherals, and a complete LTE modem. This device offers a 4MB external flash for storing data while offline. The nRF9160 Thing Plus operates at the 2.8V to 5.5V voltage range. Typical applications include sensor networks, logistics and asset tracking, smart energy, smart building automation, smart agriculture, retail and monitor devices, medical devices, and wearables.

Features

Nordic nRF9160 microcontroller with ARM Cortex M33:
- 1MB Flash
- 256kB RAM
- Arm TrustZone^®
- Arm Cryptocell 310
- Up to 4x SPI, I²C, and UART with easy DMA
- I²S w/ easy DMA
- 4x PWM with easy DMA
- 12bit SADC with easy DMA
- 2x RTC
- Programmable Peripheral Interconnect (PPI) interface
- Radio:
  - Transceiver and baseband
  - 3GPP LTE release 13 category M1 and NB1 compliant
  - 3GPP release 14 NB2 compliant
  - GPS receiver (GPS L1 C/A supported) – active antenna only
  - RF transceiver for global coverage supporting bands:
    - Cat-M1:
      - B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B8, B12, B13, B14, B17, B18, B19, B20, B25, B26, B28, and B66
    - Cat-NB1/NB2:
      - B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B8, B12, B13, B17, B18, B20, B25, B26, B28, and B66
  - Supports 4FF nano-SIM

External NOR flash by Winbond:
- 4MB of space
- 133MHz maximum bus speed
- Standard SPI
USB-C connection for USB-to-serial and DFU:
Pre-programmed MCUBoot bootloader
Power supply:
- 3.3V buck/boost up to 0.9A of current draw
- 2.8V to 5.5V operating voltage range
- External LiPoly battery connection (JST SPH type)
- Charge rate set to 300mA with LED indication
Programmer:
- Capable of interfacing with J-Link and CMSIS-DAP based programmers
Low Power RTC onboard for timekeeping and as a low power wake-up source
User I/O:
- Standard feather form factor GPIOs (0.1-inch pitch)
- 2x buttons (1 reset and 1 general purpose)
- 1x blue LED connected to D7
Antenna connections:
- 1x U.FL for LTE with matching network
- 1x U.FL for active GPS antennas
Feather form factor:
- 58.42mm x 22.86mm (2.3″ x 0.9″)

Applications

Sensor networks
Logistics and asset tracking
Smart energy
Smart building automation
Smart agriculture

Industrial applications
Retail and monitor devices
Medical devices
Wearables

SparkFun Thing Plus – nRF9160 (WRL-17354)

Features

Applications

Block Diagram

husseinkey ELECTRONICS®

COMPANY