Analysis

Bluetooth smart module provides long-range connectivity

20th August 2015
Mick Elliott
0

The BGM111 Blue Gecko Bluetooth Smart Module from Silicon Labs is now in sotck at Mouser Electronics. This ultra-low-power, Bluetooth 4.1 (Bluetooth Smart) module is designed for applications where good RF performance, ultra-low power consumption, and easy development are main design factors.

With TX power up to 8dBm, RX sensitivity down to -93dBm, and up to 200 meters range, the BGM111 has excellent RF performance and can provide long-range, robust Bluetooth Smart connectivity.

The module integrates Bluetooth radio, an antenna, Bluetooth Smart software stack, and GATT-based profiles, and includes the Profile Toolkit, which allows designers to create additional GATT-based services. The module also includes a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M4 processor and can host end-user applications, which eliminates the need for an external microcontroller in devices with size, price or power constraints.

It has flexible hardware interfaces — including UART, SPI, and I2C — to connect to different peripherals or sensors. The module offers up to 25 GPIO with interrupts, four 12-bit analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), one 12-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC), an internal temperature sensor, autonomous hardware crypto accelerator, and an integrated DC-DC buck converter.

The module has a wide input voltage range, from 1.8V to 3.8V, enabling engineers to power wireless system designs from a single 3V coin cell battery or two AAA batteries.

Mouser Electronics is also shipping the Silicon Labs SLWSTK6101A Bluetooth Smart Module Wireless Starter Kit. This starter kit features an on-board J-Link debugger, a virtual COM port interface, an LCD display and a humidity/temperature sensor and test points to access all the pins of the Blue Gecko Bluetooth Smart Modules.

The WSTK6101A Wireless Starter Kit is supplied with an expansion board (BRD8006A Add-on Board) that can be connected to the WSTK mainboard expansion header. The expansion board contains additional peripherals such as an accelerometer, buttons, LEDs, joystick, and an I2C expansion slot.

The Bluetooth Smart Module targets low-power, wireless applications, such as sports and fitness tracking, health and medical devices, Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, and home and factory automation.

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