Nordic Semi nRF52833 WiSoC Supports Bluetooth 5.1 Direction Finding, Works up to 105ºC

Nordic Semiconductors had added a new member to their RF52 multi-protocol wireless SoCs with nRF52833 that supports Bluetooth 5.1 direction finding and can operate in a wider temperature range between -40ºC and +105°C.

The company also introduced nRF52833 DK development kit for Bluetooth Low Energy, Bluetooth mesh, Thread, Zigbee (802.15.4), and 2.4GHz proprietary applications, and some companies have already announced nRF52833 modules.

Nordic Semi nRF52833 Bluetooth 5.1 SoC

Key features and specifications:

MCU Core – Arm Cortex-M4F @ 64 MHz
Memory – 128 KB RAM
Storage – 512 KB Flash
Connectivity
- Bluetooth 5.1 @ 2 Mbps/1 Mbps/500 kbps/125 kbps
- 802.15.4 (Thread/Zigbee) @ 250 kbps
- 2.4 GHz proprietary @ 2 Mbps / 1 Mbps
- NFC-A tag
- TX power – Programmable from +8 dBm to -20 dBm in 4 dB steps
- Sensitivity
  - Bluetooth 5: -103 dBm at 125 kbps; -98 dB at 500 kbps; -95 dBm at 1 Mbps; -92 dBm at 2 Mbps
  - 802.15.4: -99 dBm at 250 kbps
  - 2.4 GHz: -93 dBm at 1 Mbps; -89 dBm at 2 Mbps
- Radio current consumption DC/DC at 3 V
  - 16.10 mA at +8 dBm TX power
  - 6.10 mA at 0 dBm TX power
  - 5.96 mA in RX at 1 Mbps
Digital interfaces
- USB 2.0 High speed
- 3 x SPI master/slave, 2 x TWI master/slave, 2 x UART, 4 x PWM
- I²S, PDM, QDEC
Analog interfaces – 12-bit 200 ksps ADC, GP and LP comparators
Peripherals – 5 x 32-bit` timer/counter, 3x 24 real-time counter, 20x PPI channels, 4x GPIOTE (GPIO tasks and events) channels, temperature sensor, watchdog timer, RNG
Oscillators – 64 MHz from 32 MHz external crystal or internal 32 kHz from crystal, RC or synthesized
Hardware security – 128-bit AES CCM, ECB, AAR
Power Supply – Voltage supply – 1.7 to 5.5 V; LDO and DC/DC
System current consumption DC/DC at 3 V
- 0.6 μA in System OFF, no RAM retention
- 1.3 μA in System OFF, full RAM retention
- 1.1 μA in System ON, no RAM retention
- 1.8 μA in System ON, full RAM retention
- 2.4 μA in System ON, full RAM retention and RTC
Package – 7×7 mm aQFN 73 with 42 GPIOs; 5×5 mm QFN40 with 18 GPIOs; 3.2×3.2 mm WLCSP with 42 GPIOs
Temperature Range – -40°C to 105°C

nRF52833 is supported by the nRF5 SDK, nRF5 SDK for Mesh and nRF5 SDK for Thread & Zigbee. The provided SDKs come with code samples, libraries and drivers to get started with Bluetooth LE, Bluetooth mesh, Thread or Zigbee development. A Bluetooth 5.1 qualified protocol stack is also supported via either the S113 or S140 SoftDevices with the latter offering high throughput with 2 Mbps transfer, Bluetooth Long Range, and improved coexistence with Channel Selection Algorithm #2.

Based on the specs and supported, nRF52833 looks more like an evolution of nRF52840 than an upgrade from nRF52832 since the latter does not support Bluetooth long-range, and does not offer a USB interface, nor 802.15.4 connectivity. nRF52833 does, however, have significantly less memory and storage than nRF52840 (128KB/256KB vs 256KB/1024KB).

The chart above also brings me to nRF52811 with Bluetooth 5.1 support that we missed when it was released last February.

Typical applications for nRF52833 include professional lighting,asset tracking, way-finding. multiprotocol devices, mesh networks, advanced wearables, Smart home, HID/Gaming/VR toys, as well as sports and fitness.

nRF52833-DK Development Kit

The company also introduce nRF52833-DK development for Bluetooth Low Energy, Bluetooth mesh, Thread, and Zigbee application developments on the new WiSoC with the following highlights:

WiSoC – Nordic nRF52833
Antennas
- Integrated 2.4 GHz PCB antenna
- Connector for external NFC antenna (included)
Expansion
- Arduino Rev3 compatible connector for use with 3rd party shields
- All I/Os and interfaces available via connectors
Debugging
- Segger J-Link OB programming/debugging supported
- Support for programming/debugging of external boards
- USB interface direct to nRF52833 SoC
- USB interface to power and program/debug
- SWF connector for direct RF measurements
- Pins for power consumption measurements
Misc – 4 x user-programmable buttons, 4 x user-programmable LEDs, CR2032 coin-cell battery holder
Power Supply – 1.7-5.5 V supplied from battery, USB or external VDD

You’ll find everything needed to get started on Nordic Semi Website.

Third-party Solutions

Some manufacturers have already announced hardware based on nRF52833 SoC including Raytac with their nRF52833 modules part of MDBT50Q Series and available with chip antenna, PCB antenna or u.FL connector.

Quuppa Ecosystem will be using nRF52833 has part of their real-time locating system, while Xicato plans to leverage the extended temperature range and Bluetooth mesh support for their lighting systems and smart buildings solutions.

Availability & Pricing

nRF52833 engineering samples are available now with volume production scheduled before the end of the year. The chip is available for around $3.4 per unit for 3K orders, and nRF52833-DK for around $50.

Further details may be available in the respective products pages for the wireless MCU and development kit.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.