Quectel is better known for its GNSS, 4G LTE, and 5G cellular IoT modules, but the KCMA32S offers Zigbee 3.0 and BLE 5.3 short-range connectivity through a Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 (MG21 for short) Cortex-M33 wireless SoC.
The module comes with up to 96KB SRAM and 1024KB flash through the MG21 SoC, and is offered in an LCC + LGA form factor (20 x 12 x 2.2mm) exposing up to 20 GPIO, I2C, UART, SPI, and I2S to the host board. Target applications include smart lighting, smart buildings, and smart home wireless networks.
Quectel KCMA32S specifications:
- SoC – Silicon Labs EFR32MG21
- CPU – Arm Cortex-M33 up to 80 MHz
- Memory – 64KB or 96 KB SRAM
- Storage – 768 KB or 1024 KB
- Wireless
- Zigbee 3.0 (IEEE 802.15.4)
- Bluetooth LE (BLE) 5.3
- Encryption Mode- AES128/256, SHA-1, SHA-2 (up to 256 bits), ECC (up to 256 bits), ECDSA (up to 256 bits), ECDH, J-Pak, TRNG, secure boot
- Operating Mode – Zigbee, BLE 5.3, BLE mesh, multi-protocol coexistence
- RF Performance
- Receiver Sensitivity
- Zigbee 3.0
- 250 kbps: -103.5 dBm ±2 dB
- 1 Mbps: -97.1 dBm ±2 dB
- 2 Mbps: -94.0 dBm ±2 dB
- Bluetooth LE
- 125 kbps: -105.0 dBm ±2 dB
- 500 kbps: -100.5 dBm ±2 dB
- Zigbee 3.0
- Transmit Power – Up to 20dBm
- Receiver Sensitivity
- Antenna – PCB antenna, RF coaxial connector, or pin antenna interface
- Interfaces – I2C, UART, SPI, I2S, etc.
- Supply Voltage – 1.71 to 3.8V (Typ. 3.3V)
- Dimensions – 20.0 x 12.0 x 2.2 mm
- Temperature Range – Operating: -40°C to +85°C; storage: -45°C to +95°C
- Certifications – CE, FCC, IC (Canada), SRRC (China), RCM (Australia/New Zealand)
The module is supported by the Silicon Labs Gecko SDK (GSDK) and the Simplicity Studio 5 IDE. The company also offers KCMA32S development boards for debugging, each with one of the four SKUs available:
- KCMA32SAATB-0P – With KCMA32SAAMD-0P module with 768 KB flash, 64 KB SRAM, PCB antenna,
- KCMA32SABTB-1X – With KCMA32SABMD-1X module with 768 KB flash, 64 KB SRAM, RF coaxial connector
- KCMA32SABTB-0P – With KCMA32SABMD-0P module with 1024 KB flash, 96 KB SRAM, PCB antenna
- KCMA32SABTB-1X – With KCMA32SABMD-1X module with 1024 KB flash, 96 KB SRAM, RF coaxial connector
Quectel has not provided pricing and availability information for the KCMA32S module, and the product page only has limited information and a short datasheet. I could only find a photo of the development board on a Polish distributor (Soyter) where you can inquire about the price for the modules and boards. A few more details may also be found in the press release.
Thanks to TLS for the tip.
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.
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