Raspberry Pi 5 gets 5G Modem HAT based on Quectel RM502Q-AE M.2 module

Sixfab 5G Modem Kit for Raspberry Pi 5

Sixfab has just launched a 5G Modem Kit for Raspberry Pi 5 with a Raspberry Pi HAT that takes Quectel RM502Q-AE 5G Sub-6GHz M.2 module working globally (except China), a “patent-pending” internal antenna for Sub-6 frequency bands designed by SixFab, and a USB 3.0 bridge connector. SixFab 5G modem Kit for Raspberry Pi 5 highlights: Sixfab 5G Modem HAT for Raspberry Pi 5 M.2 socket for 5G module Nano SIM card holder + embedded SIM USB 3.0 port and 40-pin GPIO header for connection to the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC Misc User button Status, power, and user (GPIO21) LEDs EEPROM for Raspberry Pi HAT compliance 2-pin fan connector Power Supply – 5V via USB Type-C port (on HAT itself) Dimensions – 88.1 x 57.7 x 21.7 mm Approvals – FCC, IC, CE, UKCA are in progress Quectel RM502Q-AE M.2 module 5G NR: 3GPP Release 15 NSA/SA operation, Sub-6 GHz LTE […]

Quectel SG560D 5G & WiFi 6E module runs Android 12, targets AIoT applications

Quectel SG560D 5G Android 12 AIoT module

Quectel SG560D is a 5G Sub-6GHz & WiFi 6E module for AIoT applications that runs Android 12 on a Qualcomm QCM6490 SoC with an octa-core Kryo 670 64-bit Arm CPU and a Qualcomm Adreno 643L GPU. The SG560D module is equipped with 4GB LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB UFS storage by default, supports up to 2520×1080 MIPI display at a refresh rate of 144Hz, and can deliver up to 14 TOPS for AI inference. Quectel SG560D key features and specifications: SoC – Qualcomm QCM6490 octa-core processor with one Kryo 670 Gold plus high-performance core up to 2.7 GHz, 3x Kryo Gold cores at 2.4 GHz, 4x Kryo Silver low-power cores @ 1.9 GHz, Adreno 643L GPU, 6th gen AI Engine delivering up to 14 TOPS, up to 4Kp30 H.265/H.264 video encode, 4Kp60 video decode; 6nm process. System Memory – 4GB LPDDR4X by default Storage – 64GB UFS flash by default Display […]

Antmicro releases open-source hardware Snapdragon 845 baseboard designed with KiCad

open-source hardware snapdragon 845 baseboard

Antmicro team has released an open-source hardware baseboard for Quectel SA800U-WF System-on-Module powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 octa-core processor, which they designed with KiCad open-source EDA tool. The baseboard supports NVMe storage and offers Micro HDMI and MIPI DSI video interfaces, Gigabit Ethernet with PoE support, USB 3.1 Type-C interfaces, and other I/Os, plus three separate power inputs. The company expects the design to serve as a starting point for building portable smart assistants, kiosks, VR/AR or smart screens, and more. Antmicro Snapdragon 845 baseboard specifications: Supported system-on-module – Quectel SA800U-WF with: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 octa-core Kryo 385 processor (4x Cortex A75 cores + 4x Cortex-A55 cores), Adreno 630 GPU, Hexagon 685 DSP, 4K H.265/H.264 video decoding and encoding System Memory – 4 GB LPDDR4X Storage – 64 GB UFS storage 802.11b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi 5 2×2 MIMO and Bluetooth 5.0 module Board-to-board connector for connection to baseboard Dimensions – […]

Qualcomm 315 5G IoT modem announced for 5G IIoT applications

Qualcomm 5G IoT modem

Qualcomm has announced the Qualcomm 315 5G IoT modem just a couple of days after the company’s introduction of Snapdragon 778G 5G SoC and M.2 5G card reference designs based on Snapdragon X65/62 modem. Qualcomm Technologies say it is their first purpose-built Internet of Things modem solution equipped with 5G connectivity and optimized for Industrial IoT (IIoT) applications. Qualcomm 315 5G IoT modem Qualcomm 315 5G IoT modem specifications: CPU – Cortex-A7 core running Linux Cellular connectivity 5G Technology – 3GPP Rel.15 5G NR Peak speeds – Download: 1.54 Gbps; upload: 330 Mbps Modes – SA (standalone), TDD & FDD RF – Adaptive antenna tuning, power tracking Sub-6 GHz Specs – 100 MHz bandwidth, 4×4 MIMO DL, 64 QAM DL/UL 4G LTE Technology – Rel.15 Cat.13 DL, Cat.5 UL Peak speeds – Download: 400 Mbps; upload: 75 Mbps LTE Modes – TDD & FDD LTE RF – 700 MHz to […]

Energy Harvesting Makes Energy Autonomous NB-IoT V2 Platform Maintenance Free

Energy Autonomous NB-IoT V2

LPWAN wireless protocols like LoRaWAN, Sigfox, and NB-IoT enable long-range transfers of small amounts of data at very low power for a battery life of up to 10 years. But there’s still a need to replace the battery from time to time increasing maintenance costs. HiSilicon and Nowi have partnered to design and launch the Energy Autonomous NB-IoT V2 Platform, a sensor hub that can transmit via NB-IoT without the need to change or recharge batteries manually through its energy harvesting capabilities. Energy Autonomous NB-IoT V2 Platform key features and specifications: LPWAN module – Quectel BC95 module based on HiSilicon Hi2115 NB-IoT chip Max transmissions per day Up to 3 transmissions per day in indoor conditions Up to 6 transmissions per day in outdoor conditions Power Management Nowi NH2 (MH2D02564) energy harvesting power management IC Can operate with a range of photovoltaic (multiple) cells Dimensions – 5.5 x 3.5cm The […]

Quectel FG50X and AF50T WiFI 6 Modules Target Consumer, Industrial & Automotive Applications

Quectel WiFi 6 module

The new 802.11ax standard (WiFi 6) used to be mostly found in premium smartphones, laptops, and routers, but now WiFi 6 is starting to gain more traction as we’re seeing WiFi 6 modules designed for other applications such as u-Blox JODY-W6 WiFI 6 + Bluetooth 5.1 module designed specifically for automotive applications. Quectel has now announced its own WiFi 6 modules with FG50X industrial-grade WiFi 6 module based on Qualcomm FastConnect 6800, as well as AF50T automotive-grade module powered by Qualcomm QCA6696 802.11ax chip. The former will be found in premium consumer & industrial products such as smart homes, smart TVs, over-the-top (OTT) devices, industrial controls, and customer premises equipment (CPE), while the latter will power “the Internet of Vehicles” applications such as  in-vehicle infotainment and on-board diagnosis (OBD). Both also happen to support Bluetooth 5.1. Shared features: 802.11 ax WiFI 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity, backward compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac […]

Arduino Support for Quectel BC66 NB-IoT Module

Quectel has several LTE IoT modules such as BG96 with NB-IoT + eMTC connectivity, but the company has also a smaller, cheaper NB-IoT only module called Quectel BC66, and Georgi Angelov (Wiz-IO) informed me he implemented Arduino support for the module with BC66-DVK board. Let’s first have a look at BC66 specifications: Frequency Bands Available now – B1/B3/B5/B8/B20 Under development – B2/B12/B13/B17/B18/B19/B25/B26/B28/B66 Output Power – 23dBm ±2dB Sensitivity – -129dBm Data Data Rate Single-Tone: 25.5kbps (DL)/16.7kbps (UL) Multi-Tone: 25.5kbps (DL)/62.5kbps (UL) Protocol Stacks – UDP/TCP/CoAP/LwM2M/SNTP/MQTT/PPP/TLS/DTLS/HTTP/HTTPS/FTP SMS – Text/PDU Mode Interfaces – 1x USIM, 1x  PSM _EINT, 3x UARTm 1x ADC, 1x RESET, 1x PWRKEY, 1x NETLIGHT, 1x antenna, 1x SPI, “OpenCPU” version only: 1x I2C, 1x I2S, and configurable GPIO Supply Voltage – 2.1 to 3.63V (3.3 typ.); I/O: 1.8V Power Consumption (Typ.) 3.5μA @PSM 0.29mA @Idle Mode (eDRX=81.92s) 0.43mA @Idle Mode (DRX=2.56s) 110mA @LTE Cat NB1, 23dBm Dimensions – […]

Avnet Silica NB-IoT Sensor Shield Works with mbed OS 5, STM32 Nucleo Board

If for some reasons, none of the many NB-IoT boards launched recently suit your needs, there’s yet another option with Avnet Silica NB-IoT sensor shield, that supports – despite the name – also supports LTE Cat M1 (eMTC) beside NB-IoT (LTE Cat NB1), and comes with Arduino headers, as well as a Pmod connector. The board relies on Quectel BG96 module, and can be controlled with Arm mbed OS 5 when connected to STM32 Nucleo board. NB-IoT Sensor Shield specifications: Cellular Module – Quectel BG96 LPWA Module Multi Modes: Cat.M1, Cat.NB1, EGPRS Global bands Cat M1/NB1: B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B8 B12 B13 B18 B19 B20 B26 B28 B39 (B39 for Cat M1 only) EGPRS: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz Voice Over LTE support (M1 only) – PCM digital audio interface SIM card holder (also optional embedded SIM) Optional GNSS – GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou/Compass, Galileo, QZSS Expansion – Arduino headers, Pmod connector […]

EDATEC Raspberry Pi 5 fanless case