Laird’s new BL652 Bluetooth and NFC module for rapid enterprise IoT development from Alpha Micro has BT v4.2 support
Alpha Micro Components has begun distributing a new secure, certified Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) v4.2 and Near Field Communication (NFC) module, the Laird BL652.
The module is said to be compact, energy-efficient and powerful. It offers multiple interfaces and, says Alpha Micro, an easy-to-use application development environment for easy integration of secure connectivity into Enterprise Internet of Things (EioT) devices without impacting power budgets or space limitations.
The BL652 already features hardware ready to add the speed and range increases promised by Bluetooth 5, pending the ratification of the BT5 specification.
“The BL652 series offers the most complete solution for anyone adding Bluetooth Low Energy and NFC support to EioT devices, from development, to integration, to future support – including upcoming support for Bluetooth 5, when the BT 5 specification is published,” said Tim Bonnett, director at Alpha Micro Components.
Modules in the BL652 series are based around the Nordic nRF52, a system on a chip design with a Cortex-M4F processor at its heart. This is a Bluetooth Low Energy core that allows host-free operation, avoiding any significant drain on system processing resources.
It is designed for low-power, maintenance-free applications, such as EIoT devices in industrial or commercial applications, medical devices, sensors, and beacons. The module is ready for any environment with an industrial temperature rating from -40 up to 85° C.
Tim Bonnett, director at Alpha Micro Components
Developers and integrators adding the BL652 to a project can enjoy working with Laird’s tried-and-tested smartBASIC programming language or with Nordic’s native nRF52 Software Development Kit (SDK) for total control.
Laird’s smartBASIC environment, that includes an actively expanding library of application scripts, provides powerful features for most applications while remaining easy-to-use, even for first-time Bluetooth Low Energy developers. To help reduce development time, applications for other modules in the BL600 series can be seamlessly ported to the BL652.
Total package for embedded wireless integration Engineers and designers working with the BL652 have a total package that accelerates RF design and certification, by offering them extensive support for hardware standards, a versatile core, and a strong development environment that includes a fully featured development kit with Arduino shield connectors and support for multiple external sensors.
In fact, there’s support for a huge range of configurable interfaces, including UART, I2C, GPIO, SPI, ADC, PWM, and FREQ, as well as NFC. There are also options for either an on-module antenna or an external antenna via an IPEX MHF4 connector.
In addition, provision for modular CE, FCC, IC, MIC and Bluetooth SIG approvals that cover multiple antenna listings can help speed time to production by allowing adaptation and extension of existing designs without requiring additional testing.
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