Bluetooth 5.1/Bluetooth LE modules enable OEMs to develop IoT product designs with Direction Finding and Long Range capability

Nordic Semiconductor today announces that Tangshan, China-based Tangshan Hongjia Electronic Technology Co., Ltd, has selected Nordic’s nRF52832 Bluetooth® Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) System-on-Chip (SoC) and nRF52811 SoC supporting Bluetooth 5.1 Direction Finding, to power its ‘HJ-380’ and ‘HJ-180’ compact modules.

The HJ-380 module comes in a small 5.5 by 6mm form factor and is powered by Nordic’s nRF52832 multiprotocol SoC, which features a powerful 64MHz, 32-bit Arm® Cortex® M4 processor, 2.4GHz radio featuring -96-dBm RX sensitivity and a total link budget of >100dBm, and generous 512kB Flash memory plus 64kB RAM. The module is a good choice for complex wireless applications. The HJ-180 module comes in an ultra compact 5 by 5.5mm form factor and is powered by Nordic’s nRF52811 SoC. The SoC is the first product in Nordic’s low power wireless range to support Bluetooth 5.1 Direction Finding, which brings precise positioning capability to the high throughput, long range, and enhanced coexistence capabilities of Bluetooth 5. The module is suitable for complex wireless applications such as those requiring direction finding and long range. 

Both the HJ-380 and HJ-180 modules feature a built-in antenna, inductor, and RF matching circuits, and operate in low power DC/DC mode to minimize current consumption. The modules are designed for beacons, proximity, health and fitness, medical, and smart lock applications.

 

Nordic’s nRF52811 multiprotocol SoC combines a 64MHz, 32-bit Arm Cortex M4 processor, with a 2.4GHz multiprotocol radio (supporting Bluetooth 5.1 Direction Finding, Bluetooth 5, Thread, Zigbee, IEEE 802.15.4, and proprietary 2.4GHz RF protocol software) featuring 4 dBm output power with -97 dBm sensitivity (at 1 Mbps in Bluetooth 5 mode), and 192 kB Flash memory plus 24 kB RAM. 

 

“The broad range of solutions in Nordic’s nRF52 Series ensures our customers can choose a suitable module based on their requirements,” says Liu Jiahang, CTO, Tangshan Hongjia. “The stability and versatility of Nordic’s SoftDevices, and the power consumption performance of the SoCs are also excellent in the industry.

 

“Nordic’s DevZone also provides a fantastic platform for developers to exchange development experience, and our support requirements can be satisfied by Nordic quickly, which gives us the confidence to make a good product.”

 

“Tangshan Hongjia is not only one of the largest and fastest growing module makers in North China, but also at the forefront of integration and miniaturization,” says Bjørn Åge (Bob) Brandal, Director of Sales & Marketing – APAC at Nordic Semiconductor. “The company’s highly integrated modules implement complete Bluetooth LE Systems-in-Package not much bigger than a normal Bluetooth chip. Nordic Semiconductor is delighted to be working with a company with such capabilities and on such an aggressive growth path. We look forward to collaborating closely into the future.”