Nordic Semiconductor nRF51822 2.4 GHz SoC

Nordic Semiconductor has produced a lower cost variant of its nRF51822 Bluetooth low energy and proprietary 2.4 GHz SoC (system-on-chip) that will offer an identical feature, peripherals and performance set but half the flash memory at 128 KB and be based on the same nRF51 Series technology platform.

It will offer the same multiprotocol radio and a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M0-based processor optimised for ultralow-power wireless applications and deliver -92.5 dB RX sensitivity in Bluetooth low energy mode; up to +4 dBm output power in all modes; up to 9.5 dBm improvement in link budget compared to previous generations of Nordic chips, and sub-10 mA peak currents running off a 3 V coin cell battery.

The nRF51822 (128 KB) also offers pin-to-pin compatibility with the existing nRF51822 (256 KB) and so could serve as a drop-in replacement for any existing nRF51822-based designs that could operate with half the flash memory, allowing smooth and seamless migration without any engineering risk or re-qualification requirements with relevant regulatory bodies such as the FCC and EU.