u-blox NORA-B1 Bluetooth module

The NORA-B1 Bluetooth module is the latest member of u-blox’s short-range radio portfolio. Based on Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF5340 Bluetooth Low Energy chipset — which hosts a powerful Arm Cortex M33 dual core MCU — the module is designed to meet the needs of performance-oriented applications in areas such as industrial, medical, and smart building and smart city markets.

Taking advantage of the chipset’s dual core MCU, the module can handle performance-oriented applications and even drive a display without requiring an external host processer. With one low-power-optimised core dedicated to managing network connectivity and a second high-performance core exclusively running the device application, the product enables smooth and uninterrupted operation with minimal processing latency.

The Arm TrustZone offers enhanced security, enabling a trusted execution environment by fully separating secure and non-secure Flash, RAM, peripherals and GPIOs. The module also comes with the Arm CryptoCell-312, which provides hardware-accelerated cryptography and, in combination with the key management unit (KMU), enables a root of trust and secure key storage.

Compact, extensively qualified and globally certified, the module is designed to bring Bluetooth 5.2 to wireless applications, while also supporting ZigBee and Thread. LE audio, which can concurrently stream multiple channels with lower power consumption than existing technology, brings an upgrade to audio data transmission. The NORA footprint, which measures 10.4 x 14.3 x 1.8 mm, is said to provide ease of routing with reduced host board complexity.

The combination of the dual core MCU, enhanced security and Bluetooth 5.2 make the module suitable for a wide range of wireless applications. These include industrial machine control, asset tracking, remote controls and gateways, connected power tools requiring continuous motor control and advanced medical wearables with demanding security requirements. Qualified for an extended temperature range up to 105°C, the product can operate in harsh environments that are common in industrial settings as well as in smart indoor and outdoor lighting.