MicroMod nRF52840 Processor Hookup Guide
El Duderino, MAKIN-STUFF Introduction
The MicroMod nRF52840 Processor offers a powerful SoC (system on chip) combination of ARM Cortex-M4 CPU and 2.4 GHz Bluetooth transceiver in the MicroMod form-factor so you can easily plug it in to the Carrier Board of your choice. The specific nRF module on this Processor board features an integrated PCB antenna for the Bluetooth transceiver.
The nRF52840 module includes a BT 5.1 stack and supports Bluetooth 5, Bluetooth mesh, IEEE 802.15.4 (Zigbee & Thread) and 2.4GHz RF wireless protocols (including Nordic's proprietary RF protocol) allowing you to pick which option works best for your application.
On top of the processing power and Bluetooth capability of the nRF52840, this board features two I2C buses, 2 SPI buses, eleven GPIO, dedicated digital, analog, and PWM pins along with multiple serial UARTs to cover all your peripheral needs.
Required Materials
You'll need a Carrier Board to plug your nRF52840 Processor into. SparkFun offers a variety of MicroMod Carrier Boards to fit your project. Below you can see a few options:
You'll also need a USB-C cable to connect the Carrier Board to your computer and if you want to add some Qwiic breakouts to your MicroMod project you'll want at least one Qwiic cable to connect it all together. Below are some options for both of those cables:
Depending on which Carrier Board you choose, you may need a few extra peripherals to take full advantage of them. Refer to your Carrier Board's Hookup Guide for specific peripheral recommendations.
Suggested Reading
The SparkFun MicroMod ecosystem offers a unique way to allow users to customize their project to their needs. Do you want to communicate with your MicroMod circuit via a wireless signal (e.g. Bluetooth or WiFi)? There's a MicroMod Processor for that. Looking to instead maximize efficiency and processing power? You guessed it, there's a MicroMod Processor for that. If you are not familiar with the MicroMod ecosystem, take a look here:
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| MicroMod Ecosystem |
We also recommend reading through the following tutorials if you are not familiar with the concepts covered in them: