Description
The SparkFun Thing Plus - NORA-W306 is a Feather form-factor development board equipped with the u-blox NORA-W306 module. The module contains a Realtek RTL8720DF, which has an integrated single-chip low-power dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wireless LAN (WLAN) and Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE 5.3) communication microcontroller. It also consists of a dual processor core: Arm Cortex-M33 and Cortex-M23. To complement the module's low-power options, we've optimized components and added the ability to depower all subsystems to conserve as much power as possible for remote battery-powered applications.
Why the name? We lovingly call it the “Thing” because it's perfect for your Internet of Things project. The Thing does everything from turning on an LED to posting data with your chosen platform and can be programmed just like any microcontroller. You can even program the Thing through the Arduino IDE by installing the Realtek Arduino core.
The board includes a USB-C connector for programming, data, or power. USB data lines are protected by the ESD protection diodes. These pins are connected to a CP2102N USB-to-serial converter for uploading code or serial. Three general use, reset, and boot buttons are also populated on the board. For those that need to go remote with their application, the board includes a 2-pin JST-style connector and MCP73831 single-cell LiPo charge IC (set to a default rate of 500mA). Not sure how much power you have left on your battery? There's also a MAX17048 single-cell, LiPo fuel gauge populated on the board. Voltage is regulated down for the NORA-W306 with the XC6222 3.3V/700mA voltage regulator.
We've included LEDs for power, charging, and a general-purpose user LED. You will also find a small WS2812-2020 addressable RGB LED. Pins are broken out on the board's edge for 20 GPIO pins (20 interrupts, three 12-bit analog, 12 PWM, two UARTs, two SPI, and one I2C). The board also includes a microSD card socket with a transistor to toggle power for low-power applications. On the back of the board are nine jumpers for the LiPo charge rate, current measurements, LEDs, microSD card power control, USB shielding, and I2C pull-up resistors. Finally, one Qwiic connector is populated on the board to add Qwiic-enabled I2C devices to your projects easily!
So what are you waiting for? Connect the SparkFun Thing Plus - NORA-W306 to the cloud to start grabbing current weather conditions in your area, post sensor data to a server, synchronize your clock to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), turn on lights for home automation, or monitor HVAC systems in smart buildings!
Specification
u-blox NORA-W306 Module
Dual-band Wi-Fi 4 (802.11a/b/g/n)
2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi Frequency Bands
WPA2/WPA3 Authentication
Bluetooth® Low Energy V5.3
2.4GHz Frequency Band
Bluetooth LE secure connection pairing
Built-in PCB antenna
Realtek RTL8720DF Dual Processor Core
200MHz Arm® Cortex®-M33 (Main Core)
20MHz Arm Cortex-M2 (Low Power Core)
Arm TrustZone™ Hardware Encryption
Cryptographic Hardware Accelerator Engine
Secure Boot
Secure Debug Interface
Encrypted 4MB Flash
512kB RAM (Main Core)
64kB RAM (Low Power Core)
Small Form Factor
14.3mm x 10.4mm x 1.9mm
Thing Plus (or Feather) Form-Factor
Breadboard-compatible 0.1" (2.54 mm) pitch headers
Board Dimensions: 0.9" x 2.3" (22.86mm x 58.42mm)
20x Available GPIO
Up to 20x Interrupts
Up to 3x 12-bit ADC
Up to 12x PWM
Up to 2x UARTs
Up to 2x SPI
Up to 1x I2C
Four Mounting Holes
4-40 screw compatible
30x PTHs
1x USB Type C Connector
1x 2-pin JST-style Connector for a LiPo Battery (not included)
1x 2x5 SWD Programming Port Footprint
1x MicroSD Card Socket
1x 4-pin Qwiic Connector
ESD Protected USB Data Pins
CP210X USB-to-Serial Converter
Automatically depowered when USB-C is not connected (Ideal for low-power battery powered applications).
XC6222 3.3V/700mA Voltage Regulator
MCP73831 Single Cell, LiPo Charge IC
Charge Rate Set to 500mA (default)
MAX17048 Single Cell LiPo Fuel Gauge
2.2kΩ I2C Pull-Up Resistors
Buttons
Boot (BOOT)
Reset (RESET)
User (USR IO2)
LEDs
3.3V Power (PWR)
Charger (CHG)
Status (IO18)
RGB Addressable WS2812-2020 (RGB IO14)
Jumpers
Measurement
Power LED
Charge LED
Status LED
3.3V RGB Addressable LED WS2812-2020
Data In RGB Addressable LED WS2812-2020
microSD Card Power Control
LiPo Charge Rate (500mA/100mA)
USB Shielding
I2C Pull-Up Resistors
Weight: 6.60g