Bluetooth SoCs delivers ultra-low power with NFC option

By Gina Roos, editor-in-chief

NXP Semiconductors N.V. has launched its QN9090 and QN9030 Bluetooth 5 system-on-chips (SoCs) with hardware-compatible options for 802.15.4, Multiprotocol RF, and optional NFC technology. Designed for intelligent connected devices, the latest additions to NXP’s QN series of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices offer ultra-low power consumption and integrate a high-capacity CPU with a wide operating temperature range, a variety of analog and digital peripherals, and BLE mesh support.

The QN9090 and QN9030 devices are powered by an Arm Cortex-M4 running at 48 MHz and include up to 640 kB on-board flash and 152-kB SRAM, enabling complex applications and safe over-the-air (OTA) updates.

In addition, the BLE SoC with NFC integrated on-chip, the QN9090T and QN9030T variants, support out-of-band wireless communications for a variety of use cases. This integration simplifies the pairing process and eliminates the need for the NFC tag to be powered. These devices also open up opportunities for diagnostics or device commissioning. Applications range from personal health-care devices, sports and fitness trackers, and toys and gaming peripherals to connected appliances, building and home automation, and beacons and mesh networks.

Key features include:

• Ultra-low-power solution for Bluetooth and battery-operated applications, featuring 4.3-mA Rx current and 7.3-mA Tx current @ +0 dBm
• CPU with large and scalable embedded flash memory and SRAM: 48-MHz Arm Cortext-M4, 640 kB of embedded flash and 152 kB of SRAM
• Advanced integration with peripherals including NFC NTAG
• Rich set of MCU capabilities, including various low-power modes, digital MIC interface with wake-up on audio event, and quad SPI NOR flash memory controller for high density data or code storage
• Standardized connectivity: 2.4-GHz Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0 transceiver supporting 2 Mbits/s and up to eight concurrent Bluetooth connections with antenna diversity support
• Integrated power amplifiers with high transmit power (up to +11 dBm) to make long-distance transmission possible
• Wide temperature range of -40°C to 125°C

The QN9090 and QN9030 devices are available now from NXP and its distribution partners. The NXP MCUXpresso SDK for QN is compatible with the latest toolchains from IAR and NXP’s MCUXpresso IDE. The full MCUXpresso Suite of software also provides a fast path to add BLE capability to an existing design on other NXP devices. Other tools include the NXP IoT Toolbox smart device application and NXP Connectivity Tool and Test Tool.