Dialog announces BLE module availability

By Gina Roos, editor-in-chief

Dialog Semiconductor plc announced the availability of its fully certified DA14531 SmartBond TINY module . Designed to significantly reduce the cost of adding Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connectivity to IoT systems, the BLE module sets a new industry benchmark for BLE SoC pricing at less than 50 cents, said Dialog. Applications include connected consumer, connected medical, smart homes, and smart appliances.

“The launch of the SmartBond TINY DA14531 SoC in 2019 set a new industry benchmark for BLE SoC pricing, at less than 50 cents,” said Sean McGrath, senior VP, Connectivity and Audio BG, Dialog Semiconductor, in a statement. “The DA14531 module further leverages the capabilities of the SoC, including an integrated antenna and all required components, to add BLE functionality to an IoT system in high volumes at a cost of under $1.

“Not only is this module breaking barriers in terms of cost and power, it is extremely easy for both beginners and experts to use, ensuring that all customers can benefit from its high level of integration and programmable ease of use,” he added.

The BLE module incorporates two unique software features that eliminate the complexity often associated with traditional BLE development. These features are the configurable Dialog Serial Port Service (DSPS) software, which emulates a universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter (UART) serial port over BLE, and Dialog’s new Codeless software that replaces complex code with simple human-readable ASCII commands that can be used to generate customer applications.

In addition, the DSPS removes the need to write Bluetooth software for “BLE Pipe” applications when connecting the module to a host MCU’s serial port, and Codeless uses the industry-standard Hayes AT-style command set to configure and operate the module.

The hand-solderable stamp-type module, measuring 12.5 × 14.5 mm, offers nine GPIOs. All external components, including passives, XTAL, antenna, and flash memory, are integrated into the SmartBond TINY module, reducing design complexity and the bill of materials.

The SmartBond TINY module is fully certified for worldwide operation, with FCC certification for the Americas and CE certification for Europe. Dialog future-proofed the module with a combination of Bluetooth 5.1 compliance and support for over-the-air software updates.

The DA14531 SoC and module are sampling now and are available via Digi-Key.