NINA-B4 series - System integration manual
UBX-19052230 - R06
Functional description
Page 5 of 45
C1-Public
1
Functional description
1.1
Overview
The NINA-B4 series is comprised of small, standalone Bluetooth low energy wireless modules
featuring full Bluetooth 5.1.
Based on the Nordic Semiconductor nRF52833 chip that includes an integrated RF core and powerful
Arm® Cortex®-M4 processor with FPU, NINA-B4 modules include the S140 SoftDevice radio stack
that operates as a Bluetooth 5.1 low energy central and peripheral protocol stack solution – as well as
in Thread, Zigbee 802.15.4, and Nordic proprietary modes (NINA-B40 only).
For a flexible and innovative approach to application design, two conceptually different architecture
solutions are available: u-connectXpress (B41) or open cpu (B40). End-user products based on either
architecture are developed on pre-certified u-blox reference designs that are qualified with the
regional regulatory bodies for your chosen product markets. This approach to application
development provides good opportunity for less compliance testing, lower development cost, and
reduced time to market.
With an operational temperature range that spans from -40 up to +105°C, NINA-B4 modules are ideal
for harsh industrial or lighting applications that must operate at high ambient temperatures. NINA-
B41 also caters towards applications in smart buildings, smart cities, industrial automation systems,
sensor networks and asset tracking solutions.
Featuring Angle of Arrival (AoA) and Angle of Departure (AoD) transceivers, the NINA-B40 series
supports the Bluetooth 5.1 Direction Finding service. The service can be used for indoor positioning,
wayfinding, and asset tracking.
NINA-B4 modules integrates internal power management circuitry requiring only a single supply
voltage in the range of 1.7 – 3.6 V. The broad supply range also makes the modules particularly useful
in battery powered systems.
With the same pinout, physical size, and mechanical design of NINA-B3 modules, NINA-B4 offers a
natural upgrade path for existing NINA applications.
Table 1 describes the various models in the NINA-B40 series.
Model
Description
NINA-B400
Bluetooth 5.1 module that includes a powerful Arm® Cortex®-M4 with FPU and delivers state-of-the-art
power performance. All NINA-B40 variants are open CPU modules that enable customer applications to
run on the built-in Arm® Cortex®-M4 with FPU. With 512 kB flash and 128 kB RAM, these modules offer
respectable capacity for customer applications on top of the Bluetooth Low Energy stack.
NINA-B400 has a U.FL connector for use with an external antenna.
NINA-B401
Bluetooth 5.1 module that includes a powerful Arm® Cortex®-M4 with FPU and delivers state-of-the-art
power performance. All NINA-B40 variants are open CPU modules that enable customer applications to
run on the built-in Arm® Cortex®-M4 with FPU. With 512 kB flash and 128 kB RAM, these modules offer
respectable capacity for customer applications on top of the Bluetooth Low Energy stack.
NINA-B401 has an RF pin for use with an external antenna.
NINA-B406
Bluetooth 5.1 module that includes a powerful Arm® Cortex®-M4 with FPU and delivers state-of-the-art
power performance. All NINA-B40 variants are open CPU modules that enable customer applications to
run on the built-in Arm® Cortex®-M4 with FPU. With 512 kB flash and 128 kB RAM, these modules offer
respectable capacity for customer applications on top of the Bluetooth Low Energy stack. NINA-B406 has
an internal PCB trace antenna with an extensive range. The antenna is specifically designed for embedded
devices.
Table 1: NINA-B40 series
