NORA-B1 series - System integration manual
UBX-20027617 - R02
Design-in
Page 21 of 58
C1-Public
4
Design-in
4.1
Overview
For optimal integration of NORA-B1 in the final application board, the design guidelines described in
this chapter are recommended. Every application circuit must be properly designed to guarantee the
correct functionality of the related interface, and the following topics require attention during the
design of the application device.
1.
Module antenna connection:
ANT
pad.
The antenna circuit affects the RF compliance of devices integrating NORA-B101 with the applicable
certification schemes. Follow the design layout recommendations provided in appendix B.
2.
Module supply:
VDDH
,
VDD
, and
GND
pins.
The supply circuit affects the performance of devices integrating NORA-B1 series modules. Follow
the PCB design layout recommendations provided in in section 4.4 .
3.
Analog signals:
GPIO
Analog signals are sensitive to noise and should be routed away from high frequency signals.
4.
High speed interfaces:
I2C
,
I2S
,
SPI
,
QSPI
,
UART
and
USB
pins.
High speed interfaces can be a source of radiated noise that can affect compliance with regulatory
standards for radiated emissions. Follow the schematic and layout design recommendations in
sections 4.8 and 0.
5.
System functions:
nRESET
,
SWD
, GPIO and other System input and output pins.
Accurate design is necessary to guarantee that the voltage level is well defined during module boot.
6.
Other pins:
Good design practices are required to guarantee proper functionality.
4.2
Design for NORA family
NORA-B1 is based on the Nordic Semiconductor nRF5340 BLE system on chip. The 10.4 mm x
14.3 mm footprint is common to all NORA-B1 series modules. Future module variants may contain a
subset of the NORA footprint to accommodate space-constrained designs.
4.3
Antenna interface
To optimize the radiated performance of the final product, the selection and placement of both the
module and antenna must be chosen with due regard to the mechanical structure and electrical
design of the end-product. To avoid later redesigns, it is important to decide the positioning of these
components at an early phase of the end-product design. Carefully consider the placement of the
embedded antenna in NORA-B106, or an external antenna (connected through SMD assembly or RF
connector) in NORA-B100 and NORA-B101.
Choose a module variant that supports an external antenna if the product includes a metal product
enclosure.
•
NORA-B100
modules include a U.FL connector for connecting an external antenna. Some
antennas connect
directly
to the U.FL, while others connect through a short U.FL or reversed
polarity SMA adapter cable.
o
Antennas with SMD connections, either reverse-polarity SMA connectors or U.FL connectors,
must be radio tested and verified against regulatory FCC, IC, RED, and MIC standards.
