CIE Components in Electronics
Solid State Supplies has introduced the BLE121LR extended-range Bluetooth Smart module from Bluegiga, which enables customers to develop low-energy applications capable of communicating over distances of up to 450 metres, benefiting from the easy interoperability of Bluetooth Smart.
The compact new module measures just 13.0 x 14.7 x 1.8 mm with its integrated antenna, and can be powered from a single 3V coin cell. Bluegiga’s RF design skills enable the BLE121LR radio to communicate reliably over long distances with receiver sensitivity of -98dBm and transmit power of 8dBm, which is within the 10dBm maximum specified by Bluetooth Smart.
In addition to the Bluetooth radio, the BLE121LR integrates a microcontroller capable of hosting end-user applications, a Bluetooth Smart software stack, and GATT-based profiles. This allows the BLE121LR to be used without an external microcontroller in applications where size, cost or power consumption are limited. The module has built-in Flash memory, which can be used to store application data and settings, and also allows field upgradeability.
Flexible hardware interfaces including SPI and I2C interfaces, a UART, and 16 GPIOs enable the BLE121LR to connect to a wide variety of external peripherals or sensors. Up to four PWM channels, seven 12-bit ADC channels, and a UART host interface with flow control are also provided.
As with Bluegiga’s BLE112, BLE113 and BLED112, the BLE121LR implements Bluegiga’s Bluetooth Smart Software Development Kit (SDK) in addition to the Bluetooth Smart stack. This provides users with a full-featured application development environment for on-board and off-module application operation.
The BLE121LR comes with international certifications, including approval for the Bluetooth controller subsystem, CE mark, FCC part 15 and Industry Canada modular qualifications, and KCC and MIC certifications applicable in Korea and Japan.
