Nordic launches low-power Bluetooth SoC with direction finding function, bringing more accurate positioning

Nordic Semiconductor has announced that Tangshan Hongjia Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. in Tangshan has chosen Nordic’s nRF52832 Bluetooth® Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) System-on-Chip (SoC) and nRF52811 SoC with Bluetooth 5.1 direction finding to power its HJ-380 and HJ-180 compact modules.

The HJ-380 module is available in a small 5.5mm x 6mm footprint and is powered by Nordic's nRF52832 multiprotocol SoC; the nRF52832 device features a powerful 64MHz, 32-bit Arm® Cortex® M4 processor, a 2.4GHz radio with -96dBm RX sensitivity and total link budget > 100dBm, and ample 512kB Flash and 64kB RAM. The HJ-380 module is ideal for complex wireless applications. The HJ-180 module is available in an ultra-compact 5 mm x 5.5 mm footprint and is powered by Nordic's nRF52811 SoC; the nRF52811 device is the first in Nordic's low-power wireless family to support Bluetooth 5.1 direction finding, bringing precise positioning capabilities to Bluetooth 5's high throughput, long range, and enhanced coexistence capabilities. The HJ-180 module is ideal for complex wireless applications that require direction finding and long range capabilities.

Both the HJ-380 and HJ-180 modules have built-in antennas, inductors, and RF matching circuits, and operate in low-power DC/DC mode to minimize current consumption. These modules are designed for beacon, proximity, health and fitness, medical, and smart lock applications.

Nordic’s nRF52811 multiprotocol SoC combines a 64MHz 32-bit Arm Cortex M4 processor with a 2.4GHz multiprotocol radio (supporting Bluetooth 5.1 direction finding, Bluetooth 5, Thread, Zigbee, IEEE 802.15.4, and proprietary 2.4GHz RF protocol software) with 4dBm output power, -97dBm sensitivity (in Bluetooth 5’s 1Mbps mode), and 192kB flash and 24kB RAM.

“Nordic’s wide range of nRF52 Series solutions ensures that our customers can choose the right module for their needs,” said Liu Jiahang, CTO of Tangshan Hongjia. “Nordic’s protocol stack has great stability and versatility, and these SoCs also have the industry’s outstanding low-power performance.”

He continued: “Nordic’s DevZone also provides a great platform for developers to exchange development experiences, and Nordic’s ability to quickly provide support to meet our requirements gives us the confidence to manufacture a quality product.”

Bjørn Åge (Bob) Brandal, Sales and Marketing Director for Asia Pacific at Nordic Semiconductor, said: “Tangshan Hongjia is not only one of the largest and fastest growing module manufacturers in North China, but is also at the forefront of the industry in terms of integration and miniaturization. The company’s highly integrated modules enable complete low-power Bluetooth system-in-package products that are not much larger than ordinary Bluetooth chips. We are pleased to work with a company with such capabilities and an aggressive growth blueprint. We look forward to close cooperation between the two parties in the future.”