At only $0.2 USD, Orange Group Microelectronics releases the world's smallest Bluetooth SoC

Shanghai, China, October 26, 2020 - Shanghai InPlay Microelectronics (InPlay) recently launched the world's smallest software-free Bluetooth beacon SoC product IN100 based on its NanoBeaconTM technology. This product is a software-free SoC that will greatly reduce the technical threshold, allowing any developer to easily build their own wireless applications without worrying about learning complex Bluetooth protocol stacks and embedded programming languages. The package size of this SoC is as small as 2.0mm x 2.5mm, making it an ideal solution for implementing next-generation wireless beacons or wireless sensor applications.

IN100 integrates low-power Bluetooth 4.2 technology, supports LE broadcast and private protocol broadcast modes, and is compatible with mainstream iBeacon, Eddystone, WeChat Beacon, etc. Developers only need to configure the predefined ID and broadcast parameters in the one-time programmable (OTP) memory of IN100. As soon as the device is turned on, it will run as a Bluetooth beacon and broadcast with the pre-set ID information.

IN100 also supports various types of sensor interfaces, including analog signals and single-bus digital pulse counting interfaces. Developers can easily connect IN100 to analog or digital sensors, configure sensor thresholds, and once the thresholds are reached, they can wirelessly issue alarms or broadcast raw sensor data information through its Bluetooth beacon operating mode.

Other key features of IN100 include:

- Ultra-low power system design

o Average operating current: 3.5uA @ 3s as broadcast interval

o Average operating current: 1.4uA @ 10s as broadcast interval

o Average operating current: 650nA @1 minute as broadcast interval

- Broadcast data payload can be dynamically configured by an external MCU via the UART interface

- 1-wire bus interface for I/O and space limited applications

- Enhanced security features

- Built-in ultra-low leakage load switch 

- Wide operating voltage range (suitable for all types of batteries)

o 1.1V~3.6V

"As the first chip in the NanoBeaconTM technology family, IN100 brings new solution options to wireless IoT application developers with its excellent RF performance, no software programming required, ultra-low power consumption and ultra-low cost. It will lead the development trend of the next short-range wireless connection technology and expand the application of Bluetooth beacon technology in consumer and industrial IoT by directly or indirectly targeting software developers at all levels." said Wu Qun, co-founder and CEO of Orange Group Microelectronics.

The IN100 SoC is available in DFN8 (2.0mmx2.5mm) and QFN20 (3.0mmx3.0mm) packages. Samples will be available to the first batch of customers in the fourth quarter of 2020, and mass production is expected in the first quarter of 2021.