Boron Datasheet (v008) Functional description OVERVIEW The Boron is a powerful LTE Cat M1 or 2G/3G enabled development kit that supports cellular networks and Bluetooth LE (BLE). It is based on the Nordic nRF52840 and has built-in battery charging circuitry so its easy to connect a Li-Po and deploy your local network in minutes. The Boron is great for connecting existing projects to the Particle Device Cloud where Wi-Fi is missing or unreliable. FEATURES u-blox SARA-R410-02B LTE modem (Boron LTE, BRN404 and BRN402) LTE Cat M1 module with global hardware support (MVNO support for US only) 3GPP Release 13 LTE Cat M1 Cat M1 bands: 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 12, 13, 20, 28 u-blox SARA U201 2G/3G modem (Boron 2G/3G, BRN314 and BRN310) HSPA/GSM with global hardware and SIM support Bands 800/850/900/1900/2100 MHz 3GPP Release 7 Nordic Semiconductor nRF52840 SoC ARM Cortex-M4F 32-bit processor @ 64MHz 1MB flash, 256KB RAM Bluetooth 5: 2 Mbps, 1 Mbps, 500 Kbps, 125 Kbps Supports DSP instructions, HW accelerated Floating Point Unit (FPU) calculations ARM TrustZone CryptoCell-310 Cryptographic and security module Up to +8 dBm TX power (down to -20 dBm in 4 dB steps) NFC-A tag On-board additional 4MB SPI flash 20 mixed signal GPIO (6 x Analog, 8 x PWM), UART, I2C, SPI Micro USB 2.0 full speed (12 Mbps) Integrated Li-Po charging and battery connector JTAG (SWD) Connector RGB status LED Reset and Mode buttons Dual SIM support: Nano 4FF and MFF2 On-board PCB antenna U.FL connector for external antenna Meets the Adafruit Feather specification in dimensions and pinout FCC and PTCRB certified RoHS compliant (lead-free) Interfaces BLOCK DIAGRAM POWER USB PORT The USB port is the easiest way to power up the Boron. Please make sure that the USB port is able to provide at least 500mA. Power from the USB is regulated down to 3.3V by the on board Torex XC9258A step-down regulator. For powering the Boron 2G/3G version, you'll either need a USB port that is able support 2A current, or have the LiPo battery plugged in when powering over USB. This is because the on-board u-blox modem can consumes up to 1.8A peak current when operating in 2G mode. The Boron will intelligently source power from the USB most of the time and keep the battery charged. During peak current requirements, the additional power will be sourced from the battery. This reduces the charge-discharge cycle load on the battery, thus improving its longevity. VUSB PIN The pin is internally connected to the VBUS of the USB port. The nominal output should be around 4.5 to 5 VDC when the device is plugged into the USB port and 0 when not connected to a USB source. You can use this pin to power peripherals that operate at such voltages. Do not exceed the current rating of the USB port, which is nominally rated to 500mA. LiPo If you want to make your projects truly wireless, you can power the device with a single cell LiPo
(3.7V). The Boron has an on board LiPo charger that will charge and power the device when USB source is plugged in, or power the device from the LiPo alone in the absence of the USB. NOTE: Please pay attention to the polarity of the LiPo connector. Not all LiPo batteries follow the same polarity convention!
Li+ PIN This pin is internally connected to the positive terminal of the LiPo connector. You can connect a single cell LiPo/Lithium Ion or a DC supply source to this pin for powering the Boron. Remember that the input voltage range on this pin is 3.6 to 4.2 VDC. For the Boron 2G/3G version, make sure that the external DC supply is able to support 2A peak current requirements. 3V3 PIN This pin is the output of the on board 3.3V step-down switching regulator (Torex XC9258A). The regulator is rated at 1000mA max. When using this pin to power other devices or peripherals remember to budget in the current requirement of the Boron first. Unlike the Photon, this pin CANNOT be used to power the Boron. EN PIN The EN pin is not a power pin, per se, but it controls the 3V3 and cellular modem power via a load switch (XC8107, U2). The EN pin is pulled high by a 100K resistor to PMIC_SYS (3.8V), which is powered by VUSB, the micro USB connector, or the LiPo battery. Because the pull-up can result in voltages above 3.3V you should never directly connect EN to a 3.3V GPIO pin. Instead, you should only pull EN low, such as by using an N-channel MOSFET or other open-collector transistor. The EN pin can force the device into a deep power-down state where it uses very little power. It also can used to assure that the device is completely reset, similar to unplugging it, with one caveat:
If using the EN pin to deeply reset the device, you must be careful not to allow leakage current back into the nRF52 MCU by GPIO or by pull-ups to 3V3. If you only power external devices by 3V3 you won't run into this, as 3V3 is de-powered when EN is low. However, if you have circuitry that is powered by a separate, external power supply, you must be careful. An externally powered circuit that drives a nRF52 GPIO high when EN is low can provide enough current to keep the nRF52 from powering down and resetting. Likewise, a pull-up to an external power supply can do the same thing. Be sure that in no circumstances can power by supplied to the nRF52 when 3V3 is de-powered. See the power supply schematic, below, for more information. ANTENNA There are two radios on the Boron. A BLE radio (nRF52840) and a cellular radio (u-blox). For the cellular radio, we have provided a u.FL connector to plug in the cellular antenna. This is required if you wish to use the cellular connectivity. There are two options for the BLE antenna on the Boron. It comes with an on-board PCB antenna which is selected by default in the device OS and a u.FL connector if you wish to connect an external antenna. If you wish to use the external antenna, you'll need to issue an appropriate command in the firmware. FCC APPROVED ANTENNAS BLE The following antenna is optional, as the Boron comes with an on-board chip antenna for BLE. It can be purchased in the Particle online store. Particle Device Frequency Antenna Type Manufacturer MFG. Part # Gain Boron 2400-2500 MHz PCB Antenna Particle ANT-FLXV2 2.0dBi peak It is also possible to use most antennas designed for Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz) as a BLE antenna. In some cases, a u.FL to RP-SMA adapter will be required. If you are building a product using alternative antennas, additional certification may be required. Cellular Particle Device Frequency Antenna Type Manufacturer MFG. Part #
Gain Boron 698-3000 MHz PCB Antenna Taoglas FXUB63.07.0150C 5.00dBi peak PERIPHERALS AND GPIO Peripheral Type Qty Input(I) / Output(O) Digital 20 Analog (ADC) UART SPI I2C USB PWM 6 1 2 1 1 8 I/O I I/O I/O I/O I/O O Note: All GPIOs are only rated at 3.3VDC max. SWD The Boron has a dedicated 10 pin debug connector that exposes the SWD interface of the nRF52840. This interface can be used to debug your code or reprogram your Boron bootloader, device OS, or the user firmware using any standard SWD tools including our Gen 3 Debugger. Memory map NRF52840 FLASH LAYOUT OVERVIEW Bootloader (48KB, @0xF4000) User Application 256KB @ 0xB4000 (Device OS 3.1 and later) 128KB @ 0xD4000 (Device OS 3.0 and earlier) System (656KB, @0x30000) SoftDevice (192KB) EXTERNAL SPI FLASH LAYOUT OVERVIEW (DFU OFFSET: 0X80000000) OTA (1500KB, @0x00289000) Reserved (420KB, @0x00220000) FAC (128KB, @0x00200000) LittleFS (2M, @0x00000000) Pins and button definitions PIN MARKINGS PINOUT DIAGRAM You can download a high resolution PDF version of the pin out here. PIN DESCRIPTION Pin Li+
Description This pin is internally connected to the positive terminal of the LiPo battery connector. VUSB This pin is internally connected to the USB (+ve) supply. 3V3 GND EN RST MD RX TX SDA SCL This pin is the output of the on-board 3.3V regulator. System ground pin. Device enable pin is internally pulled-up. To disable the device, connect this pin to GND. Active-low system reset input. This pin is internally pulled-up. This pin is internally connected to the MODE button. The MODE function is active-low. Primarily used as UART RX, but can also be used as a digital GPIO. Primarily used as UART TX, but can also be used as a digital GPIO. Primarily used as data pin for I2C, but can also be used as a digital GPIO. Primarily used as clock pin for I2C, but can also be used as a digital GPIO. MO,MI,SCK These are the SPI interface pins, but can also be used as a digital GPIO. D2-D8 These are generic GPIO pins. D2-D8 are PWM-able. A0-A5 These are analog input pins that can also act as standard digital GPIO. A0-A5 are PWM-able. LED STATUS System RGB LED For a detailed explanation of different color codes of the RGB system LED, please take a look here. Charge status LED Notes:
State Description ON OFF Charging in progress Charging complete Blink at 1Hz Fault condition[1]
Rapid blinking Battery disconnected[2]
[1] A fault condition can occur due to several reasons, for example, battery over/under voltage, temperature fault or safety timer fault. You can find the root cause by reading the fault register of the power management IC in firmware.
[2] You can stop this behavior by either plugging in the LiPo battery or by disabling charging using firmware command: PMIC().disableCharging(); . Technical specifications ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM RATINGS [1]
Parameter Symbol Min Typ Max Unit Supply Input Voltage Battery Input Voltage VIN-MAX VLiPo
+6.2
+6.5 V V Supply Output Current I3V3-MAX-L 1000 mA Storage Temperature Tstg
-30
+75 C ESD Susceptibility HBM (Human Body Mode) VESD 1 kV
[1] Stresses beyond those listed under absolute maximum ratings may cause permanent damage to the device. These are stress ratings only, and functional operation of the device at these or any other conditions beyond those indicated under recommended operating conditions is not implied. Exposure to absolute-maximum-rated conditions for extended periods may affect device reliability. RECOMMENDED OPERATING CONDITIONS Parameter Symbol Min Typ Max Unit LiPo Battery Voltage Supply Input Voltage Supply Output Voltage Operating Temperature VLiPo
+3.3
+4.4 V3V3 V3V3 Top
+3.0 +3.3 +3.6
+3.3
-20
+60 C V V V Humidity Range Non condensing, relative humidity 95
POWER CONSUMPTION (BORON 2G/3G) Parameter Peak Current, 3G Peak Current, 2G Operating Current (uC on, peripherals and radio disabled) Symbol Min Typ Max Unit ILi+ pk ILi+ pk Iidle 800 mA 1800 mA 3.76 3.77 3.79 mA Operating Current (uC on, cellular on but not connected) Icell_idle 3.84 25.2 901 mA Operating Current (uC on, cellular connecting to tower) Icell_conn_twr 11.6 56.9 579 mA Operating Current (uC on, cellular connecting to cloud) Icell_conn_cloud 22.4 97.9 957 mA Operating Current (uC on, cellular connected but idle) Icell_cloud_idle 15.6 18.7 84.7 mA Operating Current (uC on, cellular connected and transmitting) Icell_cloud_tx 19.5 86.1 981 mA STOP mode sleep, GPIO wake-up Istop_gpio 594 631 665 uA STOP mode sleep, analog wake-up Istop_analog 579 585 591 uA STOP mode sleep, RTC wake-up Istop_intrtc 589 607 630 uA STOP mode sleep, BLE wake-up, advertising Istop_ble_adv 17.0 907 2400 uA STOP mode sleep, BLE wake-up, connected Istop_ble_conn 443 906 1540 uA STOP mode sleep, serial wake-up Istop_usart 589 606 627 uA STOP mode sleep, cellular wake-up ULP mode sleep, GPIO wake-up Istop_cell Iulp_gpio 6.49 15.6 81.0 mA 160 171 182 uA ULP mode sleep, analog wake-up Iulp_analog 166 178 188 uA ULP mode sleep, RTC wake-up Iulp_intrtc 163 174 185 uA ULP mode sleep, BLE wake-up, advertising Iulp_ble_adv 494 2100 uA ULP mode sleep, BLE wake-up, connected Iulp_ble_conn 55.9 515 1090 uA ULP mode sleep, serial wake-up Iulp_usart 590 610 634 uA ULP mode sleep, cellular wake-up HIBERNATE mode sleep, GPIO wake-up Iulp_cell Ihib_gpio 6.96 16.4 81.1 mA 139 146 162 uA HIBERNATE mode sleep, analog wake-up Ihib_analog 139 147 163 uA Power disabled (EN pin = LOW) Idisable 70 75 uA POWER CONSUMPTION (BORON LTE) Parameter Peak Current Operating Current (uC on, peripherals and radio disabled) Operating Current (uC on, cellular on but not connected) Symbol Min Typ Max Unit ILi+ pk Iidle Icell_idle 120 490 mA 3.89 3.90 3.92 mA 5.78 16.9 mA Operating Current (uC on, cellular connecting to tower) Icell_conn_twr 14.7 58.9 178 mA Operating Current (uC on, cellular connecting to cloud) Icell_conn_cloud 14.6 53.4 207 mA Operating Current (uC on, cellular connected but idle) Icell_cloud_idle 17.9 108 mA Operating Current (uC on, cellular connected and transmitting) Icell_cloud_tx 63.9 184 mA STOP mode sleep, GPIO wake-up Istop_gpio 565 575 590 uA STOP mode sleep, analog wake-up Istop_analog 565 577 593 uA STOP mode sleep, RTC wake-up Istop_intrtc 568 584 602 uA STOP mode sleep, BLE wake-up, advertising Istop_ble_adv 91.6 885 2210 uA STOP mode sleep, BLE wake-up, connected Istop_ble_conn 486 866 1440 uA STOP mode sleep, serial wake-up Istop_usart 569 587 612 uA STOP mode sleep, cellular wake-up ULP mode sleep, GPIO wake-up ULP mode sleep, analog wake-up ULP mode sleep, RTC wake-up Istop_cell Iulp_gpio Iulp_analog Iulp_intrtc 12.2 104 mA 127 137 uA 130 141 uA 128 138 uA ULP mode sleep, BLE wake-up, advertising Iulp_ble_adv 442 2120 uA ULP mode sleep, BLE wake-up, connected Iulp_ble_conn 438 1050 uA ULP mode sleep, serial wake-up Iulp_usart 568 584 601 uA ULP mode sleep, cellular wake-up HIBERNATE mode sleep, GPIO wake-up Iulp_cell Ihib_gpio 14.2 112 mA 98.7 106 118 uA HIBERNATE mode sleep, analog wake-up Ihib_analog 99.4 106 120 uA Power disabled (EN pin = LOW) Idisable 70 75 uA RADIO SPECIFICATIONS Boron has two radio modules. Nordic Semiconductor nRF52840 for BLE. Feature Description Operating Frequencies 2360 to 2500 MHz Output Power Programmable -20dBm to +8dBm PLL channel spacing 1 MHz On the air data rate 125 to 2000 kbps u-blox SARA U201 (2G/3G) and R410 (LTE Cat M1) for cellular. BORON Compatible Countries 2G/3G Worldwide LTE USA, Canada, and Mexico (LTE Cat M1) I/O CHARACTERISTICS These specifications are based on the nRF52840 datasheet. Parameter Input high voltage Input low voltage Symbol Conditions Min Typ Max Unit VIH VIL 0.7*3.3
3.3 V V 0.3*3.3 Current at GND+0.4 V, output set low, high drive IOL,HDL V3V3 >= 2.7V Current at V3V3-0.4 V, output set high, high drive IOH,HDH V3V3 >= 2.7V Current at GND+0.4 V, output set low, standard drive IOL,SD V3V3 >= 2.7V Current at V3V3-0.4 V, output set high, standard drive IOH,SD V3V3 >= 2.7V Pull-up resistance Pull-down resistance RPU RPD 0 6 6 1 1 11 11 10 15 mA 9 2 2 13 13 14 mA 4 4 16 16 mA mA k k GPIO default to standard drive (2mA) but can be reconfigured to high drive (9mA) in Device OS 2.0.0 and later using the pinSetDriveStrength() function. Mechanical specifications DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT Weight = 10 grams MATING CONNECTORS The Boron uses two single row 0.1" pitch male header pins. One of them is 16 pin while the other is 12 pin. It can be mounted with matching 0.1" pitch female headers with a typical height of 0.335"
(8.5mm). When you search for parts like these it can be difficult to navigate the thousands of parts available online so here are a few good choices for the Boron:
Description MFG MFG Part Number 16-pin 0.1" (2.54mm) Female Header Sullins PPTC161LFBN-RC 16-pin 0.1" (2.54mm) Female Header TE 6-535541-4 12-pin 0.1" (2.54mm) Female Header Sullins PPTC121LFBN-RC 12-pin 0.1" (2.54mm) Female Header TE 6-534237-0 Recommended PCB land pattern The Boron can be directly soldered onto the PCB or be mounted with the above mentioned female headers. Schematic The complete schematic and board files are open source and available on Particle's GitHub repository here. POWER NRF52840 U-BLOX SIM SPI FLASH FUEL GAUGE INTERFACES Country compatibility Country Afghanistan Albania Algeria Anguilla Model Technologies Carriers BRN314 2G, 3G MTN BRN314 2G, 3G ALBtelecom, Telekom, Vodafone BRN314 2G, 3G Mobilis, Ooredoo Antigua and Barbuda BRN314 2G, 3G BRN314 2G, 3G Flow Flow Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain BRN314 2G, 3G Claro, Movistar, Personal BRN314 2G, 3G Beeline, Ucom BRN314 3G Optus, Telstra, Vodafone BRN314 2G, 3G 3 (Drei), A1, T-Mobile BRN314 2G, 3G Azercell, Bakcell, NAR Mobile BRN314 2G, 3G Aliv, BTC Bahamas BRN314 2G, 3G Zain Bangladesh BRN314 2G, 3G Bangalink, GrameenPhone Barbados Belarus Belgium Bolivia BRN314 2G, 3G BRN314 2G, 3G Flow A1 BRN314 2G, 3G Base, Orange, Proximus BRN314 2G, 3G NuevaTel Bosnia and Herzegovina BRN314 2G, 3G BH Telecom, HT Eronet Brunei Bulgaria BRN314 2G, 3G DST BRN314 2G, 3G A1, Telenor, Vivacom Burkina Faso BRN314 2G, 3G Orange Cambodia Canada BRN314 2G, 3G Metfone BRN404 M1 Bell Mobility, Rogers Wireless, Telus Cayman Islands BRN314 2G, 3G BRN314 2G, 3G Flow Airtel Chad Chile BRN314 2G, 3G Claro, Entel, Movistar Colombia BRN314 2G, 3G Movistar, Tigo Congo (Brazzaville) BRN314 2G, 3G Congo (Kinshasa) BRN314 2G, 3G Airtel Airtel Costa Rica Cte d'Ivoire Croatia Cyprus Czechia Denmark Dominica BRN314 2G, 3G Movistar BRN314 2G, 3G MTN BRN314 2G, 3G Hrvatski Telekom, Tele2 BRN314 2G, 3G Cytamobile-Vodafone, MTN, PrimeTel BRN314 2G, 3G O2, T-Mobile, Vodafone BRN314 2G, 3G 3 (Tre), TDC, Telenor, Telia BRN314 2G, 3G Flow Dominican Republic BRN314 2G, 3G Altice Dominicana, Claro, Viva Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Estonia eSwatini BRN314 2G, 3G Claro, Movistar BRN314 2G, 3G Etisalat, Orange BRN314 2G, 3G Claro, Telefonica BRN314 2G, 3G Elisa, Tele2, Telia BRN314 2G, 3G MTN Ethiopia BRN314 2G, 3G Ethio Telecom Faroe Islands BRN314 2G, 3G Faroese Telecom, Vodafone Finland France BRN314 2G, 3G DNA, Elisa, Telia BRN314 2G, 3G Bouygues, Free Mobile, Orange, SFR French Guiana BRN314 2G, 3G Digicel Gabon Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Guinea BRN314 2G, 3G Airtel BRN314 2G, 3G Beeline, Geocell BRN314 2G, 3G O2, Telekom, Vodafone BRN314 2G, 3G AirtelTigo, MTN, Vodafone BRN314 2G, 3G Gibtel BRN314 2G, 3G Cosmote, Vodafone, Wind BRN314 2G Flow BRN314 2G, 3G Orange BRN314 2G, 3G Claro, Movistar Guinea-Bissau BRN314 2G, 3G BRN314 2G, 3G MTN MTN Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan BRN314 2G Digicel BRN314 2G, 3G Digicel BRN314 2G, 3G Claro, Tigo BRN314 2G, 3G CMHK, CSL, SmarTone BRN314 2G, 3G Magyar Telekom, Telenor, Vodafone BRN314 2G, 3G Nova, Siminn, Vodafone BRN314 2G, 3G Airtel BRN314 2G, 3G Indosat, Telkomsel, XL Axiata BRN314 2G, 3G 3 (Tre), Meteor, O2, Vodafone BRN314 2G, 3G Hot Mobile, Orange, Pelephone BRN314 2G, 3G TIM, Vodafone, Wind BRN314 2G, 3G Digicel, Flow BRN314 3G NTT DoCoMo, Softbank BRN314 2G, 3G Zain Kazakhstan BRN314 2G, 3G Beeline, K-Cell Kenya Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malawi Malaysia Malta Mexico Moldova Mongolia BRN314 2G, 3G Airtel BRN314 2G, 3G Viva, Zain BRN314 2G, 3G Beeline BRN314 2G, 3G Bite, LMT, Tele2 BRN314 2G, 3G Mobilkom, Orange BRN314 2G, 3G Bite, Omnitel, Tele2 BRN314 2G, 3G Orange, POST, Tango BRN314 2G, 3G Airtel BRN314 2G, 3G Celcom, DiGi, Maxis BRN314 2G, 3G Go Mobile, Vodafone BRN404 M1 AT&T BRN314 2G, 3G Moldcell, Orange BRN314 2G, 3G Mobicom, Unitel Montenegro BRN314 2G, 3G Mtel, T-Mobile, Telenor Mozambique BRN314 2G, 3G Vodacom Myanmar Namibia Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Palestine Panama BRN314 2G, 3G MPT, Telenor BRN314 2G, 3G Telecom Namibia BRN314 2G, 3G KPN, T-Mobile, Vodafone BRN314 2G, 3G 2degrees, Spark, Vodafone BRN314 2G, 3G Movistar BRN314 2G, 3G 9mobile, Airtel, Glo, MTN BRN314 2G, 3G TDC, Telenor, Telia BRN314 2G, 3G Ooredoo BRN314 2G, 3G Mobilink, Telenor, Ufone, Warid BRN314 2G, 3G Jawwal BRN314 2G, 3G Digicel, Movistar Papua New Guinea BRN314 2G, 3G bmobile Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda BRN314 2G, 3G Claro, Personal, Tigo, Vox BRN314 2G, 3G Claro, Entel, Movistar BRN314 2G, 3G Globe, Smart BRN314 2G, 3G Orange, Play, Plus, T-Mobile BRN314 2G, 3G NOS, TMN, Vodafone BRN314 2G, 3G Claro BRN314 2G, 3G Ooredoo, Vodafone BRN314 2G, 3G DigiMobil, Orange, Telekom Romania, Vodafone BRN314 2G, 3G Beeline, Megafon, MTS, Tele2 BRN314 2G, 3G Airtel, MTN Saint Kitts and Nevis BRN314 2G, 3G Saint Lucia BRN314 2G, 3G Saint Vincent and the Grenadines BRN314 2G, 3G Flow Flow Flow Saudi Arabia BRN314 2G, 3G Mobily, STC, Zain Serbia Singapore BRN314 2G, 3G Telenor, VIP BRN314 3G SingTel, StarHub Sint Maarten BRN314 2G, 3G TelCell Slovakia Slovenia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Suriname Sweden BRN314 2G, 3G O2, Orange, Telekom BRN314 2G, 3G A1, Mobitel BRN314 2G, 3G Cell C, MTN, Vodacom BRN314 3G KT, SK Telecom BRN314 2G, 3G MTN BRN314 2G, 3G Orange, Telefonica, Vodafone, Yoigo BRN314 2G, 3G Dialog, Mobitel BRN314 2G, 3G Telesur BRN314 2G, 3G 3 (Tre), Tele2, Telenor, Telia Switzerland BRN314 2G, 3G Salt, Sunrise, Swisscom Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand BRN314 3G Chunghwa, FarEasTone, T Star, Taiwan Mobile BRN314 2G, 3G Beeline, Tcell BRN314 2G, 3G Airtel BRN314 2G, 3G AIS, DTAC, True Move Trinidad and Tobago BRN314 2G, 3G Digicel, TSTT Tunisia Turkey BRN314 2G, 3G Orange Tunisie, Tunisie Telecom BRN314 2G, 3G Trk Telekom, Turkcell, Vodafone Turks and Caicos Islands BRN314 2G, 3G Flow Uganda Ukraine BRN314 2G, 3G Africell, Airtel, MTN BRN314 2G, 3G Kyivstar, Life, MTS United Arab Emirates BRN314 2G, 3G du, Etisalat United Kingdom BRN314 2G, 3G 3, EE, Manx, O2, Sure, Vodafone United States BRN404 M1 AT&T Uruguay Uzbekistan Venezuela Vietnam BRN314 2G, 3G Antel, Claro, Movistar BRN314 2G, 3G Beeline BRN314 2G, 3G Movistar BRN314 2G, 3G MobiFone, Viettel, Vinaphone Virgin Islands (British) BRN314 2G, 3G CCT, Flow Zambia BRN314 2G, 3G Airtel Ordering information Borons are available from store.particle.io in single quantities in 2G/3G and LTE Cat M1 versions.
| SKU | Description | Region | Modem | Lifecycle | Replacement | | :--- | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | |
BRN314KIT | Boron 2G/3G (Global) Starter Kit, [x1] | Global | U201 | GA | | | BRN314TRAY50 | Boron 2G/3G (Global), Tray [x50] | Global | U201 | GA | | | BRN404 | Boron LTE CAT-M1 (NorAm), [x1] | NORAM
| R410 | GA | | | BRN404KIT | Boron LTE CAT-M1 (NorAm) Starter Kit, [x1] | NORAM | R410 | GA | | |
BRN404TRAY50 | Boron LTE CAT-M1 (NorAm), Tray [x50] | NORAM | R410 | GA | | | BRN310TRAY50 |
Boron 2G/3G (Global), Tray [x50] | Global | U201 | NRND-US | BRN314TRAY50| | BRN310KIT | Boron 2G/3G (Global) Starter Kit, [x1] | Global | U201 | NRND | BRN314KIT| | BRN402 | Boron LTE CAT-M1
(NorAm), [x1] | NORAM | R410 | NRND | BRN404| | BRN402KIT | Boron LTE CAT-M1 (NorAm) Starter Kit, [x1] | NORAM | R410 | NRND | BRN404KIT| | BRN402TRAY50 | Boron LTE CAT-M1 (NorAm), Tray
[x50] | NORAM | R410 | NRND | BRN404TRAY50|
Qualification and approvals
**BORON LTE (Cat M1) **
Model Number: BRN404, BRM402 RoHS CE PTCRB FCC ID: 2AEMI-BRN402 IC: 20127-BRN402 BORON 2G/3G Model Number: BRN314, BRN310 RoHS CE FCC ID: 2AEMI-BRN310 IC: 20127-BRN310 Product Handling ESD PRECAUTIONS The Boron contains highly sensitive electronic circuitry and is an Electrostatic Sensitive Device
(ESD). Handling Boron without proper ESD protection may destroy or damage it permanently. Proper ESD handling and packaging procedures must be applied throughout the processing, handling and operation of any application that incorporates Boron. ESD precautions should be implemented on the application board where the Boron is mounted. Failure to observe these precautions can result in severe damage to the Boron!
CONNECTORS There are four connectors on the Boron that will get damaged with improper usage. The JST connector on the circuit board, where you plug in the LiPo battery, is very durable but the connector on the battery itself is not. When unplugging the battery, take extra precaution to NOT pull the connector using the wires, but instead hold the plug at its base to avoid putting stress on the wires. This can be tricky with bare hands - nose pliers are your friend here. The micro B USB connector on the Boron is soldered on the PCB with large surface pads as well as couple of through hole anchor points. Despite this reinforcement, it is very easy to rip out the connector if too much stress is put on in the vertical direction. The U.FL antenna connector is not designed to be constantly plugged and unplugged. The antenna pin is static sensitive and you can destroy the radio with improper handling. A tiny dab of glue (epoxy, rubber cement, liquid tape or hot glue) on the connector can be used securely hold the plug in place. The 10 pin SWD connector provides an easy in-system debugging access to the device. The pins on the connector can easily be damaged if the mating connector cable is inserted improperly. If you are trying to debug the device, you probably are not in a good mood to begin with. The last thing you want is to render the connector useless. Be nice, and be gentle on the connector. Good luck with the debugging!
BREADBOARDING The breadboard provided with the Boron is specifically designed to require low insertion force. This makes it easy to plug the Boron in and out of the breadboard. If you end up using a different breadboard, remember that it may require more force. In this case, always remember to pinch-
hold your precious Boron by the sides (along the header pins) when plugging-unplugging and not by the USB connector (don't be this person). Default settings The Boron comes preprogrammed with a bootloader and a user application called Tinker. This application works with an iOS and Android app also named Tinker that allows you to very easily toggle digital pins, take analog and digital readings and drive variable PWM outputs. The bootloader allows you to easily update the user application via several different methods, USB, OTA, Serial Y-Modem, and also internally via the Factory Reset procedure. All of these methods have multiple tools associated with them as well. FCC IC CE Warnings and End Product Labeling Requirements Federal Communication Commission Interference Statement This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one of the following measures:
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna. Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help. FCC Caution: Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate this equipment. This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful interference, and 2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. FCC Radiation Exposure Statement: This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment. This transmitter module must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter. This End equipment should be installed and operated with a minimum distance of 20 centimeters between the radiator and your body. IMPORTANT NOTE: In the event that these conditions can not be met (for example certain laptop configurations or co-location with another transmitter), then the FCC authorization is no longer considered valid and the FCC ID can not be used on the final product. In these circumstances, the OEM integrator will be responsible for re-evaluating the end product (including the transmitter) and obtaining a separate FCC authorization. End Product Labeling The final end product must be labeled in a visible area with the following:
Contains FCC ID: 2AEMI-BRN402 (BORON LTE) Contains FCC ID: 2AEMI-BRN310 (BORON 2G/3G) Manual Information to the End User The OEM integrator has to be aware not to provide information to the end user regarding how to install or remove this RF module in the users manual of the end product which integrates this module. Canada Statement This device complies with Industry Canadas licence-exempt RSSs. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause interference; and 2. This device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device. Le prsent appareil est conforme aux CNR dIndustrie Canada applicables aux appareils radio exempts de licence. Lexploitation est autorise aux deux conditions suivantes:
1. lappareil ne doit pas produire de brouillage;
2. lutilisateur de lappareil doit accepter tout brouillage radiolectrique subi, mme si le brouillage est susceptible den compromettre le fonctionnement. Caution Exposure: This device meets the exemption from the routine evaluation limits in section 2.5 of RSS102 and users can obtain Canadian information on RF exposure and compliance. Le dispositif rpond l'exemption des limites d'valuation de routine dans la section 2.5 de RSS102 et les utilisateurs peuvent obtenir des renseignements canadiens sur l'exposition aux RF et le respect. The final end product must be labelled in a visible area with the following: The Industry Canada certification label of a module shall be clearly visible at all times when installed in the host device, otherwise the host device must be labelled to display the Industry Canada certification number of the module, preceded by the words Contains transmitter module, or the word Contains, or similar wording expressing the same meaning, as follows:
Contains transmitter module IC: 20127-BRN402 (BORON LTE) Contains transmitter module IC: 20127-BRN310 (BORON 2G/3G) This End equipment should be installed and operated with a minimum distance of 20 centimeters between the radiator and your body. Cet quipement devrait tre install et actionn avec une distance minimum de 20 centimtres entre le radiateur et votre corps. The end user manual shall include all required regulatory information/warning as shown in this manual. Revision history Revision Date Author Comments v001 2018 Oct 26 MB Initial release v002 2020 Jan 21 RK Remove mesh v003 2020 Sep 01 RK Add EN pin information v004 16-Sep-2020 RK Added power consumption information v005 15-Mar-2021 RK Updated model, carrier, ordering information v005 26-Apr-2021 RK Added BRN314 and BRN404 model numbers v006 28-Jun-2021 RK Added Device OS 3.1 memory map information v007 09-Jul-2021 RK Number of accessible I2C ports is 1, not 2 v008 28-Jul-2021 RK Corrected number of SPI ports (2) in peripherals and GPIO Known Errata Contact Web https://www.particle.io Community Forums https://community.particle.io Email https://support.particle.io