SparkFun NanoBeacon Lite Board - IN100

The SparkFun IN100 NanoBeacon Lite Board is a 2.4 GHz wireless low-energy BT beacon breakout, known for its exceptionally low power consumption and minimal programming requirements. The board is equipped with the IN100 NanoBeacon™ from InPlay™, which is compliant with several standard 2.4 GHz protocols. It also has several built-in configurable features that can drastically reduce power consumption, allowing for continuous operation for multiple years even when connected to a device. This board is ideal for wireless sensor monitoring, asset tracking, retail beacons, or creating your own beacon tag for real-time location monitoring.

The IN100 can be powered by a single 3V coin cell battery. To facilitate this, a 12mm coin cell battery holder has been added to the board (CR1225 battery not included). The board also features a Qwiic connector for easy integration into Sparkfun's Qwiic ecosystem. One side of the board breaks out the UART interface to a 2.54mm-spaced through-hole header for serial communication. The other side breaks out four of the IN100's GPIO pins (4-7) as well as the two I/O power switch pins (SW0 and SW1). The back of the board includes a "Notes" space for you to write any notes or labels to differentiate between different NanoBeacon boards at a glance.

The Lite version of this board is designed for prototyping applications. It allows users to test in a development environment before integrating into full production. It includes a power LED and reset button on the board and does not include any pre-soldered headers.

The InPlay NanoBeacon Config Tool allows for software-free programming of the IN100. This tool provides a graphical user interface (GUI) to select settings and configure the module, eliminating the need for tricky programming for advertising and pairing to send and receive data packets.

Important! When programming the IN100 with the InPlay NanoBeacon Config Tool, the "Burn/Program" option uploads the settings and locks the module. Before selecting this option, ensure everything is set up and working as intended as this step cannot be undone and may render your IN100 unusable. The Config Tool offers a testing "Run in RAM" mode for many settings but I²C is not available in the RAM testing mode. Users connecting I²C devices to the board should ensure their code works before clicking the "Burn/Program" button.

The SparkFun Qwiic Connect System is an ecosystem of I²C sensors, actuators, shields, and cables that make prototyping faster and less prone to error. All Qwiic-enabled boards use a common 1mm pitch, 4-pin JST connector. This reduces the amount of required PCB space, and polarized connections mean you can’t hook it up wrong.

Features:

• IN100 NanoBeacon
  • 2.4GHz BT Beacon module
  • Supply Voltage Range: 1.1-3.6V
  • Ultra Low Power: < 650nA in Sleep Mode
  • Beacon Modes: Proprietary BT, Google™ Eddystone™, and Apple® iBeacon® compliant
• Through Hole Headers:
  • 3.3V UART
  • 4 GPIO
  • 2 Switch Pins
• Coin Cell Battery Holder
  • Fits a 3V CR1225 battery
• Reset Button
• Power LED
• 1x Vertical Qwiic Connector