SparkFun Thing Plus - NORA-W306

The SparkFun Thing Plus - NORA-W306 is a Feather form-factor development board featuring the u-blox NORA-W306 module. This module integrates a Realtek RTL8720DF, combining low-power dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE 5.3) communication microcontroller. It includes dual processor cores: Arm Cortex-M33 and Cortex-M23, with components optimized for power conservation, ideal for remote, battery-powered applications.

Perfect for Internet of Things projects, this board can handle tasks from simple LED control to data posting on your chosen platform. It can be programmed like any microcontroller and supports the Arduino IDE with the Realtek Arduino core.

The board features a USB-C connector for programming, data, or power, with USB data lines protected by ESD diodes. It includes a CP2102N USB-to-serial converter for code uploads and serial communication. Three buttons for general use, reset, and boot are also available. For remote applications, a 2-pin JST-style connector and MCP73831 single-cell LiPo charge IC are included, along with a MAX17048 single-cell LiPo fuel gauge to monitor battery power. Voltage regulation is handled by the XC6222 3.3V/700mA regulator.

Additional features include LEDs for power, charging, and user indication, along with a WS2812-2020 addressable RGB LED. The board breaks out 20 GPIO pins (including interrupts, analog, PWM, UARTs, SPI, and I²C). A microSD card socket with power control transistor and nine jumpers for various configurations are also present. A Qwiic connector allows easy addition of Qwiic-enabled I²C devices.

Utilize this board for cloud connectivity to gather weather data, post sensor readings to a server, synchronize clocks to UTC, automate home lighting, or monitor HVAC systems in smart buildings.

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The SparkFun Qwiic Connect System is an ecosystem of I²C sensors, actuators, shields, and cables designed for faster and error-resistant prototyping. All Qwiic-enabled boards use a common 1mm pitch, 4-pin JST connector, reducing required PCB space and ensuring polarized connections to prevent incorrect hookups.

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Features:

• u-blox NORA-W306 Module
  • Dual-band Wi-Fi 4 (802.11a/b/g/n)
    • 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi Frequency Bands
    • WPA2/WPA3 Authentication
  • Bluetooth® Low Energy V5.3
    • 2.4GHz Frequency Band
    • Bluetooth LE secure connection pairing
  • Built-in PCB antenna
  • Realtek RTL8720DF Dual Processor Core
    • 200MHz Arm® Cortex®-M33 (Main Core)
    • 20MHz Arm Cortex-M2 (Low Power Core)
    • Arm TrustZone™ Hardware Encryption
    • Cryptographic Hardware Accelerator Engine
    • Secure Boot
    • Secure Debug Interface
    • Encrypted 4MB Flash
    • 512kB RAM (Main Core)
    • 64kB RAM (Low Power Core)
  • Small Form Factor
    • 14.3mm x 10.4mm x 1.9mm
• Thing Plus (or Feather) Form-Factor
  • Breadboard-compatible 2.54mm pitch headers
  • Board Dimensions: 22.86mm x 58.42mm
  • 20x Available GPIO
    • Up to 20x Interrupts
    • Up to 3x 12-bit ADC
    • Up to 12x PWM
    • Up to 2x UARTs
    • Up to 2x SPI
    • Up to 1x I²C
  • Four Mounting Holes
    • 4-40 screw compatible
  • 30x PTHs
  • 1x USB Type C Connector
  • 1x 2-pin JST-style Connector for a LiPo Battery (not included)
  • 1x 2x5 SWD Programming Port Footprint
  • 1x MicroSD Card Socket
  • 1x 4-pin Qwiic Connector
• ESD Protected USB Data Pins
• CP210X USB-to-Serial Converter
  • Automatically depowered when USB-C is not connected (Ideal for low-power battery powered applications).
• XC6222 3.3V/700mA Voltage Regulator
• MCP73831 Single Cell, LiPo Charge IC
  • Charge Rate Set to 500mA (default)
• MAX17048 Single Cell LiPo Fuel Gauge
• 2.2kΩ I²C Pull-Up Resistors
• Buttons
  • Boot (BOOT)
  • Reset (RESET)
  • User (USR IO2)
• LEDs
  • 3.3V Power (PWR)
  • Charger (CHG)
  • Status (IO18)
  • RGB Addressable WS2812-2020 (RGB IO14)
• Jumpers
  • Measurement
  • Power LED
  • Charge LED
  • Status LED
  • 3.3V RGB Addressable LED WS2812-2020
  • Data In RGB Addressable LED WS2812-2020
  • microSD Card Power Control
  • LiPo Charge Rate (500mA/100mA)
  • USB Shielding
  • I²C Pull-Up Resistors
• Weight: 6.60g

Documents:

• Schematic
• Eagle Files
• Board Dimensions
• Hookup Guide
• Component Datasheet
  • u-blox NORA-W306
    • Product Summary
    • Datasheet
    • Integration Manual
  • XC6222 3.3V/700mA Voltage Regulator
  • MCP73831 LiPo Charger
  • MAX17048 LiPo Fuel Gauge
  • WS2812C-2020 RGB Addressable LED
• Graphical Datasheet
• Fritzing Part
• Qwiic Info Page
• Compare Thing Plus Boards
• CP2102 Drivers
• Realtek: Arduino Board Support Files
• Arduino Libraries
  • MAX17048
  • SdFat
• GitHub Hardware Repo

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