SparkFun NanoBeacon Lite Board - IN100

by Sparkfun

The SparkFun IN100 NanoBeacon Lite Board offers the ubiquitous 2.4 GHz wireless low-energy BT beacon breakout with exceptionally low power consumption features and minimal programming required.

The board features the IN100 NanoBeacon™ from InPlay™ that is compliant with several standard 2.4 GHz protocols and has several built-in configurable features for device behavior that can drastically reduce power consumption allowing for continuous operation in the field for multiple years even with a connected device. This board is a great option for wireless sensor monitoring, asset tracking, retail beacons or even making your own beacon tag for real-time location monitoring.

The IN100 can be powered by a single 3V coin cell battery so SparkFun have added a 12mm coin cell battery holder (CR1225 battery not included) to power the board. They've added a Qwiic connector to allow for easy integration into the ever-expanding Qwiic ecosystem. One side of the board breaks out the UART interface to a 0.1"-spaced through-hole header to connect a Serial Basic 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). Lastly, SparkFun have included a "Notes" space on the back of the board for you to write any notes or labels to differentiate between different NanoBeacon boards at a glance.

This Lite version of this board is designed for prototyping applications for 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. Users looking to integrate the IN100 Beacon Breakout into a production environment may want to consider getting the SparkFun NanoBeacon Board - IN100.

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 removing any need to perform any 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 make sure everything is set up and working as you intend as you cannot undo this step and you may brick your IN100.

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.

GET STARTED WITH THE SPARKFUN IN100 NANOBEACON GUIDE

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

Documents

SparkFun NanoBeacon Lite Board

IN100 NanoBeacon