SparkFun NanoBeacon Board - IN100

by Sparkfun

The SparkFun IN100 NanoBeacon Board offers a 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, they've 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 version is designed for applications requiring a rapid implementation with minimal assembly and modification. It includes male headers soldered to the 0.1"-spaced through-hole pins on the board and does not include the power LED or reset button as expected applications most likely will not need those two components. Users looking for a prototyping option for development on the IN100 before integrating it into a production environment may want to consider getting the SparkFun NanoBeacon Lite 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 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 Pins (Male headers pre-soldered):
    • 3.3V UART
    • 4 GPIO
    • 2 Switch Pins
  • Coin Cell Battery Holder
    • Fits a 3V CR1225 battery
  • 1x Vertical Qwiic Connector

Documents

SparkFun NanoBeacon Board

IN100 NanoBeacon