5G HUB BG96 User manual
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NB-IoT Phone 1.0 Copyright © 5GHUB.US
Table of Contents
Purpose of the Document .......................................................................................................................... 2
Document History ...................................................................................................................................... 2
1 Package contents: .......................................................................................................................... 4
1.1 NB-IoT & GNSS Phone Package...................................................................................................... 4
1.2 Download ....................................................................................................................................... 4
2 General Description ....................................................................................................................... 5
2.1 Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 5
2.2 Key Features................................................................................................................................... 5
2.3 Overview Diagrams ........................................................................................................................ 7
2.4 Physical Characteristics.................................................................................................................. 8
2.5 Peripherals – Key Components ...................................................................................................... 9
2.6 Peripherals – IO Connections....................................................................................................... 12
2.7 Hardware Specification................................................................................................................ 13
2.8 PIN Description............................................................................................................................. 14
2.9 BG96 chipset ................................................................................................................................15
2.10 Interface between SAM21D and BG96 ....................................................................................... 15
3 References....................................................................................................................................16
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NB-IoT Phone 1.0 Copyright © 5GHUB.US
1Package contents:
1.1 NB-IoT & GNSS Phone Package
•NB-IoT & GNSS modem with full-color LCD, keypad, re-chargeable battery, SD card in a phone-
like shape.
1.2 Download
Arduino software can be downloaded from the following website:
https://github.com/5ghub/5G-NB-IoT/tree/master/KitSketches
To use the NB-IoT phone with Arduino IDE and starts running Arduino projects and sketches, install the
following software:
Install Arduino IDE for Windows from the following website
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software
Download and Install LTE&GNSS modem driver for Windows OS:
https://github.com/5ghub/5G-NB-IoT/tree/master/Driver
Download and Install QNavigator &QCOM tools for Quectel BG96 here:
https://github.com/5ghub/5G-NB-IoT/tree/master/Tools
Download and install Arduino library (5G-NB-IoT_Arduino.zip) here:
https://github.com/5ghub/5G-NB-IoT
All the following software can be installed from the GitHub location here:
https://github.com/5ghub/5G-NB-IoT
The NB-IoT phone Arduino sketches are in this folder:
https://github.com/5ghub/5G-NB-IoT/tree/master/NBIoTPhone
LTE cellular connectivity on Windows OS
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NB-IoT Phone 1.0 Copyright © 5GHUB.US
2General Description
2.1 Overview
The NB-IoT & GNSS IoT phone is like a real phone. It is a cellular NB-IoT and GPS device that can be used
for the 5G wireless technology. The phone has a keypad and full-color TFT LCD display with LTE & GNSS
antenna connectors (or on-board antennas). The phone is a powerful board that features a
microcontroller, wireless modem, keypad, a full-color TFT LCD, re-chargeable battery, and SD card. The
microcontroller is an Atmel’s SAMD21G18A MCU which features a 32-bit ARM Cortex® M0+ core. The
wireless modem is BG96 which is an embedded IoT (LTE Cat-M1, LTE Cat-NB1 and EGPRS) wireless
communication module. BG96 wireless modem provides a maximum data rate of 375Kbps downlink and
375Kbps uplink. It features ultra-low power consumption, provides data connectivity on LTE-TDD/LTE-
FDD/GPRS/EDGE networks, and supports half-duplex operation in LTE networks. It also provides GNSS to
meet customers’ specific application demands.
The LCD is a full-color, 2.4 inch with 240x320 pixel resolution. The Keypad consist of 25 keys covering
numbers, alphabets, characters, Up/Down/Right/Left buttons, and functions buttons. The IoT phone can
be powered from either a UCB power source or a re-chargeable battery.
The IoT phone provides rich sets of Internet protocols, industry-standard interfaces (USB/UART/I2C/Status
Indicator) and abundant functionalities. The board offer a high integration level and enables integrators
and developers to easily design their applications and take advantage of the board low power
consumption, many functionalities, and USB drivers for Windows 7/8/8.1/10, Linux and Android.
The NB-IoT phone mimics real cellular phone and is a rich hardware board that can be used for the latest
5G wireless technology and enables a variety of smart and 5G applications for devices, and acts as a great
educational tool for learning about 5G and 32-bit application development. It enables large number of
applications such as wireless POS, smart metering, tracking, smart transportation, smart buildings, smart
city, and smart homes.
The NB-IoT phone is also compatible with Arduino and Arduino software (IDE). Arduino sketches and
examples are provided with the kit and additional sketches can be developed and uploaded to the board.
2.2 Key Features
•Atmel ATSAMD21G18 MCU
•Quectel BG96 NB-IoT module
•Full-color, 2.4 inch with 240x320 pixel resolution LCD
•25-buttons keypad with backlight LEDs
•SD Card slot
•Can be powered and charging a re-chargeable battery
•Supports LTE NB-IoT and Machine Type Communications (MTC)
•Supports EGPRS
•Global Frequency Band B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B8/B12/B13/B18/B19/B20/B26/B28/B39 (B39 for
Cat.M1 only) for LTE and 850/900/1800/1900MHz for EGPRS
•Supports the protocols TCP/UDP/PPP/ SSL/ TLS/ FTP(S)/ HTTP(S)/ NITZ/ PING/ MQTT
•Supports SMS
•Supports GNSS technology (GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou/Compass, Galileo, QZSS)
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NB-IoT Phone 1.0 Copyright © 5GHUB.US
•Compact board size of 65 mm x 30mm
•Nano USIM card slot
•Arduino IDE Compatible
•Works with Windows, Linux, or Android
•Ready for smart applications and development (smart home, smart city, smart transportation,
smart metering, smart farming, smart waste management, asset tracking, location, navigation,
mapping, and timing applications). Application such as Gas Detector, Soil PH Tester, Optical
Sensor, Machinery Alarm System, Irrigation Controller, Elevator, Asset Tracking Electronics,
Person/Pet Tracking, Water/Gas Metering, Smart Parking System, Fire Hydrant, Smoke Alarm,
Trash Bin, Street Lighting
•The board can be powered via the USB connector
•Each of the 14 general purpose I/O pins on the board can be used for digital input or
digital output using pinMode(), digitalWrite(), and digitalRead() functions. Pins used
for PWM can be using analogWrite() function. All pins operate at 3.3 volts. Each pin can
source or sink a maximum of 10 mA and has an internal pull-up resistor (disconnected
by default) of 20-60 K ohm.
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NB-IoT Phone 1.0 Copyright © 5GHUB.US
SD Card
On-board and UFL
LTE antenna
Nano SIM card slot
LCD 40-pin FPC
socket
Re-chargeable
battery 2-pin JST
connector
MCU
(SAMD21G18A)
LTE/MCU
switch
USB Micro-B SWD
GPIO/I2C/SPI/
3.3V/5V pins
MCU RESET
button
NB-IoT & GNSS
modem (BG96)
On-board and UFL
GNSS antenna
USB Boot
Modem LEDs
NET & STATUS
Re-chargeable battery LEDs
D7:CHARGING
D8:DONE
Figure 5. NB-IoT Phone Bottom Side – Key Components
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NB-IoT Phone 1.0 Copyright © 5GHUB.US
2.6 Peripherals – IO Connections
CS
MOSI
MISO
SCK
3.3V
5V
SCL
A1/D1
A0/D0
AREFA
RESET
GND
SDA
BG96_GPIO0
BG96_GPIO0
BG96_ADC0
BG96_ADC1
Figure 6. NB-IoT Phone Connectors
* I2C interface lines might be configured as USART interface SDA line can work then as USART TXD and SCL line can work as
USART RXD)
** MOSI and SCK lines might be configured as USART interface (MOSI line can work then as USART TXD and SCK line can work as
USART RXD)
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NB-IoT Phone 1.0 Copyright © 5GHUB.US
2.7 Hardware Specification
Technical Specification
Microcontroller (MCU)
Atmel ATSAMD21G18, 32-Bit ARM Cortex
M0+
Clock Speed
48 MHz
Flash Memory
256 KB
SRAM
32 KB
NB-IoT Module
Quectel BG96
Dimension
64 mm (width) by 123 mm (length)
Weight
30 grams
Power Supply
USB (5V), re-chargeable battery
Keypad
25 buttons keypad
LEDs
Two modem LEDs: Status LED, Netlight LED;
Keypad: 6 LEDs as backlight LEDs; Re-chargeable
battery: 2 LEDs
LCD
Full-color 2.4 inch, 240x320 pixel resolution
Re-chargeable battery
One circuit for re-chargeable battery
SD Card
1
Interfacing Logic Voltage Level (Operating
Voltage)
3.3V
Voltage output
5V, 3.3V
RESET buttons
one for MCU
USB Switch
1 switch to connect to MCU directly or BG96
directly
General-purpose digital I/O Pins
8 (A0/A1, D0/D1, CS, MOSI, MISO, SCK, SDA, SCL)
Modem GPIO
2 connected to BG96
Modem ADC
2 connected to BG96
USB
1
I2C
1
SPI
1
GPIO
2
UART
1
ADC pins
2 (8/10/12-bit ADC channels)
DAC pin
2 (10-bit DAC)
External interrupts
8 (All general-purpose PINs)
PWM pin
2
DC Current per I/O Pin
10 mA
JTAG Debug
Cortex Debug Connector (Single Wire Debug)
USIM
Nano
GNSS
GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou/Compass, Galileo, QZSS
Antenna
1 main antenna and 1 GPS antenna
Band
LTE-FDD, B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B8/B12/
B13/B18/B19/B20/B26/B28
LTE-TDD: B39 (for Cat M1 only)
Certification
FCC, CE
Mobile Operator Certification
Verizon and currently for AT&T
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NB-IoT Phone 1.0 Copyright © 5GHUB.US
Notes:
-UART can be programmed through any of general-purpose pins.
-SPI can be programmed through any of general-purpose pins.
2.8 PIN Description
PIN
DIRECTION
Description
USB Connector I
The NB-IoT Phone is powered from the USB port (3.8V-5V) or
from re-chargeable battery
JST Connector
(Re-chargeable
battery)
IO 2-pin connector for re-chargeable battery. Provides power from
the re-chargeable battery and recharge the battery
Keypad LED
O
Six keypad Backlight LEDs
LCD
O
2.4 inch, full color, 240x320 pixel resolution TFT LCD
LED (NET)
O
Indicate the BG96 operation status
LED (STAT)
O
Indicate the BG96 network activity status
Re-chargeable
battery LED
O
Two LEDs indicating whether the re-chargeable battery is charging or is
done charging and full
SD Card
IO
One SD card slot
MCU RESET
button
I Reset the MCU
USB Switch
I
1 switch to connect to the USB port directly to MCU or BG96
3.3V O
3.3V generated by the on-board regulator. Maximum current
drawn is 3A. The regulator also provides power to the MCU and
BG96
5V O
5V generated from the board. The board is supplied with power
from USB connector (typical 5V)
GND
Ground
A0
IO
Two analog inputs which can provide up to 12 bits of resolution
(i.e. 4096 different values). By default, each input measures
from ground to 3.3 volts, though is it possible to change the
upper end of their range using the AREF pin
A0 can also be used as a DAC output and provides a 10 bit
voltage output with analogWrite() function
Analog pins can be used as GPIOs
A1 IO
SCL
IO
I2C. The SCL (clock line). Can be used as GPIO
SDA
IO
I2C. The SDA (data line). Can be used as GPIO
AREFA I
Input reference voltage for the analog inputs used for either he
ADC or the DAC
SCK
IO
SPI Interface. Can be used as GPIO
MISO
IO
SPI Interface. Can be used as GPIO
MOSI
IO
SPI Interface. Can be used as GPIO
CS
IO
SPI Interface. Can be used as GPIO
D0
IO
GPIO. Can be used as GPIO
D1
IO
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NB-IoT Phone 1.0 Copyright © 5GHUB.US
Cortex Debug
Connector
IO
Using Single Wire Debug to burn bootloader and debug the
board.
Modem ADC0
I
Connected to BG96. General purpose analogue to digital converter
Modem ADC1
I
Connected to BG96. General purpose analogue to digital converter
Modem GPIO0
IO
Connected to BG96. General purpose IO
Modem GPIO1
IO
Connected to BG96. General purpose IO
USIM
I
Used to insert a Nano USIM. Connected to BG96
USB Boot I
Connected to BG96. Force the BG96 to enter emergency download
mode
Precaution
The NB-IoT phone runs at 3.3V. The maximum voltage that the I/O pins can tolerate is
3.3V. Applying voltages higher than 3.3V to any I/O pin could damage the board
2.9 BG96 chipset
All functionality of the BG96 shipset shall be implemented excluding the following features. That is, the
following features are not supported [1][2].
-Audio, Earphone, and Codes are not supported.
-PCM and I2C are not supported
-PSM_IND and AP_READY are not supported
2.10 Interface between SAM21D and BG96
The Microcontroller communicates with the BG96 through UART interfaces:
-UART1: (PA12/PA13/PA14/PA15). Used for data transmission and AT command communication
115200bps by default. The default frame format is 8N1 (8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit) Support
RTS and CTS hardware flow control.
-UART3: (PB23/PB22). Used for outputting GNSS data or NEMA sentences 115200bps baud rate.
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NB-IoT Phone 1.0 Copyright © 5GHUB.US
3References
[1] Quectel_BG96_Hardware_Design_V1.2.pdf
[2] Quectel_BG96_Reference_Design_Rev.A_20170814.pdf
[3] Quectel_Antenna_Design_Note_V2.0.pdf
[4] Quectel_RF_Layout_Application_Note_V2.2.pdf
[5] Quectel_QFlash_User_Guide_V2.3
[6] Arduino IDE, https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software
[7] Arduino IDE, https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/ArduinoZero
[8] Microchip, “Low-Power, 32-bit Cortex-M0+ MCU with Advanced Analog and PWM”
Other manuals for BG96
1
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