Arduino Nicla Voice User manual

Arduino® Nicla Voice
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Product Reference Manual
SKU: ABX00061
Description
The Arduino® Nicla Voice packs machine-learning capabilities on the edge into a tiny fingerprint.
Implement always-on speech recognition with the Nicla Voice. The board integrates a dedicated Neural Decision
Processor Syntiant® NDP 120 able to run multiple AI algorithms at the same time. Leverage the built-in
microphone, nRF52832 microcontroller, Bluetooth® Low Energy module, 6-axis IMU and 3-axis magnetometer to
create your own wireless sensor network for machine learning applications with low power consumption
capabilities.
Target areas:
noise and vibration detection, low-power speech recognition, contactless operations, gesture recognition

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Features
ANNA-B112 Bluetooth® Module with integrated microprocessor
nRF52832 System-on-chip
64 MHz ARM® Cortex-M4F microcontroller
64 KB SRAM
512 KB Flash
RAM mapped FIFOs using EasyDMA
2x SPI (one is accessible via pin header)
2x I2C (one is accessible via pin header)
12-bit/200 ksps ADC
2.400 - 2.4835 GHz Bluetooth® (5.0 via cordio stack, 4.2 via ArduinoBLE)
Internal antenna
Internal 32 MHz oscillator
1.8 V Operating Voltage
Syntiant® NDP120 Neural Decision Processor™ (Microprocessor)
1x Syntiant® Core 2™ ultra-low power deep neural network inference engine
1x HiFi 3 Audio DSP
1x Arm® Cortex® M0 core up to 48 MHz
Dedicated Low IQ High PSRR Low-Dropout regulator (TPS7A05)
1μA of typical very-low quiescent current consumption (3μA maximum)
Dedicated 48KB SRAM

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Sensors
IMU 6-axis (BMI270)
16 bit 3-axis accelerometer ± 2/4/8/16 g range
Output data rates (ODR): 0.78Hz-1.6 kHz
16 bit 3-axis gyroscope ±125/250/500/1000/2000 dps range
Output data rates (ODR): 25Hz-6.4 kHz
Fast offset error compensation for accelerometer and gyroscope
Rapid startup time:
2ms for Gyroscope with fast start mode
2ms for Accelerometer
<1μs of HW synchronization
Wide voltage supply range
Low Power
Current consumption: typ. 685 μA (full ODR and aliasing-free operation)
Built-in PMU
Magnetometer 3-axis (BMM150)
Low voltage operation
Ultra-low power, current consumption 170μA @ 10 Hz in low power preset
Interrupt signal generation for magnetic Low-/High-Threshold detection
Magnetic field range typical of ±1300μT (x, y-axis), ±2500μT (z-axis)
Magnetic field resolution of ~0.3μT
Maximum magnetic field rating at any direction >7T
High-Performance Microphone (IM69D130)
Frequency range 20 Hz ~ 20 kHz
MEMS (silicon) type
Dynamic range of 105dB
<1% total harmonic distortions up to 128 dBSPL
Sensitivity (± 1dB) and phase (± 2° @1kHz) matched
Flat frequency response with low-frequency roll-off at 28Hz
Power optimized modes determined by PDM clock frequency
PDM output
Omnidirectional pickup pattern

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I/O
Castellated pads (J1, J2, J3)
1x I2C bus, also available on the ESLOV connector
1x Serial Port (UART)
1x SPI
2x ADC
GPIOs configurable voltage 1.8 V/3.3 V
1x Battery Input
Integrated battery charger and fuel gauge (BQ25120AYFPR) for 3.7V Li-Po battery
Power Input and Output (3.3 V, GND and VIN)
External PDM microphone connector (Via 4-pin 0.5 mm pitch FFC cable compatible with FH33J-4S ZIF
connector)

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Contents
1 The Board
1.1 Application Examples
1.2 Accessories (Not Included)
1.3 Related Products
1.4 Assembly Overview
2 Ratings
3 Power Consumption
4 Functional Overview
4.1 Block Diagram
4.2 Board Topology
4.2.1 Connectors Topology
4.2.2 Components Topology
4.2.3 Front
4.3 Microcontroller
4.4 Neural Decision Processor
4.5 IMU
4.6 RGB LED
4.7 Microphone
4.8 USB Bridge
4.9 Power Tree
5 Board Operation
5.1 Getting Started - IDE
5.2 Getting Started - Arduino Web Editor
5.3 Getting Started - Arduino Cloud
5.4 Getting Started - ESLOV
5.5 Sample Sketches
5.6 Online Resources
5.7 Board Recovery
6 Connector Pinouts
6.1 J1 Nicla Header A
6.2 J2 Nicla Header B
6.3 J2 Fins
6.4 J3 Battery Pads
6.5 J4 Battery Connector

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6.6 J5 ESLOV
6.7 J6 External Microphone
7 Mechanical Information
7.1 Outline Board Measures
7.2 Board's Connectors Measures
8 Certifications
8.1 Declaration of Conformity CE DoC (EU)
8.2 Declaration of Conformity to EU RoHS & REACH 211 01/19/2021
8.3 Conflict Minerals Declaration
9 FCC Caution
10 Company Information
11 Reference Documentation
12 Revision History
13 Product Warnings and Disclaimers

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1 The Board
1.1 Application Examples
The Arduino® Nicla Voice is your cutting edge development and deployment solution taking advantage of
Syntiant® NDP120, a neural decision processor that will let you run multiple AI algorithms. Deploy predictive
maintenance, gesture and speech recognition, and contactless applications in a miniaturized form factor. A 6-axis
motion sensor, a magnetometer, and always-on speech recognition on the edge are at your disposal for
unrestricted research and development. On-board Bluetooth® Low Energy connectivity grants interoperability with
compatible Nicla, Portenta, and MKR devices for scalability. Ultra-low power consumption enables long lasting
device life-time and wide range of deployment possibilities.
Automated Intruder Detection System: Nicla Voice’s edge capabilities enable faster identification of critical
and time-sensitive events, including glass-breaking or motion sensing. Multiple voices, sound and sensor
applications can run simultaneously with low power consumption, all in a tiny battery-powered size, allowing
long periods of usage without intervention.
Predictive Maintenance: Nicla Voice can be used to predict the wear of industrial equipment, machinery and
automation devices. It can detect vibrations, noises coming from motors or coils and gather the information
needed for the Neural Decision Network to align maintenance with the operational characteristics.
Add low-power speech recognition: With the built-in microphone and its tiny form factor, you can easily
equip an existing setup with the Nicla Voice to improve the workflow by adding speech recognition like voice
commands. Moreover, an always-on speech recognition application can be developed thanks to the ultra low-
power Syntiant® NDP120 Neural Decision Processor™.
1.2 Accessories (Not Included)
Single-cell Li-ion/Li-Po battery
1.3 Related Products
ESLOV connector
Arduino® Portenta H7 (SKU: ABX00042)
Arduino® Portenta H7 Lite (SKU: ABX00045)
Arduino® Portenta H7 Lite Connected (SKU: ABX00046)
Arduino® Nicla Sense ME (SKU: ABX00050)

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1.4 Assembly Overview
Example: Example of a typical solution for remote environmental sensing including an Arduino® Nicla Voice,
Arduino® Portenta H7 and battery. Notice the orientation of the battery's cable in the board's connector.
Note: The NTC pin on the battery connector is optional. This is a feature that allows safer use and thermal shutoff
of the PMIC.
2 Ratings
Symbol Description Min Typ Max Unit
VIN Input voltage from VIN pad 3.5 5.0 5.5 V
VUSB Input voltage from USB connector 4.8 5.0 5.5 V
VDDIO_EXT Level Translator Voltage 1.8 3.3 3.3 V
VIH Input high-level voltage 0.7VDDIO_EXT1VDDIO_EXT V
VIL Input low-level voltage 0 0.3VDDIO_EXT2V
TOP Operating Temperature 0 25 70 °C
Note : VDDIO_EXT is software programmable. While the ADC inputs can accept up to 3.3 V, the maximum value is at
the ANNA-B112 operating voltage.
All I/O pins operate at VDDIO_EXT apart from the following:
ADC1 and ADC2 - 1.8 V
JTAG_SAMD11 - 3.3 V
JTAG_ANNA - 1.8 V
JTAG_BMI - 1.8 V

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VDDOTP - 1.8 V
2 : If the internal VDDIO_EXT is disabled by software, it is possible to supply it externally.
3 Power Consumption
Description Min Typ Max Unit
Standby - 0.46 - mA
Alexa demo ON with BLE off - 0.80 - mA
Alexa demo ON with BLE advertising and sensor polling at 1 Hz - 2.4 - mA
The measurements have been performed with VBAT = 3.7 V. Alexa demo corresponds to the factory firmware
flashed by default on the Nicla Voice.
4 Functional Overview
4.1 Block Diagram
Nicla Voice Block Diagram

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4.2 Board Topology
4.2.1 Connectors Topology
NiclaHeader-B
J3
NiclaHeader-A
J6
J7
J4
J5
J7
BOTTOMTOP
Nicla Voice Topology- Components
Ref. Description Ref. Description
J1 Nicla Header A J2 Nicla Header B
J3 Battery Pads J4 Battery Connector (BM03B-ACHSS)
J5 ESLOV Connector (SM05B-SRSS) J6 External Microphone (FH33J-4S)
J7 Micro USB-AB (ZX62-AB)

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4.2.2 Components Topology
DL1
D1
U8
U11
U9
U3
U12
U4
U15 U10
MD1
PB1
U5
D2
U7
U13
U1
U14
U2
TOP BOTTOM
Nicla Voice Topology - components
Ref. Description Ref. Description
DL1 RGB LED MD1 u-blox ANNA-B112
PB1 Push Button D1 Schottky Diode, PMEG4005EPK
D2 Resistor array PRTR5V0U0F U1 Arm® Cortex M0 ATSAM-D11
U2 Microphone IM69D130V01 U3 Syntiant® Neural Decision Processor NDP120
U4 Magnetic Sensor BMM150 U5 LDO TPS7A0511PDQNR
U7 Flash, 128MX1. AT25QL128A U8 RGB LED Driver IS31FL3194
U9 Battery Charger LDO Buck BQ25120 U10 Bus Transceiver 74LVC1T45DW
U11 Level Shifter TXB0108Y U12 Level Shifter NTS0304
U13 Level Shifter NTS0304 U14 LDO regulator, 3.3 V AP2112K
U15 IMU 6 Axis Low Power BMI270

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4.2.3 Front
1.60mm
2.95mm
2.75mm
1.20mm
Nicla Voice Front View
4.3 Microcontroller
The Arduino® Nicla Voice is powered by a nRF52832 SoC within the ANNA-B112 module (MD1). The nRF52832 SoC
is built around an ARM® Cortex-M4 microcontroller with floating point unit running at 64 MHz. Sketches are stored
inside the nRF52832 internal 512 KB FLASH which is shared with the bootloader. 64 KB SRAM is available to the
user. The ANNA-B112 acts as the SPI host for the data logging 16MB flash (U7). While the module itself runs at 1.8
V, a level shifter can adjust the logic level between 1.8 V and 3.3 V depending on the LDO set in BQ25120 (U9). An
external oscillator (Y1) provides a 32 KHz signal. The ANNA-B112 acts as the SPI host for the data logging 16MB
flash (U7) and the Syntiant® NDP120 IC (U3).
4.4 Neural Decision Processor
The Arduino® Nicla Voice integrates a Neural Decision Processor™ NDP120 from Syntiant® (U3). The NDP120
leverages Syntiant Core 2™ ultra-low-power deep neural network inference engine to move larger neural networks
into always-on domains with the capacity to run multiple applications simultaneously with minimal power
consumption, including keyword spotting and event detection. The Syntiant® NDP120 IC (U3) also acts as the SPI
host for the BMM150 3-axis magnetometer (U4) and the BMI270 6-axis IMU (U15).

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4.5 IMU
The Nicla Voice provides 9-axis IMU capabilities, by the combination of the 3-axis BMM150 (U4) and 6-axis BMI270
(U15) ICs. The BMI270 includes both a three-axis gyroscope as well as a three-axis accelerometer, while the
BMM150 is capable of sensing magnetic field variations in all three dimensions. The information obtained can be
used for measuring raw movement parameters as well as for machine learning. Both are connected via an SPI
connection to the Syntiant® NDP120 IC (U3).
4.6 RGB LED
An I2C LED driver (U8) drives the common anode RGB LED (DL1) and is capable of a maximum output of 40 mA. It is
driven by the ANNA-B112 (U5) microcontroller.
4.7 Microphone
The IM69D130V01XTSA1 microphone IC (U2) includes two near identical MEMS microphones with a common
membrane. The audio signal is transported over a PDM channel to the NDP120 (U3). An external microphone can
be added using the J6 connector, which is also connected to the NDP120 (U3) over a separate PDM channel.
Internal microphone (U2) and optional external microphone (J6) are on PDM 0 and PDM 1 channels respectively.
4.8 USB Bridge
The SAMD11 microcontroller (U1) is dedicated to act as both the USB bridge as well as the JTAG controller for the
ANNA-B112. A logic level translator (U13) acts as an in between to translate 3.3 V logic to 1.8 V for the ANNA-B112.
The 3.3 V voltage is generated from the USB voltage by a LDO (U14).

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4.9 Power Tree
Nicla Voice Power Tree
The Arduino® Nicla Voice can be powered via micro USB (J7), ESLOV (J5) or VIN pin. The input power is converted
into the relevant voltages via the BQ2512BAYFPR IC (U9). A Schottky diode provides reverse polarity protection to
the USB and ESLOV voltages. When voltage is supplied via the micro USB, a linear 3.3 V regulator also provides
power to the SAMD11 microcontroller used for programming the board as well as for JTAG and SWD. The LED
driver (U8) and RGB Leds (DL1) are driven by a boost voltage of 5V. All other components operate off the 1.8 V rail
regulated by a buck converter. PMID acts as an OR switch between VIN and BATT and operates the LED driver. All
I/O broken out to the pins are fed through a bi-direction voltage translator running at VDDIO_EXT.
Additionally, the BQ25120AYFPR (U9) also provides support for a single cell 3.7 V LiPo/Li-ion battery pack connected
to J4, allowing the use of the board as a wireless sensor network.

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5 Board Operation
5.1 Getting Started - IDE
If you want to program your Arduino® Nicla Voice while offline you need to install the Arduino® Desktop IDE [1].
To connect the Arduino® Nicla Voice to your computer, you’ll need a micro USB cable.
5.2 Getting Started - Arduino Web Editor
All Arduino® boards, including this one, work out-of-the-box on the Arduino® Web Editor [2], by just installing a
simple plugin.
The Arduino® Web Editor is hosted online, therefore it will always be up-to-date with the latest features and
support for all boards. Follow [3] to start coding on the browser and upload your sketches onto your board.
5.3 Getting Started - Arduino Cloud
All Arduino® IoT enabled products are supported on Arduino® Cloud which allows you to log, graph and analyze
sensor data, trigger events, and automate your home or business.
5.4 Getting Started - ESLOV
This board can act as a secondary to a ESLOV controller and have the firmware updated through this method.
5.5 Sample Sketches
Sample sketches for the Arduino® Nicla Voice can be found either in the “Examples” menu in the Arduino® IDE or
in the “Documentation” section of the Arduino® Pro website [4].
5.6 Online Resources
Now that you have gone through the basics of what you can do with the board you can explore the endless
possibilities it provides by checking exciting projects on ProjectHub [5], the Arduino® Library Reference [6] and the
online store [7] where you will be able to complement your board with sensors, actuators and more.

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5.7 Board Recovery
All Arduino® boards have a built-in bootloader which allows flashing the board via USB. In case a sketch locks up
the processor and the board is not reachable anymore via USB, it is possible to enter bootloader mode by double-
tapping the reset button right after power up.
6 Connector Pinouts
All the pins on J1 and J2 (excluding fins) are referenced to the VDDIO_EXT voltage which can be generated internally
or supplied externally.
6.1 J1 Nicla Header A
Pin Function Type Description MKR Compatibility
1 LPIO0_EXT Digital Low Power IO Pin 0 A6
2 NC N/A N/A A5
3 CS Digital SPI Cable Select A4
4 COPI Digital SPI Controller Out / Peripheral In A3
5 CIPO Digital SPI Controller In / Peripheral Out A2
6 SCLK Digital SPI Clock A1
7 ADC2 Analog Analog Input 2 A0
8 ADC1 Analog Analog Input 1 AREF
6.2 J2 Nicla Header B
Pin Function Type Description MKR Compatibility
1 SDA Digital I2C Data Line SDA
2 SCL Digital I2C Clock SCL
3 LPIO1_EXT Digital Low Power IO Pin 1 RX
4 LPIO2_EXT Digital Low Power IO Pin 2 TX
5 LPIO3_EXT Digital Low Power IO Pin 3 RESET
6 GND Power Ground GND
7 VDDIO_EXT Digital Logic Level Reference 3.3 V
8 N/C N/A N/A VIN
9 VIN Digital Input Voltage 5V
Note: For further information on how Low Power I/Os work, check Nicla Family Form Factor documentation.

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6.3 J2 Fins
Between the main pins, there are smaller contacts (fins) that provide access to debugging capabilities. These test
points can easily be accessed by inserting the board in a double row 1.27 mm/50 mil pitch male header.
BOTTOM FINS
P1
P2
P3
P4
P5
P6
P7
P8
Nicla Family Bottom Fins
Pin Function Type Description
P1 BMI_SWDIO Digital BMI270 JTAG Serial Wire Debug Data
P2 BMI_SWDCLK Digital BMI270 JTAG Serial Wire Debug Clock
P3 ANNA_SWDIO Digital ANNA JTAG Serial Wire Debug Data
P4 ANNA_SWDCLK Digital ANNA JTAG Serial Wire Debug Clock
P5 RESET Digital Reset Pin
P6 SAMD11_SWDIO Digital SAMD11 JTAG Serial Wire Debug Data
P7 +1.8 V Power +1.8 V Voltage Rail
P8 SAMD11_SWDCLK Digital SAMD11 JTAG Serial Wire Debug Clock
Note: All JTAG logic levels operate at 1.8 V apart from the SAMD11 pins (P6 and P8) which are 3.3 V. All these JTAG
pins are 1.8 V only and don't scale with VDDIO.

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6.4 J3 Battery Pads
Pin Function Type Description
1 VBAT Power Battery input
2 NTC Analog NTC Thermistor
6.5 J4 Battery Connector
Pin Function Type Description
1 VBAT Power Battery input
2 NTC Analog NTC Thermistor
3 GND Power Ground
6.6 J5 ESLOV
Pin Function Type Description
1 5V Power 5V Power Rail
2 INT Digital Digital IO
3 SCL Digital I2C Clock Line
4 SDA Digital I2C Data Line
5 GND Power Ground
6.7 J6 External Microphone
Pin Function Type Description
1 1.8 V_MIC Power 1.8 V Power Rail
2 GND Power Ground
3 PDMDIN1 Digital PDM 1 Data Line
4 PDMCLK1 Digital PDM 1 Clock Line

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7 Mechanical Information
7.1 Outline Board Measures
22.86mm
22.86mm
2.54mm
1.27mm
3.81mm
Ø1.01mm
Nicla Voice outline measures

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7.2 Board's Connectors Measures
J7
J4
J5
J7
3.13mm
7.00mm 1.96mm
7.50mm
5.40mm
4.30mm
2.86mm
3.16mm
0.33mm
0.74mm
J6
4.00mm
2.13mm
2.88mm
0.59mm
BOTTOMTOP
4.25mm
Nicla Voice connectors - mechanical measures
8 Certifications
8.1 Declaration of Conformity CE DoC (EU)
We declare under our sole responsibility that the products above are in conformity with the essential requirements
of the following EU Directives and therefore qualify for free movement within markets comprising the European
Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA).