Quectel EM160R-GL Supplement

EM160R-GL
Hardware Design
LTE-A Module Series
Version: 1.3.3
Date: 2023-10-18
Status: Preliminary

LTE-A Module Series
EM160R-GL_Hardware_Design 1 / 73
At Quectel, our aim is to provide timely and comprehensive services to our customers. If you
require any assistance, please contact our headquarters:
Quectel Wireless Solutions Co., Ltd.
Building 5, Shanghai Business Park Phase III (Area B), No.1016 Tianlin Road, Minhang District, Shanghai
200233, China
Tel: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Or our local offices. For more information, please visit:
http://www.quectel.com/support/sales.htm.
For technical support, or to report documentation errors, please visit:
http://www.quectel.com/support/technical.htm.
Or email us at: [email protected]om.
Legal Notices
We offer information as a service to you. The provided information is based on your requirements and we
make every effort to ensure its quality. You agree that you are responsible for using independent analysis
and evaluation in designing intended products, and we provide reference designs for illustrative purposes
only. Before using any hardware, software or service guided by this document, please read this notice
carefully. Even though we employ commercially reasonable efforts to provide the best possible
experience, you hereby acknowledge and agree that this document and related services hereunder are
provided to you on an “as available” basis. We may revise or restate this document from time to time at
our sole discretion without any prior notice to you.
Use and Disclosure Restrictions
License Agreements
Documents and information provided by us shall be kept confidential, unless specific permission is
granted. They shall not be accessed or used for any purpose except as expressly provided herein.
Copyright
Our and third-party products hereunder may contain copyrighted material. Such copyrighted material
shall not be copied, reproduced, distributed, merged, published, translated, or modified without prior
written consent. We and the third party have exclusive rights over copyrighted material. No license shall
be granted or conveyed under any patents, copyrights, trademarks, or service mark rights. To avoid
ambiguities, purchasing in any form cannot be deemed as granting a license other than the normal
non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use the material. We reserve the right to take legal action for
noncompliance with abovementioned requirements, unauthorized use, or other illegal or malicious use of
the material.

LTE-A Module Series
EM160R-GL_Hardware_Design 2 / 73
Trademarks
Except as otherwise set forth herein, nothing in this document shall be construed as conferring any rights
to use any trademark, trade name or name, abbreviation, or counterfeit product thereof owned by Quectel
or any third party in advertising, publicity, or other aspects.
Third-Party Rights
This document may refer to hardware, software and/or documentation owned by one or more third parties
(“third-party materials”). Use of such third-party materials shall be governed by all restrictions and
obligations applicable thereto.
We make no warranty or representation, either express or implied, regarding the third-party materials,
including but not limited to any implied or statutory, warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular
purpose, quiet enjoyment, system integration, information accuracy, and non-infringement of any
third-party intellectual property rights with regard to the licensed technology or use thereof. Nothing herein
constitutes a representation or warranty by us to either develop, enhance, modify, distribute, market, sell,
offer for sale, or otherwise maintain production of any our products or any other hardware, software,
device, tool, information, or product. We moreover disclaim any and all warranties arising from the course
of dealing or usage of trade.
Privacy Policy
To implement module functionality, certain device data are uploaded to Quectel’s or third-party’s servers,
including carriers, chipset suppliers or customer-designated servers. Quectel, strictly abiding by the
relevant laws and regulations, shall retain, use, disclose or otherwise process relevant data for the
purpose of performing the service only or as permitted by applicable laws. Before data interaction with
third parties, please be informed of their privacy and data security policy.
Disclaimer
a) We acknowledge no liability for any injury or damage arising from the reliance upon the information.
b) We shall bear no liability resulting from any inaccuracies or omissions, or from the use of the
information contained herein.
c) While we have made every effort to ensure that the functions and features under development are
free from errors, it is possible that they could contain errors, inaccuracies, and omissions. Unless
otherwise provided by valid agreement, we make no warranties of any kind, either implied or express,
and exclude all liability for any loss or damage suffered in connection with the use of features and
functions under development, to the maximum extent permitted by law, regardless of whether such
loss or damage may have been foreseeable.
d) We are not responsible for the accessibility, safety, accuracy, availability, legality, or completeness of
information, advertising, commercial offers, products, services, and materials on third-party websites
and third-party resources.
Copyright © Quectel Wireless Solutions Co., Ltd. 2023. All rights reserved.

LTE-A Module Series
EM160R-GL_Hardware_Design 3 / 73
Safety Information
The following safety precautions must be observed during all phases of operation, such as usage, service
or repair of any terminal or mobile incorporating the module. Manufacturers of the terminal should notify
users and operating personnel of the following safety information by incorporating these guidelines into all
manuals of the product. Otherwise, Quectel assumes no liability for customers’ failure to comply with
these precautions.
Full attention must be paid to driving at all times in order to reduce the risk of an
accident. Using a mobile while driving (even with a handsfree kit) causes
distraction and can lead to an accident. Please comply with laws and regulations
restricting the use of wireless devices while driving.
Switch off the terminal or mobile before boarding an aircraft. The operation of
wireless appliances in an aircraft is forbidden to prevent interference with
communication systems. If there is an Airplane Mode, it should be enabled prior to
boarding an aircraft. Please consult the airline staff for more restrictions on the use
of wireless devices on an aircraft.
Wireless devices may cause interference on sensitive medical equipment, so
please be aware of the restrictions on the use of wireless devices when in
hospitals, clinics or other healthcare facilities.
Terminals or mobiles operating over radio signal and cellular network cannot be
guaranteed to connect in certain conditions, such as when the mobile bill is unpaid
or the (U)SIM card is invalid. When emergency help is needed in such conditions,
use emergency call if the device supports it. In order to make or receive a call, the
terminal or mobile must be switched on in a service area with adequate cellular
signal strength. In an emergency, the device with emergency call function cannot
be used as the only contact method considering network connection cannot be
guaranteed under all circumstances.
The terminal or mobile contains a transceiver. When it is ON, it receives and
transmits radio frequency signals. RF interference can occur if it is used close to
TV sets, radios, computers or other electric equipment.
In locations with explosive or potentially explosive atmospheres, obey all posted
signs and turn off wireless devices such as mobile phone or other terminals. Areas
with explosive or potentially explosive atmospheres include fuelling areas, below
decks on boats, fuel or chemical transfer or storage facilities, and areas where the
air contains chemicals or particles such as grain, dust or metal powders.

LTE-A Module Series
EM160R-GL_Hardware_Design 4 / 73
About the Document
Revision History
Update Log
Version
Date
What/Where
Why
Update
1.0.0
2020-08-31
Creation of the document
1.0
2020-12-23
First official release
Jim HAN/
Lewis PENG
1.1
2021-01-15
Updated the function diagram (Figure 1).
Jim HAN/
Lewis PENG
Updated the I/O parameter definitions (Table 3).
Updated the description of turn-on timing (Table 7).
Updated the figure of turn-off timing through FULL_CARD_POWER_OFF# (Figure 8).
Updated the figure of turn-off timing through AT command and power supply (Figure 10).
Updated the figure of reset timing (Figure 14).
Updated the description of reset timing (Table 10).
Updated the description of PCIe power-on timing requirements (Table 13).
Update GNSS to Gen9-VT.
Updated the receiving sensitivity (Table 40, delta of 0.1 dB for B8/B20 and delta of 0.2 dB for
B3/B18/B28).
Add four-antenna conducted receiving sensitivity (Table 41).
Updated the mechanical dimensions figure (Figure 38).
Updated the bottom view figures (Figure 42 and Figure 44).
1.2
2021-02-01
Updated the functional diagram (Figure 1).
Davon ZHAO

LTE-A Module Series
EM160R-GL_Hardware_Design 5 / 73
Updated the description about EVB (Chapter 2.4).
Added the ripple and VBAT data in the figure of power supply limits (Figure 3).
Updated the turn-on and turn-off timing information (Chapters 3.4.1.1 and 3.4.2.1).
Deleted the information about turning off the module throughAT command.
Updated the module reset information (Chapter 3.5).
Changed pin 24 into VDDIO in the table of PCM interface pin (Table 13).
Deleted the figure of PCIe turn-on timing requirements of M.2 Specification.
Updated the figure of thermal dissipation area on bottom side of the module (Figure 33).
1.3.0
2023-06-05
Deleted the related information of EM120R-GL.
To meet the specific demanding of Lenovo.
Iyukee SHEN/
Lewis PENG
Updated the PCIE_REFCLK in turn-on timing (Figure 7).
To prevent module unrecognition problems caused by incorrect reference clock timing.
Iyukee SHEN
Updated the PCIE_REFCLK and CLKREQ# in timing of resetting the module (Figure 11).
To prevent module unrecognition problems caused by incorrect reference clock timing.
Iyukee SHEN
Updated the PCIe Interface Reference Circuit (EP Mode) (Figure 16).
To prevent module unrecognition problems caused by incorrect GPIO configuration
during host turn-on.
Iyukee SHEN
Updated the PCIe D3 Cold State Timing (Figure 17).
The timing of the wake-up control signal is provided to the customer, which more
intuitively shows the process of the module from D3cold to D0 state.
Iyukee SHEN
Updated reference circuit of DPR (Chapter 3.9.5).
To prevent customers from directly connecting, which may cause the module to fail to
work properly.
Iyukee SHEN
Updated configuration of config pins (Figure 24 and Table 24).
To meet the specific demanding of Lenovo.
Iyukee SHEN
Added B29/B32/B46 in Rx Sensitivity (Chapter 4.1.2).
To add the data of Rx only.
Lewis PENG
Remove the type Compass in GNSS frequency (Chapter 4.2).
To follow the specification of EM160R-GL.
Lewis PENG
Updated the data in GNSS performance (Table 35).
To add the data of GNSS performance.
Lewis PENG
Updated the top view of the module (Chapter 6.2).
Follow Quectel standard.
Iyukee SHEN
Added the description of module installation (Chapter 6.4).
To remind customers to assemble correctly so as to make sure the normal operation of
the module.
Iyukee SHEN
Updated packaging specifications (Chapter 6.5).
Follow Quectel standard.
Iyukee SHEN
1.3.1
2023-07-15
Added a note to the host in the procedure of turning on (Chapter 3.4.1).
To remind customers not to drive RESET# low after FULL_CARD_POWER_OFF# is
de-asserted at booting stage so as to turn on successfully.
Fung ZHU
Updated the pulling down time of RESET# (Chapter 3.5).
To meet the specific demanding of Lenovo.
Fung ZHU
Updated the time of T1 in the turn-off procedure (Table 9).
To disable PCIe interface successfully by asserting PERST#.
Fung ZHU
1.3.2
2023-09-01
Updated the timing of RESET# (Table 11).
To meet the specific demanding of Lenovo.
Fung ZHU

LTE-A Module Series
EM160R-GL_Hardware_Design 6 / 73
1.3.3
2023-10-18
Added related note description in turn-on chapter (Chapter 3.4.1).
Optimize the description and reduce risk points.
Fung ZHU
Added related note description of RESET# (Chapter 3.5).
Optimize the description and reduce risk points.
Fung ZHU
Added related note description in (U)SIM design notices (Chapter 3.6.4).
Optimize the description and reduce risk points.
Fung ZHU
Added related note description in DPR (Chapter 3.8.5).
Optimize the description and reduce risk points.
Fung ZHU

LTE-A Module Series
EM160R-GL_Hardware_Design 7 / 73
Contents
Safety Information.......................................................................................................................................3
About the Document...................................................................................................................................4
Contents.......................................................................................................................................................7
Table Index...................................................................................................................................................9
Figure Index...............................................................................................................................................11
1Introduction........................................................................................................................................12
1.1. Introduction ...............................................................................................................................12
1.2. Reference Standard..................................................................................................................12
1.3. Special Marks............................................................................................................................13
2Product Overview ..............................................................................................................................14
2.1. Frequency Bands and Functions..............................................................................................14
2.2. Key Features.............................................................................................................................15
2.3. Functional Diagram...................................................................................................................17
2.4. EVB Kit......................................................................................................................................17
3Application Interfaces .......................................................................................................................18
3.1. Pin Assignment .........................................................................................................................19
3.2. Pin Description..........................................................................................................................20
3.3. Power Supply............................................................................................................................24
3.3.1. Voltage Stability Requirements......................................................................................24
3.3.2. Reference Design for Power Supply..............................................................................25
3.4. Turn On, Turn Off and Reset Scenarios...................................................................................26
3.4.1. Turn On ..........................................................................................................................26
3.4.2. Turn Off ..........................................................................................................................28
3.5. RESET# ....................................................................................................................................29
3.6. (U)SIM Interface........................................................................................................................31
3.6.1. (U)SIM Hot-Plug.............................................................................................................31
3.6.2. Normally Closed (U)SIM Card Connector......................................................................32
3.6.3. Normally Open (U)SIM Card Connector........................................................................33
3.6.4. (U)SIM Card Connector Without Hot-Plug.....................................................................34
3.7. PCIe Interface...........................................................................................................................35
3.7.1. Endpoint Mode...............................................................................................................36
3.7.2. PCIe D3cold State............................................................................................................37
3.8. Control and Indication Interfaces..............................................................................................38
3.8.1. W_DISABLE1#...............................................................................................................39
3.8.2. W_DISABLE2#*.............................................................................................................39
3.8.3. WWAN_LED#.................................................................................................................40
3.8.4. WAKE_ON_WAN#.........................................................................................................42
3.8.5. DPR................................................................................................................................42
3.8.6. ANT_CONFIG................................................................................................................43
3.9. COEX UART*............................................................................................................................44

LTE-A Module Series
EM160R-GL_Hardware_Design 8 / 73
3.10. Antenna Tuner Control Interfaces* ...........................................................................................44
3.10.1. Antenna Tuner Control Interface through GPIOs ..........................................................44
3.10.2. Antenna Tuner Control Interface through RFFE............................................................45
3.11. Configuration Pins.....................................................................................................................45
4RF Specifications...............................................................................................................................47
4.1. Cellular Network........................................................................................................................47
4.1.1. Antenna Interface & Frequency Bands..........................................................................47
4.1.2. Rx Sensitivity..................................................................................................................49
4.1.3. Tx Power........................................................................................................................51
4.2. GNSS ......................................................................................................................................52
4.2.1. Antenna Interface & Frequency Bands..........................................................................52
4.2.2. GNSS Performance .......................................................................................................53
4.3. Antenna Connectors.................................................................................................................54
4.3.1. Antenna Connector Location .........................................................................................54
4.3.2. Antenna Connector Specifications.................................................................................55
4.3.3. Antenna Connector Installation......................................................................................56
4.4. Antenna Requirements.............................................................................................................58
5Electrical Characteristics and Reliability........................................................................................59
5.1. Absolute Maximum Ratings......................................................................................................59
5.2. Power Supply Ratings...............................................................................................................59
5.3. Digital I/O Characteristics .........................................................................................................60
5.4. Operating and Storage Temperatures ......................................................................................61
5.5. Power Consumption..................................................................................................................61
5.6. ESD Protection..........................................................................................................................64
5.7. Thermal Dissipation ..................................................................................................................65
5.8. Notification ................................................................................................................................66
5.8.1. Coating...........................................................................................................................66
5.8.2. Cleaning.........................................................................................................................66
6Mechanical Information.....................................................................................................................67
6.1. Mechanical Dimensions............................................................................................................67
6.2. Top and Bottom Views..............................................................................................................68
6.3. M.2 Connector...........................................................................................................................68
6.4. Module Installation....................................................................................................................69
6.5. Packaging Specifications..........................................................................................................70
6.5.1. Blister Tray .....................................................................................................................70
6.5.2. Packaging Process ........................................................................................................71
7Appendix References........................................................................................................................72

LTE-A Module Series
EM160R-GL_Hardware_Design 9 / 73
Table Index
Table 1: Special Marks............................................................................................................................... 13
Table 2: Frequency Bands and GNSS Functions of EM160R-GL.............................................................14
Table 3: Key Features of EM160R-GL.......................................................................................................15
Table 4: Parameter Definition..................................................................................................................... 20
Table 5: Pin Description .............................................................................................................................20
Table 6: Pin Definition of VCC and GND Pins ...........................................................................................24
Table 7: Pin Definition of FULL_CARD_POWER_OFF#........................................................................... 26
Table 8: Description of Turn-on Timing ......................................................................................................27
Table 9: Description of the Turn-off Timing through FULL_CARD_POWER_OFF#..................................28
Table 10: Pin Definition of RESET#........................................................................................................... 29
Table 11: Description of Reset Timing........................................................................................................30
Table 12: Pin Definition of (U)SIM Interface...............................................................................................31
Table 13: Pin Definition of PCIe Interface..................................................................................................35
Table 14: Exit D3cold State Timing of the Module........................................................................................38
Table 15: Pin Definition of Control and Indication Interfaces.....................................................................38
Table 16: RF Function Status.....................................................................................................................39
Table 17: GNSS Function Status............................................................................................................... 39
Table 18: RF Status Indications of WWAN_LED#..................................................................................... 41
Table 19: State of the WAKE_ON_WAN#..................................................................................................42
Table 20: Function of the DPR Signal........................................................................................................42
Table 21: Pin Definition of ANT_CONFIG..................................................................................................43
Table 22: Pin Definition of COEX UART.................................................................................................... 44
Table 23: Pin Definition of Antenna Tuner Control Interface through GPIOs ............................................44
Table 24: Pin Definition of Antenna Tuner Control Interface through RFFE..............................................45
Table 25: Configuration Pins of the Module............................................................................................... 45
Table 26: Configuration Pins List of M.2 Specification...............................................................................46
Table 27: EM160R-GLConnector Definition ofAntenna Interfaces.......................................................... 47
Table 28: Frequency Bands ....................................................................................................................... 48
Table 29: Dual-Antenna Conducted RF Receiver Sensitivity (Unit: dBm).................................................49
Table 30: Four-Antenna Conducted RF Receiver Sensitivity ....................................................................51
Table 31: EM160R-GLTransmitting Power................................................................................................52
Table 32: GNSS Frequency .......................................................................................................................52
Table 33: GNSS Performance....................................................................................................................53
Table 34: Major Specifications of the RF Connector.................................................................................. 55
Table 35: Antenna Requirements...............................................................................................................58
Table 36: Absolute Maximum Ratings........................................................................................................59
Table 37: Power Supply Requirements...................................................................................................... 59
Table 38: Logic Levels of 1.8 V Digital I/O................................................................................................. 60
Table 39: Logic Levels of 3.3 V Digital I/O................................................................................................. 60
Table 40: (U)SIM High/Low-voltage I/O Requirements.............................................................................. 60
Table 41: Operating and Storage Temperatures........................................................................................ 61

LTE-A Module Series
EM160R-GL_Hardware_Design 10 / 73
Table 42: EM160R-GL Power Consumption.............................................................................................. 61
Table 43: Electrostatic Discharge Characteristics (Temperature: 25–30 °C, Humidity: 40 ±5 %)............. 64
Table 44: Related Documents....................................................................................................................72
Table 45: Terms and Abbreviations............................................................................................................72

LTE-A Module Series
EM160R-GL_Hardware_Design 11 / 73
Figure Index
Figure 1: Functional Diagram..................................................................................................................... 17
Figure 2: Pin Assignment...........................................................................................................................19
Figure 3: Power Supply Limits During Burst Transmission........................................................................ 24
Figure 4: Reference Design of VCC ..........................................................................................................25
Figure 5: Reference Design of Power Supply............................................................................................25
Figure 6: Turn on the Module with a Host GPIO........................................................................................26
Figure 7: Turn-on Timing............................................................................................................................27
Figure 8: Reference Circuit for Laptop PCIe Reset Logic .........................................................................28
Figure 9: Turn-off Timing through FULL_CARD_POWER_OFF# ............................................................. 28
Figure 10: Reference Design of RESET# with NMOS Driver Circuit ........................................................ 29
Figure 11: Timing of Resetting the Module ................................................................................................30
Figure 12: Reference Circuit of Normally Closed (U)SIM Card Connector............................................... 33
Figure 13: Reference Circuit of Normally Open (U)SIM Card Connector .................................................34
Figure 14: Reference Circuit of a 6-Pin (U)SIM Card Connector.............................................................. 34
Figure 15: PCIe Interface Reference Circuit (EP Mode)............................................................................37
Figure 16: PCIe D3Cold State Timing.......................................................................................................... 38
Figure 17: Reference Design of W_DISABLE1# and W_DISABLE2#...................................................... 40
Figure 18: Reference Design of WWAN_LED#.........................................................................................41
Figure 19: Reference Design of WAKE_ON_WAN#..................................................................................42
Figure 20: Reference Design of DPR ........................................................................................................ 43
Figure 21: Recommended Circuit of EM160R-GL Configuration Pins......................................................46
Figure 22:Antenna Connectors on the EM160R-GL Module.................................................................... 54
Figure 23: Dimensions of the Receptacle (Unit: mm)................................................................................55
Figure 24: Dimensions of Mated Plugs (Ø 0.81 mm Coaxial Cables) (Unit: mm)..................................... 56
Figure 25: Space Factor of Mated Connectors (Ø 0.81 mm Coaxial Cables) (Unit: mm)......................... 56
Figure 26: Space Factor of Mated Connectors (Ø 1.13 mm Coaxial Cables) (Unit: mm)......................... 57
Figure 27: Distribution of Heat Source Chips Inside the Module...............................................................65
Figure 28: Placement and Fixing of the Heatsink......................................................................................66
Figure 29: Mechanical Dimensions............................................................................................................ 67
Figure 30: Top and Bottom Views of the Module....................................................................................... 68
Figure 31: Installation Schematic...............................................................................................................69
Figure 32: Blister Tray Dimension Drawing ............................................................................................... 70
Figure 33: Packaging Process...................................................................................................................71

LTE-A Module Series
EM160R-GL_Hardware_Design 12 / 73
1Introduction
1.1. Introduction
This document introduces EM160R-GL module and describes its air interfaces and hardware interfaces
which are connected to your applications.
With this document, you can quickly understand module interface specifications, electrical and
mechanical details, as well as other related information of the module. This document, coupled with
application notes and user guides, makes it easy to design and set up mobile applications with the
module.
1.2. Reference Standard
The module complies with the following standards:
⚫PCI Express M.2 Specification Revision 4.0
⚫PCI Express Base Specification Revision 4.0
⚫ISO/IEC 7816-3
⚫MIPI Alliance Specification for RF Front-End Control Interface version 2.0
⚫3GPP TS 27.007 and 3GPP TS 27.005

LTE-A Module Series
EM160R-GL_Hardware_Design 13 / 73
1.3. Special Marks
Table 1: Special Marks
Mark
Definition
*
Unless otherwise specified, when an asterisk (*) is used after a function, feature, interface, pin
name, AT command, argument, and so on, it indicates that the function, feature, interface, pin,
AT command, argument, and so on, is under development and currently not supported; and the
asterisk (*) after a model indicates that the sample of the model is currently unavailable.
[…]
Brackets ([…]) used after a pin enclosing a range of numbers indicate all pins of the same type.
For example, SDIO_DATA[0:3] refers to all four SDIO pins: SDIO_DATA0, SDIO_DATA1,
SDIO_DATA2, and SDIO_DATA3.

LTE-A Module Series
EM160R-GL_Hardware_Design 14 / 73
2Product Overview
2.1. Frequency Bands and Functions
EM160R-GL is an LTE-A/UMTS/HSPA+ wireless communication module with receive diversity. It
provides data connectivity on LTE-FDD, LTE-TDD, DC-HSDPA, HSPA+, HSDPA, HSUPA and WCDMA
networks with standard PCI Express M.2 interface.
It supports embedded operating systems such as Windows, Linux and Android, and provides GNSS
1
to
meet your specific application demands.
The following table shows the frequency bands and GNSS functions of the module.
Table 2: Frequency Bands and GNSS Functions of EM160R-GL
1
GNSS function is optional.
2
LTE-FDD B29/B32 and LTE-TDD B46 support Rx only and are only for secondary component carrier.
Mode
Frequency Band
LTE-FDD
(with Rx-diversity)
B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/
B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29 2/B30 /B32 2/B66
LTE-TDD
(with Rx-diversity)
B38/B39/B40/B41/B42/B43/B46 2/B48
LTE DL 4 ×4 MIMO
B1/B2/B3/B4/B7/B25/B30/B32/B38/B39/B40/B41/B66
WCDMA
(with Rx-diversity)
B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B6/B8/B19
GNSS 1
GPS;
GLONASS;
BDS;
Galileo
For details about CA combinations, see document [1].
NOTE

LTE-A Module Series
EM160R-GL_Hardware_Design 15 / 73
2.2. Key Features
Table 3: Key Features of EM160R-GL
3
The maximum rates are theoretical and the actual values depend on the network configuration.
Feature
Details
Function Interface
PCI Express M.2 Interface
Power Supply
Supply voltage: 3.135–4.4 V
Typical supply voltage: 3.7 V
Transmitting Power
⚫WCDMA: Class 3 (23 dBm ±2 dB)
⚫LTE-FDD
- B30: Class 3 (22 dBm ±1 dB)
- Other Bands: Class 3 (24 dBm ±1 dB)
⚫LTE-TDD
- B41: Class 3 (23 dBm ±1 dB)
- B41 HPUE: Class 2 (25.5 dBm +1/-1.5 dB)
- B42/B43/B48: Class 3 (21 dBm ±1 dB)
- Other Bands: Class 3 (24 dBm ±1 dB)
LTE Features
⚫Supports FDD and TDD
⚫Supports CA Categories:
- Supports up to UL CA Cat 13
- Supports up to DL CA Cat 16
⚫Supports 1.4/3/5/10/15/20 MHz RF bandwidths
⚫Supports 4 ×4 MIMO in DL direction
⚫Supports modulations:
- Uplink: QPSK, 16QAM and 64QAM modulations
- Downlink: QPSK, 16QAM and 64QAM and 256QAM modulations
⚫Maximum transmission data rates 3:
−LTE: 1000 Mbps (DL)/150 Mbps (UL)
UMTS Features
⚫Support 3GPP Rel-9 DC-HSDPA, HSPA+, HSDPA, HSUPA and
WCDMA
⚫Support QPSK, 16QAM and 64QAM modulations
⚫Maximum transmission data rates 3:
−DC-HSDPA: 42 Mbps (DL)
−HSUPA: 5.76 Mbps (UL)
−WCDMA: 384 kbps (DL)/384 kbps (UL)
Internet Protocol Features
Supports QMI/MBIM/NITZ/PING/HTTP/HTTPS protocols
SMS
⚫Text and PDU modes
⚫Point-to-point MO and MT

LTE-A Module Series
EM160R-GL_Hardware_Design 16 / 73
4
To meet the normal operating temperature range requirements, it is necessary to ensure effective thermal dissipation,
e.g., by adding passive or active heat sinks, heat pipes, vapor chambers. Within the temperature range of -10 °C to +55 °C ，
the mentioned RF performance margins higher than 3GPP specifications can be guaranteed. When temperature goes
beyond temperature range of -10 °C to 55 °C , a few RF performances of module may be slightly off 3GPP specifications.
5
To meet the extended operating temperature range requirements, it is necessary to ensure effective thermal dissipation,
e.g., by adding passive or active heat sinks, heat pipes, vapor chambers. Within this range, the module remains the ability
to establish and maintain functions such as SMS, without any unrecoverable malfunction. Radio spectrum and radio
network are not influenced, while one or more specifications, such as Pout, may undergo a reduction in value, exceeding the
specified tolerances of 3GPP. When the temperature returns to the normal operating temperature level, the module will
meet 3GPP specifications again.
⚫SMS cell broadcast
⚫SMS storage: ME by default
(U)SIM Interface
⚫Support (U)SIM card: 1.8/3.0 V
⚫Support Dual SIM Single Standby
eSIM
⚫Support eSIM function
PCIe Interface
⚫Complaint with PCIe Gen 2
⚫PCIe ×1, supporting 5 Gbps per lane
⚫Used for AT command communication, data transmission, firmware
upgrade, software debugging, GNSS NMEA sentence output
Antenna connectors
⚫Main, Rx-diversity/GNSS, MIMO1 and MIMO2 antenna connectors
⚫50 Ω impedance
Rx-diversity
⚫LTE/WCDMA
GNSS Features
⚫Support GPS, GLONASS, BDS and Galileo
⚫Protocol: NMEA 0183
⚫Data update rate: 1 Hz
AT Commands
⚫Compliant with 3GPP TS 27.007 and 3GPP TS 27.005
⚫Quectel enhanced AT commands
Physical Characteristics
⚫Size: 42.0 mm ×30.0 mm ×2.3 mm
⚫Weight: approx. 6.8 g
Temperature Ranges
⚫Operating temperature range: -25 to +75 °C 4
⚫Extended temperature range: -40 to +85 °C 5
⚫Storage temperature range: -40 to +90 °C
Firmware Upgrade
⚫PCIe interface
⚫DFOTA
RoHS
All hardware components are fully compliant with EU RoHS directive

LTE-A Module Series
EM160R-GL_Hardware_Design 17 / 73
2.3. Functional Diagram
The following figure shows a block diagram of EM160R-GL.
ANT_CONFIG
DPR
(U)SIM
PCIe 2.0 ×1
ANT_DIV/GNSS
ANT_MAIN
MIMO1
38.4MHz XO
Qlink
Control
Tx
PRx
DRx
PCI Express M.2
Key-B Interface
FULL_CARD_POWER_OFF#
W_DISABLE2#
WWAN_LED#
WAKE_ON_WAN#
RFFE
W_DISABLE1#
MIMO2
GND
RESET#
VCC
SPMI
BB_CLK 19.2MHz
RF_CLK 38.4MHz
EBI1
EBI2
PMIC
4Gb 8 bit NAND Flash
2Gb 16 bit LPDDR4X SDRAM
Baseband
Transceiver
Tx/Rx Blocks ET
MIMO1
MIMO2
GNSS
eSIM
Figure 1: Functional Diagram
2.4. EVB Kit
Quectel supplies an evaluation board (5G-M2 EVB) with accessories to develop and test the module. For
more details, see document [2].

LTE-A Module Series
EM160R-GL_Hardware_Design 18 / 73
3Application Interfaces
The physical connections and signal levels of EM160R-GL comply with PCI Express M.2 specifications.
This chapter mainly describes the definition and application of the following interfaces/signals/pins of
EM160R-GL:
⚫Power supply
⚫(U)SIM interface
⚫PCIe interface
⚫Control and indicator signals
⚫COEX UART*
⚫Antenna tuner control interfaces*
⚫Configuration pins

LTE-A Module Series
EM160R-GL_Hardware_Design 19 / 73
3.1. Pin Assignment
The following figure shows the pin assignment of EM160R-GL. The top side contains EM160R-GL and
antenna connectors.
PIN2
PIN74
BOT
PIN1
PIN75
TOP
Pin Name No.
CONFIG_2 75
GND 73
GND 71
CONFIG_1 69
RESET# 67
ANTCTL3 65
ANTCTL2 63
ANTCTL1 61
ANTCTL0 59
GND 57
PCIE_REFCLK_P 55
PCIE_REFCLK_M 53
GND 51
PCIE_RX_P 49
PCIE_RX_M 47
GND 45
PCIE_TX_P 43
PCIE_TX_M 41
GND 39
RESERVED 37
RESERVED 35
GND 33
RESERVED 31
RESERVED 29
GND 27
DPR 25
WAKE_ON_WAN# 23
CONFIG_0 21
Notch
Notch
Notch
Notch
GND 11
RESERVED 9
RESERVED 7
GND 5
GND 3
CONFIG_3 1
PIN11
PIN10
No. Pin Name
74 VCC
72 VCC
70 VCC
68 ANT_CONFIG
66 USIM_DET
64 COEX_TXD
62 COEX_RXD
60 COEX3
58 RFFE_DATA
56 RFFE_CLK
54 PEWAKE#
52 CLKREQ#
50 PERST#
48 NC
46 NC
44 NC
42 NC
40 NC
38 NC
36 USIM_VDD
34 USIM_DATA
32 USIM_CLK
30 USIM_RST
28 RESERVED
26 W_DISABLE2#
24 RESERVED
22 RESERVED
20 RESERVED
Notch
Notch
Notch
Notch
10 WWAN_LED#
8 W_DISABLE1#
6FULL_CARD_POWER_OFF#
4 VCC
2 VCC
Figure 2: Pin Assignment