ST X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 User manual

Introduction
The X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 expansion board provides Bluetooth low energy connectivity for developer applications and can be
plugged onto an STM32 Nucleo development board (e.g., NUCLEO-L476RG with ultra-low power STM32 microcontroller)
through its Arduino UNO R3 connectors.
The expansion board features the Bluetooth® v5.0 compliant and FCC certified BlueNRG-M2SP application processor module
based on the ST BlueNRG-2 System-on-Chip. This SoC manages the complete Bluetooth low energy stack and protocols on its
Cortex-M0 core and programmable Flash, which can accommodate custom applications developed using the SDK. The
BlueNRG-M2SP module supports master and slave modes, increased transfer rates with data length extension (DLE), and
AES-128 security encryption.
The X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 interfaces with the STM32 Nucleo microcontroller via SPI connections and GPIO pins, some of
which can be configured by the hardware.
Figure 1. X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 expansion board
Getting started with the X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 BLE expansion board based on
BLUENRG-M2SP module for STM32 Nucleo
UM2667
User manual
UM2667 - Rev 1 - December 2019
For further information contact your local STMicroelectronics sales office.
www.st.com

1Typical applications
The X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 expansion board can be used for the evaluation of the BlueNRG-M2 device in many
applications, such as:
•point-to-point communication
• sensor application
• home automation and lighting
• direct test mode (DTM)
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Typical applications
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2Acronyms and abbreviations
Table 1. List of acronyms
Acronym Description
EEPROM Electrically erasable programmable read only memory
GHz Giga Hertz
GUI Graphical user interface
LED Light emitting diode
MCU Microcontroller unit
P2P Point-to-point communication
RF Radio frequency communication
SPI Serial peripheral interface
SWD Serial wire debug
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Acronyms and abbreviations
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3Getting started
3.1 Overview
The X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 expansion board main features are:
•Based on the BlueNRG-M2SP module FCC certified module (FCC ID: S9NBNRGM2SP and IC: B976C-
BNRGM2SP)
• Compatible with STM32 Nucleo boards
• Equipped with Arduino UNO R3 connector
• Scalable solution, capable of cascading multiple boards for larger systems
• Free comprehensive development firmware library and examples for BlueNRG-2 compatible with
STM32Cube
•BlueNRG-M2SP:
– Bluetooth v5.0 compliant
– Supports master and slave modes
– BLE data packet length extension
– Embedded BALF-NRG-02D3 integrated matched balun with harmonic filter
• Interfaces:
– 1 UART, 1 I²C, 1 SPI, 14 GPIOs, 2 multifunction timers, 10-bit ADC, Watchdog & RTC, DMA controller,
PDM stream processor, SWD debug interface
• Small form factor: 11.5mmx13.5mm
• Complemented with Bluetooth low energy protocol stack library (GAP, GATT, SM, L2CAP, LL)
• AES security co-processor
• Bluetooth low energy SDK with a wide range of profiles
• Embedded BlueNRG-2 BLE SoC:
– High performance, ultra-low power Cortex-M0 32-bit based core
– Programmable embedded 256 KB Flash
– 24 KB embedded RAM with data retention
– Up to +8 dBm available output power
– Down to -88 dBm Rx sensitivity
– Up to 96 dB link budget with excellent link reliability
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Getting started
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3.2 Hardware and software requirements
To use STM32 Nucleo development boards with the X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 expansion board, connect the boards
as shown below.
Figure 2. X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 expansion board connected to an STM32 Nucleo development board
The X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 can be connected to any STM32 Nucleo development board.
The following software and hardware specifications are required:
• a PC/laptop with Microsoft Windows (7 and above) to install the software package (X-CUBE-BLE2).
• DTM project to be flashed in the module
• a type A USB to mini-B USB cable to connect the STM32 Nucleo to the PC/laptop
• a 5-pin connector programming wire to program the X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 using the STM32 Nucleo
3.3 Board setup
Step 1. Check that the jumper on J10 connector is connected to provide the required voltage to the board
devices.
Step 2. Connect the X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 to the STM32 Nucleo board as shown in Figure 2.
Step 3. Connect jumper J14 to select the SPI clock for the SPI.
Step 4. Program the STM32 Nucleo with the corresponding firmware to use the X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 as a
network coprocessor.
The evaluation kit is ready-to-use.
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Hardware and software requirements
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4Hardware description and configuration
4.1 Interconnection details
The X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 expansion board and the NUCLEO-L476RG development board connection details
are listed in the table below.
Table 2. X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 and NUCLEO-L476RG connection details (left connector)
Signal name
NC IOREF RESET +3V3 +5 V GND GNDS VIN A0 A1 A2 A3 A4 A5
Connector name
CN6 Power CN8 Analog
Pin number
12 3 45678123456
NUCLEO-L476RG MCU port
PA0 PA1 PA4 PB0 PC1 PC0
X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 expansion board signals
NC IOREF RESET +3V3 +5 V GND GND VIN DIO7/
BOOT
DIO1/
SPI_CS - - - -
Table 3. X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 and NUCLEO-L476RG connection details (right connector)
Signal name
D15 D14 - - D13 D12 D11 D10 D9 D8 D7 D6 D5 D4 D3 D2 D1 D0
Connector name
CN5 Digital CN9 Digital
Pin number
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
NUCLEO-L476RG MCU port
PB8 PB9 AVDD GND PA5 PA6 PA7 PB6 PC7 PA9 PA8 PB10 PB4 PB5 PB3 PA10 PA2 PA3
X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 expansion board signals
- - AREF GND
DIO0/
SPI_C
LK
DIO2 DIO3 - - DIO4 - DIO6 DIO12 DIO14
DIO
0/
SPI_
CLK
DIO5
DIO
11/
SPI_
CS
DIO8
Note: To use PA1 as SPI_CS with DIO1 mount resistor R70.
To use PA1 as SPI_CS with DIO11 mount resistor R76.
To use PA2 as SPI_CS with DIO11 mount resistor R86.
To take control of RESET in the STM32 application with PA8, mount resistor R117.
4.2 SPI and GPIO connection options
The SPI and GPIO connection options between the STM32 Nucleo and BlueNRG-M2 on the X-NUCLEO-
BNRG2A1 expansion board can be used to enable different configurations in case a signal conflict occurs when
using other expansion boards.
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Hardware description and configuration
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Table 4. X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 interface with STM32 Nucleo development board
X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 BlueNRG-M2SP Default STM32 port Optional STM32 port
PA0_SPI_IRQ_PB14
_BNRG1BOOT DIO7/BOOT PA0 PB14 To use the optional port, mount R82 and unmount R85
DIO1_SPI_CS DIO1 PA1 -
DIO11_SPI_CS DIO11 PA1 PA2
To use the optional port, mount R86 and unmount R76
SPI_CLK DIO0 PA5
JP14: pins 1-2 shorted
PB3
To use the optional port, short J14 pins 2 and 3
Table 5. X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 jumpers
Jumper Signals Description
J10 3.3 V Power connector
J11 User application
J12 SWD For SWD debugging/programming
J13 User application
J14 SPI_CLK To select the SPI clock pin PA5 or PB3
Default: pins 1-2 shorted
J15 PA0_SPI_IRQ
_PB14_BNRG1BOOT
This jumper is connected to DIO7 of the BlueNRG-2 and must be shorted for boot pin high.
DIO7 can be used for Bootloader activation.
4.3 Current measurement
To monitor the X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 expansion board power consumption, insert an ammeter probe between
pin 1 and 2 of the jumper J10 connector.
4.4 X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 component placement details
The figure below shows the component placement on the X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 expansion board.
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Current measurement
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Figure 3. X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 on-board device placement
1. ST morpho connector (not mounted by default)
2. Arduino UNO R3 connector
3. Arduino UNO R3 connector
4. BlueNRG-M2SP
5. J15 - boot pin jumper
6. J14 - SPI_CLK select jumper
7. ST morpho connector (not mounted by default)
8. Arduino UNO R3 connector
9. Arduino UNO R3 connector
10. J10 - power jumper
11. J11 - user application jumper
12. J12 - SWD jumper
13. J11 - user application jumper
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X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 component placement details
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5X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 on-board device description
5.1 BlueNRG-M2SP module
The BlueNRG-M2SP is a Bluetooth® low Energy System-on-Chip application processor certified module (FCC ID:
S9NBNRGM2SP
, IC ID: 8976C-BNRGM2SP), compliant with BT specifications v5.0 and BQE qualified. The
module supports multiple roles simultaneously and can simultaneously act as a Bluetooth Smart master and slave
device.
The BlueNRG-M2SP is based on BlueNRG-2 System-on-Chip and includes Bluetooth Low Energy stack and
protocols.
The device interfaces with STM32 Nucleo boards through SPI and GPIOs.
Table 6. BlueNRG-M2SP device details
Description Features
BlueNRG-M2SP Order code
SMD 23 pin Package
1.7- 3.6 V Operating Voltage
5.2 SPI EEPROM
The M95640-RMC6TG 64 Kbit serial SPI bus EEPROM with high-speed clock interface can be mounted on the X-
NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 expansion board.
It can be used to store the configuration parameters related to application or settings of the BlueNRG-2 RF
device.
Its main features are:
•Compatible with the Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) bus
• Memory array – 64 Kb (8 Kbytes) of EEPROM – Page size: 32 bytes
• Write (byte write within 5 ms, page write within 5 ms)
• Additional Write lockable page (identification page)
• Write Protect: quarter, half or whole memory array
• High-speed clock: 20 MHz
Table 7. M95640-RMC6TG connection with NUCLEO-L476RG development board
M95640-RMC6TG EEPROM NUCLEO-L476RG Pin no. Connector name Signal name
D (PA7_SPI_MOSI) PA7 4 CN5 D11
Q(PA6_SPI_MISO) PA6 5 CN5 D12
C(SPI_CLK) PB3/PA5 4/6 CN9/CN5 D3/D13
/S(PB6_SPI_CSN) PB6 3 CN5 D10
Note: The SPI EEPROM IC is not mounted on the board.
To use PB3 or PA5 with C(SPI_CLK), select jumper J14.
To use PB6 as SPI_CSN, mount resistor R77.
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X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 on-board device description
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Table 8. M95640-RMC6TG device details
Description Features
M95640-RMC6TG Order code
MLP8 Package
1.8 to 5.5 V Operating voltage
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SPI EEPROM
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