Ublox NINA-B1 Series User manual

NINA-B1 series
Stand-alone Bluetooth low energy
modules
System Integration Manual
Abstract
This document describes the system integration of NINA-
B1 series
stand-alone Bluetooth low energy modules. With embedded
Bluetooth low energy profiles
and services, these modules are
tailored for
OEMs who wish to embed their own application on top
of the available BLE stack and/or to
embed Bluetooth
services/attributes on top of the integrated software sta
ck and tools
using ARM mbed IDE.
www.u
-blox.com
UBX
-15026175 - R06

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Document Information
Title NINA-B1 series
Subtitle Stand-alone Bluetooth low energy modules
Document type System Integration Manual
Document number UBX-15026175
Revision and date R06 9-Mar-2017
Disclosure restriction
This document applies to the following products:
Product name Type number u-blox connectivity software version PCN reference
NINA-B111 NINA-B111-00B-00
NINA-B111-01B-00
1.0.0
2.0.0
N/A
NINA-B112 NINA-B112-00B-00
NINA-B112-01B-00
1.0.0
2.0.0
N/A
u-blox reserves all rights to this document and the information contained herein. Products, names, logos and designs described herein may in
whole or in part be subject to intellectual property rights. Reproduction, use, modification or disclosure to third parties of this document or
any part thereof without the express permission of u-blox is strictly prohibited.
The information contained herein is provided “as is” and u-blox assumes no liability for the use of the information. No warranty, either
express or implied, is given, including but not limited, with respect to the accuracy, correctness, reliability and fitness for a particular purpose
of the information. This document may be revised by u-blox at any time. For most recent documents, visit www.u-blox.com.
Copyright © 2017, u-blox AG.
u-blox® is a registered trademark of u-blox Holding AG in the EU and other countries. ARM® is the registered trademark of ARM Limited in
the EU and other countries.

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Contents
Contents..............................................................................................................................3
1System description.......................................................................................................5
1.1 Overview and applications .................................................................................................................... 5
1.1.1 Module architecture ...................................................................................................................... 6
1.1.2 Hardware options.......................................................................................................................... 6
1.1.3 Software options ........................................................................................................................... 6
1.2 Pin configuration and function ............................................................................................................. 6
1.2.1 Pin attributes................................................................................................................................. 6
1.2.2 Pin description............................................................................................................................... 7
1.3 Supply interfaces ................................................................................................................................ 10
1.3.1 Main supply input ....................................................................................................................... 10
1.3.2 Digital I/O interfaces reference voltage (VCC_IO) ......................................................................... 10
1.3.3 VCC application circuits............................................................................................................... 11
1.4 System function interfaces.................................................................................................................. 11
1.4.1 Module reset............................................................................................................................... 11
1.4.2 Internal temperature sensor......................................................................................................... 11
1.5 Debug – Serial Wire Debug (SWD) ...................................................................................................... 11
1.6 Serial interfaces .................................................................................................................................. 12
1.6.1 Universal Asynchronous Serial Interface (UART) ........................................................................... 12
1.6.2 Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI)..................................................................................................... 12
1.6.3 I2C interface................................................................................................................................. 12
1.7 GPIO pins ........................................................................................................................................... 13
1.7.1 Analog interfaces ........................................................................................................................ 13
1.8 Antenna interfaces ............................................................................................................................. 14
1.8.1 Antenna pin – NINA-B111 ........................................................................................................... 14
1.8.2 Integrated antenna – NINA-B112................................................................................................. 15
1.8.3 NFC antenna ............................................................................................................................... 15
1.9 GND pins............................................................................................................................................ 15
2Software .....................................................................................................................16
2.1 u-blox connectivity software ............................................................................................................... 16
2.2 OpenCPU ........................................................................................................................................... 16
2.2.1 Nordic SDK.................................................................................................................................. 16
2.2.2 mbed OS ..................................................................................................................................... 19
2.2.3 Wirepas connectivity software ..................................................................................................... 23
2.3 Flashing the NINA-B1 module ............................................................................................................. 23
2.3.1 UART flashing.............................................................................................................................. 23
2.3.2 SWD flashing............................................................................................................................... 25
3Design-in.....................................................................................................................28
3.1 Overview ............................................................................................................................................ 28
3.2 Antenna interface............................................................................................................................... 28

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3.2.1 RF transmission line design (NINA-B111 only) .............................................................................. 28
3.2.2 Antenna design (NINA-B111 only) ............................................................................................... 30
3.2.3 On-board antenna design (NINA-B112 only)................................................................................ 32
3.3 Supply interfaces ................................................................................................................................ 33
3.3.1 Module supply design ................................................................................................................. 33
3.4 Data communication interfaces .......................................................................................................... 33
3.4.1 Asynchronous serial interface (UART) design ............................................................................... 33
3.4.2 Serial peripheral interface (SPI)..................................................................................................... 34
3.4.3 I2C interface................................................................................................................................. 34
3.5 NFC interface...................................................................................................................................... 34
3.5.1 Battery protection ....................................................................................................................... 34
3.6 General High Speed layout guidelines................................................................................................. 34
3.6.1 General considerations for schematic design and PCB floor-planning .......................................... 35
3.6.2 Module placement ...................................................................................................................... 35
3.6.3 Layout and manufacturing .......................................................................................................... 35
3.7 Module footprint and paste mask....................................................................................................... 35
3.8 Thermal guidelines.............................................................................................................................. 36
3.9 ESD guidelines .................................................................................................................................... 36
4Handling and soldering .............................................................................................37
4.1 Packaging, shipping, storage and moisture preconditioning ............................................................... 37
4.2 Handling............................................................................................................................................. 37
4.3 Soldering ............................................................................................................................................ 37
4.3.1 Reflow soldering process ............................................................................................................. 37
4.3.2 Cleaning...................................................................................................................................... 38
4.3.3 Other remarks ............................................................................................................................. 39
5Qualifications and approvals.....................................................................................40
6Product testing ...........................................................................................................41
6.1 u-blox In-Series production test .......................................................................................................... 41
6.2 OEM manufacturer production test .................................................................................................... 41
6.2.1 “Go/No go” tests for integrated devices...................................................................................... 42
Appendix ..........................................................................................................................43
AGlossary ......................................................................................................................43
BAntenna reference designs........................................................................................44
B.1.1 Floor plan ......................................................................................................................................... 45
Related documents...........................................................................................................47
Revision history................................................................................................................47
Contact..............................................................................................................................48

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1System description
1.1 Overview and applications
The NINA-B1 series modules are small stand-alone Bluetooth low energy modules featuring Bluetooth v4.2
(software upgradeable to Bluetooth 5), a powerful Cortex M4F processor, and state-of-the-art power
performance. The embedded low power crystal improves the power consumption by enabling optimal power
save modes.
The NINA-B1 is delivered with u-blox connectivity software that provides support for u-blox Bluetooth low
energy Serial Port Service, GATT client and server, beacons, and simultaneous peripheral and central roles, all
configurable from a host using AT commands.
NINA-B1 offers full flexibility for customers who prefer to add their application to run on the built-in Cortex M4F.
With 512 kB flash and 64 kB RAM, it offers the best-in-class capacity for customer applications running on top
of the Bluetooth low energy stack using SDK from Nordic Semiconductor or ARM mbed. Additionally, NFC and
interfaces such as SPI, I2C, and I2S are available. In combination with Wirepas Connectivity stack, NINA-B1 can
form large scale industrial mesh networks for several applications such as lighting, asset tracking, and metering.
NINA-B112 comes with an internal antenna and NINA-B111 has a pin for use with an external antenna. The
internal PIFA antenna is specifically designed for the small NINA-B1 form factor and provides an extensive range
of more than 300 m, independent of ground plane and component placement.
The module is globally certified for use with the internal antenna or a range of external antennas. This reduces
time and effort for customers integrating NINA-B1 in their designs.
Table 1: NINA-B1 series main features summary

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1.1.1 Module architecture
Figure 1: Block diagram of NINA-B1 series
1.1.2 Hardware options
The NINA-B1 series modules use an identical hardware configuration except for the different PCB sizes and
antenna solutions. An on board 32.768 KHz crystal is always included and an integrated DC/DC converter for
higher efficiency under heavy load situations.
1.1.3 Software options
The NINA-B1 series module can be used either together with the preflashed u-blox connectivity software or as an
Open CPU module where you can run your own application developed with either ARM mbed, Nordic SDK or
Wirepas development environment inside the NINA-B1 module. The different software options are described in
more detail in section 2.
1.2 Pin configuration and function
1.2.1 Pin attributes
1. FUNCTION: Pin function
2. PIN NAME: The name of the package pin or terminal
3. PIN NUMBER: Package pin numbers associated with each signal
4. POWER: The voltage domain that powers the pin
5. TYPE: Signal type description:
-I = Input
-O = Output
-I/O = Input and Output
-D = Open drain
-DS = Differential
-PWR = Power
-GND = Ground
32.768 kHz
Integrated
Antenna
1.7 – 3.6 V (VCC_IO)
External Reset
UART
SPI
ADC
NFC
nRF52832
Bluetooth Low Energy
RF Transceiver
with
Integrated Stacks
Application
Processor
Memory
32 MHz
DC/DC
/LDO
System
power
1.3 V
ANT-pin
1.7 – 3.6 V (VCC)
(NINA-B111)
(NINA-B112)
GPIO(s)

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-PU = Internal Pull-Up
-PD = Internal Pull-Down
-H = High-Impedance pin
-RF = Radio interface
6. SIGNAL NAME: The signal name for that pin in the mode being used
7. REMARKS: Pin description and notes.
1.2.2 Pin description
The pin-out described in Figure 2 is an example pin-out that demonstrates the most commonly used interfaces.
A = Analog function capable pin
Figure 2: NINA-B1 series pin assignment (top view)
The grey pins in the center of the modules are GND pins. The outline of NINA-B111 ends at the dotted line as
shown in Figure 2, where the antenna area of NINA-B112 begins.
All digital or analog functions described in this manual can be freely assigned to any GPIO pin. Analog
functions are limited to analog capable pins. Signals marked red in Figure 2 are not freely assignable but
locked to a specific pin.
The GPIO pins 16, 17, 18, and 20 are connected to pins located close to the radio part of the RF chip. It is
recommended to avoid using these pins for high speed digital interfaces or sinking/sourcing large currents
through them. Doing so, can affect the RF performance.

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Do not apply an NFC field to the NFC pins when they are configured as GPIOs. Doing so may
cause permanent damage to the module. When driving different logic levels on these pins in GPIO
mode, a small current leakage will occur, make sure they are set to the same logic level before entering
into any power saving modes.

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Function Pin Name Pin No. nR52
pin Type Description u-blox connectivity software
Power VCC 10 PWR Module supply input
1.7-3.6V range
VCC_IO 9 PWR IO Voltage supply input
Must be connected to VCC on NINA-B1
GND 6, 12, 14,
26, 30
GND Module ground
EGP - GND
The exposed pads in the center of
the module should be connected
to the GND
GPIO
GPIO_1
1
P0.08
I/O
General purpose I/O
RED:
System status signal
GPIO_2
2
P0.11
I/O
General purpose I/O
GPIO_3
3
P0.12
I/O
General purpose I/O
GPIO_4
4
P0.13
I/O
General purpose I/O
GPIO_5
5
P0.14
I/O
General purpose I/O
GPIO_7
7
P0.16
I/O
General purpose I/O
GREEN/SWITCH_1:
This signal is multiplexed:
GREEN: System status signal.
SWITCH_1:
•Grounding SWITCH_1 and
SWITCH_2 during a reset will
make the module enter the
bootloader.
•Grounding SWITCH_1 and
SWITCH_2 during a reset and
holding it low for 10s will
make the module restore all
factory settings.
GPIO_16
16
P0.28
I/O
General purpose I/O
Pin is analog capable
UART_DTR:
Can be used to indicate system
mode
GPIO_17
17
P0.29
I/O
General purpose I/O
Pin is analog capable
UART_DSR:
Can be used to set system mode
GPIO_18
18
P0.30
I/O
General purpose I/O
Pin is analog capable
SWITCH_2:
•Grounding SWITCH_1 and
SWITCH_2 during reset will
make the module enter the
bootloader.
•Grounding SWITCH_1 and
SWITCH_2 during a reset and
holding it low for 10s will
make the module restore all
factory settings.
•Grounding SWITCH_2 during
reset will reset the UART serial
settings.
•Can be use as external connect
or to enable parable mode.
See u-blox Short Range
Modules AT Commands
Manual [4] for more details.
GPIO_20
20
P0.31
I/O
General purpose I/O
UART_RTS:
UART request to send control signal
GPIO_21
21
P0.07
I/O
General purpose I/O
UART_CTS:
UART clear to send control signal
GPIO_22
22
P0.06
I/O
General purpose I/O
UART_TXD
UART data output

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Function Pin Name Pin No. nR52
pin Type Description u-blox connectivity software
GPIO_23
23
P0.05
I/O
General purpose I/O
Pin is analog capable
UART_RXD:
UART data input
GPIO_24
24
P0.02
I/O
General purpose I/O
Pin is analog capable
GPIO_25
25
P0.03
I/O
General purpose I/O
Pin is analog capable
GPIO_27
27
P0.04
I/O
General purpose I/O
Pin is analog capable
Control
RESET_N
19
P0.21
I
System reset input
Active low
Radio
ANT
13
I/O
Tx/Rx antenna interface
Used with NINA-B111 modules
NFC1/GPIO_2
8
28 P0.09 I/O
NFC antenna pin 1
May be used as a GPIO
NFC2/GPIO_2
9
29 P0.10 I/O
NFC antenna pin 2
May be used as a GPIO
Other
SWO/GPIO_8
8
P0.18
I/O
Serial Wire debug trace data
output
May be used as a GPIO
BLUE:
System status signal
SWDCLK
11
I Serial Wire Debug port clock signal
SWDIO
15
I/O Serial Wire Debug port data signal
Table 2: NINA-B1 pin description
Do not apply any Voltage to Digital, Control and Radio signal groups while in Non-powered
mode to avoid damaging the module.
1.3 Supply interfaces
1.3.1 Main supply input
The NINA-B1 series uses an integrated DC/DC converter to transform the supply voltage presented at the VCC
pin into a stable system core voltage. Due to this, the NINA-B1 modules are compatible for use in battery
powered designs.
While using NINA-B1 with a battery, it is important that the battery type can handle the peak power of the
module. In case of battery supply, consider adding extra capacitance on the supply line to avoid capacity
degradation. See the NINA-B1 series Data Sheet [2] for information about voltage supply requirement and
current consumption.
Table 3: Summary of voltage supply requirements
The current requirement in Table 3 considers using the u-blox connectivity software with UART
comunication. But it does not include any aditional I/O current. Any use of external push-buttons, LEDs, or
other interfaces will add to the total current consumption of the NINA-B1 module. The peak current
consumption of the entire design will have to be taken into account when considering a battery powered
solution.
1.3.2 Digital I/O interfaces reference voltage (VCC_IO)
On the NINA-B1 series modules, the I/O voltage level is the same as the supply voltage and VCC_IO is internally
connected to the supply input VCC.
Rail Voltage requirement Current requirement (peak)
VCC 1.7 V – 3.6 V 15 mA

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When using NINA-B1 with a battery, the I/O voltage level will vary with the battery output voltage, depending on
the charge of the battery. Level shifters might be needed depending on the I/O voltage of the host system.
1.3.3 VCC application circuits
The power for NINA-B1 series modules is provided through the VCC pins, which can be one of the following:
•Switching Mode Power Supply (SMPS)
•Low Drop Out (LDO) regulator
•Battery
The SMPS is the ideal choice when the available primary supply source has higher value than the operating
supply voltage of the NINA-B1 series modules. The use of SMPS provides the best power efficiency for the overall
application and minimizes current drawn from the main supply source.
While selecting SMPS, ensure that AC voltage ripple at switching frequency is kept as low as
possible. Layout shall be implemented to minimize impact of high frequency ringing.
The use of an LDO linear regulator is convenient for a primary supply with a relatively low voltage where the
typical 85-90% efficiency of the switching regulator leads to minimal current saving. Linear regulators are not
recommended for high voltage step-down as they will dissipate a considerable amount of energy.
DC/DC efficiency should be evaluated as a tradeoff between active and idle duty cycle of the specific application.
Although some DC/DC can achieve high efficiency at extremely light loads, a typical DC/DC efficiency quickly
degrades as idle current drops below a few mA greatly reducing the battery life.
Due to the low current consumption and wide voltage range of the NINA-B1 series module, a battery can be
used as a main supply. The capacity of the battery should be selected to match the application. Care should be
taken so that the battery can deliver the peak current required by the module. See the NINA-B1 series Data
Sheet [2] for electrical specifications.
It is considered as best practice to have decoupling capacitors on the supply rails close to the NINA-B1 series
module, although depending on the design of the power routing on the host system, capacitance might not be
needed.
1.4 System function interfaces
1.4.1 Module reset
You can reset the NINA-B1 modules by applying a low level on the RESET_N input pin, which is normally set
high with an internal pull-up. This causes an “external” or “hardware” reset of the module. The current
parameter settings are not saved in the non-volatile memory of the module and a proper network detach is not
performed.
1.4.2 Internal temperature sensor
The radio chip in the NINA-B1 module contains a temperature sensor used for over temperature and under
temperature shutdown.
The temperature sensor is located inside the radio chip and should not be used if an accurate
temperature reading of the surrounding environment is required.
1.5 Debug – Serial Wire Debug (SWD)
The primary interface for debug is the SWD interface. The SWD interface can also be used for firmware upgrade.
The two pins, SWDIO and SWDCLK should be made accessible on header or test points.

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1.6 Serial interfaces
As the NINA B1 module can be used with both the u-blox connectivity software and openCPU
based application, based on either the Nordic SDK or the ARM mbed platform, the available interfaces
and the pin mapping can differ. For detailed pin information see the Pin description section.
1.6.1 Universal Asynchronous Serial Interface (UART)
The NINA-B1 series module provides a Universal Asynchronous Serial Interface (UART) for data communication.
The following UART signals are available:
•Data lines (RXD as input, TXD as output)
•Hardware flow control lines (CTS as input, RTS as output)
•DSR and DTS are used to set and indicate system modes
The UART can be used as both 4 wire UART with hardware flow control and 2-wire UART with only TXD and
RXD. If using the UART in 2-wire mode, CTS should be connected to GND on the NINA-B1 module.
Depending on the bootloader used, the UART interface can also be used for firmware upgrade. See the Software
section for more information.
The u-blox connectivity software adds the DSR and DTR pins to the UART interface. These pins are not used as
originally intended, but to control the state of the NINA-B1 module. Depending on the current configuration, the
DSR can be used to:
•Enter command mode
•Disconnect and/or toggle connectable status
•Enable/disable the rest of the UART interface
•Enter/wake up from the sleep mode
See the NINA-B1 series Data Sheet [2] for characteristic information about the UART interface.
Interface Default configuration
COM port 115200 baud, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit, hardware flow control
Table 4: Default settings for the COM port while using the u-blox connectivity Software
It is recommended to make the UART available either as test points or connected to a header for firmware
upgrade.
The IO level of the UART will follow the VCC voltage and it can thus be in the range of 1.8 V and 3.6 V. If you
are connecting the NINA-B1 module to a host with a different voltage on the UART interface, a level shifter
should be used.
1.6.2 Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI)
NINA-B1 supports up to 3 serial peripheral interfaces that can operate in both master and slave modes with a
maximum serial clock frequency of 8 MHz in both these modes. The SPI interfaces use the following 4 signals:
•SCLK
•MOSI
•MISO
•CS
When using the SPI interface in master mode, it is possible to use GPIOs as additional Chip Select (CS) signals to
allow addressing of multiple slaves.
1.6.3 I2C interface
The Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) interfaces can be used to transfer or receive data on a 2-wire bus network. The
NINA-B1 modules can operate as both master and slave on the I2C bus using both standard (100 kbps) and fast
(400 kbps) transmission speeds. The interface uses the SCL signal to clock instructions and data on the SDL
signal.

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External pull up resistors are required for the I2C interface. The value of the pull up resistor should be selected
depending on the speed and capacitance of the bus.
1.7 GPIO pins
The NINA-B1 series module can provide up to 19 pins, which can be configured as general purpose input or
output. 7 GPIO pins are capable of handling analog functionality. All pins are capable of handling interrupt.
Function Description Default
NINA-B1 pin
Configurable
GPIOs
General purpose input Digital input with configurable edge detection and interrupt generation. Any
General purpose output Digital output with configurable drive strength, pull-up, pull-down, open-
source, open-drain and/or slew rate.
Any
Pin disabled Pin is disconnected from input buffers and output drivers. All* Any
Timer/ counter High precision time measurement between two pulses/ Pulse counting with
interrupt/event generation.
Any
Interrupt/ Event trigger Interrupt/event trigger to the software application/ Wake up event. Any
ADC input 8/10/12-bit analog to digital converter Any analog
Analog comparator input Compare two voltages, capable of generating wake-up events and
interrupts
Any analog
PWM output Output complex pulse width modulation waveforms Any
Connection status
indication
Indicates if a BLE connection is maintained BLUE** Any
* = If left unconfigured ** = If using u-blox connectivity software
Table 5: GPIO custom functions configuration
1.7.1 Analog interfaces
7 out of the 19 digital GPIOs can be multiplexed to analog functions. The following analog functions are
available for use:
•1x 7-channel ADC
•1x Analog comparator*
•1x Low-power analog comparator*
*Only one of the comparators can be used simultaneously.
1.7.1.1 ADC
The Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) can sample up to 200 kHz using different inputs as sample triggers.
Table 6 shows the sample speed in correlation to the maximum source impedance. It supports 8/10/12-bit
resolution. Any of the 7 analog inputs can be used both as single-ended inputs and as differential pairs for
measuring the voltage across them. The ADC supports full 0 V to VCC input range.

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Table 6: Acquisition vs source impedance
1.7.1.2 Comparator
The comparator compares voltages from any analog pin with different references as shown in Table 7. It
supports full 0 V to VCC input range and can generate different software events to the rest of the system.
1.7.1.3 Low power comparator
The low-power comparator operates in the same way as the normal comparator, with reduced functionality. It
can be used during system OFF modes as a wake up source.
1.7.1.4 Analog pin options
The following table shows the supported connections of the analog functions.
An analog pin may not be simultaneously connected to multiple functions.
Table 7: Possible uses of analog pin
1.8 Antenna interfaces
The antenna interface is different for each module variant in the NINA-B1 series.
1.8.1 Antenna pin – NINA-B111
The NINA-B111 is equipped with an RF pin. The RF pin has a nominal characteristic impedance of 50 Ωand must
be connected to the antenna through a 50 Ωtransmission line to allow reception of radio frequency (RF) signals
in the 2.4 GHz frequency band.
Choose an antenna with optimal radiating characteristics for the best electrical performance and overall module
functionality. An internal antenna, integrated on the application board or an external antenna that is connected
to the application board through a proper 50 Ωconnector can be used.
While using an external antenna, the PCB-to-RF-cable transition must be implemented using either a suitable
50 Ωconnector, or an RF-signal solder pad (including GND) that is optimized for 50 Ωcharacteristic impedance.
1.8.1.1 Antenna matching
The antenna return loss should be as good as possible across the entire band when the system is operational to
provide optimal performance. The enclosure, shields, other components and surrounding environment will
ACQ [us] Maximum source resistance [kΩ]
3 10
5 40
10 100
15 200
20 400
40 800
Analog function Connects to
ADC single-ended input Any analog pin or VCC
ADC differential input Any analog pin or VCC pair
Comparator IN+ Any analog pin
Comparator IN- Pin 24 or 25, VCC, 1.2 V, 1.8 V, 2.4 V
Low-power comparator IN+ Any analog pin
Low-power comparator IN- Pin 24 or 25, 1/16 to 15/16 VCC in steps of 1/16 VCC

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impact the return loss seen at the antenna port. Matching components are often required to re-tune the
antenna to bring the return loss within an acceptable range.
It is difficult to predict the actual matching values for the antenna in the final form factor. Therefore, it is a good
practice to have a placeholder in the circuit with a ”pi” network, with two shunt components and a series
component in the middle, to allow maximum flexibility while tuning the matching to the antenna feed.
1.8.1.2 Approved antenna designs
NINA-B1 modules come with a pre-certified design that can be used to save costs and time during the
certification process. To take advantage of this service, the customer is required to implement antenna layout
according to u-blox reference designs. The reference design is described in Appendix B.
The designer integrating a u-blox reference design into an end-product is solely responsible for the unintentional
emission levels produced by the end-product.
The module may be integrated with other antennas. In this case, the OEM installer must certify his design with
respective regulatory agencies.
1.8.2 Integrated antenna – NINA-B112
The NINA-B112 is equipped with an integrated antenna on the module for simpler integration.
1.8.3 NFC antenna
The NINA-B1 series modules include a Near Field Communication interface, capable of operating as a 13.56 MHz
NFC tag at a bit rate of 106 kbps. As an NFC tag, data can be read from or written to the NINA-B1 modules
using an NFC reader; however the NINA-B1 modules are not capable of reading other tags or initiating NFC
communications. Two pins are available for connecting to an external NFC antenna: NFC1 and NFC2.Reserved
pins (RSVD)
Do not connect reserved (RSVD) pin. The reserved pins can be allocated for future interfaces and functionality.
1.9 GND pins
Good connection of the module's GND pins with solid ground layer of the host application board is required for
correct RF performance. It significantly reduces EMC issues and provides a thermal heat sink for the module.
See the Module footprint and paste mask and Thermal guidelines sections for information about ground design.

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2Software
The NINA-B1 series module can be used either with the preflashed u-blox connectivity software or as an Open
CPU module where you can run your own application developed with either ARM mbed, Nordic SDK or Wirepas
development environment inside the NINA-B1 module.
The software on the NINA-B1 module contains of the following parts:
•SoftDevice S132 is a Bluetooth®low energy (BLE) central and peripheral protocol stack solution
•Optional bootloader
•Application
Figure 3: NINA-B1 software structure and available software options
2.1 u-blox connectivity software
The NINA-B1 series module is delivered with the preflashed u-blox connectivity software.
The u-blox connectivity software enables the use of the Bluetooth Low Energy functions, controlled by
AT-commands over the UART interface. Examples of supported features are u-blox Low Energy Serial Port
Service, GATT server and client, central and peripheral roles and multidrop connections. More information on the
features and capabilities of the u-blox connectivity software and how to use it can be found in the NINA-B1
Getting started guide [3] and u-blox Short Range Modules AT Commands Manual [4].
2.2 OpenCPU
2.2.1 Nordic SDK
The Nordic nRF5 SDK provides a rich developing environment for different devices and applications by including
a broad selection of drivers and libraries. The SDK is delivered as a plain .zip-archive, which makes it easy to
install. The SDK comes with support for Keil μVision IDE, GCC make files, and IAR support, which gives the
freedom to choose the IDE and compiler.

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2.2.1.1 Getting started on the Nordic SDK
To work with the Nordic SDK on the NINA-B1 series module, follow the steps mentioned below:
1. Get started with the Nordic Semiconductor toolchain and examples:
a. Download and install the nRFgo Studio, which includes the nRF Tools package: JLinkARM, JLink
CDC, nRFjprog, and mergehex from www.nordicsemi.com. To quickly locate the application
package on this website, search for “nRFgo Studio”.
b. Download and install the latest Keil MDK-ARM from www.keil.com.
c. Download and extract the latest nRF5 SDK found on
http://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/Products/Bluetooth-low-energy/nRF5-SDK to the directory that
you want to use to work with the nRF5 SDK.
d. Install the Device Family Pack that is shipped with the SDK, or let Keil install it automatically.
All SDK versions do not include the device family pack and it is preferred to let Keil install it automatically.
e. Read the information in the SDK Release Notes and check the nRF5 Software Development Kit
documentation available at http://infocenter.nordicsemi.com/.
Nordic tools
More information and links to all available tools as well as supported compilers can be found in the Nordic info
center.
http://infocenter.nordicsemi.com/topic/com.nordic.infocenter.gs/dita/gs/nordic_tools.html
Support – Nordic development forum
For support on questions related to the development of software using the Nordic SDK, refer to the Nordic
development zone - https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/
2.2.1.2 Create a custom board for Nordic SDK
The predefined hardware boards included in the Nordic SDK are Nordic development boards only. To add
support for a custom board, a custom board support file with the name custom_board.h can be created. This file
should be located in the folder …\components\boards\. The custom board can then be selected by adding the
define statement #define BOARD_CUSTOM.
The above-mentioned file location is according to the Nordic nRF5 SDK version 12.2.0.
Figure 4 shows an example of how the custom board support file can look like for EVK-NINA-B1.

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Figure 4: Example of EVK-NINA-B1 custom board support file
#ifndef BOARD_CUSTOM_H
#define BOARD_CUSTOM_H
#ifdef __cplusplus
extern "C" {
#endif
#include "nrf_gpio.h"
// In this case PIN 16 is used as button SW1, if the green led
// should be used it is possible to defined that one instead.
#define LEDS_NUMBER 2
#define LED_1 8 // Red
#define LED_2 18 // Blue
#define LEDS_ACTIVE_STATE 0
#define LEDS_LIST { LED_1, LED_2 }
#define BSP_LED_0 LED_1
#define BSP_LED_1 LED_2
#define LEDS_INV_MASK LEDS_MASK
#define BUTTONS_NUMBER 2
#define BUTTON_1 16 // SW1
#define BUTTON_2 30 // SW2
#define BUTTON_PULL NRF_GPIO_PIN_PULLUP
#define BUTTONS_ACTIVE_STATE 0
#define BUTTONS_LIST { BUTTON_1, BUTTON_2 }
#define BSP_BUTTON_0 BUTTON_1
#define BSP_BUTTON_1 BUTTON_2
#define RX_PIN_NUMBER 5
#define TX_PIN_NUMBER 6
#define CTS_PIN_NUMBER 7
#define RTS_PIN_NUMBER 31
#define HWFC true
#define SPIS_MISO_PIN 12 // SPI MISO signal.
#define SPIS_CSN_PIN 11 // SPI CSN signal.
#define SPIS_MOSI_PIN 13 // SPI MOSI signal.
#define SPIS_SCK_PIN 14 // SPI SCK signal.
#define SPIM0_SCK_PIN 14 // SPI clock GPIO pin number.
#define SPIM0_MOSI_PIN 13 // SPI Master Out Slave In GPIO pin number.
#define SPIM0_MISO_PIN 12 // SPI Master In Slave Out GPIO pin number.
#define SPIM0_SS_PIN 11 // SPI Slave Select GPIO pin number.
// Low frequency clock source to be used by the SoftDevice
#define NRF_CLOCK_LFCLKSRC {.source = NRF_CLOCK_LF_SRC_XTAL, \
.rc_ctiv = 0, \
.rc_temp_ctiv = 0, \
.xtal_accuracy = NRF_CLOCK_LF_XTAL_ACCURACY_20_PPM}
#ifdef __cplusplus
}
#endif
#endif // BOARD_CUSTOM_H

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2.2.2 mbed OS
ARM mbed OS is an open source embedded operating system designed specifically for the "things" in the
Internet of Things. It includes all the features to develop a connected product, including security, connectivity, an
RTOS, and drivers for sensors and I/O devices. With an RTOS core, based on the widely used open-source CMSIS-
RTOS RTX, mbed OS supports deterministic, multithreaded real time software execution. ARM mbed OS has
native support for building across the ARM Compiler 5, GCC, and IAR compiler toolchains.
2.2.2.1 Getting started with the mbed OS
A list of prerequisites to getting started with mbed OS 5 development on EVK-NINA-B1 is provided at
https://github.com/ARMmbed/mbed-os-example-ble#getting-started.
mbed CLI is the name of the ARM mbed command line tool, which enables the full mbed workflow such as
repositories version control, maintaining dependencies, updating from remotely hosted repositories (GitHub,
GitLab and mbed.org), and invoking ARM mbed's own build system. The document available at
https://github.com/ARMmbed/mbed-cli#introduction covers the installation and usage of the mbed CLI.
For a description on how to create a build target for EVK-NINA-B1, see the NINA-B1 ARM mbed Custom Target
Application Note [5].
Bluetooth low energy examples from ARM mbed are available at https://github.com/ARMmbed/mbed-os-
example-ble.
2.2.2.2 Create a custom target for mbed
2.2.2.2.1 Add target
Add a new JSON object to the targets.json file located in the “\mbed-os\targets\” folder. Figure 5 shows an
example of the JSON object for EVK-NINA-B1. See Standard properties [6] section [6]for a list of the properties
that are known to the mbed build system.
The above-mentioned folder location is as per the ARM mbed OS release 5.2.

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Figure 5: Example of EVK-NINA-B1 target object
2.2.2.2.2 Pin mapping
Create a folder with the same name as the JSON object created in section 2.2.2.2.1. The folder should be
located in “\mbed-os\targets\TARGET_NORDIC\TARGET_NRF5\TARGET_MCU_NRF52832\”. For EVK-NINA-
B1, the folder will be called TARGET_EVK_NINA_B1.
In this new folder, there should be two files, device.h and PinNames.h.
1. device.h: This contains the #include object.h as shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6: Example code for device.h
2. PinNames.h: The PinNames.h file should declare and define a couple of enumerations to configure the
custom pin mapping. Figure 6 and Figure 7 show the contents of the PinNames.h file in the case of EVK-
NINA-B1.
#ifndef MBED_DEVICE_H
#define MBED_DEVICE_H
#include "objects.h"
#endif
"EVK_NINA_B1": {
"supported_form_factors": ["ARDUINO"],
"inherits": ["MCU_NRF52"],
"macros_add": [
"BOARD_PCA10040",
"NRF52_PAN_12",
"NRF52_PAN_15",
"NRF52_PAN_58",
"NRF52_PAN_55",
"NRF52_PAN_54",
"NRF52_PAN_31",
"NRF52_PAN_30",
"NRF52_PAN_51",
"NRF52_PAN_36",
"NRF52_PAN_53",
"S132",
"CONFIG_GPIO_AS_PINRESET",
"BLE_STACK_SUPPORT_REQD",
"SWI_DISABLE0",
"NRF52_PAN_20",
"NRF52_PAN_64",
"NRF52_PAN_62",
"NRF52_PAN_63"],
"device_has": [
"ANALOGIN",
"ERROR_PATTERN",
"I2C",
"I2C_ASYNCH",
"INTERRUPTIN",
"LOWPOWERTIMER",
"PORTIN",
"PORTINOUT",
"PORTOUT",
"PWMOUT",
"RTC",
"SERIAL",
"SERIAL_ASYNCH",
"SLEEP",
"SPI",
"SPI_ASYNCH",
"SPISLAVE"],
"release_versions": ["2", "5"]
},