u-blox ALMA-B1 and NORA-B2, Bluetooth 5.4 LE modules are based on Nordic nRF54H20 and nRF54L15 SoCs

Wireless communication solutions provider, u-blox has added two new modules to its Bluetooth LE portfolio with the ALMA-B1 and NORA-B2 modules built upon the latest low-power wireless nRF54 chips from Nordic Semiconductor. Both modules come in a portable, power-efficient layout and support Bluetooth 5.4 and 802.15.4 (Thread, Matter, Zigbee).

The ALMA-B1 and NORA-B2 BLE modules are powered by the low-power nRF54H20 and nRF54L15 SoCs, respectively. This enables them to provide IoT devices with sufficient processing power for edge computing and machine learning without the need for external components.

u-blox claims that the ALMA-B1 module provides “more than twice the processing power of previous Bluetooth LE modules” and can replace general-purpose microcontrollers in compact solutions. Also, the NORA-B2 reportedly “consumes up to 50% less current compared to previous generations of Bluetooth LE modules,” leading to longer battery life or smaller batteries in end products.

Both modules are classified as open CPU and custom code can be uploaded on top of the Bluetooth stack for the nRF54 microcontroller to run. The nRF Connect SDK is free and required for developing connectivity and application software.

u-blox ALMA-B1 specifications:

SoC – Nordic Semiconductor nRF54H20
- Microcontroller cores – Dual-core Arm Cortex-M33, Dual-core RISC-V @ 320MHz
- RAM – 1MB
- NVM (Non-volatile memory) – 1.5MB
Interfaces
- 8x UART, 1x USB, 8x I2C;
- 64x GPIO, 14x ADC, 8x SPI;
- 2x I2S, 1x PDM, 4x PWM, 1x CAN, 2x I3S, 8x TWI (I2C compatible)
- 10x Timer, RTC (52-bit)
Wireless
- Bluetooth LE 5.4
  - Maximum Range – 1400m
  - Bluetooth Profiles and Services – Bluetooth GATT
  - Bluetooth low energy output power EIRP (Equivalent, Isotropically Radiated Power (EIRP)) – 13dBm
  - Other features: LE audio, Bluetooth long-range (coded PHY), Bluetooth mesh, Direction Finding (AoA/AoD), FOTA over BLE, simultaneous GATT server and client
- 802.15.4 – Thread / Zigbee / Matter
Power Supply – 1.7V to 5.5V
Security – Arm TrustZone-M, Root of Trust, secure boot and firmware updates, physical tamper detection
Temperature Range – -40°C to 105°C
Antennas – Antenna pin or embedded PCB antenna
Dimensions – 10.4 x 11.2 x 1.9mm or 10.4 x 14.3 x 1.9mm

u-blox NORA-B2 specifications:

SoC – Nordic Semiconductor nRF54L15
- Microcontroller core – Arm Cortex-M33 @ 128MHz
- RAM – 256KB
Interfaces
- 1x UART, 1x I2C;
- 31x GPIO, 14x ADC, 1x SPI, 1x PWM
- 7x Timers, 2x RTC, 1x GRTC
Wireless
- Bluetooth 5.4
  - Maximum Range – TBD
  - Bluetooth Profiles and Services – Bluetooth GATT
  - Bluetooth low energy output power EIRP (Equivalent, Isotropically Radiated Power (EIRP)) – 10dBm
  - Other features: LE audio, Bluetooth long-range (coded PHY), Bluetooth mesh, Direction Finding (AoA/AoD), Secure FOTA over BLE, simultaneous GATT server and client
- 802.15.4 – Thread / Zigbee / Matter / Nordic Proprietary 2.4 GHz protocol
Power Supply – 1.7V to 3.6V
Security – Arm TrustZone-M, Root of Trust, secure boot and firmware updates, physical tamper detection
Temperature Range – -40°C to 85°C
Antennas – Antenna pin or embedded PCB antenna
Dimensions – 10.4 x 11.2 x 1.9mm or 10.4 x 14.3 x 1.9mm

The ALMA-B1 and NORA-B2 modules are intended for IoT applications such as medical and healthcare, industrial automation, smart home, and telematics.

Both modules come in two variants, one with a pin for connecting an external antenna and another with an internal PCB antenna. The dimensions of the modules (10 x 11 mm or 10 x 14mm) are space-saving and are consistent with other u-blox offerings such as the MAYA-W3 module. ALMA-B1 and NORA-B2 samples will be available in the third quarter of 2024. More information can be found in the press release and on the product pages for each module.

Tomisin Olujinmi

Tomisin is a writer specializing in hardware product reviews, comparisons, and explainers. He is very passionate about small form factor and single-board computers.