u-blox NORA-W2 Series Hardware Integration Manual
  1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. u-blox Manuals
  4. Control Unit
  5. NORA-W2 Series
  6. Hardware integration manual

u-blox NORA-W2 Series Hardware Integration Manual

Stand-alone multiradio modules
Hide thumbs
Table of Contents

Advertisement

Quick Links

Download this manual
NORA-W2 series
Stand-alone multiradio modules
Hardware integration manual
Abstract
Targeted towards hardware and software application engineers, this document describes how to
integrate NORA-W2 modules in application products and explains the hardware design-in, software,
component handling, regulatory compliance, and testing of the modules. It also lists the external
antennas approved for use with the module. NORA‑W2 modules come with pre-flashed application
software, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth Low Energy 5 connectivity with support for several
important embedded security features like secure boot. The modules are ideal for critical IoT
applications where security is important.
UBX-22005177 - R01
C1 – Public
www.u-blox.com

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading

Related Manuals for u-blox NORA-W2 Series

Summary of Contents for u-blox NORA-W2 Series

  • Page 1 NORA-W2 series Stand-alone multiradio modules Hardware integration manual Abstract Targeted towards hardware and software application engineers, this document describes how to integrate NORA-W2 modules in application products and explains the hardware design-in, software, component handling, regulatory compliance, and testing of the modules. It also lists the external antennas approved for use with the module.

  • Page 2: Document Information

    Disclosure to third parties is permitted for clearly public documents only. The information contained herein is provided “as is” and u-blox assumes no liability for its use. No warranty, either express or implied, is given, including but not limited to, with respect to the accuracy, correctness, reliability, and fitness for a particular purpose of the information.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual Contents Document information ..........................2 Contents ............................... 3 Product overview ..........................6 1.1 Module architecture ........................... 6 1.2 Block diagram .............................. 7 Module integration ..........................8 2.1 Power supply ..............................8 2.1.1 Module supply input (VCC) ....................... 9 2.1.2 Digital I/O interfaces reference voltage (VCC_IO) ................
  • Page 4 NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual 4.1 AWS IoT ExpressLink programmer's guide ..................26 4.2 AWS-specific AT commands for u-blox module ................26 4.2.1 AT+DIAG SCAN [time_out_in_seconds]..................26 4.2.2 AT+DIAG CONNECT ......................... 26 4.2.3 AT+DIAG IPCONFIG .......................... 26 4.2.4 AT+DIAG PING <host> ........................27 4.3 Device claiming ............................
  • Page 5 NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual 6.6.2 Labeling requirements for end product ..................42 6.7 KCC South Korea compliance ......................... 43 6.8 Brazil compliance ............................43 6.9 Australia and New Zealand regulatory compliance ................44 6.10 South Africa regulatory compliance ..................... 44 6.11 Safety compliance ............................

  • Page 6: Product Overview

    (appliances and surveillance), point-of-sales, and health devices. The NORA-W2 series is globally certified, which reduces time to market for the end-product. To ensure operation in harsh professional environments, the modules are industrial grade and qualified according to AEC-Q104, supporting an extended temperature range of –40 °C to +85 °C.

  • Page 7: Block Diagram

    NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual 1.2 Block diagram NORA-W2 ESP32-S3 VCC (3.0- 3.6V) Linear voltage regulators VCC_IO Wi-Fi ANT pad Reset baseband (NORA-W251AWS) UART GPIO Bluetooth LE (WAKEEVENT Baseband USB* I2C* Cryptographic SPI* hardware accelerators Quad/Octal SPI* PCB trace antenna...

  • Page 8: Module Integration

    ☞ For pin-out and pin assignment information, see the NORA-W2 series data sheet [2]. 2.1 Power supply The power for NORA-W2 series modules is supplied through VCC and VCC_IO pins by DC voltage. UBX-22005177 - R01 Module integration Page 8 of 61...

  • Page 9: Module Supply Input (Vcc)

    NORA-W2 modules support a 3.3 V IO voltage level only. 2.1.3 VCC application circuits The power for NORA-W2 series modules is applied through the VCC pins. These supplies are taken from either of the following sources: • Switching Mode Power Supply (SMPS) •...

  • Page 10: System Functions

    2.3 System functions 2.3.1 Power modes NORA-W2 series modules are power efficient devices capable of operating in power saving mode. The following system power modes are available: • Standby state – stops Wi-Fi until the EXPRESSLINK_WAKE pin is asserted, the time has elapsed, or activity on AT UART port is detected.

  • Page 11: Approved Antenna Designs

    NORA-W2 modules come with a pre-certified design that can be used to save costs and time during the certification process. To leverage this benefit, customers are required to implement an antenna layout that is fully compliant with the u-blox reference design outlined in this document. Reference design source files are available from u-blox on request.

  • Page 12: Data Interfaces

    ☞ The IO level of the UART follows VCC_IO. 2.6 Module control NORA-W2 series modules provide wake-up and event signals that handle the low-power modes for both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. See also Power management. The wake-up signals are used to exit NORA-W2 or Host CPU from sleep modes. Wake-up signals are powered by the VIO voltage domain.

  • Page 13: Design-In

    NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual Design-in Follow the design guidelines stated in this chapter to optimize the integration of NORA-W2 series modules in the final application board. 3.1 Overview Although all application circuits must be properly designed, there are several points that require special attention during application design.
  • Page 14 NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual To ensure proper performance of the application product carefully follow the guidelines outlined below. Note also that the RF certification of the module is extended through to the application design. • External antennas, including, linear monopole classes: Place the module and antenna in any convenient area on the board.

  • Page 15: Rf Transmission Line Design

    NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual Table 4 specifies additional requirements for implementing a dual antenna design. Item Requirements Remarks Isolation S21 > 30 dB recommended The antenna-to-antenna isolation is the S21 parameter between the two antennas in the band of operation.
  • Page 16 NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual Figure 3: Transmission line trace design Follow these recommendations to design a 50  transmission line correctly: • The designer should provide enough clearance from surrounding traces and ground in the same layer; in general, a trace to ground clearance of at least two times the trace width should be considered.

  • Page 17: Nora-W251Aws

    NORA-W251AWS module with all the applicable required certification schemes heavily depends on the radiating performance of the antennas. The designer is encouraged to consider one of the u-blox suggested antenna part numbers and follow the layout requirements.
  • Page 18 NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual Typically, the RF plug is available as a cable assembly. Different types of cable assembly are available; the user should select the cable assembly best suited to the application. The key characteristics are: • RF plug type: select U.FL or equivalent •...

  • Page 19: Nora-W256Aws

    ⚠ Take care of the interaction between co-located RF systems like LTE sidebands on 2.4 GHz band. Transmitted power may interact or disturb the performance of NORA-W2 series modules. 3.2.4 NORA-W256AWS If a plastic enclosure is used, it is possible to use NORA-W256AWS with the embedded antenna. To reach optimum operating performance, follow the instructions in this section.
  • Page 20 NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual Figure 6: GND plane guard area enclosing the NORA-W256AWS module Figure 7: Size of the GND cut out for the PCB trace antenna on NORA-W256AWS UBX-22005177 - R01 Design-in Page 20 of 61 C1 – Public...

  • Page 21: Considerations For Schematic Design And Pcb Floor-Planning

    NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual 3.3 General layout guidelines These guidelines describe best schematic and layout practices for integrating the module on a host application board, as described in Antenna solutions. Designers should prioritize the layout of higher speed buses. Low frequency signals, other than those with high-impedance traces, are generally not layout critical.

  • Page 22: Module Footprint And Paste Mask

    Figure 3.5 Thermal guidelines The NORA-W2 series modules are designed to operate in a specified temperature range at an ambient temperature inside the enclosure box. The PCB generates heat during high loads that must be dissipated to sustain the lifetime of the components.
  • Page 23 NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual For best performance, layouts should adhere to the following guidelines: • Vias specification for ground filling: 300/600����, with no thermal reliefs allowed on vias. • Ground via densities under the module: 50 ��������/���� ; thermal vias can be placed in gaps between the thermal pads of the module.

  • Page 24: Esd Guidelines

    NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual 3.6 ESD guidelines The immunity of devices integrating NORA-W2 series modules to Electro-Static Discharge (ESD) is part of the Electro-Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) conformity, which is required for products bearing the CE marking, compliant with the R&TTE Directive (99/5/EC), the EMC Directive (89/336/EEC) and the Low Voltage Directive (73/23/EEC) issued by the Commission of the European Community.

  • Page 25: Design-In Checklists

    PCB stack-up and controlled impedance traces follow the recommendations given by the PCB manufacturer.  All pins are properly connected, and the footprint follows u-blox pin design recommendations.  Proper clearance has been provided between the RF and digital sections of the design.

  • Page 26: Aws Iot Expresslink

    NORA-W2 AWS IoT ExpressLink firmware release notes [13]. 4.2 AWS-specific AT commands for u-blox module In addition to the commands described in the AWS IoT ExpressLink programmer's guide, u-blox have implemented several extra commands to cover additional features, functionality, and testing. The...

  • Page 27: At+Diag Ping

    Onboarding-by-claim is the term used to refer to the process of binding the credentials of u-blox modules with a "thing" in the AWS IoT console on the customer's account. This process allows the user to associate the u-blox modules' credentials with a "thing" in a customer account on the AWS IoT console.

  • Page 28: Updating Firmware Over The Air (Ota)

    NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual 4.4.2 Updating firmware Over the Air (OTA) For instructions about how to perform firmware update over the air, see the USB-NORA-W256AWS user guide [9]. See also the AWS developer resources [10]. 4.4.2.1 Module OTA signature verification To validate module OTA updates, ExpressLink modules are provided (at time of manufacturing) with an OTA certificate that contains the public key.

  • Page 29: Connect To The Device

    NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual 4.5.1 Connect to the device List all Bluetooth LE devices matching filter (device name set in command). CONFMODE Connect and pair with the device. List the available device characteristics. Capabilities can be read from characteristic “...

  • Page 30: Provision Device

    NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual 4.5.2.3 Wi-Fi list available networks Request for available network list should be done in requests of maximum four entries per request. The following sequence should be repeated until all reported networks are read. 1) Write protobuf message...
  • Page 31 NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual 1) Write protobuf message to the GATT characteristic “ ”. CmdGetStatus() prov-config (0xFF52) 2) Read protobuf response status message from the GATT characteristic “ RespGetStatus() prov- ”. config (0xFF52) Figure 11: Bluetooth LE Wi-Fi provisioning example...

  • Page 32: Handling And Soldering

    Figure 12: Standard workstation setup for safe handling of ESD-sensitive devices 5.2 Packaging, shipping, storage, and moisture preconditioning For information pertaining to reels, tapes, or trays, moisture sensitivity levels (MSL), storage, shipment, and drying preconditioning, see the NORA-W2 series data sheet [1], and Product packaging guide [7]. UBX-22005177 - R01...

  • Page 33: Reflow Soldering Process

    The thickness of solder resist between the host PCB top side and the bottom side of the NORA-W2 series module must be considered for the soldering process.

  • Page 34: Cleaning

    NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual 5.3.1 Cleaning Cleaning the modules is not recommended. Residues underneath the modules cannot be easily removed with a washing process. • Cleaning with water will lead to capillary effects where water is absorbed in the gap between the baseboard and the module.

  • Page 35: Regulatory Compliance

    Regulatory compliance This chapter describes the current approval status of certification in each country and the regulatory requirements that must be met when using NORA-W2 series modules in an end product. 6.1 Country approvals NORA-W2 modules are certified for use in different regions and countries, such as Europe, Great Britain, USA, and Canada.

  • Page 36: Conformity Assessed (Ukca)

    This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules and with Industry Canada license-exempt RSS standard(s). Any changes or modifications NOT explicitly APPROVED by u-blox AG may cause the module to not comply with the FCC rules part 15 thus void the user's authority to operate the equipment.

  • Page 37: Configuration Control And Software Security Of End-Products

    SAR evaluation and/or testing. Any changes or modifications NOT explicitly APPROVED by u-blox may cause the NORA-W2 series module to cease to comply with the FCC rules part 15 thus void the user’s authority to operate the equipment on the US market.

  • Page 38: Operating Frequencies

    WLAN capability is turned off and only the Bluetooth LE capability of NORA-W2 is utilized. ☞ KDB 996369 D03 section 2.4 (limited module procedures) is not applicable to NORA-W2 series modules. ☞ KDB 996369 D03 section 2.5 (trace antenna designs) is not applicable to NORA-W2 series modules.

  • Page 39: End-Product User Manual Instructions

    NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual 6.4.5 End-product user manual instructions 6.4.5.1 ISED compliance The NORA-W2 module is certified for use in Canada under Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Radio Standards Specification (RSS) RSS-247 Issue 2 and RSSGen. The host product shall be properly labelled to identify the modules within the host product.

  • Page 40: End-Product Compliance

    • Any notification to the end user about how to install or remove the integrated radio module is NOT allowed. • The approval of the modular transmitter in NORA-W2 series modules does not exempt the end product from being evaluated against any applicable regulatory demands. The evaluation of the end product shall be performed with the NORA-W2 module installed and operating in a way that reflects the intended use case of the end product.

  • Page 41: Japan Radio Equipment Compliance

    Item 19 "2.4 GHz band wide band low power data communication system". 6.5.2 End product labelling requirement End products based on NORA-W2 series modules and targeted for distribution in Japan must be affixed with a label with the “Giteki” marking, as shown in Figure 15.

  • Page 42: End Product User Manual Requirement

    ISM radio wave radiated devices. 6.6.2 Labeling requirements for end product End products based on NORA-W2 series modules and targeted for distribution in Taiwan must carry labels with the textual and graphical elements shown below. Contains Transmitter Module 內含發射器模組...

  • Page 43: Kcc South Korea Compliance

    NORA-W2 series modules are certified by the Korea Communications Commission (KCC). End products based on NORA-W2 series modules and targeted for distribution in South Korea must carry labels containing the KCC logo and certification number, as shown below. This information must also be included in the product user manuals.

  • Page 44: Australia And New Zealand Regulatory Compliance

    Management Group web site www.rsm.govt.nz. 6.10 South Africa regulatory compliance NORA-W2 series modules are compliant and certified by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA). End products that are made available for sale or lease or supplied in any other manner in South Africa shall have a legible label permanently affixed to its exterior surface.

  • Page 45: Pre-Approved Antennas List

    NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual Pre-approved antennas list This chapter provides s an overview of the different antennas that can be used together with the modules. ⚠ This radio transmitter IC: 8595A-NORAW1W2 has been approved by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada to operate with the antenna types listed below with the maximum permissible gain and required antenna impedance for each antenna type indicated.

  • Page 46: Single Band Antennas

    NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual 7.2 Single band antennas NORA-W256 internal antenna Manufacturer Abracon Gain +3 dBi Impedance Size (HxWxL) 1.1 x 3.4 x 10 mm Type PCB trace Comment PCB antenna on NORA-W256. The antenna should not be mounted inside a metal enclosure.
  • Page 47 NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual Wi-Fi / Bluetooth external antenna, PN PRO-EX-296 Manufacturer Abracon Polarization Vertical Gain +2.0 dBi Impedance 50 Ω Size Ø 12.0 x 28.0 mm Type Monopole Cable length 100 mm Connector U.FL. connector Comment This antenna requires to be mounted on a metal ground plane for best performance.
  • Page 48 NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual Wi-Fi / Bluetooth / Bluetooth LE board antenna, PN PRO-IS-237 Manufacturer Abracon Gain +3.0 dBi Impedance 50 Ω Size 27 x 12 mm (triangular) Type Patch Cable length 100 mm Connector U.FL. connector Comment Should be attached to a plastic enclosure or part for best performance.

  • Page 49: Product Testing

    RESET_N (pin J3) is optional as the module can also be reset by cycling the power) 8.2 u-blox in-line production test As part of our focus on high quality products, u-blox maintain stringent quality controls throughout the production process. This means that all units in our manufacturing facilities are fully tested and that any identified defects are carefully analyzed to improve future production quality.

  • Page 50: Oem Manufacturer Production Test

    Figure 16: Automatic test equipment for module test 8.3 OEM manufacturer production test As all u-blox products undergo thorough in-series production testing prior to delivery, OEM manufacturers do not need to repeat any firmware tests or measurements that might otherwise be necessary to confirm RF performance.

  • Page 51: Go/No Go" Tests For Integrated Devices

    NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual 8.3.1 “Go/No go” tests for integrated devices A “Go/No go” test compares the signal quality of the Device under Test (DUT) with that of “Golden Device” in a location with a known signal quality. This test can be performed after establishing a connection with an external device.

  • Page 52: Appendix

    NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual Appendix A Protobuf examples A.1 Session enum SecSchemeVersion { SecScheme0 = 0; /* Unsecured - plaintext communication */ SecScheme1 = 1; /* Security scheme 1 - Curve25519 + AES-256-CTR*/ message SessionData { SecSchemeVersion sec_ver = 2;...

  • Page 53: Wi-Fi Scan Message

    NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual Example (Java): SessionData responseData = SessionData.parseFrom(cmdResponse); if (responseData.getSecVer() != SecSchemeVersion.SecScheme0) { // Handle session initialization failed A.2 Wi-Fi scan message enum Status { Success = 0; InvalidSecScheme = 1; InvalidProto = 2; TooManySessions = 3;...
  • Page 54 NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual uint32 channel = 2; int32 rssi = 3; bytes bssid = 4; WifiAuthMode auth = 5; message RespScanResult { repeated WiFiScanResult entries = 1; message WiFiScanPayload { WiFiScanMsgType msg = 1; Status status = 2;...
  • Page 55 NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual RespScanStatus WiFiScanPayload { WiFiScanMsgType msg = TypeRespScanStatus, Status status = <status_of_command>, RespScanStatus resp_scan_status = { //payload scan_finished = <boolean>, result_count = <number_of_available_networks> Example (Java): WiFiScanPayload payload = WiFiScanPayload.parseFrom(cmdResponse); RespScanStatus response = payload.getRespScanStatus(); boolean scanFinished = response.getScanFinished();...

  • Page 56: Wi-Fi Provisioning Messages

    NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual Example (Java): WiFiScanPayload payload = WiFiScanPayload.parseFrom(cmdResponse); RespScanResult response = payload.getRespScanResult(); for (int i = 0; i < response.getEntriesCount(); i++) { String ssid = response.getEntries(i).getSsid().toStringUtf8(); int rssi = response.getEntries(i).getRssi(); A.3 Wi-Fi provisioning messages enum WifiStationState { Connected = 0;...
  • Page 57 NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual message CmdApplyConfig { message RespApplyConfig { Status status = 1; enum WiFiConfigMsgType { TypeCmdGetStatus = 0; TypeRespGetStatus = 1; TypeCmdSetConfig = 2; TypeRespSetConfig = 3; TypeCmdApplyConfig = 4; TypeRespApplyConfig = 5; message WiFiConfigPayload { WiFiConfigMsgType msg = 1;...
  • Page 58 NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual RespApplyConfig WiFiConfigPayload { WiFiConfigMsgType msg = TypeRespApplyConfig, RespApplyConfig cmd_apply_config = { //payload status = <command_status_of_type_Status> CmdGetStatus WiFiConfigPayload { WiFiConfigMsgType msg = TypeCmdGetStatus, CmdGetStatus cmd_get_status = {} //payload 6. RespGetStatus WiFiConfigPayload { WiFiConfigMsgType msg = TypeRespApplyConfig,...

  • Page 59: B Glossary

    NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual B Glossary Abbreviation Definition Automotive Electronics Council Access Point Application Programming Interface Automatic Test Equipment Bluetooth Charged Device Model European Conformity Clear to Send Direct Current Double Data Rate Dynamic Frequency Selection DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Interface...
  • Page 60 NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual Abbreviation Definition Pulse-code modulation Physical layer (of the OSI model) Power Management Unit Radio Frequency RSDB Real Simultaneous Dual Band Request to Send SDIO Secure Digital Input Output Solder Mask Defined SMPS Switching Mode Power Supply...

  • Page 61: Ubx-22005177 - R01

    [12] AWS IoT ExpressLink Onboarding-by-Claim Customer/OEM Guide, https://docs.aws.amazon.com/iot-expresslink/latest/oemonboardingguide/oemog.html [13] NORA-W2 AWS IoT ExpressLink firmware release notes, UBX-23005871 ☞ For product change notifications and regular updates of u-blox documentation, register on our website, www.u-blox.com. Revision history Revision Date Name Comments...

This manual is also suitable for:

Nora-w251awsNora-w256awsNora-w251aws-00bNora-w256aws-00b

Table of Contents