NINA-W1 series Stand-alone Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and multiradio modules User Manual Abstract This document describes the system integration of NINA-W1 series stand-alone modules, which includes the NINA-W13 (Wi-Fi) and NINA-W10 and NINA-W15 series (multiradio) and NINA-B2 (Bluetooth) modules. These modules feature a number of useful embedded security features, including secure boot that ensures that only authenticated software can run on the module.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual Document Information Title NINA-W1 series Subtitle Stand-alone Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and multiradio modules Document type User Manual This document applies to the following products: Product name NINA-W106 NINA-W136 NINA-W156 NINA-B226 u-blox or third parties may hold intellectual property rights in the products, names, logos and designs included in this document.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual Contents Document Information ................................................................................................................................ 2 Contents .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 System description ............................................................................................................................... 5 1.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual 3.2.1 Module supply (VCC) design ........................................................................................................... 27 3.2.2 Digital I/O interfaces reference voltage (VCC_IO) ...................................................................... 27 3.3 Antenna interface ..................................................................................................................................... 28 3.3.1 On-board antenna design ..............
NINA-W1 series - User Manual System description 1.1 Overview The NINA-W1 series of wireless and multiradio MCU IoT is suitable for industrial markets where security is important. NINA-W1 includes the following stand-alone modules: Model Description NINA-W13 series Wireless MCU modules integrate a powerful microcontroller (MCU) and a Wi-Fi radio for wireless communication. NINA-W13x modules come with pre-flashed application software and support 802.11b/g/n in the 2.4 GHz ISM band.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual 1.2 CPU NINA-W1 series modules use a dual-core system that includes two Harvard Architecture Xtensa LX6 CPUs with maximum 240 MHz internal clock frequency. The internal memory of NINA-W1 supports: 448 kB ROM for booting and core functions 520 kB SRAM for data and instruction 16 or 32 Mbit FLASH memory for code storage, including hardware encryption to protect programs and data.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual ⚠ When taking VCC supplies from an SMPS make sure that the AC ripple voltage is kept as low as possible at the switching frequency. Design layouts should focus on minimizing the impact of any high-frequency ringing. Use an LDO linear regulator for primary VCC supplies that have a relatively low voltage. As LDO linear regulators dissipate a considerable amount of energy, LDOs are not recommended for the step down of high voltages.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual The u-connectXpress software adds the DSR and DTR pins to the UART interface. Not used as they were originally intended, these pins are used to control the state of NINA modules. Depending on the configuration, 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 sleep mode The functionality of the DSR and DTR pins are configured by AT commands.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual Figure 1: RMII clock delay circuit u-connectXpress software senses the RMII_CLK input (GPIO27) at startup. If an RMII clock is discovered, then Ethernet communication is initiated. During startup of NINA-W1 series modules the RMII clock must be started within 100 us, but not before an initial delay of 1.2 ms. 1.6.2.2 MAC to PHY connection When connecting NINA-W1 series modules to an external PHY circuit, both the RMII and SMI interfaces must be connected.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual 1.7 W1x6 integrated antennas To simplify integration, W1x6 modules are equipped with an integrated antenna. An integrated antenna design means there is no need for an RF trace design on the host PCB. This means less effort is required in the test lab. The NINA-W1x6 modules are equipped with a PCB trace antenna that is based on technology licensed from Proant AB. 1.8 Reserved pins (RSVD) Do not connect the reserved (RSVD) pin.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual Software 2.1 NINA-W13 and NINA-W15 u-connectXpress software NINA-W13/W15 stand-alone modules are delivered with embedded u-connectXpress software.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual 2.2 SDK for open-CPU modules As NINA-W10 open-CPU modules are delivered without flashed software, you develop your application design using the utilities and device-level APIs supported by the module chipset supplier. The ESP-IDF Software Development Kit is available from the Expressif website. It bundles the Wi-Fi stack and the broad range of drivers and libraries necessary for building your development environment. See also section 2.5.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual NINA-W10 header Mandatory: o SWD o ESP_BOOT (GPIO27) Additionally recommended: o RESET_N 2.4 Updating u-connectXpress software with s-center The u-connectXpress software, flashed into NINA-W13/W15 modules prior to delivery, is used to validate the hardware, bootloader, and the binary image. The u-connectXpress software runs only on validated hardware. Updates of the u-connectXpress software is available for download from www.u-blox.com.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual When a “C” character is received from NINA-W13/W15, the XMODEM download is ready to begin from the host. For more information about the parameters, see the Software update +UFWUPD command in u-blox Short Range Modules AT Commands Manual. 2.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual The source files for Espressif https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf. ESP-IDF repository is located on github at To download the files, open the “mingw32.exe”, navigate to the directory where you want to have the ESP-IDF (like c:\git), and clone it using “git clone” command. ☞ Use the “--recursive” parameter In this example, the esp-idf repository will be created in the c:\git folder. git clone --recursive https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual 2.5.3 Setup path to ESP-IDF The toolchain for the ESP-IDF uses the IDF_PATH environment variable. This variable must be set up for building the projects. export IDF_PATH="C:/git/esp-idf" Figure 8: Setting up the PATH variable 2.5.4 Building and flashing ESP-IDF v3 The environment is now ready to build and flash a project. In this case, we use “hello world” as a sample project. This project will print out “Hello World” ten times on the UART and then reboot.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual Figure 9: Screenshot that shows selection of “Serial flasher config” Enter the com port name; in this case, enter “COM10”, and click OK. Figure 10: Screenshot that shows selection of the sample com port number ("COM10") Save the sdkconfig by entering a filename to which this configuration should be saved as shown in Figure .
NINA-W1 series - User Manual Now the project is ready to build, but before building and flashing, NINA-W10 should be prepared to accept the downloaded file. This is done by holding the BOOT button while resetting or powering on the board. Then, enter “make flash” to build and flash the NINA-W10 as shown below: make flash Figure 12: Compiling of the example application Now, reset the NINA-W10 by clicking the RESET button. Then, enter “make monitor” to open a serial port monitor program to the NINA-W10.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual 2.5.5 ☞ Using ESP-IDF v4 ESP-IDF v4 is mandatory for NINA-W106. To use ESP-IDF v4, follow the applicable instructions for your development environment on https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/latest/esp32/get-started/windows-setup.html https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/latest/esp32/get-started/linux-setup.html https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/latest/esp32/get-started/macos-setup.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual 2.6.1 Downloading the Arduino IDE Windows, Mac, and Linux environment are supported. The example below uses the Windows environment. Download the Arduino IDE using the URL - https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software. Figure 14: Screenshot during installation of the Arduino IDE Click Install button in the dialog box that pops up during installation as shown in the screenshots below: Open the Arduino IDE - "C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\arduino.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual Check if the espressif folder exists; if not, create the same by entering the following command: mkdir espressif cd espressif Now clone the repository to the folder esp32 folder. git clone --recursive https://github.com/espressif/arduino-esp32.git esp32 Figure 2: Cloning the Arduino Esp32 repository 2.6.3 Downloading the toolchain Go to the folder - “C:\Users\user_name\Documents\Arduino\hardware\espressif\esp32\tools” to execute the program – “get.exe”.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual ☞ Normally, it takes around 15-30 minutes to download this program. Figure 17: Sample screenshot during download Open the Arduino application again from the following location - "C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\arduino.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual Start the WiFiScan example, which is available at the following folder: C:\Users\ user_name \Documents\Arduino\hardware\espressif\esp32\libraries\WiFi\examples\WiFiScan Press the “->” (arrow) button, as shown highlighted in red in the below screenshot (Figure ), to start the upload to NINA-W10. Figure 19: Screenshot that depicts the arrow at the top Select "Serial Monitor" from the Tools menu as shown in Figure to view the events.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual Figure 21: Sample screenshot of the Wi-Fi scan 2.6.4 Output power configuration 2.6.5 NINA-W10 series To operate within the regulatory output power limits, the integrator must configure the module as per the instructions in the following subsections. The following power configurations for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth BR/EDR and Bluetooth low energy are only valid for the official esp-idf git repositories. 2.6.5.1 Wi-Fi output power configuration for version v2.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual init_data[68] init_data[69] init_data[70] init_data[71] init_data[72] init_data[73] init_data[74] init_data[75] = = = = = = = = 0;//backoff channel 7 0;//backoff channel 8 0;//backoff channel 9 0;//backoff channel 10 14;//backoff channel 11 26;//backoff channel 12 255;//backoff channel 13 255;//backoff channel 14 init_data[76] = 15; //backoff rate on channel 1 init_data[77] = 15; //backoff rate on channel 2 init_data[78] = 8; //backoff rate on channel 3 init_data[79] = 8; //b
NINA-W1 series - User Manual init_data[74] = 0x10;//channel 13 init_data[75] = 0xAA;//channel 14 init_data[76] = 0x44; //channel 3, 4 init_data[77] = 0x44; //channel 5, 6 init_data[78] = 0x44; //channel 7, 8 init_data[79] = 0x44; //channel 9, 10 init_data[80] = 0x44; //channel 11 apply_rf_frequency_calibration(init_data); ESP_LOGD(TAG, "loading PHY init data from application binary"); return (esp_phy_init_data_t*)init_data; } 2.6.5.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual Design-in 3.1 Overview For an optimal integration of NINA-W1 series modules in the final application board, it is recommended to follow the design guidelines stated in this chapter. Every application circuit must be properly designed to guarantee the correct functionality of the related interface, however a number of points require high attention during the design of the application device.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual The VCC_IO connection must be as wide and short as possible. The VCC_IO connection must be routed through a PCB area separated from sensitive analog signals and sensitive functional units. It is a good practice to interpose at least one layer of PCB ground between VCC_IO track and other signal routing. There is no strict requirement of adding bypass capacitance to the supply net close to the module.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual Figure 31: GND plane guard area enclosing the NINA-W1x6 module Figure 32: Size of the GND cut out for the NINA-W1x6 module’s PCB trace antenna 3.4 Data communication interfaces 3.4.1 Asynchronous serial interface (UART) design The layout of the UART bus should be done so that noise injection and cross talk are avoided. It is recommended to use the hardware flow control with RTS/CTS to prevent temporary UART buffer overrun.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual CTS is an input to the NINA-W1 module and if the host applies a 0 (ON state = low level), then the module is allowed to transmit. RTS is an output off the NINA-W1 module and the module will apply a 0 (ON state = low level) when it is ready to receive transmission. 3.4.2 Ethernet (RMII+SMI) It is recommended to route all signals in the RMII bus with the same length and have appropriate grounding in the surrounding layers; total bus length should also be minimized.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual Verify the recommended maximum signal skew for differential pairs and length matching of buses. Minimize the routing length; longer traces will degrade signal performance. Ensure that maximum allowable length for high speed busses is not exceeded. Ensure that you track your impedance matched traces. Consult with your PCB manufacturer early in the project for proper stack-up definition. RF and digital sections should be clearly separated on the board.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual device. If the device implements a removable antenna, the antenna port can be separated from the enclosure port. The antenna port includes the antenna element and its interconnecting cable surfaces. The applicability of ESD immunity test to the whole device depends on the device classification as defined by ETSI EN 301 489-1.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual Handling and soldering No natural rubbers, hygroscopic materials or materials containing asbestos are employed. 4.1 Packaging, shipping, storage and moisture preconditioning For information pertaining to reels, tapes or trays, moisture sensitivity levels (MSL), shipment and storage, as well as drying for preconditioning refer to NINA-W1 series Data Sheets, and u-blox Package Information Guide. 4.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual Process parameter Pre-heat Peak Cooling Unit Value Ramp up rate to TSMIN K/s 3 TSMIN °C 150 TSMAX °C 200 tS (from +25 °C) s 150 tS (Pre-heat) s 60 to 120 TL °C 217 tL (time above TL) s 40 to 60 TP (absolute max) °C 245 Ramp-down from TL K/s 4 Allowed soldering cycles - 1 Table 3: Recommended reflow profile Figure 5: Reflow profile Lower value of TP and slower ramp down rate (2 – 3 °C/sec) is preferred.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual 4.3.3 Other remarks Only a single reflow soldering process is allowed for boards with a module populated on it. Boards with combined through-hole technology (THT) components and surface-mount technology (SMT) devices may require wave soldering to solder the THT components. Only a single wave soldering process is allowed for boards populated with the modules. Miniature Wave Selective Solder process is preferred over traditional wave soldering process.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual Approvals ⚠ Country approval for NINA-W106, NINA-W136, NINA-W156 and NINA-B226 is pending. 5.1 ⚠ European Union regulatory compliance Approval for NINA-W106, NINA-W136, NINA-W156 and NINA-B226 is pending. Information about regulatory compliance of the European Union for NINA-W10 series modules is available in the NINA-W10 Declaration of Conformity.. 5.1.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual 5.2.1 Labeling and user information requirements The NINA-W106, NINA-W136, NINA-W156 and NINA-B226 modules are assigned FCC ID: XPYNINAW106 The final host device, into which this RF Module is integrated" has to be labeled with an auxiliary label stating the FCC ID of the RF Module, such as: “Contains FCC ID: XPYNINAW106 This device is acting as slave and operating in the 2.4 GHz (2412 ~2462 MHz) band. "This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual All transmitters regulated by FCC must comply with RF exposure requirements. KDB 447498 General RF Exposure Guidance provides guidance in determining whether proposed or existing transmitting facilities, operations or devices comply with limits for human exposure to Radio Frequency (RF) fields adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
NINA-W1 series - User Manual 5.3 Canada (ISED) The NINA-W106, NINA-W136, NINA-W156 and NINA-B226 modules are certified for use in Canada under Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Radio Standards Specification (RSS) RSS-247 Issue 2 and RSSGen. 5.3.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual 5.4 ⚠ Japan radio equipment compliance Approval for NINA-W106, NINA-W136, NINA-W156 and NINA-B226 is pending. When a product integrating a NINA-W106, NINA-W136, NINA-W156 or NINA-B226 module is placed on the Japanese market the product must be affixed with a label with the “Giteki” marking as shown in Figure 6. The marking must be visible for inspection.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual Product testing 6.1 u-blox In-Series production test u-blox focuses on high quality for its products. All units produced are fully tested automatically in production line. Stringent quality control process has been implemented in the production line. Defective units are analyzed in detail to improve the production quality. This is achieved with automatic test equipment (ATE) in production line, which logs all production and measurement data.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual Dedicated tests can be implemented to check the device. For example, the measurement of module current consumption when set in a specified state can detect a short circuit if compared with a “Golden Device” result. The standard operational module firmware and test software on the host can be used to perform functional tests (communication with the host controller, check interfaces) and to perform basic RF performance tests. 6.2.
NINA-W1 series - User Manual Appendix A Glossary Abbreviation Definition AEC Automotive Electronics Council AP Access Point ARM Arm (Advanced RISC Machines) Holdings ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange ATE Automatic Test Equipment BBR Battery Backed RAM BER Bit Error Rate BP Band Pass BPF Band Pass Filter BT Bluetooth CAN Controller Area Network CPU Central Processing Unit CPU Central Processing Unit CTS Clear To Send DC Direct Current DC Direct Current
NINA-W1 series - User Manual Abbreviation Definition RF Radio Frequency RMII Reduced Media-independent Interface ROM Read-only Memory RSSI Received Signal Strength Indicator RTC Real-Time Clock SDK Software Development Kit SMA SubMiniature version A SRAM Static random-access memory TBD To be Defined THT Through-hole Technology UART Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter UTC Coordinated Universal Time Table 6: Explanation of the abbreviations and terms used
