NRF52832-QFAA-R Technical Parameters, Manufacturer, Features and Functions
13 March 2024
Ⅱ. Technical parameters of NRF52832-QFAA-R
Ⅲ. Clock control of NRF52832-QFAA-R
Ⅳ. How does NRF52832-QFAA-R communicate with the host?
Ⅵ. Features and functions of NRF52832-QFAA-R
The NRF52832-QFAA-R is a full-featured multi-protocol system-on-chip (SoC). It meets the challenges of application scenarios that require advanced low-power Bluetooth functionality, protocol concurrency, and a rich set of peripherals and features. In addition, it offers a large amount of Flash and RAM memory. The NRF52832-QFAA-R utilizes a multi-protocol design with full protocol concurrency. It supports low-power Bluetooth, including high transmission speeds of 2 Mbps. Bluetooth mesh can run concurrently with low-power Bluetooth, enabling smartphones to pair, enter, configure and control mesh nodes. It also supports NFC, ANT, and 2.4 GHz proprietary protocols. Based on a 64 MHz Arm® Cortex™-M4 CPU with floating point unit, it is equipped with a wide range of digital peripherals and interfaces, such as PDM and I2S interfaces for digital microphone and audio. It achieves extremely low power consumption through a sophisticated on-chip adaptive power management system.
Alternatives and equivalents:
• It has 8 ADC channels.
• It operates at 2.4GHz.
• Its program memory size is 512 kB.
• Its operating temperature is -40°C to 85°C.
• It has 12-bit ADC resolution.
• Its installation method is SMD or SMT.
• Its data bus width is 32 bits.
• The power supply voltage of NRF52832-QFAA-R is 1.7V to 3.6V.
• NRF52832-QFAA-R is produced by Nordic Semiconductor.
• The interface type of NRF52832-QFAA-R is GPIO/I2C/I2S/PCM/SPI/UART.
• NRF52832-QFAA-R has 48 pins and is available in QFN-48 package and tape & reel (TR) packaging.
The clock control system can source the system clocks from a range of internal or external high and low frequency oscillators and distribute them to modules based upon a module’s individual requirements. Clock distribution is automated and grouped independently by module to limit current consumption in unused branches of the clock tree. Listed here are the main features for clock:
• 64 MHz on-chip oscillator
• 64 MHz crystal oscillator, using external 32 MHz crystal
• 32.768 kHz +/-250 ppm RC oscillator
• 32.768 kHz crystal oscillator, using external 32.768 kHz crystal
• 32.768 kHz oscillator synthesized from 64 MHz oscillator
• Firmware (FW) override control of oscillator activity for low latency start up
• Automatic oscillator and clock control, and distribution for ultra-low power
There are several steps for NRF52832-QFAA-R to communicate with the host:
1. Initialization and configuration: After the NRF52832-QFAA-R starts up, first we need to initialize the chip and configure the relevant parameters, which includes the Bluetooth stack settings, GPIO configuration, and serial communication protocols. Next, we need to configure the Bluetooth device address, broadcast data, and connection parameters so that the device can be discovered by the host and establish a connection with it.
2. Bluetooth device role: NRF52832-QFAA-R can run as a Bluetooth device and wait for the connection request from the host. At the same time, it can also be configured as an observable device to broadcast data for the host to scan, depending on the actual requirements.
3. Bluetooth broadcast: The NRF52832-QFAA-R makes its presence known to the host by broadcasting a Bluetooth address and possibly a service UUID (Universally Unique Identifier). The host then discovers and connects to the NRF52832-QFAA-R by scanning the surrounding Bluetooth devices.
4. Connection establishment: Once the host computer finds the NRF52832-QFAA-R and decides to connect, it sends out a connection request, and once the NRF52832-QFAA-R receives the connection request, it decides whether to accept the connection or not based on the pre-set parameters.
5. Data transmission: Once the connection is established, data can be transmitted between the host and the NRF52832-QFAA-R. The NRF52832-QFAA-R can send and receive data through various Bluetooth characteristics.
6. Services and features: In Bluetooth BLE communication, data is organized and transmitted through services and features. NRF52832-QFAA-R needs to define its own services and features and expose them through the Bluetooth protocol stack so that hosts can access them.
7. Disconnect: The NRF52832-QFAA-R can be disconnected from the host after data transmission is complete or for other reasons (e.g., entering low power mode, user request, etc.).
8. Software support: Nordic Semiconductor typically provides software development kits (SDKs), such as the nRF Connect SDK, to simplify the development process for Bluetooth devices. Developers can use these SDKs to write and debug software related to the NRF52832-QFAA-R.
NRF52832-QFAA-R is manufactured by Nordic Semiconductor (Nordic). It is a well-known brand based in Norway. As a semiconductor solutions provider, Nordic specializes in the development and manufacturing of wireless technologies and ultra-low power chips. It helps developers to be free from the complexity of RF technology and realize IoT product innovations faster by providing easy-to-use development tools and cutting-edge wireless technologies. Today, Nordic's low-power Bluetooth solutions are used in a wide range of IoT applications, including games, toys, cell phone accessories, consumer electronics, automation products and wireless PC peripherals, due to their high performance and ease of design.
The following is a description of its main functions and features:
1. Package and pin layout: The NRF52832-QFAA-R is packaged in a 48-pin QFN package with a reasonable pin layout for easy soldering and layout. This package form is suitable for small-sized devices such as wearable devices and sensor nodes.
2. Sensor and peripheral interfaces: A series of peripheral and sensor interfaces are integrated inside the chip, including SPI, I2C, UART, ADC, and GPIO, which facilitates communication and connection with external devices and sensors.
3. Security: The chip integrates a hardware encryption engine (AES) and a random number generator (RNG), providing reliable data security and encryption to protect communications and applications from attacks.
4. Wireless connectivity: The chip integrates a variety of wireless communication protocols, including Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), ANT, NFC-A and 2.4GHz proprietary protocols. This makes the NRF52832-QFAA-R ideal for developing a wide range of low-power wireless devices, such as smart home devices, wearables and fitness devices.
5. Processor and memory: The NRF52832-QFAA-R supports a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M4F processor clocked at up to 64MHz with a floating point unit (FPU). In addition, it is equipped with 512KB Flash memory and 64KB RAM for complex applications.
6. Low-power features: The NRF52832-QFAA-R is designed with a low-power strategy and has excellent power management capabilities. It supports multiple low-power modes to extend battery life, including standby mode, power-off mode and pulse mode.
1. Compatibility
The NRF52832-QFAA-R may not be compatible with the hardware and software of the NRF51 series, NRF24L and NRF24AP series because they use different processor architectures and communication protocols.
2. Performance characteristics
The NRF52832-QFAA-R has higher computational power, larger storage capacity and more peripheral functions for more complex application scenarios, while the relatively lower performance of the NRF51 series is suitable for some simple low-power applications, and the NRF24L and NRF24AP series are designed as solutions for specific low-power, low-cost requirements.
3. Processor architecture
The NRF52832-QFAA-R utilizes the ARM Cortex-M4 core, which provides more processing power and higher operating speed. NRF51 series adopts ARM Cortex-M0 core with relatively low performance, while NRF24L and NRF24AP series are based on Nordic Semiconductor's own 8-bit processor architecture, which is relatively simple.
4. Wireless communication protocol support
NRF52832-QFAA-R supports BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), Bluetooth 5, ANT, Proprietary 2.4GHz, Thread, and Zigbee wireless communication protocols, which provide a wider range of applications and a more flexible way of using the device, while the NRF51 series mainly supports The NRF51 series mainly supports BLE and Proprietary 2.4GHz protocols, while the NRF24L and NRF24AP series mainly support their own proprietary 2.4GHz protocols.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the use of nRF52832?
The nRF52832 is a general-purpose multiprotocol SoC. It meets the challenges of a broad range of applications that need advanced Bluetooth® LE features, protocol concurrency and a rich and varied set of peripherals and features. In addition, it offers generous memory availability for both Flash and RAM.
2. How fast is nRF52832?
The nRF52832 is multiprotocol capable with full protocol concurrency. It supports Bluetooth Low Energy, including the high-speed 2 Mbps feature. Bluetooth mesh can be run concurrently with Bluetooth LE, enabling smartphones to provision, commission, configure and control mesh nodes.
3. What are some typical applications of the NRF52832-QFAA-R?
This SoC is commonly used in various IoT (Internet of Things) applications such as smart home devices, wearables, fitness trackers, wireless sensors, and other connected devices that require low power consumption and wireless connectivity.
