Arduino® Nano 33 BLE Sense

Description

The Arduino® Nano 33 BLE Sense is a miniature-sized module featuring the NINA B306 module, powered by a Nordic nRF52480 microcontroller. It includes an Arm® Cortex®-M4F processor, a crypto chip for secure storage of certificates and pre-shared keys, and a 9-axis IMU. The module can be mounted as a DIP component using pin headers or as an SMT component by soldering directly via its castellated pads.

Target areas: Maker, enhancements, IoT applications.

Features

NINA B306 Module

• Processor: 64 MHz Arm® Cortex®-M4F (with FPU), 1 MB Flash + 256 KB RAM
• Bluetooth 5 multiprotocol radio:
  • 2 Mbps
  • CSA #2
  • Advertising Extensions
  • Long Range
  • +8 dBm TX power
  • -95 dBm sensitivity
  • 4.8 mA in TX (0 dBm)
  • 4.6 mA in RX (1 Mbps)
  • Integrated balun with 50 Ω single-ended output
• IEEE 802.15.4 radio support: Thread, Zigbee

Peripherals

• Full-speed 12 Mbps USB
• NFC-A tag
• Arm CryptoCell CC310 security subsystem
• QSPI/SPI/TWI/I²S/PDM/QDEC
• High-speed 32 MHz SPI
• Quad SPI interface 32 MHz
• EasyDMA for all digital interfaces
• 12-bit 200 ksps ADC
• 128-bit AES/ECB/CCM/AAR co-processor

Sensors

• LSM9DS1 (9-axis IMU):
  • 3 acceleration channels, 3 angular rate channels, 3 magnetic field channels
  • ±2/±4/±8/±16 g linear acceleration full scale
  • ±4/±8/±12/±16 gauss magnetic full scale
  • ±245/±500/±2000 dps angular rate full scale
  • 16-bit data output
• LPS22HB (Barometer and temperature sensor):
  • 260 to 1260 hPa absolute pressure range with 24-bit precision
  • High overpressure capability: 20x full-scale
  • Embedded temperature compensation
  • 16-bit temperature data output
  • 1 Hz to 75 Hz output data rate
  • Interrupt functions: Data Ready, FIFO flags, pressure thresholds
• HTS221 (relative humidity sensor):
  • 0-100% relative humidity range
  • High rH sensitivity: 0.004% rH/LSB
  • Humidity accuracy: ±3.5% rH (20 to +80% rH)
  • Temperature accuracy: ±0.5 °C (15 to +40 °C)
  • 16-bit humidity and temperature output data
• APDS-9960 (Digital proximity, Ambient Light, RGB and Gesture Sensor):
  • Ambient Light and RGB Color Sensing with UV and IR blocking filters
  • Very high sensitivity, ideally suited for operation behind dark glass
  • Proximity Sensing with Ambient light rejection
  • Complex Gesture Sensing
• MP34DT05 (Digital Microphone):
  • AOP = 122.5 dbSPL
  • 64 dB signal-to-noise ratio
  • Omnidirectional sensitivity
  • -26 dBFS ±3 dB sensitivity
• ATECC608A (Crypto Chip):
  • Cryptographic co-processor with secure hardware-based key storage
  • Protected storage for up to 16 keys, certificates, or data

Additional Features

• ECDH: FIPS SP800-56A Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman, NIST standard P256 elliptic curve support
• SHA-256 & HMAC hash including off-chip context save/restore
• AES-128 encrypt/decrypt, Galois field multiply for GCM
• MPM3610 DC-DC converter: Regulates input voltage up to 21V with minimum 65% efficiency @ minimum load, >85% efficiency @12V.

The Board

The Arduino® Nano 33 BLE Sense, like other Nano form factor boards, does not include a battery charger but can be powered via USB or headers. It supports only 3.3V I/Os and is not 5V tolerant. The 5V pin, unlike other Arduino Nano boards, does not supply voltage but is connected to the USB power input via a jumper.

Ratings

Conservative thermal limits for the whole board:

Power Consumption

Functional Overview

The board integrates a NINA B306 module, a Cortex M4F processor, a crypto chip, and a 9-axis IMU.

Board Topology

The board features a compact layout with key components identified. On the top side, major components include the NINA-B306 module (U1), LSM9DS1 IMU sensor (U2), MP34DT06JTR microphone (U3), ATECC608A crypto chip (U4), and APDS-9660 ambient module (U5). The bottom side includes the MP2322GQH step-down converter (U6), an IT-1185AP1C-160G-GTR push button (PB1), HTS221 humidity sensor (HS-1), and LEDs (DL1, DL2). Jumpers SJ1 (VUSB), SJ2 (D7), SJ3 (3v3), and SJ4 (D8) are also present for configuration.

Processor: The main processor is a Cortex M4F running up to 64MHz. Most pins are connected to external headers, with some reserved for internal communication with the wireless module and on-board I²C peripherals (IMU and Crypto). Pins A4 and A5 have internal pull-ups and are default I²C pins, making their use as analog inputs not recommended.

Crypto: The crypto chip provides secure storage for secrets (like certificates) and accelerates secure protocols without exposing secrets. Library support is available [8].

IMU: An embedded 9-axis IMU measures board orientation (gravity vector, 3D compass) and detects shocks, vibration, acceleration, and rotation speed. Library support is available [9].

Barometer and Temperature Sensor: Measures ambient pressure and includes an integrated temperature sensor for pressure compensation. Library support is available [10].

Relative Humidity and Temperature Sensor: Measures ambient relative humidity and includes a temperature sensor for measurement compensation. Library support is available [11].

Digital Proximity, Ambient Light, RGB and Gesture Sensor: Library support is available [12].

Gesture Detection: Utilizes four directional photodiodes and an integrated LED to sense reflected IR energy for gesture recognition.

Proximity Detection: Provides distance measurement using photodiode detection of reflected light, useful for applications like mobile device screen-to-ear detection.

Color and ALS Detection: Offers red, green, blue, and clear light intensity data for each channel.

Digital Microphone: The MP34DT05 is an ultra-compact, low-power, omnidirectional digital MEMS microphone with a capacitive sensing element and IC interface, manufactured using specialized silicon micromachining for audio sensors.

Power Tree: The board can be powered via the USB connector, VIN, or VUSB pins on headers. The power tree diagram illustrates the flow from power inputs through DC-DC converters and regulators to various components, including the NINA B306 (15mA), LSM9DS1 (2mA), LPS22HB (12μA), HTS221 (2μA), APDS-9660 (790μA), MP34DT05 (650μA), ATECC608A (14mA), and user application (950mA).

Board Operation

Note: Due to the DC-DC regulator's minimum input voltage of 4.5V, the USB supply voltage needs to be between 4.8V to 4.96V, depending on current draw.

Getting Started - IDE

To program the Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense offline, install the Arduino Desktop IDE [1]. A Micro-B USB cable is required for connection and power.

Getting Started - Arduino Web Editor

The board works with the Arduino Web Editor [2] with a simple plugin. The editor is online and always up-to-date. Follow [3] for browser-based coding and uploading.

Getting Started - Arduino IoT Cloud

Arduino IoT Cloud supports all Arduino IoT-enabled products, allowing logging, graphing, and analysis of sensor data, event triggering, and home/business automation.

Sample Sketches

Sample sketches are available in the Arduino IDE's "Examples" menu or the Arduino Pro website's "Documentation" section [4].

Online Resources

Explore projects on ProjectHub [13], the Arduino Library Reference [14], and the online store [15] for sensors and actuators.

Board Recovery

A built-in bootloader allows flashing via USB. If a sketch locks the processor, enter bootloader mode by double-tapping the reset button immediately after power-up.

Connector Pinouts

USB

Headers

The board has two 15-pin connectors for pin headers or soldering.

Debug

Debug signals are located on 3x2 test pads with 100 mil pitch on the bottom side. Pin 1 is indicated in Figure 3.

Mechanical Information

Board Outline and Mounting Holes

The board dimensions mix metric and imperial units. Imperial units are used for the 100 mil pitch grid between pin rows to facilitate breadboard compatibility, while the overall board length is metric. The board measures approximately 43.16mm in length and 17.76mm in width. Mounting holes are present, and key dimensions include a 40.64mm pitch between pin rows and 1.26mm spacing for castellated pads. The diameter of the mounting holes is approximately Ø1.65mm.

Certifications

Declaration of Conformity CE DoC (EU)

Arduino declares that the products conform to the essential requirements of relevant EU Directives, qualifying for free movement within the EU and EEA.

Declaration of Conformity to EU RoHS & REACH

Arduino boards comply with RoHS 2 (2011/65/EU) and RoHS 3 (2015/863/EU) directives, restricting hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. The following substances are limited:

No exemptions are claimed. Arduino boards also comply with EU Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 (REACH). No Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) are present in quantities exceeding 0.1%, and the products do not contain substances from the REACH Authorization List or SVHCs in significant amounts.

Conflict Minerals Declaration

Arduino acknowledges obligations regarding Conflict Minerals (Dodd-Frank Act, Section 1502). Arduino does not directly source conflict minerals but they may be present in solder or metal alloys. Component suppliers have been contacted to verify compliance, and based on received information, products are declared to contain Conflict Minerals sourced from conflict-free areas.

FCC Caution

Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the responsible party may void the user's authority to operate the equipment. This device complies with FCC Rules Part 15, subject to two conditions: (1) it may not cause harmful interference, and (2) it must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

FCC RF Radiation Exposure Statement:

• This transmitter must not be co-located or operated with any other antenna or transmitter.
• This equipment complies with RF radiation exposure limits for an uncontrolled environment.
• Installation and operation require a minimum distance of 20cm between the radiator and the body.

Industry Canada Compliance: This device complies with Industry Canada license-exempt RSS standard(s). Operation is subject to two conditions: (1) this device may not cause interference, and (2) it must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

IC SAR Warning: Installation and operation require a minimum distance of 20 cm between the radiator and the body.

Important: The operating temperature of the EUT must not exceed 85°C and should not be lower than -40°C.

Arduino S.r.l. declares that this product complies with the essential requirements and other provisions of Directive 2014/53/EU, and is allowed for use in all EU member states. The frequency band used is 863-870MHz with a maximum output power (ERP) of 5.47 dBm.

Company Information

Company name: Arduino S.r.l.

Company Address: Via Andrea Appiani 25, 20900 MONZA, Italy.

Reference Documentation

• Arduino IDE (Desktop)
• Arduino IDE (Cloud)
• Cloud IDE Getting Started
• Forum
• NINA B306
• ECC608
• MPM3610
• ECC608 Library
• LSM6DSL Library
• LPS22HB
• HTS221 Library
• APDS9960 Library
• ProjectHub
• Library Reference

Revision History