Little Bird
BLE Nano
The BLE Nano is the smallest Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy development board available, measuring just 18.5 × 21.0 mm. Built around the Nordic nRF51822 SoC (ARM C...
The BLE Nano is the smallest Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy development board available, measuring just 18.5 × 21.0 mm. Built around the Nordic nRF51822 SoC (ARM Cortex-M0 + BLE), it runs at 16 MHz with ultra-low power consumption and supports both BLE Central and Peripheral roles.
The included MK20 USB Board (Freescale MK20DX128VFM5) acts as a programming dongle — it appears on your computer as both a serial port and a removable mass storage disk for easy firmware deployment. Development is supported via the Nordic nRF51822 SDK, mbed platform, GCC, Keil, or Arduino.
Key Features
- Tiny Form Factor – Only 18.5 × 21.0 mm
- Nordic nRF51822 SoC – ARM Cortex-M0 with Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy
- BLE Central & Peripheral – Supports both roles for flexible connectivity
- Ultra-Low Power – Ideal for battery-powered IoT projects
- Flexible Voltage – Operates from 1.8 V to 3.3 V (VDD) or 3.3–13 V (VIN)
- Multiple Dev Environments – Nordic SDK, mbed, GCC, Keil, or Arduino
- MK20 USB Board – Drag-and-drop firmware deployment via mass storage
- 11 I/O Pins – With configurable UART, I2C, and SPI
Specifications
- Microcontroller – Nordic nRF51822
- CMSIS-DAP Chip – Freescale MK20
- Operating Voltage – 1.8–3.3 V
- Input Voltage – 1.8–3.3 V (VDD) / 3.3–13 V (VIN)
- Clock Speed – 16 MHz
- Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.0 LE, Serial (TX/RX), I2C, SPI
- Flash Memory – 256 KB
- SRAM – 16 KB
- I/O Pins – 11
- Dimensions – 18.5 × 21.0 mm
Power Supply
- VIN (3.3–13 V) – Regulated to 3.3 V via onboard LDO; connect a battery directly
- VDD (1.8–3.3 V) – Direct power input for low-voltage operation
Pinout Notes
- On-board LED is connected to Pin 19 (P0_19)
- Pin 30 (P0_30) is a signal pin — configure via switches S5/S10 for GND or VDD
- UART pins (RTS, RXD, TXD, CTS) default to P8–P11 via switches S1–S4 and S6–S9
- UART can be rerouted to P0–P3 to free up analog pins
MK20 USB Board
The MK20 USB Board powers the BLE Nano from USB (5 V regulated to 3.3 V) and provides drag-and-drop firmware deployment. Short switch S on the MK20 board to output 1.8 V instead, enabling low-voltage component operation.
Package Contents
- 1× BLE Nano Board
- 1× MK20 USB Board
Resources
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- BLE
- BLE stands for Bluetooth Low Energy, a Bluetooth mode designed for lower power use and modern phone compatibility. It matters because BLE support can make the module easier to use with Apple devices and battery-powered projects, though it may behave differently from classic serial Bluetooth.
- CTS
- CTS stands for Clear To Send, a serial flow-control signal that tells the other device it may transmit. It matters for reliable high-speed serial communication where buffers could otherwise overflow.
- Flash memory
- Non-volatile memory that keeps stored data even when power is removed. In this sensor, it matters because enrolled fingerprint templates can remain saved after the project is turned off.
- I2C
- I2C is a two-wire communication bus used by many sensors and small modules. It matters because several I2C devices can share the same two wires, but each device needs a compatible address and your controller must support I2C.
- IoT
- Short for Internet of Things, meaning physical devices that connect to networks or the internet to send data or be controlled remotely. It matters if you want projects such as connected sensors, remote controls or classroom data-logging activities.
- LED
- A light-emitting diode is a small electronic component that lights up when current flows through it in the correct direction. In this kit, LEDs create the flashing effect, so polarity and correct soldering matter for the project to work.
- microcontroller
- A microcontroller is a small computer on a chip that runs your program and controls connected inputs and outputs. For this product, it is the part that reads buttons and sensors, drives the display and speaker, and communicates over Bluetooth.
- RTS
- RTS stands for Request To Send, a serial flow-control signal used to manage when a device is ready to receive data. It matters when moving fast serial streams because flow control can help prevent lost data.
- SPI
- A fast serial communication bus often used for displays, memory cards, and sensors. It matters because SPI devices need specific pins for clock and data, plus a separate chip-select line for each device.
- SRAM
- Fast temporary memory used by a processor while a program is running. More SRAM helps with projects that handle larger data buffers, networking, displays, or more complex code.
- UART
- UART is a simple serial connection that sends data over separate transmit and receive wires, often labelled TX and RX. It matters because this module is designed to replace a wired UART cable with a wireless link while keeping the same serial data format.
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Connectivity
Related Tutorials
Free guides on learn.littlebird.com.au
