Adafruit
nRF52840 Bluetooth Low Energy Module with USB - MDBT50Q-1M
The MDBT50Q-1M is a compact Bluetooth Low Energy module based on the Nordic nRF52840 Cortex-M4 processor. It integrates the BLE radio, native USB support, an...
The MDBT50Q-1M is a compact Bluetooth Low Energy module based on the Nordic nRF52840 Cortex-M4 processor. It integrates the BLE radio, native USB support, and a chip antenna into a small, pre-certified package — ready to drop into your custom PCB design.
With generous flash and SRAM, plus a wide range of peripherals, the nRF52840 is a capable SoC for BLE applications. The module comes with FCC, CE, and TELEC certifications. Note that it uses under-pad connections (not castellated), so reflow soldering with a stencil and hot air or reflow oven is required.
Key Features
- Nordic nRF52840 – ARM Cortex-M4 processor with BLE 5.0 radio
- Native USB – No external USB-serial converter required
- Integrated Chip Antenna – Compact design with on-module antenna
- Pre-Certified – FCC, CE, and TELEC certifications
- Ultra Compact – Small footprint for embedded PCB designs
Ideal For
- Custom BLE product designs
- Embedded wireless applications
- IoT devices with USB connectivity
- Prototyping with Nordic SDK, Arduino, or CircuitPython
Package Contents
- 1× MDBT50Q-1M BLE module
Resources
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- ARM Cortex-M4
- A 32-bit processor core commonly used inside microcontrollers for running embedded programs. It matters because it gives the micro:bit enough processing power for sensors, Bluetooth, sound, and classroom coding projects.
- 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.
- CircuitPython
- A beginner-friendly version of Python designed to run directly on microcontroller boards. If a product supports CircuitPython, you can often program it by copying code files onto the board rather than setting up a more complex toolchain.
- 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.
- native USB
- Native USB means the microcontroller itself handles USB communication, rather than using a separate USB-to-serial chip. This matters for programming, debugging, and projects that need the board to act directly as a USB device.
- nRF52840
- The nRF52840 is a Nordic Semiconductor microcontroller commonly used in maker boards, especially where Bluetooth Low Energy is needed. Seeing it listed tells you the USB host software may support boards based on this chip.
- PCB
- A printed circuit board is a rigid board with copper tracks that connect electronic parts without loose wires. For this kit, the PCBs also form the airplane shape, so they are both the circuit base and part of the finished model.
- 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.
- SWD
- Serial Wire Debug is a two-wire programming and debugging interface used with many microcontrollers. It matters if you need low-level access to program, recover or debug the processor board connected to this carrier.
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Connectivity
Related Tutorials
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