Adafruit
nRF52840 USB Key with TinyUF2 Bootloader - Bluetooth Low Energy
This USB dongle/key type thing is a little unusual - it isn't a BLE adapter that you plug into a computer to add wireless capability. (If you do want somethi...
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This USB dongle/key type thing is a little unusual - it isn't a BLE adapter that you plug into a computer to add wireless capability. (If you do want something like that, our Bluetooth 4.0 USB Module will do the job nicely.) Instead, this is basically a minimal nRF52840 wireless microcontroller dev board on a stick. You can program it in Arduino or CircuitPython and it's completely standalone. This could be useful for some situations where you want to have a standalone BLE device that communicates with a USB host but without dealing with the operating system's BLE stack.
Each MDBT50Q-RX dongle comes pre-programmed with the TinyUF2 bootloader, which makes loading code onto it very easy (note that only the ones from Adafruit do this, its a special-order item). To enter the bootloader, hold down the dongle's button while inserting into USB. The button can be used in Arduino/CircuitPython as an input. There's also a single blue LED indicator. It's all very simple but we could see situations where perhaps this acts as a beacon, a OS-less BLE interface or bridge, or a compact development board for experimenting with the nRF52840.
The blue LED is connected to P1.13, set that pin to be an output and pull low to turn on the LED
The button is connected to P0.15, set that pin to be an input with an internal pullup - when pressed the pin will go low.
Of course the best way to program these chips is with the Nordic SDK. This chip also has some basic Arduino support, CircuitPython support, and is supported by MyNewt.
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- BLE
- BLE stands for Bluetooth Low Energy, a Bluetooth mode designed for low power use and broad compatibility with modern phones and computers. It connects well to battery-powered and mobile devices, including Apple hardware, though it behaves differently from Bluetooth Classic and its serial-style profiles.
- Bootloader
- Small starter software on a microcontroller that lets new code be uploaded before the main program runs. Knowing how to enter bootloader mode matters when you need to program the board or recover it after a faulty sketch.
- 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.
- LED
- A light-emitting diode (LED) is a small electronic component that emits light when current flows through it in the correct direction. Because it only conducts one way, its polarity matters, and a through-hole LED must be soldered the correct way around to light up.
- microcontroller
- A microcontroller is a small computer on a single chip that runs a stored program and controls connected inputs and outputs such as buttons, sensors, displays and communication interfaces. In a device built around one, it is the part that executes the code and coordinates the device's behaviour.
- nRF52840
- The nRF52840 is a Nordic Semiconductor system-on-chip built around a 32-bit Arm Cortex-M4 processor, with built-in Bluetooth Low Energy and native USB. It is widely used in maker and wearable boards, where it offers BLE and USB support along with broad library coverage in common maker toolchains.
- RX
- RX means receive, usually showing data being received by the board. An RX indicator LED can help with troubleshooting USB or serial communication.
- USB host
- A USB host is the side of a USB connection that controls attached devices, like a computer talking to a keyboard or flash drive. This matters because most microcontroller boards are normally USB devices, so adding USB host support lets them use common USB peripherals.
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