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XIAO nRF52840 – Bluetooth 5.0 Microcontroller with Onboard Antenna | Seeed Studio
The XIAO nRF52840 is a compact, ultra-low-power microcontroller board built around the powerful Nordic nRF52840 SoC, featuring a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M4 CPU with FPU running at up to 64 MHz. Designed in the signature thumb-sized 21x17.8 mm XIAO form factor, it offers exceptional wireless capability, rich peripheral support, and impressive energy efficiency—making it perfect for wearables, IoT nodes, BLE devices, smart gadgets, and rapid prototyping.
With Bluetooth 5.0 / BLE, NFC support, and an onboard antenna, the XIAO nRF52840 ensures stable, long-range wireless communication. It features lithium battery charging, multiple development ports, and deep-sleep power consumption as low as 5 uA, enabling efficient battery-powered and always-on designs. Supported by Arduino, CircuitPython, and MicroPython, this board is ideal for developers at every level, from hobbyists to engineering teams ready for scalable production.
Key Features:
- Versatile Microcontroller: It incorporates the Nordic nRF52840 chip with an FPU, operating at speeds of up to 64 MHz. It features multiple development ports and is compatible with Arduino and CircuitPython.
- Wireless Capabilities: The XIAO nRF52840 supports Bluetooth 5.0 and BLE functions, with an onboard antenna and NFC connectivity.
- Elaborate Power Design: It offers ultra-low power consumption, as low as 5 uA in deep sleep mode, while also supporting lithium battery charge management.
- Thumb-Sized Design: With dimensions of 21x17.5mm, it follows the classic form-factor of the Seeed Studio XIAO series, making it suitable for wearable devices.
- Perfect for Production: This board is breadboard-friendly and features a surface-mount device (SMD) design with no components on the back.
The Seeed Studio XIAO nRF52840 stands out with its incredibly low power consumption, supporting battery charge management with the embedded BQ25101 chip, which extends its usage time. It features a USB Type-C interface for power supply and code downloads. The onboard memory includes 1 MB of flash and 256 kB of RAM, along with an additional 2 MB QSPI flash. The board provides 11 digital I/O pins that can be used as PWM pins and 6 analog I/O pins for ADC applications. It also supports UART, I2C, and SPI, the three common serial communication protocols. Onboard components include 1 reset button, 1 3-in-one LED, 1 charge LED, and 1 Bluetooth antenna, making code debugging a breeze. This board's powerful performance makes it suitable for machine learning applications, and its compact size allows it to be used in wearable devices and Internet of Things (IoT) projects, not only for prototyping but also for mass production. Furthermore, the Seeed Studio XIAO nRF52840 is highly compatible with various software options, including Arduino, MicroPython, and CircuitPython. Its flexible I/O capabilities enable it to communicate with a wide range of external devices.
Applications
- Wearables & Health Monitoring
- IoT Nodes & Wireless Sensors
- BLE Beacons & Smart Home Devices
- Remote Controllers & Human Interface Devices
- Battery-Powered Devices
- Low-Power Robotics
- Education & Prototyping Projects
Hardware Overview
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