Wearable devices are just part of the Internet of Things (IoT), and they were all around the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show. They offer mobility and personality that other IoT devices do not. Bluetooth is the dominant wireless technology for wearable devices, but these devices require compact Bluetooth support. This typically means custom designs that must go through a significant approval process.
Not so with Bluetooth modules. Of course, most Bluetooth modules are relatively large, making them suitable to IoT applications but typically not for wearable devices—until now.
TAIYO YUDEN’s EYSHSNZWZ (see figure) is an extremely small Bluetooth module that incorporates an antenna. This means the module can be used without additional approvals just like other Bluetooth modules. It will have Bluetooth 5 support when it ships. The module dimensions are only 3.25 × 8.55 × 0.9 mm.
The module is based on a Nordic nRF52832 chip that has an ARM Cortex-M4F, which includes 512 Kbytes of flash memory and 64 Kbytes of RAM. The tiny module exposes the chip’s interface, including 15 I/O pins. The system has interfaces for I2C, UART, SPI, I2S, and PDM. It has a 12-bit ADC. It also supports NFC-A Touch-to-Pair support.
The module has its own crystal and antenna. It only requires DC power (1.7 to 3.6 VDC). It operates on the 2.4 GHz band with +4 dBm of output power.
The module would pair nicely with other small form factor sensors requiring minimal space and power. The on-chip processor has sufficient space for many applications, so a carrier board may only include sensors and a battery. Shipping is slated to begin this spring.
