ANT Forum

Do I have to use external MCU for SoC nRF51422, nRF51822 to create an application?

Can the built-in ARM processor do something?

For instance, create a mesh network, auto pairing - each note can communicate with each other and exchange information, without any external MCU (to save power consumption). And also connected to battery (power), LED (status indication), vibration motor (for notification), a few buttons (turning on/off, and simple control), take the input from external sensors (temperature).

Possible? What is the limitation of the built-in process in nRF51422? What can it handle?

Thanks!

     

The nRF51 series does not require external MCUs for programming and running applications.

From your summary, it seems the nRF51422 using ANT communication would be able to handle your application's requirements, I would recommend reading through Nordic Semiconductor's specs of the chip to verify they meet the exact technical requirements: (https://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/Products/ANT/nRF51422).

The N5 Module Starter Kit from Dynastream Inc. (http://www.dynastream.com/developer/n5starterkit) would be an ideal development platform to get started with nRF51422 development. It provides a programmable nRF51422 based module with all of the hardware and software components to begin prototyping.


     

Thanks for the replay. Here are my follow up questions.

What is the processor in nRF51422 capable of doing? Why do some solutions go for an external host MCU? Can you provide some examples for comparison. I assume MCU = more power consumption, more compoent cost, larger board area. I would try to avoid it if possible.

Thanks a lot for your help      

The nRF51422 is built around a 32-bit ARM® Cortex™ M0 CPU with 256/128KB flash + 16KB RAM. More information on this processor's capabilities can be found on the ARM website: http://www.arm.com/products/processors/cortex-m/cortex-m0.php.

The nRF51422 is a relatively new product compared to our standalone ANT modules. We are noticing a significant shift in customers using the SoC solution in their new designs and next generation of products now that the technology has reached this level of maturity.

Some customers still choose to use the external MCU if they have series of previous products using a
Host MCU <-> ANT Chip solution and don't wish to revise and retest their application code for a different platform. Some applications have very precise technical requirements, that require the use of a very specific external MCU.

     

Is there any existing code to allow me to quickly create a mesh network demo with a few nRF51422 modules? Thanks      

usamak - 14 April 2014 10:19 AM

The nRF51 series does not require external MCUs for programming and running applications.

The N5 Module Starter Kit from Dynastream Inc. (http://www.dynastream.com/developer/n5starterkit) would be an ideal development platform to get started with nRF51422 development. It provides a programmable nRF51422 based module with all of the hardware and software components to begin prototyping.

I was looking at either that kit or the Nordic nRF51422-DK development kit and saw on semiconductorstore.com that they require the nRF6700 starter kit for the Nordic kit or Dynastream's version. I don't see mention of this requirement anywhere else; can you confirm the starter kit isn't needed?      

The nRF6700 starter kit is not required for the N5 starter kit. The N5 Starter Kit includes all the parts required to begin development.

The nRF6700 starter kit is required for the nRF51422-DK development kit. An alternative is the nRF51422-EK evaluation kit (https://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/Products/ANT/nRF51422), which does not require any additional parts to begin development.

Could you provide a link for where it states the Dynastream starter kit requires the nRF6700? Thanks.      

Thanks for the (super-fast) clarification. The bit about the Dynastream requiring the starter kit was a mistake on my part; I was looking at one of the 8001 kits by mistake.