Bokra Launches New mikroBUS SOM Boards, Including the BC832 with Bluetooth Low Energy

Bokra has announced the launch of two new Arm Cortex-M-based systems-on-modules (SOMs) in the mikroBUS format — the first such devices offered — along with a dual-slot base station in a Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ form factor

Fresh from the release of the Adafruit Feather Adapter, a board which combines a small or medium microBUS module with any Feather-format module, Bokra's latest mikroBUS design adds two new ultra-compact microcontroller boards to the mix: The LPC824 Lite with an Arm Cortex-M0+ processor, and the BC832 Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) module with Cortex-M4 processor.

The LPC824 Lite takes an NXP LPC824M201JHI33 microcontroller running at 30MHz with 32kB of flash storage and 8kB of RAM and breaks out up to four I2C interfaces, up to three UART interfaces, and up to two SPI interfaces as well as an SWD debug interface, 12-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and offers both mikroBUS and Grove connectivity.

The BC832, meanwhile, is based on the Nordic Semiconductor nRF52832, a more powerful part which features a 64MHz Arm Cortex-M4 processor, 512kB of flash storage and 64kB of RAM along with a 2.4GHz multi-protocol transceiver with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) support over a range of up to 50 metres. The controller includes two I2C interfaces, up to three SPI interfaces, and USART, along with a 12-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) - though this, at 200ks/s, is somewhat slower than the 1.2Ms/s-capable LCP824 Lite.

To get users started, Bokra offers a BaseA+ baseboard which accepts two small or medium mikroBUS modules on a common bus and with up to 1A of non-isolated 5V DC power. As with the earlier Adafruit Feather Adapter, the BaseA+ borrows its footprint from the Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ and includes a LM75B temperature sensor connected to the I2C bus.

Bokra is shipping the new boards now, priced at $16 for the LPC824 Lite, $28 for the BC832, and $20 for the BaseA+.