Particle B Series B402 Brings Boron Wireless Technology to Production-Ready Projects
All the features of Particle's mesh-capable Boron development board in a tiny new system-on-module - the first to use an M.2 connector.
Particle has announced it is bringing the same wireless technology that powers its Boron development boards, announced two years ago, into a compact module designed for projects heading to mass production: the Particle B-Series B402.
"Last year we released the Boron development kit, a product designed to take your connected projects from inspiration to reality. Brimming with radios, the Boron features an LTE modem, an 802.15.4 mesh radio, plus BLE and NFC support all in the space of a stick of gum," Particle's Ian Archbell says of the new product offering. "Today we continue to innovate the hardware and software available for building cellular connected products. Meet the B402, an LTE Cat M1 System-on-Module that shrinks the Boron into a size perfect for mass production and comes FCC and PTCRB certified — saving you time and money."
Offering the same core technology as the Boron development board - that LTE cellular modem, 802.15.4 mesh radio for device-to-device communication, Bluetooth Low Energy, and near-field communication — the B402 shrinks things considerably to a mere 32mm x 42mm footprint (1.26" x 1.65") - roughly the size, Particle points out, of a postage stamp.
A major part of the size reduction comes courtesy of a move away from a breadboard-friendly pin layout to an M.2 connector — the first Particle module to make the switch from castellated edge connectors. For those who haven't yet designed a finished product with M.2 slot, the B402 comes with an optional evaluation board to break out the M.2 connector to more readily-accessible pins while providing a charging and power circuit for a lithium polymer (LiPo) battery.
Particle's B402 is available now from the US store, priced at $49 for the B402 system-on-module, $88 for the evaluation board, and $11.52 for an optional Taoglas flexible PCB antenna. LTE Cat M1 support is confirmed for the US, with European support to follow in mid-2020.
More information can be found in the datasheet and application notes.