Conexio Stratus Pro- nRF9161 Powered Dev Kit with LTE-IoT, DECT NR+, GNSS and Much More

Conexio Technologies, Inc. has recently introduced Conexio Stratus Pro, a battery-powered development board built around Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF9161 cellular modem. The unique aspect of this board is that it has support for LTE-M, NB-IoT, and GPS connectivity and to make things even more interesting it has also support for DECT NR+, and GNSS making it suitable for environmental monitors, smart meters, and industrial automation devices.

Other features of this board include support for solar energy harvesting and an onboard Qwiic connector which gives access to various modules. The form factor of this board also resembles Adafruit Feather so many HATS and adapter modules are compatible with this board.

Previously, we have written about similar development boards like the Waveshare ESP32-S3-SIM7670G-4G and the ESP32-S3-A7670E-4G, the LuckFox LuckFox Pico Pro, and WeAct ESP32H2-N4, feel free to check those out if you are interested in those topics.

The company designed the board to be easy to use and compatible with various software platforms. Not only that the board comes preloaded with 10 years of mobile data and SMS, as a value-added feature. Developers can leverage the preprogrammed MCUBoot bootloader, a Visual Studio Code plugin, and integrations with cloud platforms like Edge Impulse, Golioth, and Memfault for machine learning, OTA updates, and remote device management. Additionally, it connects to Datacake for easy data visualization. Documentation and resources are available on the company’s website and GitHub.

Conexio Stratus Pro Dev Kit Specifications

• MCU:
  • Nordic nRF9161 SiP
  • ARM Cortex-M33 with 1 MB Flash
  • 256 kB RAM
  • Pre-programmed MCUBoot bootloader
• Modem:
  • Transceiver and baseband
  • 3GPP LTE release 14 LTE-M/NB-IoT support
  • DECT NR+ ready
  • Global coverage RF Transceiver supporting bands: B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B8, B12, B13, B17, B18, B19, B20, B25, B26, B28, B65, B66, and B85
  • Supports 4FF Nano SIM, optional eSIM, or software SIM
• Cellular Data:
  • 500 MB of cellular data
  • 250 SMS messages
  • Valid for 10 years, reloadable, transferable to a new plan
  • Service available in 100+ countries (LTE + NB-IoT)
• Power Management:
  • Nordic nPM1300 Power Management IC
    • 800 mA battery charger
    • Dual 200 mA buck DC/DC regulator
• Charging:
  • Texas Instruments BQ25185 Charging IC
    • Charge inputs: 3 V to 18 V
    • Supports Li-ion, Li-Poly, and LiFePO4 battery chemistries
• External Storage:
  • 16 KBit I2C EEPROM memory (24CW160T)
• Power:
  • Operating range: 1.8 to 5.5 V
  • External LiPo battery connection (2 Pin JST type)
  • Maximum output current: 800 mA
  • Output voltages: 1.8 V, 3.3 V, 5 V (VUSB), VBAT
  • SPDT slide switch for power control (on/off)
  • Quiescent current of entire board < 9 μA
• Onboard Sensors:
  • Battery fuel gauge enabled by nPM1300
  • STMicroelectronics LIS2DH MEMS high-performance 3-axis accelerometer
• I/O:
  • USB Type-C for various functions
  • U.FL connectors for LTE-M/NB-IoT and GPS antennas
  • Total I/O pinouts: 36
  • Feather-compatible header for user I/O
  • 28 programmable GPIO pins
  • 2 push buttons (1 reset, 1 programmable)
  • 1 programmable LED
  • QWIIC connector for external peripherals
  • Supports J-Link and CMSIS-DAP-based programmers
  • Onboard 10-pin 0.05 ” (1.27 mm) mini SWD/JTAG pin connector
• Dimensions: 66.04 mm x 25.40 mm

The company also provides a helpful table where the Conexio Stratus Pro is compared with devices like the Actinius Icarus, nRF9160 Feather, and Arduino MKR NB1500, which gives you a clear idea about the board’s capabilities in a very interesting way.

For those who are interested in the Conexio Stratus Pro dev board,  the dev kit is available on Crowd Supply. The early bird price is $83, and the regular price is $89, with shipping starting in September 2024.

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