Two years back I used the U-Blox SARA R5 connectivity module for a US customer who want to build an ultra low power personal tracker. In that project every IC used was ultra low power available at that time. That’s when I experienced the U-Blox SARA R5 module for the first time. It was an amazing experience, support from FAE was also good.
I have used U-blox connectivity modules and GPS modules in a couple of projects so far, the quality of documentation, support has always been good for me. Ofcourse, it is not the cheapest but when you need high performance, cutting edge, I look for U-blox portfolio for sure.
Some of the boards where lying and as I was doing teardown of many other manufacturers module, I thought it would be great to see how U-blox has built their modules and probably many engineers would be interested in the same.
The u-blox SARA R5 series modules are known for their advanced features and capabilities. Here are five important points about them:
- LTE-M and NB-IoT Support: U-blox SARA R5 modules support LTE-M and NB-IoT, making them suitable for low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) applications.
- Global Coverage: These modules are designed for global operation, supporting multiple bands used in various regions around the world.
- Secure Cloud Connectivity: U-blox SARA R5 series module offers secure cloud connectivity, ensuring data protection and privacy, which is crucial for IoT applications.
- Low Power Consumption: The modules are optimized for low power consumption, extending the battery life of devices in which they are used, making them ideal for remote and mobile IoT applications.
- Compact Size: Their compact form factor makes them suitable for a wide range of applications, including wearables, smart metering, and industrial monitoring.
These features make the SARA-R5 series a versatile and efficient choice for a variety of IoT solutions.
I can’t show the customer board but here is the U-blox SARA R5 module on the board.
After carefully removing the RF Shield, I was able to see the electronics inside.
I wasn’t expecting U-blox processor, well they might have used a ready processor but rebranded it but I am not sure. PMIC is inbuilt as you only see couple of inductors and capacitors outside the processor and no other power supply ICs.
On the top you see an RF chip from Skyworks.
It is Skyworks 77769-1 . The Skyworks 77769-1 is a broadband power amplifier module for WCDMA. It has a frequency range of 824 MHz to 1.98 GHz and a supply voltage of 3 to 4.5 V. It is optimized for the Average Power Tracking system and supports LTE
and below the main processor, three more chips are there, one is FLASH/RAM, secure element and an RTC, I got to know this from the block diagram in the datasheet.
I am not sure but I am guessing that given the size, the IC in the image below could be the Flash and RAM combo chip.
and as the IC with marking 263A in the image below is near the crystal, it is a RTC chip. I got this confirmation from one of my followers on twitter. So, it probably PCF85263A from NXP Semiconductor.
and the IC below looks like the secure element. If you know more details, do share in the comments below. I will probably be looking for more details and if I find more information about this, I will update the blog.
That’s all in this teardown.
I hope you found it interesting. See you in my next blog soon.
I am currently working as an embedded systems design consultant helping companies build custom embedded products and develop test automation solutions for their PCBs.
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