Ophelia-III, a compact and energy-efficient “Build Your Own Firmware” radio module for the 2402 to 2480 MHz frequency range. — Image source: Würth Elektronik
The compact Ophelia-III radio module is offered as part of Würth Elektronik’s “Build Your Own Firmware” concept. The manufacturer enables custom radio solutions in the 2402 to 2480 MHz frequency range to be developed with this module, which comes without firmware and a software development kit (SDK). Applications range from the widely used Bluetooth® LE for specific use to proprietary, highly customized radio protocols.
Ophelia-III is based on the nRF52840 chipset from Nordic Semiconductor, a 32-bit ARM Cortex M4F CPU, and is equipped with 1 MB of flash memory, 256 kB RAM, and various interfaces (UART, SPI, I²C, ADC, 17 GPIOs, Nano-SIM). The module, measuring 12 × 8 × 2 mm, is more compact than comparable models on the market. Thanks to its optimized antenna design, it features low power consumption at a transmission power up to +8 dBm. In sleep mode, the current drawn is just 0.4 µA – making the module ideal for battery-powered devices. Würth Elektronik places particular importance on providing freedom in application development with this radio module. Ophelia-III has both an antenna connector and an internal antenna, as well as 17 configurable GPIOs.
The radio module is based on the same hardware platform as the proven Proteus-III Bluetooth® LE module, whose certification documents can be reused to certify Ophelia-III solutions. An evaluation board and an SDK are available for application development.