Future-Proofing Notecard-Based Designs

The Notecard is designed to be a swappable part of your embedded product. By designing your solution along a small set of size and performance constraints, you retain the flexibility to upgrade to newer devices, or swap between radio access technologies based on deployment location.

As detailed in our host system design guide, Notecard-based products should be designed with an M.2 Key E connector and secured to a grounded standoff with a mounting screw. While the M.2 mounting screw and standoff are in the same location for all Notecards, the length of the Notecard varies between 35mm and 42mm.

End product designs that wish to incorporate the 42mm-long Notecards should also ensure that there is a 4mm keep-out area around the Notecard that extends in a cylinder around the far edge of the board. Meaning, for the area starting at the standoff and extending approximately 8mm. Ideally there should be no ground plane, no metal screws, no metal components, and no metal enclosure to avoid RF interference.

In addition, regardless of whether a Notecard is 35mm or 42mm, designers should not make assumptions about the location of the the u.FL connectors on the Notecard. Specifically, the u.FL connectors on the 42mm Notecards are shifted to being at the far outer edge of the Notecard PCB instead of the right edge of the 35mm Notecards. As such, customers are encouraged to source u.FL cables with enough additional length to ensure that they can reach the u.FL connectors at the far edge of the boards.

Customers with existing Notecard-based designs will be able to continue to acquire and use existing Notecard variants and do not need to explicitly revise existing designs unless they are already planning an enhancement to their product.

For more information, please contact sales@blues.com.

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