Companion development boards for easy prototyping and deployment.

Notecarriers are available in several form-factors to facilitate rapid prototyping. Depending upon the variant, a Notecarrier may be designed with direct host integration, size optimization, integrated cellular/Wi-Fi and GNSS antennas, or even to be soldered directly into a solution for low-volume production.

Functional Description

Notecarriers are designed to bridge the gap between prototype and production for the Notecard. The Notecard is designed to be socketed directly onto the circuit board using an edge connector socket, along with a customer's MCU, sensors, and controls. While such a model provides a highly modular configuration for the final product, it can make prototyping unnecessarily difficult.

Notecarriers offer breakout connections for the Notecard, as well as circuitry to provide power management, protection and signal amplification.

Features

• Simple. Provides breadboard compatible pins or solderable mask for direct connections.
• Compatible. Level shifters ensure compatibility with 3.3V or 5V equipment.
• Convenient. Powered by a USB connector (requires 2A supply).
• GPS Ready. Models are either active GPS compatible, or feature a built-in antenna to enable GNSS connectivity.

Compatible Notecards

Due to differences in the physical size of Notecards, certain Notecarriers are only compatible with certain Notecards. The Notecarrier AA is compatible with:

• Notecard Cellular
• Notecard Cellular (Legacy)
• Notecard WiFi
• Notecard LoRa

Package Configuration

Notecarrier AA (Antenna + AA Battery Harness)

Notecarrier AA (CARR-AA) is designed for building battery-powered wireless applications.

• Pre-soldered female Notecarrier AA 22-pin header for easy access to Notecard edge connector pins.
• Notecard edge connector socket and mounting screw receptacle.
• Micro-USB port to power Notecarrier and provide a USB Serial command interface to Notecard.
• Onboard cellular/Wi-Fi and active GPS antennas.
• External Nano-SIM slot for additional carrier connectivity.
• Pre-soldered case for 3 AA batteries (not included).
• PCB Dimensions: 68mm x 75mm
• Center of Mounting Holes: 59mm x 66mm (measured from the edge of the PCB to the center of the furthest mounting hole)

Power Information

All Notecarriers can be powered by connecting directly to the USB port. However, most installations will not have USB power available, so several alternate power options are provided by the various Notecarrier models:

• attaching a LiPo battery.

  The LiPo battery must be a single-cell 3.7V battery with a 2-pin JST PH connector.

• attaching a solar cell (must be accompanied by LiPo).

  The solar charging circuit is designed for use with a 4.5-7V solar panel.

• applying 2.5-5.5VDC to the V+ pin.

  Commonly provided via DC power supply or non-rechargeable battery.

GPS (GNSS) Antenna Requirements

All Notecarrier models are designed to support active GPS, and several Notecarrier models provide built-in antennas ready to be connected to a Cellular Notecard using the included U.FL cables.

Active GPS Onboard Antenna

The Notecarrier A models feature built-in, active GPS antennas and are designed with a sufficient buffer to isolate the antenna and minimize interference with the other electronics. Notecarrier A models do not support external active (powered) GPS antennas.

Header Descriptions

Notecarrier AA 22-Pin Header

Samtec CES-122-01-T-S

Specifications

Electrical Characteristics

DC Characteristics

Absolute Maximum Ratings

Ordering Information

• Notecarriers
• Development Kits

Design Files

Open source hardware designs for all Notecarriers are maintained in the note-hardware GitHub repository.

Terms and Conditions

Visit Blues Hardware Terms & Conditions.

Revision History

Contact Information

Blues Inc.
https://blues.com
50 Dunham Ridge Suite 1650
Beverly, MA 01915
support@blues.com