B-Series from Boron Migration Guide

The B-Series SoM (system-on-a-module) is similar to the Boron in that it is a 3rd-generation cellular device. It plugs into an M.2 NGFF connector on your custom circuit board and is intended for mass production use.

Many of the extra features on the Boron have been omitted from the SoM, so you can implement a custom solution as necessary. For example, rather than duplicating the buttons and status LED on the SoM, you can put them on an external control panel for your product, or omit them entirely.

Additionally, the extra width vs. the Boron (Adafruit Feather) form-factor makes it possible to include a LTE Cat 1 with 2G/3G fallback cellular modem, such as the Quectel EG91-E on the B524. This modem is too wide to fit on a Boron.

Feature Boron B-Series SoM SoM Base Board Tracker SoM
U.FL Antenna Connector Optional
MFF2 SMD Particle SIM2  
Nano 4FF SIM card connector      
USB Connector   Optional Optional
Status LED   Optional Optional
Reset and Mode Buttons   Optional Optional
Battery Connector   Optional Optional
PMIC and Fuel Gauge1   Optional

1The PMIC (power management IC) and fuel gauge are used with battery-powered applications. They're omitted from the SoM as they are not needed for externally powered solutions (grid or automotive power, for example). Additionally, you may want to use different models if you are making a solar-powered device, or using a different battery technology or multiple battery pack.

2The built-in Particle SIM card is free for use up to certain limits, no credit card required.

The available models include:

Model Region EtherSIM Bands Lifecycle Replacement
B404X United States, Canada, Mexico LTE Cat M1 Coming soon
B524 EMEAA LTE Cat M1 GA
B404 United States, Canada, Mexico LTE Cat M1 Last buy Use B404X instead
B402 United States, Canada, Mexico LTE Cat 1, 2G, 3G Deprecated Use B404X instead
B523 Europe LTE Cat 1, 2G, 3G Deprecated Use B524 instead
  • The B404X, B404, and B402 cannot be used in Central or South America.
  • The B524 can be used in selected countries in Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia (EMEAA), including Australia and New Zealand.
  • The B524 and B523 do not work out of the EMEAA region.
  • See the Carrier List for compatibility in specific countries

Datasheets

If you want to migrate from the Electron or E-Series to the B-Series SoM, see Gen 2 cellular migration.

Countries - B404X, B404

Country Model Technologies Carriers
Canada B404 M1 Bell Mobility, Rogers Wireless, Telus
Mexico B404 M1 AT&T, Telcel
United States B404 M1 AT&T, T-Mobile (USA), Verizon7

Countries - B524

Country Model Technologies Carriers
Albania B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 ALBtelecom, Telekom, Vodafone
Algeria B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Mobilis, Ooredoo
Aruba B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Setar
Australia B524 3G, Cat1 Optus, Telstra, Vodafone
Austria B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 3 (Drei), A1, T-Mobile
Bahrain B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Zain
Bangladesh B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Bangalink, GrameenPhone
Belarus B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 A1
Belgium B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Base, Orange, Proximus
Bosnia and Herzegovina B524 2G, 3G BH Telecom, HT Eronet
Botswana B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 BeMobile
Brunei B524 3G, Cat1 DST
Bulgaria B524 2G, 3G A1, Telenor, Vivacom
Burkina Faso B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Orange
Cabo Verde B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 CVMóvel, Unitel T+
Cambodia B524 2G, 3G Metfone
Chad B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Airtel
Chile B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Claro, Entel, Movistar
Congo (Brazzaville) B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Airtel
Congo (Kinshasa) B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Airtel
Côte d'Ivoire B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 MTN
Croatia B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Hrvatski Telekom, Tele2
Cyprus B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Cytamobile-Vodafone, MTN, PrimeTel
Czechia B524 2G, Cat1 O2, T-Mobile, Vodafone
Denmark B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 3 (Tre), TDC, Telenor, Telia
Egypt B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Etisalat, Orange
Estonia B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Elisa, Tele2, Telia
eSwatini B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 MTN
Ethiopia B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Ethio Telecom
Faroe Islands B524 2G, 3G Faroese Telecom, Vodafone
Finland B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 DNA, Elisa, Telia
France B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Bouygues, Free Mobile, Orange, SFR
French Guiana B524 2G, 3G Digicel
Gabon B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Airtel
Germany B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 O2, Telekom, Vodafone
Ghana B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 AirtelTigo, MTN, Vodafone
Gibraltar B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Gibtel
Greece B524 2G, Cat1 Cosmote, Vodafone, Wind
Guadeloupe B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Orange
Guinea B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 MTN
Guinea-Bissau B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 MTN
Guyana B524 2G Digicel
Haiti B524 2G, 3G Digicel
Hong Kong B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 CMHK, CSL, SmarTone
Hungary B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Magyar Telekom, Telenor, Vodafone
Iceland B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Nova, Siminn, Vodafone
Indonesia B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Indosat, Telkomsel, XL Axiata
Ireland B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 3 (Tre), Meteor, O2, Vodafone
Israel B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Hot Mobile, Orange, Pelephone
Italy B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 TIM, Vodafone, Wind
Jordan B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Zain
Kazakhstan B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Beeline, K-Cell
Kenya B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Airtel
Kuwait B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Viva, Zain
Latvia B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Bite, LMT, Tele2
Liechtenstein B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Mobilkom, Orange
Lithuania B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Bite, Omnitel, Tele2
Luxembourg B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Orange, POST, Tango
Macao B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 CTM
Madagascar B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Airtel
Malawi B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Airtel
Malaysia B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Celcom, DiGi, Maxis
Malta B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Go Mobile, Vodafone
Moldova B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Moldcell, Orange
Mongolia B524 2G, 3G Mobicom, Unitel
Montenegro B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Mtel, T-Mobile, Telenor
Morocco B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Inwi, Medi Telecom
Mozambique B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Vodacom
Myanmar B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 MPT, Telenor
Namibia B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Telecom Namibia
Netherlands B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 KPN, T-Mobile, Vodafone
New Zealand B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 2degrees, Spark, Vodafone
Nigeria B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 9mobile, Airtel, Glo, MTN
Norway B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 TDC, Telenor, Telia
Pakistan B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Mobilink, Telenor, Ufone, Warid
Palestine B524 2G, 3G Jawwal
Papua New Guinea B524 2G, 3G bmobile
Poland B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Orange, Play, Plus, T-Mobile
Portugal B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 NOS, TMN, Vodafone
Qatar B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Ooredoo, Vodafone
Romania B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Orange, Telekom Romania, Vodafone
Rwanda B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Airtel, MTN
Serbia B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Telenor, VIP
Seychelles B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Airtel
Sint Maarten B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 TelCell
Slovakia B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 O2, Orange, Telekom
Slovenia B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 A1, Mobitel
South Africa B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Cell C, MTN, Vodacom
South Korea B524 3G, Cat1 KT, LG U+, SK Telecom
South Sudan B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 MTN
Spain B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Orange, Telefonica, Vodafone, Yoigo
Sri Lanka B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Dialog, Mobitel
Suriname B524 2G, 3G Telesur
Sweden B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 3 (Tre), Tele2, Telenor, Telia
Switzerland B524 3G, Cat1 Salt, Sunrise, Swisscom
Taiwan B524 3G, Cat1 Chunghwa, FarEasTone, T Star, Taiwan Mobile
Tanzania B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Airtel
Thailand B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 AIS, DTAC, True Move
Tunisia B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Orange Tunisie, Tunisie Telecom
Uganda B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Africell, Airtel, MTN
United Kingdom B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 3, EE, Manx, O2, Sure, Vodafone
Vietnam B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 MobiFone, Viettel, Vinaphone
Zambia B524 2G, 3G, Cat1 Airtel

SKUs

SKU Description Region Lifecycle
B404XMEA B-Series LTE CAT-M1 (NorAm, EtherSIM), [x1] NORAM GA
B404XMTY B-Series LTE CAT-M1 (NorAm, EtherSIM), Tray [x50] NORAM GA
B524MEA B-Series LTE CAT-1/3G/2G (Europe, EtherSIM) [x1] EMEAA GA
B524MTY B-Series LTE CAT-1/3G/2G (Europe, EtherSIM), Tray [x50] EMEAA GA
M2EVAL Particle M.2 SoM Evaluation Board [x1] Global GA
  • EMEAA: Selected countries in Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia, including Australia and New Zealand. See the cellular carrier list for more information.

Prototyping

The B-Series SoM cannot be used without a base board. Typically you will create your own board, however there are two off-the-shelf options available:

B-Series Eval board

B-Series Eval

The B-Series evaluation board provides a variety of interfaces and access to all ports and pins on the B-Series SoM. You can use the expansion connector to connect the evaluation board to a breadboard for prototyping. You can also add sensors and accessories using the Grove expansion connectors.

Ports Diagram
Num ID Description
1 External Power 5-12 VDC. Minimum power requirements are 5VDC @500mA (when the LiPo battery) or 5VDC @2000mA (without LiPo battery).
2 LiPo Battery connector Plug in the LiPo battery here.
3 SoM USB port This is the module's main USB port that connects to the microcontroller.
4 JTAG connector This can plug directly into the Particle debugger ribbon cable.
5 Battery switch Controls power between the LiPo connector and the charge controller.
6 SoM power switch Controls 3V3 power to the SoM
7 u-blox USB port This USB port connects directly to the u-blox module for firmware updates.
8 Ethernet connector RJ45 connector for twisted pair Ethernet, 10 or 100 Mbit/sec.
9 PoE connector Connect for the Particle PoE adapter for power-over-Ethernet.
10 Cellular antenna Connector for an external SMA connected cellular antenna.
11 Bluetooth antenna Connector for an external SMA connected antenna for Bluetooth networking.
12 TF/SD Card MicroSD card slot.
13 User LED Blue LED connected to pin D7.
14 Reset Button This is same as the RESET button on the Boron.
15 RGB LED System status indicator RGB LED.
16 Mode Button This is the same as the MODE button on the Boron.
17 Expansion Connector Allows easy access to SoM IO pins.
18 Grove Analog Port Connects to Seeed Studio Grove analog and digital boards.
19 Grove I2C Port Connects to Seeed Studio Grove I2C boards.
20 NFC Antenna U.FL connector for an NFC antenna (optional).
21 Jumpers J12 Enable or disable various features on the evaluation board.
22 SoM connector M.2 connector for the B-Series SoM.
23 Jumpers J13 Enable or disable various features on the evaluation board.
24 Power Jumpers Enable or disable power from the evaluation board.
25 Charge LED Indicate LiPo is charging.
Block Diagram

Mikroe Gen 3 SoM shield

Mikroe Gen 3 SoM

The Gen 3 SoM shield connects a B-Series SoM to mikroBUS Click boards:

M.2 Pin Generic SoM Gen 3 mikroBUS #1 mikroBUS #2
20 SCL D1 SCL SCL
22 SDA D0 SDA SDA
23 ADC0 A0 RST2
33 ADC1 A1 AN1
35 ADC2 A2 AN2
36 TX TX/D9 TX TX
37 ADC3 A3
38 RX TX/D10 RX RX
41 ADC4 A4
43 ADC5 A5
45 ADC6 A6
47 ADC7 A7
48 CS D8 CS1
50 MISO MISO/D11 MISO MISO
52 MOSI MOSI/D12 MOSI MOSI
54 SCK SCK/D13 SCK SCK
62 GPIO0 D22 INT1
64 GPIO1 D23 INT2
66 PWM0 D4 CS2
68 PWM1 D5 PWM1
70 PWM2 D6 PWM2
72 PWM3 D7 RST1

There is a huge library of mikroBUS Click expansion boards, however the caveat is that most of them do not already have a Particle software library. If the board is for a common sensor or chip, however, existing Particle libraries for the chip will typically work, even if not designed work with the Click.

For more information, see the Mikroe community page.

Creating a board

First SoM board tutorial

The SoM first board tutorial shows how to get started with the M.2 SoM boards by making the simplest possible design. It's an introduction to working with surface mount components you will need in order to make your own SoM base board.

Board Image

Basic SoM design

This design is a bit more complicated, and includes the PMIC and Fuel Gauge chips that are present on the Boron:

Whole Board

  • RGB LED
  • bq24195 PMIC
  • MAX17043 Fuel Gauge
  • USB Connector
  • LiPo Connector (JST-PH)
  • M.2 SoM Connector

This is the basic set of features you'll probably want to include in a LiPo battery-powered design. The Evaluation Board is also a good reference to use. This design, however, is simple enough that it can be hand-assembled, though you still need a reflow oven and some of the parts (in particular the fuel gauge and PMIC) are tiny and there are a lot of them.

This board a two-layer circuit board so it can be manufactured inexpensively and edited using the free version of Eagle CAD.

As this board doesn't really do much, you'll unlikely use it as-is, but you can use it as a tutorial for how to hook up the PMIC and fuel gauge.

Hardware differences

Antennas

The Boron has a built-in BLE chip antenna, antenna switch, and U.FL antenna connector. The B-Series SoM only has a U.FL connector for BLE and does not have a built-in antenna.

Both require an external cellular antenna.

Both require an external antenna for NFC tag.

SPI

SPI is mostly unchanged between the Boron and B-Series SoM. The only difference is the default SS pin, however you can choose any GPIO for your SPI chip select, you do not need to use the default.

Boron Pin Name Boron SPI B-Series SoM Pin Name B-Series SoM SPI
A5 / D14 SPI (SS) A5 / D14  
D2 SPI1 (SCK) D2 SPI1 (SCK)
D3 SPI1 (MOSI) D3 SPI1 (MOSI)
D4 SPI1 (MISO) D4 SPI1 (MISO)
D8 / WKP   D8 SPI (SS)
MISO / D11 SPI (MISO) MISO / D11 SPI (MISO)
MOSI / D12 SPI (MOSI) MOSI / D12 SPI (MOSI)
SCK / D13 SPI (SCK) SCK / D13 SPI (SCK)

Serial (UART)

Hardware serial (UART) ports are unchanged between the Boron and B-Series SoM.

Boron Pin Name Boron Serial B-Series SoM Pin Name B-Series SoM Serial
D2 Serial1 RTS D2 Serial1 RTS
D3 Serial1 CTS D3 Serial1 CTS
RX / D10 Serial1 RX RX / D10 Serial1 RX
TX / D09 Serial1 TX TX / D9 Serial1 TX

Analog input (ADC)

There are two additional ADC inputs on the B-Series SoM. These can also be used as digital GPIO.

Boron Pin Name Boron ADC B-Series SoM Pin Name B-Series SoM ADC
A0 / D19 A0 / D19
A1 / D18 A1 / D18
A2 / D17 A2 / D17
A3 / D16 A3 / D16
A4 / D15 A4 / D15
A5 / D14 A5 / D14
    A6
    A7

PWM (Pulse-width modulation)

These are differences in pins that support PWM between the Boron and B-Series SoM.

Boron Pin Name Boron PWM B-Series SoM Pin Name B-Series SoM PWM
A0 / D19 A0 / D19
A1 / D18 A1 / D18
A2 / D17 A2 / D17  
A3 / D16 A3 / D16  
A4 / D15 A4 / D15  
A5 / D14 A5 / D14  
    A6
    A7
D2 D2  
D3 D3  
D4 D4
D5 D5
D6 D6
D7 D7
D8 / WKP D8  

Interrupts

All pins can be used for interrupts on Gen 3 devices, however only 8 pins can be used for interrupts at the same time.

Internal pull-up or pull-down

Internal (MCU) pull-up and pull-down can be enabled using the pinMode() function and INPUT_PULLUP or INPUT_PULLDOWN.

On both the Boron and B-Series SoM (Gen 3), the internal pull is approximately 16K.

Retained memory

Retained memory, also referred to as Backup RAM or SRAM, that is preserved across device reset.

On both the Boron and B-Series SoM, retained memory is 3068 bytes.

The flash file system on Gen 3 devices can also be used for data storage, however care must be taken to avoid excessive wear of the flash for frequently changing data.

USB

The Boron has a Micro USB B connector.

The B-Series SoM does not have a USB connector. It is recommended that you add one to your base board for programming and troubleshooting/

NFC tag

The Boron and B-Series SoM have NFC Tag support.

The Boron has a U.FL connector on the bottom of the board; you must supply your own NFC antenna connector or integrated antenna on your base board.

PMIC Notes

When using the B-Series SoM with a bq24195 PMIC, note the following:

By default, the bq24195 sets the input current limit, which affects powering by VIN and VUSB, to 100 mA. This affects the VSYS output of the PMIC, which powers both the cellular modem and 3V3 supply, and is not enough to power the B-Series SoM in normal operation.

If your device has the default firmware (Tinker), it will attempt to connect to the cloud, brown out due to insufficient current, then the device will reset. This may result in what appears to be the status LED blinking white, but is actually rolling reboot caused by brownout.

A factory new B-Series SoM does not enable the PMIC setup. To enable the use of the bq21415, you must enable the system power feature PMIC_DETECTION in your code. This defaults to off because the B-Series SoM can be used without a PMIC, or with a different PMIC, and also requires I2C on D0/D1, and some base boards may use those pins as GPIO.

Because the input current limit does not affect the battery input (Li+), for troubleshooting purposes it can be helpful to attach a battery to help rule out input current limit issues. It's also possible to supply 3.7V via a bench power supply to the battery input, instead of VIN.

The input current limit can result in a situation where you can't bring up a B-Series SoM because it browns out continuously, but also cannot flash code to it to stop if from browning out. There are two general solutions:

  • Attach a battery or supply by Li+ when bringing up a board.
  • Use SWD/JTAG and reset halt the MCU. This will prevent it from connecting to the cloud, so you can flash Device OS and firmware to it by SWD.

The input current limit is actually controlled by three factors:

  • The power source max current setting in the PMIC. The default is 900 mA. It can be set to 100, 150, 500, 900, 1200, 1500, 2000, or 3000 mA.
  • It is also limited by the hardware ILIM resistor. On Particle devices with a built-in PMIC, this is set to 1590 mA, but if you are implementing your own PMIC hardware, you can adjust this higher.
  • When connected by USB, it will use DPDM, current negotiation via the USB DP (D+) and DM (D-) lines.

Note that some 2A tablet chargers and multi-port USB power supplies supply 2A but do not implement DPDM; these will be treated as if VIN was used, and you must set the power source current, otherwise the input current will be limited to 900 mA, which is not enough to power a 2G/3G cellular modem without an attached battery.

Full module pin comparison

3V3

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 2 10
  Pin Name 3V3 3V3
Description Regulated 3.3V DC output, maximum load 1000 mA System power in, supply a fixed 3.0-3.6v power.

A0

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 5 23
  Pin Name A0 A0
  Pin Alternate Name D19 D19
  Description A0 Analog in, GPIO, PWM A0 Analog in, GPIO, PWM
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  Supports analogRead Yes Yes
  Supports analogWrite (PWM) Yes Yes
Supports tone A0, A1, A2, and A3 must have the same frequency. A0, A1, A6, and A7 must have the same frequency.
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

A1

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 6 33
  Pin Name A1 A1
  Pin Alternate Name D18 D18
  Description A1 Analog in, GPIO, PWM A1 Analog in, GPIO, PWM
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  Supports analogRead Yes Yes
  Supports analogWrite (PWM) Yes Yes
Supports tone A0, A1, A2, and A3 must have the same frequency. A0, A1, A6, and A7 must have the same frequency.
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

A2

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 7 35
  Pin Name A2 A2
  Pin Alternate Name D17 D17
Description A2 Analog in, GPIO, PWM A2 Analog in, GPIO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  Supports analogRead Yes Yes
Supports analogWrite (PWM) Yes No
Supports tone A0, A1, A2, and A3 must have the same frequency. No
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

A3

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 8 37
  Pin Name A3 A3
  Pin Alternate Name D16 D16
Description A3 Analog in, GPIO, PWM A3 Analog in, GPIO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  Supports analogRead Yes Yes
Supports analogWrite (PWM) Yes No
Supports tone A0, A1, A2, and A3 must have the same frequency. No
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

A4

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 9 41
  Pin Name A4 A4
  Pin Alternate Name D15 D15
Description A4 Analog in, GPIO, PWM A4 Analog in, GPIO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  Supports analogRead Yes Yes
Supports analogWrite (PWM) Yes No
Supports tone A4, A5, D2, and D3 must have the same frequency. No
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

A5

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 10 43
  Pin Name A5 A5
  Pin Alternate Name D14 D14
Description A5 Analog in, GPIO, PWM, SPI SS A5 Analog in, GPIO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  Supports analogRead Yes Yes
Supports analogWrite (PWM) Yes No
Supports tone A4, A5, D2, and D3 must have the same frequency. No
SPI interface SS. Use SPI object. This is only the default SS/CS pin, you can use any GPIO instead. n/a
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

A6

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 45
Pin Name A6
Description A6 Analog in, PWM, GPIO
Supports digitalRead Yes
Supports digitalWrite Yes
Supports analogRead Yes
Supports analogWrite (PWM) Yes
Supports tone A0, A1, A6, and A7 must have the same frequency.
Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
Internal pull resistance 13K

A7

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 47
Pin Name A7
Description A7 Analog in, GPIO, Ethernet Reset
Supports digitalRead Yes
Supports digitalWrite Yes
Supports analogRead Yes
Supports analogWrite (PWM) Yes
Supports tone A0, A1, A6, and A7 must have the same frequency.
Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
Internal pull resistance 13K

AGND

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 39
Pin Name AGND
Description Analog Ground.

CELL USBD-

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 46
Pin Name CELL USBD-
Description Cellular Modem USB Data-
Input is 5V Tolerant Yes

CELL USBD+

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 44
Pin Name CELL USBD+
Description Cellular Modem USB Data+
Input is 5V Tolerant Yes

CELL VBUS

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 74
Pin Name CELL VBUS
Description USB detect pin for R410M. 5V on this pin enables the Cellular Modem USB interface.
Input is 5V Tolerant Yes

D0

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 16 22
  Pin Name D0 D0
  Description I2C SDA, GPIO I2C SDA, GPIO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  I2C interface SDA. Use Wire object. SDA. Use Wire object.
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

D1

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 17 20
  Pin Name D1 D1
  Description I2C SCL, GPIO I2C SCL, GPIO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  I2C interface SCL. Use Wire object. SCL. Use Wire object.
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

D2

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 18 42
  Pin Name D2 D2
Description SPI1 SCK, Serial1 RTS, GPIO, PWM SPI1 SCK, Serial1 RTS, PWM, GPIO, Wire1 SDA
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
Supports analogWrite (PWM) Yes No
Supports tone A4, A5, D2, and D3 must have the same frequency. No
  UART serial RTS. Use Serial1 object. RTS. Use Serial1 object.
  SPI interface SCK. Use SPI1 object. SCK. Use SPI1 object.
I2C interface n/a SDA. Use Wire1 object.
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

D22

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 62
Pin Name D22
Description GPIO, Ethernet INT
Supports digitalRead Yes
Supports digitalWrite Yes
Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
Internal pull resistance 13K

D23

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 64
Pin Name D23
Description GPIO
Supports digitalRead Yes
Supports digitalWrite Yes
Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
Internal pull resistance 13K

D3

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 19 40
  Pin Name D3 D3
Description SPI1 MOSI, Serial1 CTS, PWM, GPIO SPI1 MOSI, Serial1 CTS, GPIO, Wire1 SCL
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
Supports analogWrite (PWM) Yes No
Supports tone A4, A5, D2, and D3 must have the same frequency. No
  UART serial CTS. Use Serial1 object. CTS. Use Serial1 object.
  SPI interface MOSI. Use SPI1 object. MOSI. Use SPI1 object.
I2C interface n/a SCL. Use Wire1 object.
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

D4

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 20 66
  Pin Name D4 D4
  Description SPI1 MISO, PWM, GPIO SPI1 MISO, PWM, GPIO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  Supports analogWrite (PWM) Yes Yes
Supports tone D4, D5, D6, and D7 must have the same frequency. D4, D5, and D6 must have the same frequency.
  SPI interface MISO. Use SPI1 object. MISO. Use SPI1 object.
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

D5

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 21 68
  Pin Name D5 D5
  Description PWM, GPIO PWM, GPIO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  Supports analogWrite (PWM) Yes Yes
Supports tone D4, D5, D6, and D7 must have the same frequency. D4, D5, and D6 must have the same frequency.
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

D6

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 22 70
  Pin Name D6 D6
  Description PWM, GPIO PWM, GPIO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  Supports analogWrite (PWM) Yes Yes
Supports tone D4, D5, D6, and D7 must have the same frequency. D4, D5, and D6 must have the same frequency.
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

D7

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 23 72
  Pin Name D7 D7
  Description PWM, GPIO PWM, GPIO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  Supports analogWrite (PWM) PWM is shared with the RGB LED, you can specify a different duty cycle but should not change the frequency. PWM is shared with the RGB LED, you can specify a different duty cycle but should not change the frequency.
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

D8

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 24 48
  Pin Name D8 D8
Pin Alternate Name WKP n/a
Description GPIO, PWM GPIO, SPI SS, Ethernet CS
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
Supports analogWrite (PWM) Yes No
Supports tone D4, D5, D6, and D7 must have the same frequency. No
SPI interface n/a SS. Use SPI object. This is only the default SS/CS pin, you can use any GPIO instead.
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

EN

Removed from Boron
Pin Number 26
Pin Name EN
Description Power supply enable. Connect to GND to power down. Has internal weak (100K) pull-up.

GND

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 4 1
  Pin Name GND GND
  Description Ground. Ground.

LI+

Removed from Boron
Pin Number 27
Pin Name LI+
Description Connected to JST PH LiPo battery connector. 3.7V in or out.

MISO

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 13 50
  Pin Name MISO MISO
  Pin Alternate Name D11 D11
  Description SPI MISO, GPIO SPI MISO, GPIO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  SPI interface MISO. Use SPI object. MISO. Use SPI object.
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

MODE

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 3 32
  Pin Name MODE MODE
  Pin Alternate Name D20 D20
  Description MODE button, has internal pull-up MODE button, has internal pull-up

MOSI

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 12 52
  Pin Name MOSI MOSI
  Pin Alternate Name D12 D12
  Description SPI MOSI, GPIO SPI MOSI, GPIO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  SPI interface MOSI. Use SPI object. MOSI. Use SPI object.
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

NC

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 14
Pin Name NC
Description n/a

NC

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 75
Pin Name NC
Description n/a

NFC1

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 17
Pin Name NFC1
Description NFC Antenna 1

NFC2

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 19
Pin Name NFC2
Description NFC Antenna 2

RGBB

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 65
Pin Name RGBB
Description RGB LED Blue

RGBG

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 63
Pin Name RGBG
Description RGB LED Green

RGBR

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 61
Pin Name RGBR
Description RGB LED Red

RST

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 1 34
  Pin Name RST RST
Description Hardware reset. Pull low to reset; can leave unconnected in normal operation. Hardware reset, active low. External pull-up required.

RX

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 14 38
  Pin Name RX RX
  Pin Alternate Name D10 D10
  Description Serial RX, GPIO Serial RX, GPIO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  UART serial RX. Use Serial1 object. RX. Use Serial1 object.
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

SCK

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 11 54
  Pin Name SCK SCK
  Pin Alternate Name D13 D13
  Description SPI SCK, GPIO SPI SCK, GPIO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  SPI interface SCK. Use SPI object. SCK. Use SPI object.
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

SIM_CLK

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 71
Pin Name SIM_CLK
Description Leave unconnected, 1.8V/3V SIM Clock Output from R410M.

SIM_DATA

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 73
Pin Name SIM_DATA
Description Leave unconnected, 1.8V/3V SIM Data I/O of R410m with internal 4.7 k pull-up.

SIM_RST

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 69
Pin Name SIM_RST
Description Leave unconnected, 1.8V/3V SIM Reset Output from R410M.

SIM_VCC

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 67
Pin Name SIM_VCC
Description Leave unconnected, 1.8V/3V SIM Supply Output from R410M.

TX

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 15 36
  Pin Name TX TX
Pin Alternate Name D09 D9
  Description Serial TX, GPIO Serial TX, GPIO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  UART serial TX. Use Serial1 object. TX. Use Serial1 object.
  Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins.
  Internal pull resistance 13K 13K

USBDATA-

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 13
Pin Name USBDATA-
Description USB Data-
Input is 5V Tolerant Yes

USBDATA+

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 11
Pin Name USBDATA+
Description USB Data+
Input is 5V Tolerant Yes

VCC

Added to B-Series SoM
Pin Number 2
Pin Name VCC
Description System power in, connect to the +LiPo or supply a fixed 3.6-4.3v power.

VUSB

Boron B-Series SoM
Pin Number 25 16
  Pin Name VUSB VUSB
Description Power out (when powered by USB) 5 VDC at 1A maximum. Power in with limitations. USB VUSB power pin
  Input is 5V Tolerant Yes Yes

Software

Platform ID

Platform ID Name Description
13 boron Boron (all models)
23 bsom B404X, B404, and B402 B-Series SoM
25 b5som B524, B523 B-Series SoM

The platforms IDs of the B-Series SoM models vary from the Boron.

If you have a product based on the Boron, you will need to create a separate product (or two) for devices using the B-Series SoM. While you may be able to use the same source code to build your application, the firmware binaries uploaded to the console will be different, so they need to be separate products. This generally does not affect billing as only the number of devices, not the number of products, is counted toward your plan limits.

The reason there are separate platforms for the B4xx and B5xx SoM is that they have different cellular modem manufacturers, u-blox and Quectel, respectively. All Boron models have u-blox cellular modems and thus can share a single platform.

Third-party libraries

Most third-party libraries are believed to be compatible between the Boron and B-Series SoM.

Version history

Revision Date Author Comments
1 2022-03-17 RK Initial version
2 2022-12-10 RK Added PMIC notes