Getting Started Integrations Reference Hardware Firmware Scaling Tools Support & Troubleshooting

M-SoM from B Series migration guide

The modules are the same size, but the different cellular module size makes them look different.

Migrating from the B Series SoM to the M-SoM is straightforward, however there are some things to keep in mind:

  • Make sure your 3V3 and VCC (3V7) power supplies are sufficient
  • SPI1 (secondary SPI) is on different pins
  • Wire1 (secondary I2C) is not available on the M-SoM
  • PWM pins are different
  • It has a different MCU which may have different compatibility with 3rd-party libraries

As the M-SoM is a different platform ID and requires different firmware binaries it will require a separate product from bsom and b5som products.

Datasheets

Certification

When migrating to a new device, recertification is typically required. If you are using the standard Particle antennas you often only need to complete the less expensive unintentional radiator testing of your completed assembly, however in some cases intentional radiator testing could be required.

Software differences

User firmware binary size

One major advantage is that user firmware binaries can be up to 2048 Kbytes, instead of 256 Kbytes on Gen 3 devices using Device OS 3.1.0 or later.

Available RAM

The B-SoM has around 80K of RAM available to user applications. The M-SoM has 3500K of available RAM.

Flash file system

There is a 2 MB flash file system for storing user data. This is the same size as the Boron, B-SoM, and Argon. The Tracker has a 4 MB flash file system.

Voltage regulators

VCC

VCC is used to supply power to the cellular module. The recommended input voltage range on this pin is between 3.6V to 4.2V DC. This can be connected directly to a 3.7V LiPo battery.

If you are not using a battery, or using a battery of a different voltage, you should use a regulator to supply 3.7V to 4.2V at 2A. You may want to add additional bulk capacitors to handle the short, high current peak usage when the cellular modem is transmitting.

If you are migrating from the BRN404X/BRN404/BRN402 make sure your VCC power supply provides sufficient current if you will be using the LTE Cat 1 with 2G/3G fallback version of the M-SoM.

3V3

3V3 is used to supply power to MCU, Wi-Fi, BLE, logic ICs, memory, etc.. Make sure that the supply can handle a minimum of 500 mA.

These limits do not include any 3.3V peripherals on your base board, so that may increase the current requirements.

Power supply requirements:

  • 3.3V output
  • Maximum 5% voltage drop
  • 100 mV peak-to-peak ripple maximum
  • 500 mA minimum output current at 3.3V recommended for future compatibility
  • Maintain these values at no-load as well as maximum load

If you are migrating from the B Series SoM, note that the required current on 3.3V is 500 mA with the M-SoM, vs. 150 mA on the B Series SoM, because of the Wi-Fi radio.

Brief comparison

  B-SoM Pin Number B-SoM Pin Name B-SoM Description M-SoM Pin Name M-SoM Description
  1 GND Ground. GND Ground.
∆ 2 VCC System power in, connect to the +LiPo or supply a fixed 3.6-4.3v power. VCC System power in, connect to the +LiPo or supply a fixed 3.6-4.3V power.
  3 GND Ground. GND Ground.
∆ 4 VCC System power in, connect to the +LiPo or supply a fixed 3.6-4.3v power. VCC System power in, connect to the +LiPo or supply a fixed 3.6-4.3V power.
  5 GND Ground. GND Ground.
∆ 6 VCC System power in, connect to the +LiPo or supply a fixed 3.6-4.3v power. VCC System power in, connect to the +LiPo or supply a fixed 3.6-4.3V power.
  7 GND Ground. GND Ground.
∆ 8 VCC System power in, connect to the +LiPo or supply a fixed 3.6-4.3v power. VCC System power in, connect to the +LiPo or supply a fixed 3.6-4.3V power.
  9 GND Ground. GND Ground.
∆ 10 3V3 System power in, supply a fixed 3.0-3.6v power. 3V3 System power in, supply a fixed 3.3V power, 500 mA minimum
  11 USBDATA+ USB Data+ USBDATA+ USB Data+
∆ 12 3V3 System power in, supply a fixed 3.0-3.6v power. 3V3 System power in, supply a fixed 3.3V power, 500 mA minimum
  13 USBDATA- USB Data- USBDATA- USB Data-
  14 NC   NC  
  15 GND Ground. GND Ground.
∆ 16 VUSB USB VUSB power pin NC  
∆ 17 NFC1 NFC Antenna 1 D21 D21 GPIO, I2S RX
∆ 18 NC   GNSS_TX Cellular modem GNSS UART TX
∆ 19 NFC2 NFC Antenna 2 D20 D20 GPIO, I2S TX
∆ 20 D1 I2C SCL, GPIO D1 D1 GPIO, I2C SCL
  21 GND Ground. GND Ground.
∆ 22 D0 I2C SDA, GPIO D0 D0 GPIO, I2C SDA
  23 A0 / D19 A0 Analog in, GPIO, PWM A0 / D19 A0 Analog in, GPIO, PWM
∆ 32 MODE / D20 MODE button, has internal pull-up MODE MODE button. Pin number constant is BTN. External pull-up required!
  33 A1 / D18 A1 Analog in, GPIO, PWM A1 / D18 A1 Analog in, GPIO, PWM
  34 RST Hardware reset, active low. External pull-up required. RST Hardware reset, active low. External pull-up required.
  35 A2 / D17 A2 Analog in, GPIO A2 / D17 A2 Analog in, GPIO
∆ 36 TX / D9 Serial TX, GPIO TX / D9 Serial TX, PWM, GPIO, SPI1 MOSI, I2S MCLK
∆ 37 A3 / D16 A3 Analog in, GPIO A3 / D16 A3 Analog in, PDM CLK, GPIO
∆ 38 RX / D10 Serial RX, GPIO RX / D10 Serial RX, PWM, GPIO, SPI1 MISO
  39 AGND Analog Ground. AGND Analog Ground.
∆ 40 D3 SPI1 MOSI, Serial1 CTS, GPIO, Wire1 SCL D3 D3 GPIO, Serial1 CTS flow control (optional), SPI1 SS
∆ 41 A4 / D15 A4 Analog in, GPIO A4 / D15 A4 Analog in, PDM DAT, GPIO
∆ 42 D2 SPI1 SCK, Serial1 RTS, PWM, GPIO, Wire1 SDA D2 D2 GPIO, Serial RTS flow control (optional), SPI1 SCK
∆ 43 A5 / D14 A5 Analog in, GPIO A5 / D14 A5 Analog in, PWM, GPIO, shared with pin 53
  44 CELL USBD+ Cellular Modem USB Data+ CELL USBD+ Cellular Modem USB Data+
∆ 45 A6 A6 Analog in, PWM, GPIO A6 / D29 A6 Analog in, GPIO, PWM, M.2 eval PMIC INT
  46 CELL USBD- Cellular Modem USB Data- CELL USBD- Cellular Modem USB Data-
∆ 47 A7 A7 Analog in, GPIO, Ethernet Reset A7 / WKP A7 Analog In, WKP, GPIO D28
∆ 48 D8 GPIO, SPI SS, Ethernet CS D8 D8 GPIO, SPI SS
  49 AGND Analog Ground. AGND Analog Ground.
∆ 50 MISO / D11 SPI MISO, GPIO MISO / D11 D11 GPIO, PWM, SPI MISO
  51 NC   NC  
∆ 52 MOSI / D12 SPI MOSI, GPIO MOSI / D12 D12 GPIO, PWM, SPI MOSI
∆ 53 NC   A5 / D14 A5 Analog in, PWM, GPIO, SWCLK, shared with pin 43
∆ 54 SCK / D13 SPI SCK, GPIO SCK / D13 D13 GPIO, SPI SCK
∆ 55 NC   D27 D27 GPIO, SWDIO (SWD_DATA), do not pull down at boot
  56 GND Ground. GND Ground.
  57 NC   NC  
∆ 58 NC   D24 D24 GPIO, Serial2 TX, do not pull down at boot
∆ 59 NC   D26 D26 GPIO
∆ 60 NC   D25 GPIO25, Serial2 RX
  61 RGBR RGB LED Red RGBR RGB LED Red
∆ 62 D22 GPIO, Ethernet INT D22 D22 GPIO
  63 RGBG RGB LED Green RGBG RGB LED Green
∆ 64 D23 GPIO D23 D23 GPIO
  65 RGBB RGB LED Blue RGBB RGB LED Blue
∆ 66 D4 SPI1 MISO, PWM, GPIO D4 D4 GPIO, PWM
  67 SIM_VCC Leave unconnected, 1.8V/3V SIM Supply Output from R410M. SIM_VCC Leave unconnected, 1.8V/3V SIM Supply Output from R410M.
∆ 68 D5 PWM, GPIO D5 D5 GPIO, PWM
∆ 69 SIM_RST Leave unconnected, 1.8V/3V SIM Reset Output from R410M. SIM_RST Leave unconnected, 1.8V/3V SIM Reset Output from cellular modem.
∆ 70 D6 PWM, GPIO D6 D6 GPIO, PWM, I2S CLK
∆ 71 SIM_CLK Leave unconnected, 1.8V/3V SIM Clock Output from R410M. SIM_CLK Leave unconnected, 1.8V/3V SIM Clock Output from cellular modem.
∆ 72 D7 PWM, GPIO D7 D7 GPIO, PWM, I2S WS

ADC

Pin B-SoM Pin Name B-SoM ADC M-SoM Pin Name M-SoM ADC
23 A0 / D19 ✓ A0 / D19 ✓
33 A1 / D18 ✓ A1 / D18 ✓
35 A2 / D17 ✓ A2 / D17 ✓
37 A3 / D16 ✓ A3 / D16 ✓
41 A4 / D15 ✓ A4 / D15 ✓
43 A5 / D14 ✓ A5 / D14 ✓
45 A6 ✓ A6 / D29 ✓
47 A7 ✓ A7 / WKP ✓
53 NC   A5 / D14 ✓
  • ADC inputs are single-ended and limited to 0 to 3.3V on both.
  • Resolution is 12 bits on both.
  • SoM pin 45 (A6) on the M-SoM is shared with SoM pin 53 (SWD_CLK). You cannot use A6 and SWD at the same time. If you implement SWD on your base board, driving pin A6 will prevent SWD from functioning. The SWD_CLK will be driven at hoot by the MCU.

The ADCs on the M-SoM (RTL872x) have a lower impedance than other Particle device MCUs (nRF52, STM32F2xx). They require a stronger drive and this may cause issues when used with a voltage divider. This is particularly true for A7, which has an even lower impedance than other ADC inputs.

For signals that change slowly, such as NTC thermocouple resistance, you can add a 2.2 uF capacitor to the signal. For rapidly changing signals, a voltage follower IC can be used.

Serial

Pin B-SoM Pin Name B-SoM Serial M-SoM Pin Name M-SoM Serial
36 TX / D9 Serial1 TX TX / D9 Serial1 (TX)
38 RX / D10 Serial1 RX RX / D10 Serial1 (RX)
40 D3 Serial1 CTS D3 Serial1 (CTS)
42 D2 Serial1 RTS D2 Serial1 (RTS)
58 NC   D24 Serial2 (TX)
60 NC   D25 Serial2 (RX)
  • The M-SoM has two available UART serial ports vs. 1 on the B-SoM.

SPI

Pin B-SoM Pin Name B-SoM SPI M-SoM Pin Name M-SoM SPI
36 TX / D9   TX / D9 SPI1 (MOSI)
38 RX / D10   RX / D10 SPI1 (MISO)
40 D3 SPI1 (MOSI) D3 SPI1 (SS)
42 D2 SPI1 (SCK) D2 SPI1 (SCK)
48 D8 SPI (SS) D8 SPI (SS)
50 MISO / D11 SPI (MISO) MISO / D11 SPI (MISO)
52 MOSI / D12 SPI (MOSI) MOSI / D12 SPI (MOSI)
54 SCK / D13 SPI (SCK) SCK / D13 SPI (SCK)
66 D4 SPI1 (MISO) D4  
  • There are two SPI interfaces on both, however SPI1 is on different pins on M-SoM.

I2C

Pin B-SoM Pin Name B-SoM I2C M-SoM Pin Name M-SoM I2C
20 D1 Wire (SCL) D1 Wire (SCL)
22 D0 Wire (SDA) D0 Wire (SDA)
40 D3 Wire1 (SCL) D3  
42 D2 Wire1 (SDA) D2  
  • 1 I2C on M-SoM vs. 2 on the B Series SoM.
  • You can generally have many devices on a single I2C bus.
  • If you have I2C address conflicts you can use an I2C multiplexer like the TCA9548A.
  • On the M-SoM (and P2 and Photon 2), the only valid I2C clock speeds are CLOCK_SPEED_100KHZ and CLOCK_SPEED_400KHZ. Other speeds are not supported at this time.

PWM

Pin B-SoM Pin Name B-SoM PWM M-SoM Pin Name M-SoM PWM
23 A0 / D19 ✓ A0 / D19 ✓
33 A1 / D18 ✓ A1 / D18 ✓
36 TX / D9   TX / D9 ✓
38 RX / D10   RX / D10 ✓
43 A5 / D14   A5 / D14 ✓
45 A6 ✓ A6 / D29 ✓
47 A7 ✓ A7 / WKP  
50 MISO / D11   MISO / D11 ✓
52 MOSI / D12   MOSI / D12 ✓
53 NC   A5 / D14 ✓
66 D4 ✓ D4 ✓
68 D5 ✓ D5 ✓
70 D6 ✓ D6 ✓
72 D7 ✓ D7 ✓

On the B-SoM, multiple timers are using allowing different PWM frequencies on certain pins. On the M-SoM, all PWM pins share a single time and thus must share the same frequency, but can have different duty cycles.

PDM

Pulse density modulation digital microphones can be used with the Microphone_PDM library and the M-SoM, but only on specific pins. The B-SoM can use any pins for PDM (with the same library).

Pin Pin Name Description MCU
37 A3 / D16 A3 Analog in, PDM CLK, GPIO PB[1]
41 A4 / D15 A4 Analog in, PDM DAT, GPIO PB[2]

Boot mode pins

These pins have a special function at boot. Beware when using these pins as input as they can trigger special modes in the MCU.

Pin Pin Name Description MCU
43 A5 / D14 SWCLK. 40K pull-down at boot. PB[3]
53 A5 / D14 SWCLK. 40K pull-down at boot. PB[3]
55 D27 SWDIO. 40K pull-up at boot. Low at boot triggers MCU test mode. PA[27]
58 D24 Low at boot triggers ISP flash download PA[7]
60 D25 Goes high at boot PA[8]
61 RGBR Low at boot triggers trap mode PA[30]

SWD

The M-SoM has 4 pads at the bottom exposing the SWD interface of the MCU. This interface can be used to debug your code or reprogram your SoM bootloader, device OS, or the user firmware. We use 4 pogo-pins connecting to these pads during production for firmware flashing.

Pogo Pins

Additionally, SWD is supported on pins on the M.2 connector:

Pin Pin Name Description Interface MCU
43 A5 / D14 A5 Analog in, PWM, GPIO, shared with pin 53 SWCLK PB[3]
53 A5 / D14 A5 Analog in, PWM, GPIO, SWCLK, shared with pin 43 SWCLK PB[3]
55 D27 D27 GPIO, SWDIO (SWD_DATA), do not pull down at boot SWDIO PA[27]
  • SWD is on the same pins as GPIO, so by default once user firmware boots, SWD is no longer available. This is the same as Gen 2 (STM32) but different than Gen 3 (nRF52840).
  • SWO (Serial Wire Output) is not supported on the RTL8722DM.

USB

The nRF52 MCU requires the 5V line from the USB interface on pin 16 (VUSB).

The M-SoM does not require this pin, however you can supply VUSB on M-SoM pin 16 so you can use the same base board for both SKUs.

NFC

The M-SoM does not support NFC.

On the B-SoM, pin 17 is NFC1 which is NC on the M-SoM. Pin 19 is NFC2 but is D20 on the M-SoM. Pin D20 can only be used as GPIO.

Sleep

  • In HIBERNATE sleep mode, the M-SoM can only be wakened via the WKP pin, but the B-SoM can be wakened by any pin.

  • In STOP and ULTRA_LOW_POWER sleep modes, both the M-SoM and B-SoM can be wakened by any pin.

  • In HIBERNATE sleep mode, the M-SoM puts OUTPUT pins into high-impedance state. The B-SoM preserves the digital level.

  • In STOP and ULTRA_LOW_POWER sleep modes, both the M-SoM and B-SoM preserve the digital output

  • In HIBERNATE sleep mode, on the M-SoM, pin D21 does not maintain INPUT_PULLUP or INPUT_PULLDOWN while asleep.

Pin Pin Name Description Interface MCU
17 D21 D21 GPIO, I2S RX No internal pull up or pull down in HIBERNATE sleep mode. PA[0]
47 A7 / WKP A7 Analog In, WKP, GPIO D28 Only this pin can wake from HIBERNATE sleep mode. PA[20]

Full pin comparison

Module Pin 1 (GND)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 1
Pin Name GND
Description Ground.

Module Pin 2 (VCC)

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

Module Pin 3 (GND)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 3
Pin Name GND
Description Ground.

Module Pin 4 (VCC)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 4 4
  Pin Name VCC VCC
∆ Description System power in, connect to the +LiPo or supply a fixed 3.6-4.3v power. System power in, connect to the +LiPo or supply a fixed 3.6-4.3V power.

Module Pin 5 (GND)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 5
Pin Name GND
Description Ground.

Module Pin 6 (VCC)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 6 6
  Pin Name VCC VCC
∆ Description System power in, connect to the +LiPo or supply a fixed 3.6-4.3v power. System power in, connect to the +LiPo or supply a fixed 3.6-4.3V power.

Module Pin 7 (GND)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 7
Pin Name GND
Description Ground.

Module Pin 8 (VCC)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 8 8
  Pin Name VCC VCC
∆ Description System power in, connect to the +LiPo or supply a fixed 3.6-4.3v power. System power in, connect to the +LiPo or supply a fixed 3.6-4.3V power.

Module Pin 9 (GND)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 9
Pin Name GND
Description Ground.

Module Pin 10 (3V3)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 10 10
  Pin Name 3V3 3V3
∆ Description System power in, supply a fixed 3.0-3.6v power. System power in, supply a fixed 3.3V power, 500 mA minimum

Module Pin 11 (USBDATA+)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 11
Pin Name USBDATA+
Description USB Data+
Input is 5V Tolerant Yes

Module Pin 12 (3V3)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 12 12
  Pin Name 3V3 3V3
∆ Description System power in, supply a fixed 3.0-3.6v power. System power in, supply a fixed 3.3V power, 500 mA minimum

Module Pin 13 (USBDATA-)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 13
Pin Name USBDATA-
Description USB Data-
Input is 5V Tolerant Yes

Module Pin 14 (NC)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 14
Pin Name NC

Module Pin 15 (GND)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 15
Pin Name GND
Description Ground.

Module Pin 16 (VUSB / NC)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 16 16
∆ Pin Name VUSB NC
∆ Description USB VUSB power pin n/a
∆ Input is 5V Tolerant Yes n/a

Module Pin 17 (NFC1 / D21)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 17 17
∆ Pin Name NFC1 D21
∆ Description NFC Antenna 1 D21 GPIO, I2S RX
∆ Supports digitalRead n/a Yes
∆ Supports digitalWrite n/a Yes
∆ Supports attachInterrupt n/a Yes
∆ I2S interface n/a RX
∆ Internal pull resistance n/a 22K. No internal pull up or pull down in HIBERNATE sleep mode.

Module Pin 18 (NC / GNSS_TX)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 18 18
∆ Pin Name NC GNSS_TX
∆ Description n/a Cellular modem GNSS UART TX

Module Pin 19 (NFC2 / D20)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 19 19
∆ Pin Name NFC2 D20
∆ Description NFC Antenna 2 D20 GPIO, I2S TX
∆ Supports digitalRead n/a Yes
∆ Supports digitalWrite n/a Yes
∆ Supports attachInterrupt n/a Yes
∆ I2S interface n/a TX
∆ Internal pull resistance n/a ???

Module Pin 20 (D1)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 20 20
  Pin Name D1 D1
∆ Description I2C SCL, GPIO D1 GPIO, I2C SCL
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
∆ I2C interface SCL. Use Wire object. SCL. Use Wire object. Use 1.5K to 10K external pull-up resistor.
∆ Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K ???

Module Pin 21 (GND)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 21
Pin Name GND
Description Ground.

Module Pin 22 (D0)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 22 22
  Pin Name D0 D0
∆ Description I2C SDA, GPIO D0 GPIO, I2C SDA
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
∆ I2C interface SDA. Use Wire object. SDA. Use Wire object. Use 1.5K to 10K external pull-up resistor.
∆ Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K ???

Module Pin 23 (A0)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 23 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, A6, and A7 must have the same frequency. Yes
∆ Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K 42K

Module Pin 32 (MODE)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 32 32
  Pin Name MODE MODE
∆ Pin Alternate Name D20 n/a
∆ Description MODE button, has internal pull-up MODE button. Pin number constant is BTN. External pull-up required!
∆ Supports attachInterrupt n/a Yes

Module Pin 33 (A1)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 33 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, A6, and A7 must have the same frequency. Yes
∆ Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K ???

Module Pin 34 (RST)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 34
Pin Name RST
Description Hardware reset, active low. External pull-up required.

Module Pin 35 (A2)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 35 35
  Pin Name A2 A2
  Pin Alternate Name D17 D17
  Description A2 Analog in, GPIO A2 Analog in, GPIO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  Supports analogRead Yes Yes
∆ Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K 22K

Module Pin 36 (TX)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 36 36
  Pin Name TX TX
  Pin Alternate Name D9 D9
∆ Description Serial TX, GPIO Serial TX, PWM, GPIO, SPI1 MOSI, I2S MCLK
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
∆ Supports analogWrite (PWM) No Yes
∆ Supports tone No Yes
  UART serial TX. Use Serial1 object. TX. Use Serial1 object.
∆ SPI interface n/a MOSI. Use SPI1 object.
∆ Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes
∆ I2S interface n/a MCLK
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K 2.1K

Module Pin 37 (A3)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 37 37
  Pin Name A3 A3
  Pin Alternate Name D16 D16
∆ Description A3 Analog in, GPIO A3 Analog in, PDM CLK, GPIO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  Supports analogRead Yes Yes
∆ Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K 2.1K

Module Pin 38 (RX)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 38 38
  Pin Name RX RX
  Pin Alternate Name D10 D10
∆ Description Serial RX, GPIO Serial RX, PWM, GPIO, SPI1 MISO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
∆ Supports analogWrite (PWM) No Yes
∆ Supports tone No Yes
  UART serial RX. Use Serial1 object. RX. Use Serial1 object.
∆ SPI interface n/a MISO. Use SPI1 object.
∆ Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K 2.1K

Module Pin 39 (AGND)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 39
Pin Name AGND
Description Analog Ground.

Module Pin 40 (D3)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 40 40
  Pin Name D3 D3
∆ Description SPI1 MOSI, Serial1 CTS, GPIO, Wire1 SCL D3 GPIO, Serial1 CTS flow control (optional), SPI1 SS
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  UART serial CTS. Use Serial1 object. CTS. Use Serial1 object.
∆ SPI interface MOSI. Use SPI1 object. SS. Use SPI1 object.
∆ I2C interface SCL. Use Wire1 object. n/a
∆ Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K ???

Module Pin 41 (A4)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 41 41
  Pin Name A4 A4
  Pin Alternate Name D15 D15
∆ Description A4 Analog in, GPIO A4 Analog in, PDM DAT, GPIO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  Supports analogRead Yes Yes
∆ Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K 2.1K

Module Pin 42 (D2)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 42 42
  Pin Name D2 D2
∆ Description SPI1 SCK, Serial1 RTS, PWM, GPIO, Wire1 SDA D2 GPIO, Serial RTS flow control (optional), SPI1 SCK
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  UART serial RTS. Use Serial1 object. RTS. Use Serial1 object.
  SPI interface SCK. Use SPI1 object. SCK. Use SPI1 object.
∆ I2C interface SDA. Use Wire1 object. n/a
∆ Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K ???

Module Pin 43 (A5)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 43 43
  Pin Name A5 A5
  Pin Alternate Name D14 D14
∆ Description A5 Analog in, GPIO A5 Analog in, PWM, GPIO, shared with pin 53
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  Supports analogRead Yes Yes
∆ Supports analogWrite (PWM) No Yes
∆ Supports tone No Yes
∆ Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K ???
∆ SWD interface n/a SWCLK. 40K pull-down at boot.
∆ Signal used at boot n/a SWCLK. 40K pull-down at boot.

Module Pin 44 (CELL USBD+)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 44
Pin Name CELL USBD+
Description Cellular Modem USB Data+
Input is 5V Tolerant Yes

Module Pin 45 (A6)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 45 45
  Pin Name A6 A6
∆ Pin Alternate Name n/a D29
∆ Description A6 Analog in, PWM, GPIO A6 Analog in, GPIO, PWM, M.2 eval PMIC INT
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  Supports analogRead Yes Yes
  Supports analogWrite (PWM) Yes Yes
∆ Supports tone A0, A1, A6, and A7 must have the same frequency. Yes
∆ Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K ???

Module Pin 46 (CELL USBD-)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 46
Pin Name CELL USBD-
Description Cellular Modem USB Data-
Input is 5V Tolerant Yes

Module Pin 47 (A7)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 47 47
  Pin Name A7 A7
∆ Pin Alternate Name n/a WKP
∆ Description A7 Analog in, GPIO, Ethernet Reset A7 Analog In, WKP, GPIO D28
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  Supports analogRead Yes Yes
∆ Supports analogWrite (PWM) Yes No
∆ Supports tone A0, A1, A6, and A7 must have the same frequency. No
∆ Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K ???

Module Pin 48 (D8)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 48 48
  Pin Name D8 D8
∆ Description GPIO, SPI SS, Ethernet CS D8 GPIO, SPI SS
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
∆ SPI interface SS. Use SPI object. This is only the default SS/CS pin, you can use any GPIO instead. Default SS for SPI.
∆ Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K 2.1K

Module Pin 49 (AGND)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 49
Pin Name AGND
Description Analog Ground.

Module Pin 50 (MISO)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 50 50
  Pin Name MISO MISO
  Pin Alternate Name D11 D11
∆ Description SPI MISO, GPIO D11 GPIO, PWM, SPI MISO
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
∆ Supports analogWrite (PWM) No Yes
∆ Supports tone No Yes
  SPI interface MISO. Use SPI object. MISO. Use SPI object.
∆ Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K 2.1K

Module Pin 51 (NC)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 51
Pin Name NC

Module Pin 52 (MOSI)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 52 52
  Pin Name MOSI MOSI
  Pin Alternate Name D12 D12
∆ Description SPI MOSI, GPIO D12 GPIO, PWM, SPI MOSI
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
∆ Supports analogWrite (PWM) No Yes
∆ Supports tone No Yes
  SPI interface MOSI. Use SPI object. MOSI. Use SPI object.
∆ Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K 2.1K

Module Pin 53 (NC / A5)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 53 53
∆ Pin Name NC A5
∆ Pin Alternate Name n/a D14
∆ Description n/a A5 Analog in, PWM, GPIO, SWCLK, shared with pin 43
∆ Supports digitalRead n/a Yes
∆ Supports digitalWrite n/a Yes
∆ Supports analogRead n/a Yes
∆ Supports analogWrite (PWM) n/a Yes
∆ Supports tone n/a Yes
∆ Supports attachInterrupt n/a Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance n/a 42K
∆ SWD interface n/a SWCLK. 40K pull-down at boot.
∆ Signal used at boot n/a SWCLK. 40K pull-down at boot.

Module Pin 54 (SCK)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 54 54
  Pin Name SCK SCK
  Pin Alternate Name D13 D13
∆ Description SPI SCK, GPIO D13 GPIO, SPI SCK
  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
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K 2.1K

Module Pin 55 (NC / D27)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 55 55
∆ Pin Name NC D27
∆ Description n/a D27 GPIO, SWDIO (SWD_DATA), do not pull down at boot
∆ Supports digitalRead n/a Yes
∆ Supports digitalWrite n/a Yes
∆ Supports attachInterrupt n/a Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance n/a 42K
∆ SWD interface n/a SWDIO. 40K pull-up at boot.
∆ Signal used at boot n/a SWDIO. 40K pull-up at boot. Low at boot triggers MCU test mode.

Module Pin 56 (GND)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 56
Pin Name GND
Description Ground.

Module Pin 57 (NC)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 57
Pin Name NC

Module Pin 58 (NC / D24)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 58 58
∆ Pin Name NC D24
∆ Description n/a D24 GPIO, Serial2 TX, do not pull down at boot
∆ Supports digitalRead n/a Yes
∆ Supports digitalWrite n/a Yes
∆ UART serial n/a TX. Use Serial2 object.
∆ Supports attachInterrupt n/a Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance n/a 42K
∆ Signal used at boot n/a Low at boot triggers ISP flash download

Module Pin 59 (NC / D26)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 59 59
∆ Pin Name NC D26
∆ Description n/a D26 GPIO
∆ Supports digitalRead n/a Yes
∆ Supports digitalWrite n/a Yes
∆ Supports attachInterrupt n/a Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance n/a ???

Module Pin 60 (NC / D25)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 60 60
∆ Pin Name NC D25
∆ Description n/a GPIO25, Serial2 RX
∆ Supports digitalRead n/a Yes
∆ Supports digitalWrite n/a Yes
∆ UART serial n/a RX. Use Serial2 object.
∆ Supports attachInterrupt n/a Yes
∆ Internal pull resistance n/a 42K
∆ Signal used at boot n/a Goes high at boot

Module Pin 61 (RGBR)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 61 61
  Pin Name RGBR RGBR
  Description RGB LED Red RGB LED Red
∆ Signal used at boot n/a Low at boot triggers trap mode

Module Pin 62 (D22)

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

Module Pin 63 (RGBG)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 63
Pin Name RGBG
Description RGB LED Green

Module Pin 64 (D23)

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

Module Pin 65 (RGBB)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 65
Pin Name RGBB
Description RGB LED Blue

Module Pin 66 (D4)

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

Module Pin 67 (SIM_VCC)

Unchanged between B-SoM and M-SoM
Pin Number 67
Pin Name SIM_VCC
Description Leave unconnected, 1.8V/3V SIM Supply Output from R410M.

Module Pin 68 (D5)

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

Module Pin 69 (SIM_RST)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 69 69
  Pin Name SIM_RST SIM_RST
∆ Description Leave unconnected, 1.8V/3V SIM Reset Output from R410M. Leave unconnected, 1.8V/3V SIM Reset Output from cellular modem.

Module Pin 70 (D6)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 70 70
  Pin Name D6 D6
∆ Description PWM, GPIO D6 GPIO, PWM, I2S CLK
  Supports digitalRead Yes Yes
  Supports digitalWrite Yes Yes
  Supports analogWrite (PWM) Yes Yes
∆ Supports tone D4, D5, and D6 must have the same frequency. Yes
∆ Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes
∆ I2S interface n/a CLK
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K ???

Module Pin 71 (SIM_CLK)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 71 71
  Pin Name SIM_CLK SIM_CLK
∆ Description Leave unconnected, 1.8V/3V SIM Clock Output from R410M. Leave unconnected, 1.8V/3V SIM Clock Output from cellular modem.

Module Pin 72 (D7)

B-SoM M-SoM
  Pin Number 72 72
  Pin Name D7 D7
∆ Description PWM, GPIO D7 GPIO, PWM, I2S WS
  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. Yes
∆ Supports tone No Yes
∆ Supports attachInterrupt Yes. You can only have 8 active interrupt pins. Yes
∆ I2S interface n/a WS
∆ Internal pull resistance 13K ???

Software

Wi-Fi configuration

Since the B-SoM (cellular) does not have Wi-Fi support, if you wish to use Wi-Fi on the M-SoM you will need to provide a way to configure it. Wi-Fi setup works the same as the P2, Photon 2, and Argon, and uses BLE. See Wi-Fi setup options for more information.

User firmware binary size

One major advantage of the M-SoM is that user firmware binaries can be up to 2048 Kbytes.

On the B-SoM (Device OS 3.1 and later), it's 256 Kbytes, or 128 Kbytes for older version of Device OS.

Platform ID

The Platform ID of the msom (35, PLATFORM_MSOM) is different from that of the B-SoM (23) because of the vastly different hardware.

If you have a product based on the B-SoM, you will need to create a separate product for devices using the M-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.

Third-party libraries

Most third-party libraries are believed to be compatible. The exceptions include:

  • Libraries for MCU-specific features (such as ADC DMA)
  • Libraries that are hardcoded to support only certain platforms by their PLATFORM_ID
  • Libraries that manipulate GPIO at high speeds or are timing-dependent

DS18B20 (1-Wire temperature sensor)

  • Not compatible
  • OneWire library requires high-speed GPIO support
  • Can use DS2482 I2C to 1-Wire bridge chip instead
  • SHT30 sensors (I2C) may be an alternative in some applications

FastLED

  • Not compatible.
  • In theory the library could be modified to use the same technique as the NeoPixel library.

NeoPixel (WS2812, WS2812B, and WS2813)

OneWire

  • Not compatible
  • OneWire library requires high-speed GPIO support
  • Can use DS2482 I2C to OneWire bridge instead

DHT22 and DHT11 (temperature and humidity sensor)

  • Not compatible, requires high-speed GPIO support
  • Using an I2C temperature and humidity sensor like the SHT3x is recommended instead

SHT1x (temperature and humidity sensor)

  • Not compatible, requires high-speed GPIO support
  • SHT3x using I2C is recommended

SparkIntervalTimer

  • Not compatible at this time
  • Requires hardware timer support from user firmware

Revision history

Revision Date Author Comments
pre 2023-10-03 RK Initial version
2023-12-20 RK Additional notes for ADCs, D24, and D25
001 2024-04-02 RK General availability
002 2024-04-18 RK Add PDM microphone
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