ArgonDatasheet(v001)
Functionaldescription
TheArgonisapowerfulWi-FienableddevelopmentboardthatcanactaseitherastandaloneWi-
FiendpointorWi-FienabledgatewayforParticleMeshnetworks.ItisbasedontheNordic
nRF52840andhasbuilt-inbatterychargingcircuitrysoit’seasytoconnectaLi-Poanddeployyour
localnetworkinminutes.
TheArgonisgreatforconnectingexistingprojectstotheParticleDeviceCloudorasagatewayto
connectanentiregroupoflocalendpoints.
EspressifESP32-D0WD2.4GhzWi-Ficoprocessor
On-board4MBflashforESP32
802.11b/g/nsupport
802.11n(2.4GHz),upto150Mbps
NordicSemiconductornRF52840SoC
ARMCortex-M4F32-bitprocessor@64MHz
1MBflash,256KBRAM
IEEE802.15.4-2006:250Kbps
Bluetooth5:2Mbps,1Mbps,500Kbps,125Kbps
SupportsDSPinstructions,HWacceleratedFloatingPointUnit(FPU)calculations
ARMTrustZoneCryptoCell-310Cryptographicandsecuritymodule
Upto+8dBmTXpower(downto-20dBmin4dBsteps)
NFC-Atag
On-boardadditional2MBSPIflash
20mixedsignalGPIO(6xAnalog,8xPWM),UART,I2C,SPI
MicroUSB2.0fullspeed(12Mbps)
IntegratedLi-Pochargingandbatteryconnector
JTAG(SWD)Connector
RGBstatusLED
ResetandModebuttons
On-boardPCBantenna
u.FLconnectorforexternalantenna
MeetstheAdafruitFeatherspecificationindimensionsandpinout
FCC,CEandICcertified
RoHScompliant(lead-free)
OVERVIEW
FEATURES
Interfaces
USBPORT
TheUSBportistheeasiestwaytopoweruptheArgon.PleasemakesurethattheUSBportisable
toprovidedatleast500mA.PowerfromtheUSBisregulateddownto3.3VbytheonboardTorex
XC9258Astep-downregulator.
VUSBPIN
ThepinisinternallyconnectedtotheVBUSoftheUSBport.Thenominaloutputshouldbearound
4.5to5VDCwhenthedeviceispluggedintotheUSBportand0whennotconnectedtoaUSB
source.Youcanusethispintopowerperipheralsthatoperateatsuchvoltages.Donotexceedthe
currentratingoftheUSBport,whichisnominallyratedto500mA.Thispinisalsoprotectedwith
aninternalfuseratedat1000mA.
LiPo
Ifyouwanttomakeyourprojectstrulywireless,youcanpowerthedevicewithasinglecellLiPo
(3.7V).TheArgonhasanonboardLiPochargerthatwillchargeandpowerthedevicewhenUSB
sourceispluggedin,orpowerthedevicefromtheLiPoaloneintheabsenceoftheUSB.
{{boxop="start"cssClass="boxedwarningBox"}}NOTE:Pleasepayattentiontothepolarityofthe
LiPoconnector.NotallLiPobatteriesfollowthesamepolarityconvention!{{boxop="end"}}
BLOCKDIAGRAM
POWER
Li+PIN
ThispinisinternallyconnectedtothepositiveterminaloftheLiPoconnector.Youcanconnecta
singlecellLiPo/LithiumIonoraDCsupplysourcetothispinforpoweringtheArgon.Remember
thattheinputvoltagerangeonthispinis3.6to4.2VDC.
3V3PIN
Thispinistheoutputoftheonboard3.3Vstep-downswitchingregulator(TorexXC9258A).The
regulatorisratedat1000mAmax.Whenusingthispintopowerotherdevicesorperipherals
remembertobudgetinthecurrentrequirementoftheArgonfirst.Thispincanalsobeusedto
powertheArgoninabsenceoftheUSBorLiPopower.Whenpoweringoverthispin,please
connecttheENABLEpintoGNDsothattheonboardregulatorisdisabled.
TherearetworadiosontheArgon.AMeshradio(nRF52840)andaWiFiradio(ESP32).FortheWiFi
radio,wehaveprovideau.FLconnectortoplugintheWiFiantenna.Thisisrequiredifyouwishto
usetheWiFiconnectivity.
TherearetwooptionsfortheMeshantennaontheArgon.Itcomeswithanon-boardPCBantenna
whichisselectedbydefaultinthedeviceOSandau.FLconnectorifyouwishtoconnectan
externalantenna.Ifyouwishtousetheexternalantenna,you'llneedtoissueanappropriate
commandinthefirmware.
MeshandWiFi
ParticleDevice Frequency AntennaType Manufacturer MFG.Part# Gain
Argon 2400-2500MHz PCBAntenna Particle ANT-FLXV2 2.0dBipeak
PeripheralType Qty Input(I)/Output(O)
Digital 20 I/O
Analog(ADC) 6 I
UART 1 I/O
SPI 1 I/O
I2C 2 I/O
USB 1 I/O
PWM 8 O
Note:AllGPIOsareonlyratedat3.3VDCmax.
TheArgonhasadedicated10pindebugconnectorthatexposestheSWDinterfaceofthe
nRF5280.ThisinterfacecanbeusedtodebugyourcodeorreprogramyourArgonbootloader,
deviceOS,ortheuserfirmwareusinganystandardSWDtoolsincludingourMeshDebugger.
ANTENNA
FCCAPPROVEDANTENNAS
PERIPHERALSANDGPIO
SWD
Memorymap
Bootloader(48KB,@0xF4000)
UserApplication(128KB,@0xD4000)
System(656KB,@0x30000)
SoftDevice(192KB)
OTA(1500KB,@0x00289000)
Reserved(420KB,@0x00220000)
FAC(128KB,@0x00200000)
LittleFS(2M,@0x00000000)
NRF52840FLASHLAYOUTOVERVIEW
EXTERNALSPIFLASHLAYOUTOVERVIEW(DFUOFFSET:0X80000000)
Pinsandbuttondefinitions
PINMARKINGS
PINOUTDIAGRAM
YoucandownloadahighresolutionPDFversionofthepinouthere.
Pin Description
Li+ ThispinisinternallyconnectedtothepositiveterminaloftheLiPobatteryconnector.
VUSB ThispinisinternallyconnectedtotheUSB(+ve)supply.
3V3 Thispinistheoutputoftheon-board3.3Vregulator.
GND Systemgroundpin.
EN Deviceenablepinisinternallypulled-up.Todisablethedevice,connectthispintoGND.
RST Active-lowsystemresetinput.Thispinisinternallypulled-up.
MD ThispinisinternallyconnectedtotheMODEbutton.TheMODEfunctionisactive-low.
RX PrimarilyusedasUARTRX,butcanalsobeusedasadigitalGPIO.
TX PrimarilyusedasUARTTX,butcanalsobeusedasadigitalGPIO.
SDA PrimarilyusedasdatapinforI2C,butcanalsobeusedasadigitalGPIO.
SCL PrimarilyusedasclockpinforI2C,butcanalsobeusedasadigitalGPIO.
MO,MI,SCK ThesearetheSPIinterfacepins,butcanalsobeusedasadigitalGPIO.
D2-D8 ThesearegenericGPIOpins.D2-D8arePWM-able.
A0-A5 TheseareanaloginputpinsthatcanalsoactasstandarddigitalGPIO.A0-A5arePWM-able.
PINDESCRIPTION
SystemRGBLED
ForadetailedexplanationofdifferentcolorcodesoftheRGBsystemLED,pleasetakealook here.
ChargestatusLED
State Description
ON Charginginprogress
OFF Chargingcomplete
LEDSTATUS
Technicalspecifications
Parameter Symbol Min Typ Max Unit
SupplyInputVoltage VIN-MAX +6.2 V
BatteryInputVoltage VLiPo +6.5 V
SupplyOutputCurrent I3V3-MAX-L 1000 mA
StorageTemperature Tstg -30 +75 °C
ESDSusceptibilityHBM(HumanBodyMode) VESD 2 kV
[1]Stressesbeyondthoselistedunderabsolutemaximumratingsmaycausepermanentdamage
tothedevice.Thesearestressratingsonly,andfunctionaloperationofthedeviceattheseorany
otherconditionsbeyondthoseindicatedunderrecommendedoperatingconditionsisnotimplied.
Exposuretoabsolute-maximum-ratedconditionsforextendedperiodsmayaffectdevicereliability.
Parameter Symbol Min Typ Max Unit
LiPoBatteryVoltage VLiPo +3.3 +4.4 V
SupplyInputVoltage V3V3 +3.0 +3.3 +3.6 V
SupplyOutputVoltage V3V3 +3.3 V
OperatingCurrent(uCon,RadioON) ILi+avg 8 240 mA
OperatingCurrent(ENpin=LOW) Idisable 20 30 uA
OperatingCurrent(uCon,RadioOFF) ILi+avg TBD TBD mA
SleepCurrent(4.2VLiPo,RadioOFF) IQs TBD TBD mA
DeepSleepCurrent(4.2VLiPo,RadioOFF) IQds TBD TBD uA
OperatingTemperature Top -20 +60 °C
HumidityRangeNoncondensing,relativehumidity 95 %
Argonhastworadiomodules.
NordicSemiconductornRF52840SoCforBLE,Thread,andNFC.
Feature Description
OperatingFrequencies 2360to2500MHz
OutputPower Programmable-20dBmto+8dBm
PLLchannelspacing 1MHz
Ontheairdatarate 125to2000kbps
EspressifSystemsESP32forWiFi
Feature Description
WLANStandards IEEE80211b/g/n
AntennaPort SingleAntenna
FrequencyBand 2412to2484MHz
Note:BluetoothfeaturesoftheESP32arenotexposed.
ABSOLUTEMAXIMUMRATINGS[1]
RECOMMENDEDOPERATINGCONDITIONS
RADIOSPECIFICATIONS
ThesespecificationsarebasedonthenRF52840datasheet.
Parameter Symbol Conditions Min Typ Max Unit
Inputhighvoltage VIH 0.7*3.3 -- 3.3 V
Inputlowvoltage VIL 0 0.3*3.3 V
CurrentatGND+0.4V,outputsetlow,highdrive IOL,HDL V3V3>=2.7V 6 10 15 mA
CurrentatV3V3-0.4V,outputsethigh,highdrive IOH,HDH V3V3>=2.7V 6 9 14 mA
Pull-upresistance RPU 11 13 16 kΩ
Pull-downresistance RPD 11 13 16 kΩ
I/OCHARACTERISTICS
Mechanicalspecifications
Weight=10grams
TheArgonusestwosinglerow0.1"pitchmaleheaderpins.Oneofthemis16pinwhiletheotheris
12pin.Itcanbemountedwithmatching0.1"pitchfemaleheaderswithatypicalheightof0.335"
(8.5mm).Whenyousearchforpartsliketheseitcanbedifficulttonavigatethethousandsofparts
availableonlinesohereareafewgoodchoicesfortheArgon:
Description MFG MFGPartNumber
16-pin0.1"(2.54mm)FemaleHeader Sullins PPTC161LFBN-RC
16-pin0.1"(2.54mm)FemaleHeader TE 6-535541-4
12-pin0.1"(2.54mm)FemaleHeader Sullins PPTC121LFBN-RC
12-pin0.1"(2.54mm)FemaleHeader TE 6-534237-0
DIMENSIONSANDWEIGHT
MATINGCONNECTORS
RecommendedPCBlandpattern
TheArgoncanbedirectlysolderedontothePCBorbemountedwiththeabovementionedfemale
headers.
Schematic
ThecompleteschematicandboardfilesareopensourceandavailableonParticle'sGitHub
repositoryhere.
POWER
NRF52840
ESP32
Orderinginformation
Argonareavailablefromstore.particle.ioinsinglequantities.
Qualificationandapprovals
ModelNumber:ARGN
RoHS
CE
FCCID:2AEMI-ARGN
IC:20127-ARGN
ProductHandling
TheArgoncontainshighlysensitiveelectroniccircuitryandisanElectrostaticSensitiveDevice
(ESD).HandlingArgonwithoutproperESDprotectionmaydestroyordamageitpermanently.
ProperESDhandlingandpackagingproceduresmustbeappliedthroughouttheprocessing,
handlingandoperationofanyapplicationthatincorporatesArgon.ESDprecautionsshouldbe
implementedontheapplicationboardwheretheArgonismounted.Failuretoobservethese
precautionscanresultinseveredamagetotheArgon!
TherearefourconnectorsontheArgonthatwillgetdamagedwithimproperusage.TheJST
connectoronthecircuitboard,whereyouplugintheLiPobattery,isverydurablebutthe
connectoronthebatteryitselfisnot.Whenunpluggingthebattery,takeextraprecautiontoNOT
pulltheconnectorusingthewires,butinsteadholdtheplugatitsbasetoavoidputtingstresson
thewires.Thiscanbetrickywithbarehands-nosepliersareyourfriendhere.
ThemicroBUSBconnectorontheArgonissolderedonthePCBwithlargesurfacepadsaswellas
coupleofthroughholeanchorpoints.Despitethisreinforcement,itisveryeasytoripoutthe
connectoriftoomuchstressisputonintheverticaldirection.
Theu.FLantennaconnectorisaveryfragilepieceofhardware(andisfancytoowithallthegold
plating).Theconnectorwasnotdesignedtobeconstantlypluggedandunplugged.Caremustbe
ESDPRECAUTIONS
CONNECTORS
takennottoputstressonitatanytime(yes,swingingtheArgonbytheantennaisaverybadidea,
thisisnotyourcat).Theantennapinisalsothemoststaticsensitiveandyoucandestroytheradio
withimproperhandling.Ifyouarefeelingadventurous,wehighlyrecommendputtingatinydab
ofglue(epoxy,rubbercement,liquidtapeorhotglue)ontheconnectortosecurelyholdtheplug
inplace.
The10pinSWDconnectorprovidesaneasyin-systemdebuggingaccesstothedevice.Thepinson
theconnectorcaneasilybedamagedifthematingconnectorcableisinsertedimproperly.Ifyou
aretryingtodebugthedevice,youprobablyarenotinagoodmoodtobeginwith.Thelastthing
youwantistorendertheconnectoruseless.Benice,andbegentleontheconnector.Goodluck
withthedebugging!
ThebreadboardprovidedwiththeArgonisspecificallydesignedtorequirelowinsertionforce.This
makesiteasytoplugtheArgoninandoutofthebreadboard.Ifyouendupusingadifferent
breadboard,rememberthatitmayrequiremoreforce.Inthiscase,alwaysremembertopinch-
holdyourpreciousArgonbythesides(alongtheheaderpins)whenplugging-unpluggingandnot
bytheUSBconnector(don'tbethisperson).
BREADBOARDING
Defaultsettings
TheArgoncomespreprogrammedwithabootloaderandauserapplicationcalledTinker.This
applicationworkswithaniOSandAndroidappalsonamedTinkerthatallowsyoutoveryeasily
toggledigitalpins,takeanaloganddigitalreadingsanddrivevariablePWMoutputs.
Thebootloaderallowsyoutoeasilyupdatetheuserapplicationviaseveraldifferentmethods,USB,
OTA,SerialY-Modem,andalsointernallyviatheFactoryResetprocedure.Allofthesemethods
havemultipletoolsassociatedwiththemaswell.
FCCICCEWarningsandEndProductLabeling
Requirements
FederalCommunicationCommissionInterferenceStatementThisequipmenthasbeentested
andfoundtocomplywiththelimitsforaClassBdigitaldevice,pursuanttoPart15oftheFCC
Rules.Theselimitsaredesignedtoprovidereasonableprotectionagainstharmfulinterferenceina
residentialinstallation.Thisequipmentgenerates,usesandcanradiateradiofrequencyenergy
and,ifnotinstalledandusedinaccordancewiththeinstructions,maycauseharmfulinterference
toradiocommunications.However,thereisnoguaranteethatinterferencewillnotoccurina
particularinstallation.Ifthisequipmentdoescauseharmfulinterferencetoradioortelevision
reception,whichcanbedeterminedbyturningtheequipmentoffandon,theuserisencouraged
totrytocorrecttheinterferencebyoneofthefollowingmeasures:
Reorientorrelocatethereceivingantenna.
Increasetheseparationbetweentheequipmentandreceiver.
Connecttheequipmentintoanoutletonacircuitdifferentfromthattowhichthereceiveris
connected.
Consultthedealeroranexperiencedradio/TVtechnicianforhelp.
FCCCaution:Anychangesormodificationsnotexpresslyapprovedbythepartyresponsiblefor
compliancecouldvoidtheuser'sauthoritytooperatethisequipment.Thisdevicecomplieswith
Part15oftheFCCRules.Operationissubjecttothefollowingtwoconditions:
1. Thisdevicemaynotcauseharmfulinterference,and
2. Thisdevicemustacceptanyinterferencereceived,includinginterferencethatmaycause
undesiredoperation.
FCCRadiationExposureStatement:ThisequipmentcomplieswithFCCradiationexposurelimits
setforthforanuncontrolledenvironment.Thistransmittermodulemustnotbeco-locatedor
operatinginconjunctionwithanyotherantennaortransmitter.ThisEndequipmentshouldbe
installedandoperatedwithaminimumdistanceof20centimetersbetweentheradiatorandyour
body.
IMPORTANTNOTE:Intheeventthattheseconditionscannotbemet(forexamplecertainlaptop
configurationsorco-locationwithanothertransmitter),thentheFCCauthorizationisnolonger
consideredvalidandtheFCCIDcannotbeusedonthefinalproduct.Inthesecircumstances,the
OEMintegratorwillberesponsibleforre-evaluatingtheendproduct(includingthetransmitter)
andobtainingaseparateFCCauthorization.
EndProductLabelingThefinalendproductmustbelabeledinavisibleareawiththefollowing:
ContainsFCCID:2AEMI-ARGN
ManualInformationtotheEndUserTheOEMintegratorhastobeawarenottoprovide
informationtotheenduserregardinghowtoinstallorremovethisRFmoduleintheuser’s
manualoftheendproductwhichintegratesthismodule.
CanadaStatementThisdevicecomplieswithIndustryCanada’slicence-exemptRSSs.Operationis
subjecttothefollowingtwoconditions:
1. Thisdevicemaynotcauseinterference;and
2. Thisdevicemustacceptanyinterference,includinginterferencethatmaycauseundesired
operationofthedevice.
LeprésentappareilestconformeauxCNRd’IndustrieCanadaapplicablesauxappareilsradio
exemptsdelicence.
L’exploitationestautoriséeauxdeuxconditionssuivantes:
1. l’appareilnedoitpasproduiredebrouillage;
2. l’utilisateurdel’appareildoitacceptertoutbrouillageradioélectriquesubi,mêmesilebrouillage
estsusceptibled’encompromettrelefonctionnement.
CautionExposure:Thisdevicemeetstheexemptionfromtheroutineevaluationlimitsinsection
2.5ofRSS102anduserscanobtainCanadianinformationonRFexposureandcompliance.Le
dispositifrépondàl'exemptiondeslimitesd'évaluationderoutinedanslasection2.5deRSS102et
lesutilisateurspeuventobtenirdesrenseignementscanadienssurl'expositionauxRFetlerespect.
Thefinalendproductmustbelabelledinavisibleareawiththefollowing:TheIndustryCanada
certificationlabelofamoduleshallbeclearlyvisibleatalltimeswheninstalledinthehostdevice,
otherwisethehostdevicemustbelabelledtodisplaytheIndustryCanadacertificationnumberof
themodule,precededbythewords“Containstransmittermodule”,ortheword“Contains”,or
similarwordingexpressingthesamemeaning,asfollows:
ContainstransmittermoduleIC:20127-ARGN
ThisEndequipmentshouldbeinstalledandoperatedwithaminimumdistanceof20centimeters
betweentheradiatorandyourbody.Cetéquipementdevraitêtreinstalléetactionnéavecune
distanceminimumde20centimètresentreleradiateuretvotrecorps.
Theendusermanualshallincludeallrequiredregulatoryinformation/warningasshowninthis
manual.
Revisionhistory
Revision Date Author Comments
v001 26Oct2018 MB Initialrelease
KnownErrata
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