STMicroelectronics X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1

Overview

X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 from STMicroelectronics is an Arduino UNO R3–compatible Bluetooth® Low Energy v5.2 expansion board built around the FCC-certified BlueNRG-M2SP module (FCC ID: S9NBNRGM2SP), featuring the BlueNRG-2 SoC with Cortex-M0 core, 256 KB Flash, 24 KB RAM, +8 dBm output power, and -88 dBm Rx sensitivity. It enables BLE connectivity for STM32 Nucleo development platforms in industrial sensor and wearable applications.

For engineers reviewing the X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 datasheet, X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 pinout, X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 application, or X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 equivalent, this board delivers production-ready BLE v5.2 integration via SPI/GPIO interface, AWS qualification, embedded protocol stack (GAP/GATT/SM/L2CAP/LL), AES-128 security co-processor, and cascading capability for scalable IoT node development.

Technical Context

The board implements a complete BLE subsystem using the BlueNRG-2 SoC, which executes the full Bluetooth low energy protocol stack-including GAP, GATT, SM, L2CAP, and Link Layer-on its embedded Cortex-M0 core with 256 KB Flash and 24 KB RAM. It supports dual-role operation (master/slave), BLE data packet length extension (DLE), and AES-128 encryption acceleration.

Hardware interfacing is achieved through dedicated SPI (MOSI/MISO/SCLK/CS), GPIOs (14 configurable pins), UART, I²C, and SWD debug. The integrated BALF-NRG-02D3 balun provides 50 Ω conjugate matching and harmonic filtering for the 2.4 GHz transceiver, enabling reliable RF performance in compact form factor (11.5 mm × 13.5 mm).

Key Specifications

Availability

X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 is available at Aetrix Electronics and suitable for industrial sensors, smart home gateways, and wearable BLE device development requiring stable component supply, rapid prototyping cycles, and regulatory-compliant RF modules.

Supply support for X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 includes scheduled delivery planning, volume procurement assistance, BOM continuity management, traceable sourcing, and lifecycle availability coordination for OEM customers, industrial embedded developers, connected-device designers, and electronics production programs.

Manufacturer

STMicroelectronics is a global semiconductor leader headquartered in Geneva, specializing in microcontrollers, analog ICs, MEMS, and wireless solutions for industrial, automotive, and consumer markets.

This board belongs to ST's X-NUCLEO expansion ecosystem, designed to accelerate BLE-enabled IoT prototyping on STM32 Nucleo platforms with plug-and-play hardware, STM32Cube-compatible firmware, and cloud-qualified stacks.

FAQ

What microcontrollers is the X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 compatible with?

The board is designed for STM32 Nucleo development boards with Arduino UNO R3 connectors, including NUCLEO-L476RG, NUCLEO-F401RE, and other Nucleo variants supporting SPI and GPIO communication. It interfaces via dedicated SPI lines (PA7/MOSI, PA6/MISO, PA5/SCLK, PB4/CS) and interrupt GPIO (PA0/IRQ), with no software abstraction layer required.

Does the board include a full BLE protocol stack?

Yes - the embedded BlueNRG-2 SoC runs a complete, pre-certified BLE stack covering GAP, GATT, SM, L2CAP, and Link Layer. ST provides the BLE SDK with over 30 ready-to-run profiles (e.g., Health Thermometer, Battery Service) and sample applications fully integrated with STM32CubeMX and HAL libraries.

Can multiple X-NUCLEO-BNRG2A1 boards be used together?

Yes - the board supports cascading via its Arduino and Morpho headers, allowing multiple instances to be stacked on a single Nucleo host. Each retains independent SPI control and GPIO mapping, enabling multi-node BLE mesh or gateway-to-peripheral topologies without external multiplexing.

Is AWS IoT Core integration supported out of the box?

Yes - the board is Amazon AWS qualified and ships with firmware examples demonstrating direct MQTT over BLE to AWS IoT Core, including TLS 1.2 handshake, certificate-based authentication, and shadow state synchronization - all leveraging the onboard AES-128 engine for secure key handling.