Stratus Pin Diagram
Supported Features
Recommended Operating Conditions
| Parameter | MIN | TYP | MAX |
|---|---|---|---|
Operating Temperature | -20 °C | 25 °C | 85 °C |
Battery Voltage | 3.2 V | 3.7 V | 4.2 V |
USB Input | 3.0 V | 5.0 V | 5.25 V |
Warnings
This product shall only be connected to an external USB power supply rated at 5V DC and a maximum current of 500-700mA.
This product shall only be connected to a LiPo battery rated at 2.8-5.5V with a battery capacity of > 300mAh.
This product should be placed on a stable, flat, non-conductive surface in use and should not be contacted by conductive items.
The connection of unapproved devices to the GPIOs may affect compliance or result in damage to the unit and invalidate the warranty.
Instructions for Safe Use
To avoid malfunction or damage to the Stratus kit please observe the following:
Do not expose it to water, or moisture, or place it on a conductive surface whilst in operation.
Do not expose it to heat from any source; the Conexio Stratus is designed for reliable operation between temperatures -20℃ to 85℃.
Take care whilst handling to avoid mechanical or electrical damage to the printed circuit board and connectors.
Avoid handling the Stratus PCB while it is powered. Only handled by the edges to minimize the risk of electrostatic discharge damage.
ESD Precautions
The Conexio Stratus contains highly sensitive electronic circuitry and is an Electrostatic Sensitive Device (ESD). Handling a Conexio Stratus 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. ESD precautions should be implemented on the application board where the Conexio Stratus is mounted. Failure to observe these precautions can result in severe damage to the Conexio Stratus board!
Connectors
Three connectors on the Conexio Stratus 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 precautions to 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 USB-C connector on the Conexio Stratus is soldered on the PCB with large surface pads as well as a 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 connectors are not designed to be constantly plugged and unplugged. The antenna pin is static sensitive and you can destroy the radio with improper handling. A tiny dab of glue (epoxy, rubber cement, liquid tape, or hot glue) on the connector can be used to securely hold the plug in place.
Breadboarding
The Conexio Stratus is specifically designed to require low insertion force when using a breadboard. This makes it easy to plug the Stratus in and out of the breadboard. Always remember to pinch-hold your precious Stratus by the sides (along with the header pins) when plugging-unplugging and not by the USB or the battery connector.
Battery Charger
The Stratus dev kit can charge a LiPo battery using the USB port or the solar cell connected to the SOLAR pin. The onboard MCP73831 USB charger manages the power from the USB port while E-peas AEM10941 manages the input power from the solar cell.
Charging LED Indicator
When the battery is charged via the USB port only, it is indicated by a yellow LED on the Stratus board. This LED does not turn on when charged via the solar cell to save power.
Battery Voltage Monitoring
The Conexio Stratus provides the user with the ability to monitor the battery voltage through one of the nRF9160's ADC pins. The battery voltage is measured through a voltage divider circuit which can be seen in the schematic below. This circuit connects VBAT to the AIN7 pin of the nRF9160 (P0.20).
Refer to the battery voltage measurement sample application for more information on how to use the ADC as well as the conversion for the voltage divider on the Stratus device.
Stratus GPS Antenna Configurations
The GPS receiver on the Conexio Stratus dev kit is embedded into the modem of the nRF9160. To successfully get a GPS fix, and receive location data, an active external GPS antenna must be connected to the u.fl connector labeled GPS on the board.
Antenna Configurations for SDK v1.7.0
For proper operation and to activate the GPS antenna, configure the following in your prj.conf file before building your application for SDK v1.7.0. Refer to nRF Connect SDK documentation on how to read GPS data.
Refer to the GPS sample application to see all the required configurations for the Stratus device.
Antenna Configurations for SDK v2.5.x
Refer to the GNSS sample application to see all the required configurations.
Note: GPS antenna configurations are slightly different depending on the nRF Connect SDK that you choose above.
Stratus PCB
The PCB is the heart of nRF9160 Stratus. It is a 4 layer board with components placed on both sides of the PCB.
Schematic
Stratus PCB Repo
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