Since RF-star’s Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) modules based on TI CC2340 SoCs have been released sequentially, you may wonder what differences are among the family of CC2340 modules. Which module is the most suitable and aggressive one for your project? Here we will make a comparison with members of CC2340 modules that may help you to select the optimized Bluetooth module solution for you.

Figure1 RF-star CC2340 Series Family

What Do CC2340 Bluetooth Modules Have in Common?

Before analyzing of differences among CC2340 modules, their common parts and features you should know:

Arm® Cortex®-M0+ Processor Core

RF-star CC2340 modules are all designed based on CC2340R5 and CC2340R2 with an Arm® Cortex®-M0+ processor core up to 48MHz. The processor enables the modules-optimized solutions for high-performance, low-cost, low-power communication in medical, asset tracking, ESL and industrial application markets, also, delivering outstanding computational performance and exceptional system response to interrupts.

Integrated Memory

RF-star CC2340R5 modules including several packages: RF-BM-2340B1, RF-BM-2340B1I, RF-BM-2340A2, RF-BM-2340A2I, and RF-BM-2340C2 based on different IC packages: 4x4 (QFN24), and 5x5 (QFN40), offer an in-system programmable flash of 512 KB, an enough ROM for bootloader and drivers of 12 KB, and an ultra-low leakage System RAM (SRAM) of 36 KB. The oncoming CC2340R2 modules provide 256 KB flash and on-chip 28 KB SRAM.

Multi-Protocol Capacity

The CC2340 module family provides highly integrated wireless connectivity supporting Bluetooth 5.3 Low Energy, ZigBee, SimpleLink™ TI 15.4-stack, and proprietary 2.4 GHz protocols. With the competitive price and rich resources, CC2340 wireless modules will be one of your best choices in the smart home (Bluetooth mesh, ZigBee node), Direction finding, Electronic Point of Sale, and so on.

High-Performance Radio Frequency

Both CC2340R5 and CC2340R2 modules allow you to expand RF performance and connection range with an output power of up to +8 dBm. Their receiving sensitivity is -98 dBm for 802.15.4 (2.4 GHz) 1 Mbps, -96 dBm for BLE 1 Mb/s and -102 dBm for BLE Coded PHY 125 kbps.

Additionally, the CC2340 module family is optimized with an integrated RF balun, enabling a simpler design with fewer external components. Their industrial operating temperature range of -40 ºC to 85 ºC guarantees a high-quality radio signal in the complex scenario. The coming TI CC2340R5-Q1 version meets the highest +125 ºC and AEC-Q100, which will strengthen our CC2340 module family in automotive applications.

2.4GHz RF Transceiver

Every CC2340 module provides an ultra-low-power 2.4 GHz radio transceiver with support for multiple modulations. The RF Core is compatible with Bluetooth 5.3 Low Energy, including the high-speed 2 Mbps physical layer (2M PHY) and the long-range PHY (Coded PHY).

If your project is the kind of indoor location, positioning, or tracking application, RF-star CC2340 Bluetooth LE modules also may meet your requirements because they all support Angle of Arrival (AoA) or Angle of Departure (AoD) mechanisms.

Transparent Transmission Protocol (Serial Port Protocol)

All RF-star CC2340 modules can be embedded with the BLE5.0 transparent transmission protocol with a series of functions. When using RF-star BLE modules with the UART function, the users need the external MCU to control the module working logic.

The master-slave mode will be the most popular protocol in today’s consumer applications due to the multiple roles’ interaction. The single slave mode also enables the modules to work well in applications with a mobile APP or an external master device.

The rich functions with AT commands are listed as follows, you always can choose one or more functions that meet your requirements and simplify your development.

1. Observer function with filter
2. UUID configuration of master role or slave role to be compatible with one specified device
3. Paring functions
4. Automatic connection
5. Etc.

What Is Different Among Members of CC2340 BLE Modules?

There are a few similarities in the core, flash, RAM, multi-protocol capacity, maximum TX power, and so on, but each CC2340 BLE module has its differences in these parts.

RF Output Mode

The different RF output modes, such as half-hole ANT RF pin and IPEX connector, enable different needs of the applications with a wide range of choices on antennas.

Both RF-BM-2340B1 and RF-BM-2340A2 BLE 5.3 modules based on TI CC2340R5 integrate a high-performance onboard PCB antenna with different module SMT packages,  which can minimize your project cost when purchasing the desirable wireless modules.

RF-BM-2340B1I and RF-BM-2340A2I modules with CC2340R5 MCU are designed for long transmission range, good signal directivity, and high efficiency with an external antenna that you can define. The metal shield also strengthens the high anti-interference capability. Therefore, if you are pursuing the radio signals in a particular direction, these CC2340R5 modules with IPEX connectors are the best for you.

Apart from the two antenna types, our CC2340R5 module RF-BM-2340C2 integrates a  superior ceramic chip antenna to have high reliability. Embedding the BLE module with the chip antenna, you can easily get a compact size. If the transmission coverage performance of the chip antenna is not satisfied by your design, you can remove the chip antenna and adopt the half-hole ANT RF pin with the final antenna design on your motherboard. The different RF output options are supplied due to the combined needs of a high transmission range and small size.

Transmission Range

It is to be mentioned the transmission range of RF modules when it comes to antenna type. The different embedded antenna designs will affect the coverage of the RF signal.

As noted above, RF-star CC2340 BLE modules all support 1M PHY, 2M PHY, LE Code PHY (Bluetooth long range, 125 kbps and 500 kbps) (Because IEEE802.15.4 SDK of CC2340 is not released now, we don’t discuss it here).

All transmission range discussion needs to be confirmed in a detailed application and environment. As we know, a high-performance PCB antenna may have a better transmission range than the chip antenna, while the external SMA antenna will have the best than the above two. Anyway, if you wanna implement a longer transmission range in your design, please choose these Bluetooth modules supporting the IPEX connector or half-hole ANT RF pin, eg. RF-BM-2340B1I, RF-BM-2340A2I and RF-BM-2340C2. According to your design requirements, the applicable external antenna can be chosen and RF-star can support you to confirm the antenna matching.

For LoS details, please the comparison table below for the kind reference only.

Figure2 Comparison Table of RF-star CC2340 Bluetooth LE Modules

Rich Peripherals

Based on different CC2340 packages, the quantity of general-purpose input/output (GPIO) in our CC2340R5 modules may vary. RF-BM-2340B1 and RF-BM-2340B1I are developed at the 5*5 QFN40 package to provide 24 GPIOs, while RF-BM-2340A2, RF-BM-2340A2I, and RF-BM-2340C2 modules offer 12 GPIOs in the 4*4 QFN24 package.

No matter what dimension they have, these modules all support rich peripherals such as UART, SPI, I2C, ADC, etc. Pls note that CC2340’s peripherals are pointed to the specified IO. When you are developing your firmware (SPI or I2C) based on our module, refer to our hardware datasheets carefully.

Dimension & Package

Up to now, RF-star released CC2340R5 modules are produced in different sizes which have other RF-star BLE modules compatible with Hardware and Software parts. The RF-BM-2340Bx modules are available in a 22.5 mm x 15.55 mm x 2.1 mm stamp half-hole package, and the RF-BM-2340Ax modules offer two smaller sizes due to the antenna difference, but pin-2-pin compatible. The tiny size of RF-BM-2340C2 module with an 8 mm x 8 mm stamp half-hole package. No matter what needs you have, there will be one suitable module that makes your design more portable and easy to use.

Conclusion

All in all, our CC2340 BLE modules series are designed for different needs. If you want a desirable CC2340 BLE module, please think about these factors mentioned above and select the suitable one to satisfy your project and shorten the time to the market.

If you still have more questions about the CC2340 modules? Don’t worry! Click here or contact us today to get exclusive service from our professional tech team as soon as possible.