In order to satisfy to the market requirements, Texas Instruments also launched CC2642R chip supporting ble 5.0. CC2642R is a chip based on arm ® cortex ® - M4F core, which can do floating-point operation with high precision and can collect accurate data from sensors. It is well-known of  the advanced core and high performance. Now TI has begun to mass production of the CC2642R chip. Subsequently, RF-star has been designed a CC2642R module, named as RF-BM-2642B1. The kind of BLE module brings new RF solutions to Bluetooth applications.

Maybe you will ask, "What are differences among CC2642R, CC2640 & CC2640R2F?"

Well, let's hush into their differences by comparision in the following parts.

Similarity of CC2642R, CC2640 & CC2640R2F

CC2640, CC2640R2F and CC2642R are all 2.4 GHz Radio Frequency devices.

The CC2640, CC2640R2F and CC2642R special radio controllers are arm ® cortex ® - M0, which can handle the low-level RF protocol commands stored in ROM or ram, so it can ensure that the ultra-low power consumption and the low power consumption of the excellent flexibility device will not affect the RF performance, with excellent sensitivity and durability. But their main MCU are different.

Differences Among CC2642R, CC2640 & CC2640R2F

Differences in Main MCU

The CC2640 device contains a 48 MHz arm ® cortex ® - M3 core.

CC2640R2Ff device contains 48 MHz arm ® cortex ® - M3 core.

Differences in Protocols

The three chips support different protocols. CC2640 supports only BLE 4.2 protocol, while CC2640R2F supports both BLE 4.2 and BLE 5.0 protocol. CC2642R supports BLE 4.2 and BLE 5.0 protocol,too.

C2640 has 128KB system programmable flash memory, and a maximum of 28KB of system SRAM, of which 20KB is SRAM.

CC2640R2F has 275KB non-volatile memory, including 128KB system programmable flash memory, up to 28KB system SRAM, of which 20KB is SRAM.

CC2642R has 352KB system programmable flash memory, 256KB ROM and 80KB SRAM.

Differences in Parameters

In terms of the specific parameters of CC2640, CC2640R2F and CC2642R, CC2642R has a great breakthrough compared to the previous generation. The programmable memory in the system is more than twice that of the previous generation, and SRAM has been greatly expanded. It follows then that the CC2642R modules with rich memory are a good choice for BLE 5.0 applications.

Compared with CC2640, CC2640R2F also has some differences. Under the BLE 4.2-based protocol, the CC2640R2F can provide 80kbytes of space, while the CC2640 is 31kbytes. CC2640R2F supports BLE 5.0, while CC2640 only supports BLE 4.2. Moreover, CC2640R2F doesn't only support  the pin-to-pin QFN package, but also adds a smaller 2.7mm * 2.7mm chat-level package.

As we all know, BLE 5.0 has a longer communication distance compared with the change of BLE 4. X in the physical layer. Theoretically, BLE 5.0 has an effective transmission distance of 300 meters, but the distance of the previous BLE 4.2 was only 100 meters. However, in practical applications, the transmission distance of the signal is also affected by the Bluetooth device and the antenna power. For example, to save power and increase working time, the actual transmission range of Bluetooth audio is generally 10 meters no matter whether BLE 5.0 or BLE 4.2 the device used.

BLE 5.0 has a higher communication rate compared to BLE 4.2, with theoretical transfer rates doubling from 1Mbps to 2Mbps.

However, they do not have both, which is not to say that they can realize long distance at the same time. In high-speed Bluetooth communication, when realizing long distance, communication speed will be sacrificed, and when realizing high-speed rate, communication distance will also be sacrificed.

Are you clear about the differences among CC2642R, CC2640 & CC2640R2F?

To sum up, CC2642R with a rich memory and the excellent 48 MHz arm ® cortex ® - M4F core can help BLE 5.0 develop rapidly in the Internet of Things. The RF-BM-2642B1 with Ti CC2642R as the main MCU will bring new solutions to Bluetooth 5.0 applications. If you have any question about these three types of  Wireless Modules or look for Bluetooth 5.0 solutions, please let us know via info@szrfstar.com.