Sera NX040 Series - UWB + Bluetooth LE + NFC Modules

The module works down to 1.8V and there are no technical issues with using a 1.8V power supply. However, designs may want to consider setting the lower voltage limit as 2.0V as it is possible that a UWB current spike could occur when the host or BLE radio is doing some other function which could potentially cause a brownout/reset on the UWB chip.

One of the NX040 UWB module power supply options is battery supply – limited peak current capability mode. This mode is typically reserved for tags who are considered Initiators. In a two-way ranging session, devices configured in a responder role are continuously listening in receive mode for an initiator. The current draw in receive mode is too high for a battery to support. 

Similarly, in a 3D positioning setup, the device used as an anchor (responder) will need to be externally powered.

Tag (initiator) devices can run on a battery given they do not need to be listening for other devices.

Windows should natively support the Sera 040 DVK using CMIS-DAP v2 interface drivers that will appear in device manager under Universal Serial Bus  devices.

If in Windows device manager you see an error with CMIS-DAP v2 interface in other devices then it may be that you are using a USB hub or dock that is preventing Windows from properly identifying the Sera 040 DVK. In which case try plugging the DVK directly into a USB port on your laptop or PC and it should be discovered automatically

At the time of writing there may be issues installing pyocd for Python 3.12. If you experience issues such as failing to build wheel for hidapi, try reverting to Python 3.10 or 3.11.

We have also seen issue where pyocd reports an error during install, requiring VS C++ build tools. Be sure to install the C++ build tools using the link in the error. If the C++ build tools install fail then try to temporarily disable virus checking (or consult with your IT department) as we have seen some antivirus block some VS scripts used during build tool installation.

Data transfer over the UWB channel is not currently supported by NXP's firmware that is loaded to Laird's Sera NX040 UWB tag.

Laird's NX040 has an accuracy of +/-10cm for two-way ranging.

fira is the industry consortium that defines the UWB ranging specification and  certifies products for the purposes of interoperability. The name stands for "fine ranging".

There are various levels of fira membership as listed at the link below

membership levels

Ezurio (formerly Laird Connectivity) is an adopter member of fira.

fira membership is required to access specifications (fira intellectual property) and to certify end products.