Thinger32 NB-IoT

The Thinger32NB-IoT is a compact dev board that combines Quectel BC660 with an Espressif ESP32-PICO-D4 to provide a simple-to-use development board for IoT projects.

Unlock the next level of IoT development with this ESP32 + Quectel BC66 hybrid board. Combining the power and flexibility of the ESP32 with the low-power, wide-area communication of the NB-IoT Quectel BC66, this board is the perfect solution for developing IoT projects that demand high efficiency, long-range connectivity, and seamless integration.

The BC660K-GL is a high-performance LTE Cat NB2 module which supports multiple frequency bands of B1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ 8/ 12/ 13/ 17/ 18/ 19/ 20/ 25/ 28/ 66/ 70/ 85 with extremely low power consumption, it provides a flexible and scalable platform for the migration from GSM/GPRS to NB-IoT networks.
The ESP32-PICO-D4 is a powerful MCU module with WiFi, Bluetooth®, and BLE connectivity and comes integrated with 8MB SPI flash, 2MB SPI Pseudo static RAM (PSRAM), and a 40 MHz crystal oscillator. The ESP32 microcontroller itself features two CPU cores that can be individually controlled, with an adjustable clock frequency between 80 - 240MHz and a low-power co-processor for minor tasks, such as monitoring peripherals. It supports a range of peripherals, including an SD card interface, capacitive touch sensors, ADC, DAC, Two-Wire Automotive Interface (TWAI), Ethernet, high-speed SPI, UART, I2S, I2C, etc.

Designed by the Thinger.io team, this board has been made for developers, makers, and industry professionals, leveraging the best integration with the Thinger.io platform. This board enables Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NB-IoT connectivity, all in a compact form factor with USB 3.0 support and up to 10 versatile GPIO options.

Technical Specifications

Feature

Specification

NB-IoT bands

B1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ 8/ 12/ 13/ 17/ 18/ 19/ 20/ 25/ 28/ 66/ 70/ 85

WiFi Connectivity

WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
150Mbps
2412 - 2484MHz

Bluetooth Connectivity

Bluetooth v4.2 Specification
BR/EDR and BLE
Transmitter Class: 1, 2, and 3

ESP32 specs

Xtensa® Dual-Core 32-bit LX6 Microprocessor (up to 240MHz)

448KB of ROM and 520KB SRAM
8MB SPI Flash
2MB PSRAM
16KB SRAM in RTC

GPIO

10 configurable (UART, I2C, SPI)

SIM Support

NanoSIM 4FF slot

Programming

Arduino Framework, MicroPython, ESP-IDF

Buttons

ESP32 Reset ESP32 Boot

Connections

USB 3.0 with CP2102 interface ITX1 Antenna connector WiFi Blutetooth ITX1 Antenna connector NB-IoT 2X16P 2.54mm pins

LEDS

BC PWR Red BC NET Amber ESP32 UART Tx Green

Supported peripherals

SD card, UART, SPI, SDIO, I2C, LED PWM, Motor PWM, I2S, IR, pulse counter, GPIO, capacitive touch sensor, ADC, DAC, TWAI® (compatible with ISO 11898-1, i.e. CAN Specification 2.0), Ethernet MAC

Electrical Characteristics

Power Source

Voltage

Current

USB 3.0

Full Rf operation 600mAh Normal operation 80mAh

GPIO Power Output

3.3V

NB-IoT Active Mode

3.3V

Pinout

Getting Started

1. Install the Required Software

Arduino IDE (with ESP32 board manager) or Visual Studio Code with Platformio extension.
USB Driver for CP2102 (if needed)
Install the Thinger.io library on the project

2. Connect the Board

Use a USB 3.0 cable for fast communication, then check the data transfer by opening the Serial Monitor.
Insert a microSIM card for NB-IoT connectivity.

3. Upload the First Sketch

Use the Arduino Framework and Thinger.io libraries for easy programming.
Configure Wi-Fi or NB-IoT connectivity in a few lines of code.

Example code

This example code shows how to work with the NB-IoT connection by means of TinyGSM and Thinger.io libraries. To work with the WiFi or Bluetooth modems, developers just need to use the ESP32 common source code.

```cpp

#define THINGER_SERVER "acme.thinger.io"
#define HEXACORE_DEVELOPMENT
#define THINGER_SERIAL_DEBUG
#define _DISABLE_TLS_
#include <Arduino.h>
#include <EEPROM.h>

// Set serial for debug console (to the Serial Monitor, default speed 115200)
#define SerialMon Serial
#define SerialAT Serial1

// Select the modem:
#define TINY_GSM_MODEM_BC660
#define TINY_GSM_DEBUG SerialMon
//#define DUMP_AT_COMMANDS
#ifndef TINY_GSM_RX_BUFFER
#define TINY_GSM_RX_BUFFER 1024
#endif

//set hibernation parameters
#define uS_TO_S_FACTOR 1000000ULL  /* Conversion factor for micro seconds to seconds */
#define TIME_TO_SLEEP  10        /* Time ESP32 will go to sleep (in seconds) */

// Can be installed from Library Manager or https://github.com/vshymanskyy/TinyGSM
#include <TinyGsmClient.h>
#include <ThingerTinyGSM.h>
#include <ThingerESP32OTA.h>
#include "arduino_secrets.h"

//Sensor libraries

#ifdef DUMP_AT_COMMANDS
#include <StreamDebugger.h>
StreamDebugger debugger(Serial1, Serial);
ThingerTinyGSM thing(USERNAME, DEVICE_ID, DEVICE_CREDENTIAL, debugger);
#else
ThingerTinyGSM thing(USERNAME, DEVICE_ID, DEVICE_CREDENTIAL, SerialAT);
#endif

ThingerESP32OTA ota(thing);
String iccid;

// module config version
#define MODULE_CONFIG_VERSION 3


   #define PIN_MODEM_RESET 13
   #define PIN_MODEM_WAKEUP 12
   #define PIN_MODEM_PWR_KEY 19
   #define PIN_MODULE_LED 21
   #define PIN_MODEM_RX 32
   #define PIN_MODEM_TX 33

   #define RELAY_PIN 27
   #define DOOR_STATE_PIN 14

String id2 = "My_device";


void setup() {
   pinMode(PIN_MODEM_RESET,   OUTPUT);
   pinMode(PIN_MODEM_WAKEUP,  OUTPUT);
   pinMode(PIN_MODEM_PWR_KEY, OUTPUT);

   Serial.begin(115200);
   Serial1.begin(115200, SERIAL_8N1, PIN_MODEM_RX, PIN_MODEM_TX);
   delay(400);

  sensors_begin();

   thing["my_data"] >> [](pson & out){
       out["millis"] = millis();
   };

   thing["modem"] >> [](pson & out){
      out["modem"] =    thing.getTinyGsm().getModemInfo().c_str();
      out["IMEI"] =     thing.getTinyGsm().getIMEI().c_str();
      out["CCID"] =     thing.getTinyGsm().getSimCCID().c_str();
      out["operator"] = thing.getTinyGsm().getOperator().c_str();
   };

   //  set APN
   thing.setAPN(APN_NAME, APN_USER, APN_PSWD);

   // configure hardware module reset
   thing.setModuleReset([]{
      // modem reset
      digitalWrite(PIN_MODEM_RESET, 1);
      delay(100);
      digitalWrite(PIN_MODEM_RESET, 0);
   });

   thing.initModem([](TinyGsm& modem){
      // read SIM ICCID
      iccid = modem.getSimCCID();
      THINGER_DEBUG_VALUE("NB-IOT", "SIM ICCID: ", iccid.c_str());

      // disable power save mode
      modem.sendAT("+CPSMS=0");
      modem.waitResponse();

      // disable eDRX
      modem.sendAT("+CEDRXS=0");
      modem.waitResponse();

      // edRX and PTW -> disabled
      modem.sendAT("+QEDRXCFG=0");
      modem.waitResponse();

      // initialize module configuration for the first time
      EEPROM.begin(1);
      auto state = EEPROM.readByte(0);
      if(state!=MODULE_CONFIG_VERSION){
         THINGER_DEBUG_VALUE("NB-IOT", "Configuring module with version: ", MODULE_CONFIG_VERSION);

         // stop modem functionality
         modem.sendAT("+CFUN=0");
         modem.waitResponse();

         // configure APN
         modem.sendAT("+QCGDEFCONT=\"IP\",\"" APN_NAME "\"");
         modem.waitResponse();

         // preferred search bands (for Spain)
         modem.sendAT("+QBAND=3,20,8,3");
         modem.waitResponse();

         // set preferred operators
         modem.sendAT("+COPS=4,2,\"21407\"");  // movistar
         //modem.sendAT("+COPS=4,2,\"21401\"");  // vodafone
         modem.waitResponse();

         // enable net led
         modem.sendAT("+QLEDMODE=1");
         modem.waitResponse();

         // full functionality
         modem.sendAT("+CFUN=1");
         modem.waitResponse();

         EEPROM.writeByte(0, MODULE_CONFIG_VERSION);
         EEPROM.commit();
      }else{
         THINGER_DEBUG_VALUE("NB-IOT", "Module already configured with version: ", MODULE_CONFIG_VERSION);
      }
      EEPROM.end();
   });

   // configure ota block size to 
   ota.set_block_size(512);
   id2+=iccid.c_str();
   thing.set_credentials(USERNAME, id2.c_str(), id2.c_str());

}

void loop() {
  // iotmp handle, modem pwr on
  thing.handle();
}

```

Documentation

9MB

Thinger.io BC660 NB-IoT Platformio project.zip

Use Cases

🔹 Smart Cities & Remote Monitoring – Low-power sensors with NB-IoT for real-time monitoring 🔹 Industrial IoT (IIoT) – Secure cloud connectivity for machinery and logistics tracking 🔹 Wearables & Health Tech – Battery-optimized applications with Wi-Fi + NB-IoT 🔹 Home Automation – Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity for smart devices 🔹 Agriculture & Environment – Remote sensing with ultra-low power requirements

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