5g Hub Technologies Bc660 5g Nb-iot Usb Kit User Manual (+ PDF)

The NB-IoT USB dongle is a cellular USB stick form factor based on Quested BC660 chipset. BC660 is a high-performance NB-IoT module with extremely low power consumption.

The USB dongle has on-board LTE antennas. It features a wireless modem. The wireless modem is BC660 which is an embedded IoT (LTE Cat-NB2) wireless communication module. BC660 wireless modem provides a maximum data rate of 127Kbps downlink and 158.5Kbps uplink. It features ultra-low power consumption, provides data connectivity on LTE/5G networks, and supports half-duplex FDD operation in LTE networks.
The USB dongle provides rich sets of Internet protocols, industry-standard interfaces (USB/UART/SPI/ADC/GPIO/RI/Status Indicator) and abundant functionalities. The board offer a high integration level and enables integrators and developers to easily design their applications and take advantage of the board low power consumption, many functionalities, and USB drivers for Windows 7/8/8.1/10, Linux and Android.

The USB dongle is a rich hardware board that can be used for the 4G LTE wireless technology and enables a variety of smart applications for devices. It enables large number of applications such as wireless POS, smart metering, tracking, smart transportation, smart buildings, smart city, smart homes, bike sharing, smart wearables, smart parking, home appliances, security and asset tracking, agricultural and environmental monitoring.

Key Features

Quested BC660 Cat NB2 module
Data rate of 127Kbps downlink and 158.5Kbps uplink
On-board LTE antenna
Supports LTE NB-IoT Cat NB2
Global Frequency Band B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B8/B12/B13/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B28/B66/B70/B85
Supports the protocols TCP/UDP/PPP/ SSL/ TLS/ FTP(S)/ HTTP(S)/ NITZ/ PING/ MQTT
Supports SMS
Compact board size of 59mm x 25mm
Nano USIM card slot
Works with Windows, Linux, or Android
Ready for smart wearables, smart applications, and development (smart home, smart city, smart transportation, smart metering, smart farming, smart waste management, asset tracking, location, navigation, mapping, and timing applications). Application such as Gas Detector, Soil PH Tester, Optical Sensor, Machinery Alarm System, Irrigation Controller, Elevator, Asset Tracking Electronics, Person/Pet Tracking, Water/Gas Metering, Smart Parking System, Fire Hydrant, Smoke Alarm, Trash Bin, Street Lighting
The board is powered via the USB connector
Interfaces with external sensors through UART. Each of the general purpose I/O pins on the board can be used for digital input or digital output.

Overview Diagrams

Physical Characteristics

The width and length of the USB dongle is 25 mm (width) by 59 mm (length). The board have four screw holes in opposite corner that allows to use the USB dongle inside an enclosure or to be attached to a surface or case.
The size of the BC660 module is also shown below which is ultra-compact size for an LTE modem.

Peripherals – IO Connections

Hardware Specification

	Technical Specification
NB-IoT Module		Quested BC660
Dimension		25 mm (width) by 59 mm (length)
Weight		18 grams
Power Supply		USB (5V)
LED		Power LED and Nightlight LED
Interfacing Logic Voltage Level (Operating Voltage)		3.3V
Voltage output		5V, 3.3V
GPIO		4 connected to BC660
ADC		1 connected to BC660
USB		1
UART		1 connected to BC660
BATT		1
BOOT		1 for firmware upgrade
USIM		Nano
Antenna		1 main antenna
Band		B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B8/B12/B13/B17/B18/B19/ B20/B25/B28/B66/B70/B85

PIN Description

PIN	Direction	Description
USB Connector	I	The USB dongle is powered from the USB port (3.8V-5V)
LED1(Power)	O	LED on powering on the USB
LED (NET)	O	Indicate the BC660 network activity status
3.3V	O	3.3V generated by the on-board regulator. Maximum current drawn is 3A. The regulator also provides power to BC660
5V	O	5V generated from the board. The board is supplied with power from USB connector (typical 5V)
BATT	I	To provide power source from external battery (3.3V). If powered from battery, no connection through USB port is needed
GND		Ground
UART (TX)	O	UART TX line to communicate with BC660
UART (RX)	I	UART RTX line to communicate with BC660
RI	O	Ring indication
EINT	I	External interrupt pin dedicated to waking up the module from Deep/Light Sleep mode
ADC0	I	Connected to BG77. General purpose analogue to digital converter
ADC1	I	Connected to BG77. General purpose analogue to digital converter
GPIO1	IO	Connected to BC660. General purpose IO
GPIO2	IO	Connected to BC660. General purpose IO
GPIO3	IO	Connected to BC660. General purpose IO
GPIO4	IO	Connected to BC660. General purpose IO
SPI	IO	Connected to BG77.
USIM	I	Used to insert a Nano USIM. Connected to BG77