UBX-19004195 - R04
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EVK-N3
SARA-N3 series cellular evaluation kits
User guide
Abstract
This guide explains how to set up the EVK-N3 evaluation kits to begin evaluating the u-blox SARA-N3
series cellular modules supporting LTE Cat NB2 radio access technology.
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Document information
Title
EVK-N3
Subtitle
SARA-N3 series cellular evaluation kits
Document type
User guide
Document number
UBX-19004195
Revision and date
R04
14-Oct-2020
Disclosure restriction
C1-Public
Product status
Corresponding content status
Functional sample
Draft
For functional testing. Revised and supplementary data will be published later.
In development /
Prototype
Objective specification
Target values. Revised and supplementary data will be published later.
Engineering sample
Advance information
Data based on early testing. Revised and supplementary data will be published later.
Initial production
Early production information
Data from product verification. Revised and supplementary data may be published later.
Mass production /
End of life
Production information
Document contains the final product specification.
This document applies to the following products:
Product name
Type number
Modem version
Application version
PCN reference
Product status
EVK-N300
EVK-N300-0-00
18.10
A01.04
UBX-20026729
Engineering sample
EVK-N310
EVK-N310-0-00
18.13
A01.00
UBX-20033555
Initial production
u-blox or third parties may hold intellectual property rights in the products, names, logos and designs included in this document.
Copying, reproduction, modification or disclosure to third parties of this document or any part thereof is only permitted with the
express written permission of u-blox.
The information contained herein is provided “as is” and u-blox assumes no liability for its use. No warranty, either express or
implied, is given, including but not limited to, with respect to the accuracy, correctness, reliability and fitness for a particular
purpose of the information. This document may be revised by u-blox at any time without notice. For the most recent documents,
visit www.u-blox.com.
Copyright © u-blox AG.
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Contents
Document information ................................................................................................................................ 2
Contents .......................................................................................................................................................... 3
1 Starting up ............................................................................................................................................... 4
1.1 EVK-N3 overview ......................................................................................................................................... 4
1.2 EVK-N3 block diagram ............................................................................................................................... 5
1.3 Switches, jumpers and buttons ............................................................................................................... 6
1.4 LEDs ............................................................................................................................................................... 7
1.5 Connectors ................................................................................................................................................... 7
1.6 EVK-N3 pin out ............................................................................................................................................ 8
1.7 Software installation .................................................................................................................................. 9
1.8 Board setup ................................................................................................................................................ 10
Appendix ........................................................................................................................................................ 12
A Setting up AT terminal applications for communication with EVK-N3 ............................ 12
B AT commands examples ................................................................................................................... 13
C Declaration of conformities.............................................................................................................. 13
D Current consumption measurement ............................................................................................. 14
E Glossary .................................................................................................................................................. 15
Related documents .................................................................................................................................... 16
Revision history ........................................................................................................................................... 16
Contact ........................................................................................................................................................... 17
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1 Starting up
1.1 EVK-N3 overview
The EVK-N3 evaluation kits are powerful and easy-to-use tools that simplify the evaluation of u-blox
SARA-N3 series Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) modules.
The following evaluation kits are available with u-blox SARA-N3 cellular modules:
• EVK-N300 evaluation kit is for evaluation of SARA-N300
• EVK-N310 evaluation kit is for evaluation of SARA-N310
The evaluation kits EVK-N300 and EVK-N310 are herein identified as EVK-N3.
SIM card holder
J300
Cellular reset
SW303
Cellular power-on
SW302
GND
9 – 18 V
Power input
J400
Cellular adapter
board
DL400
Main power switch
SW400
DL401
SARA-N3
cellular module
DIL B2B connector
J101
DIL B2B connector
J102
GND
GNSS
antenna connector
J103
GNSS module
GNSS
adapter board
Cellular VCC supply jumper
J404
Cellular USB
(UART / UART AUX)
J501
Cellular RS232
(UART)
J500
DL501
DL403
DL405
GNSS USB
J102
SW403
SW401
DL404
SW300
SW304
SW204
Headset jack
J303
DS132
DS118
DS124
DS121
DS107
DS105
DS109
DS103
DS500
DS501
GND
GND
Cellular antenna connector
(ANT) J106
DS101
SW510
DL503
GDI voltage
selection
jumper
J105
Cellular VCC supply jumper
J155
Figure 1: Overview of EVK-N3 evaluation kit for SARA-N3 modules
☞ See the SARA-N3 series data sheet [2] and the SARA-N2/N3 series system integration manual [3]
for the detailed description of the characteristics and the features supported by SARA-N3 series.
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1.2 EVK-N3 block diagram
Figure 2 shows the main interfaces and internal connections of the EVK-N3 evaluation kit:
SIM
card holder
(J300)
Reset
(SW303)
Power-on
(SW302)
ADP-N3
SARA-N3
module
42-pin DIL Board-to-Board connector
(J101)
42-pin DIL Board-to-Board connector
(J102)
EVB-WL3
GNSS
module
GNSS adapter board
RF
USB
UART / UART FT
converter
Cellular USB
(UART / UART FT)
(J501)
Cellular RS232
(UART)
(J500)
RS232
UART
converter
UART
MiniUSB/DB9
switch
(SW403)
On-board/B2B
switch
(SW401)
USB
Headset jack
(J303)
I2C
ANT NB
(J106)
Step - Down
Main power switch
(SW400)
12 V
(J400)
3.8 V
VCC jumper
(J404)
LDO
UART FT
UART FT switch
(SW510)
SARA-N3 adapter board
ADP-GNSS
GPIO2/3/4
GNSS switch
(SW304)
GDI voltage
selection jumper
(J105)
VCC jumper
(J155)
Figure 2: Block diagram of EVK-N3 for SARA-N3 series modules
The EVK-N3 evaluation kit is formed by three boards:
• The lower one, called EVB-WL3, contains the power supply and other peripherals for the SARA-N3
series cellular module (such as SIM card holder, reset button and power-on button).
• The cellular adapter board, called ADP-N3, contains the SARA-N3 cellular module, the cellular
antenna connector, a 3-pin header with jumper for the digital I/O interfaces (GDI) voltage selection,
a 2-pin header with jumper for VCC and current consumption measurement, and the DIL
connectors (J101 and J102).
• The GNSS adapter board, called ADP-GNSS, contains the u-blox GNSS module, the GNSS antenna
connector and the USB connector for the GNSS module.
The boards are connected by means of male header board-to-board connectors provided on the
bottom of the adapter boards and their corresponding female connectors provided on top of the lower
board.
The SARA-N3 series pins are available on the dual in-line male board-to-board connectors provided on
the top layer of the cellular adapter board (J101 and J102), which are pin-to-pin compatible to the
connectors on the bottom layer of the adapter board EVB-WL3.
Communication with the SARA-N3 series cellular module is provided through the Cellular RS232 DB9
connector (J500) or the Cellular USB Mini-USB connector (J501), available on the EVB-WL3 board.
The UART interface of the SARA-N3 series cellular module is routed up to both the connectors - J500
and J501. The Mini-USB / DB9 slide switch (SW403) must be set according to the selected connector.
The Cellular USB Mini-USB connector (J501) provides also access to the additional UART interface for
firmware upgrade and tracing of the SARA-N3 series cellular module (see section 1.8).
The lower board (EVB-WL3) is designed also to be used with other u-blox cellular adapter boards. It
contains additional switches, jumpers, connectors, LEDs and parts that may be partially described in
Figure 1 or in this document, because they are intended for use only with other u-blox cellular modules.
It is recommended to leave any additional connector unconnected and any additional switch in its
default configuration.
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1.3 Switches, jumpers and buttons
Function
Description
Name
Board
Main power switch
Power on / off of the whole evaluation kit
SW400
EVB-WL3
Cellular VCC jumper
Jumper socket to provide the 3.8 V supply to the cellular module VCC input
J404
EVB-WL3
J155
ADP-N3
Cellular power-on
Push button to switch on the cellular module
SW302
EVB-WL3
Cellular reset
Push button to reset the cellular module
SW303
EVB-WL3
Cellular UART detach
Slide switch to attach / detach the cellular module UART from USB / RS232
connectors: when detached, UART signals are available only on DIL B2B
connectors on ADP board
SW401
EVB-WL3
Cellular UART routing
Slide switch to select the cellular module UART routing on USB or on RS232
connector
SW403
EVB-WL3
Cellular UART FT detach
Slide switch to attach / detach the cellular module UART FT from USB
connector: when detached, the UART FT signals are available only on the
DIL B2B connector on ADP board
SW510
EVB-WL3
Cellular GPIO detach
Slide switch to attach / detach the cellular module GPIOs from peripherals:
when detached, the signals are available only on the DIL B2B connectors on
ADP board
SW300
EVB-WL3
Cellular GNSS detach
Slide switch to attach / detach the cellular module to the GNSS module
(GPIO2-3-4): when detached, the signals are available only on DIL B2B
connector on ADP board
SW304
EVB-WL3
GNSS V_BCKP
Slide switch to connect / disconnect backup battery to V_BCKP pin of the
GNSS module
SW204
EVB-WL3
Cellular GDI voltage
selection Jumper
3-pin header with jumper to select operating voltage for cellular Generic
Digital I/O Interfaces: ‘L’ = 1.8 V / ‘F’ = 2.8 V
J105
ADP-N3
Table 1: Description of EVK-N3 switch, jumpers and buttons
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1.4 LEDs
Function
Description
LED #
Board
Color
Main Power
Power supply plugged in the 9 - 18 V Power Input
DL401
EVB-WL3
Cellular VCC
Cellular module supplied. Main Power Switch must be switched on
DL400
EVB-WL3
Cellular USB
(UART/UART FT)
USB cable plugged in the Cellular USB connector for UART / UART FT
access
DL501
EVB-WL3
Cellular USB / UART
Green light is activated when UART is routed to the Cellular USB connector.
Red light blinks at UART TX or RX data on the Cellular USB connector
DL403
EVB-WL3
Cellular UART detach
UART signals are available only on the DIL B2B connector on ADP board
DL404
EVB-WL3
Cellular RS232 / UART
Green light is activated when UART is routed to Cellular RS232 connector.
Red light blinks at UART TX or RX data on the Cellular RS232 connector
DL405
EVB-WL3
Cellular USB / UART FT
Green light is activated when UART FT is routed to Cellular USB connector.
Red light blinks at UART FT data on the Cellular USB connector
DL503
EVB-WL3
Cellular RI indicator
Red light is activated when RI line turns ON (active low)
DS501
EVB-WL3
Cellular CTS indicator
Green light is activated when CTS line turns ON (active low)
DS500
EVB-WL3
Cellular GPIO1 indicator
Green light is activated when SARA-N3 GPIO1 is high
DS107
EVB-WL3
Cellular GPIO2 indicator
Green light is activated when SARA-N3 GPIO2 is high
DS105
EVB-WL3
Cellular GPIO3 indicator
Green light is activated when SARA-N3 GPIO3 is high
DS109
EVB-WL3
Cellular GPIO4 indicator
Green light is activated when SARA-N3 GPIO4 is high
DS103
EVB-WL3
V_INT supply
Green light is activated when the V_INT line is at a “high” level
DS101
ADP-N3
GNSS VCC supply
GNSS module supply is turned ON
DS118
ADP-GNSS
GNSS USB
USB cable plugged in the GNSS USB connector
DS124
ADP-GNSS
GNSS timepulse
Pulses at 1 Hz when valid GNSS fix
DS121
ADP-GNSS
Cellular / GNSS DDC
Cellular / GNSS module communication over the DDC (I2C) interface
DS132
ADP-GNSS
Table 2: Description of EVK-N3 LEDs
1.5 Connectors
Function
Description
Name
Board
9 - 18 V Power Input
Connector for the AC / DC power adapter of the EVK
AC: 100-240 V, 0.8 A, 50-60 Hz / DC: +12 V, 2.5 A
IEC 60417-5172
Class II equipment
J400
EVB-WL3
SIM card holder
SIM card holder
J300
EVB-WL3
Cellular antenna
SMA connector for the module cellular antenna ANT NB
J106
ADP-N3
Cellular USB
(UART/UART FT)
Mini USB connector for the cellular module UART and UART FT interfaces
converted as USB interface
J501
EVB-WL3
Cellular RS232 (UART)
DB9 connector for the cellular module primary UART interface converted as
RS232 interface
J500
EVB-WL3
DIL B2B headers
Dual in-line board-to-board connectors for the cellular module interfaces
J101, J102
ADP-N3
Cellular headset
Audio headset jack connector (not supported by SARA-N3 series)
J303
EVB-WL3
GNSS antenna
SMA connector for the GNSS module antenna (GNSS Antenna)
J103
ADP-GNSS
GNSS USB
Mini USB connector for the GNSS module USB interface
J102
ADP-GNSS
GNSS backup battery
Backup battery socket for the GNSS module (under GNSS adapter board)
BT200
EVB-WL3
GND
Ground terminals for the probe reference
J402, J403
J405, J406
EVB-WL3
Table 3: Description of EVK-N3 connectors
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⚠ CAUTION! IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT OF A FAILURE IN THE INTERNAL PROTECTION CIRCUITRY
THERE IS A RISK OF AN EXPLOSION WHEN CHARGING A FULLY OR PARTIALLY DISCHARGED
BATTERY. REPLACE THE BATTERY WHEN IT NO LONGER HAS A SUFFICIENT CHARGE FOR
UNIT OPERATION. CONTROL THE BATTERY BEFORE USE IF THE DEVICE HAS NOT BEEN USED
FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.
⚠ CAUTION! RISK OF EXPLOSION IF BATTERY IS REPLACED WITH AN INCORRECT TYPE. DISPOSE
OF USED BATTERIES ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTIONS!
1.6 EVK-N3 pin out
SARA-N3 module
DIL B2B connector
SARA-N3 module
DIL B2B connector
Pin N°
Signal name
Name / Pin N°
Pin N°
Signal name
Name / Pin N°
1
GND
J102 pins 7-10
33
ADC1
J102 pin 28
2
V_BCKP
J102 pin 3
34
RSVD
Not present
3
GND
J102 pins 7-10
35
RSVD
Not present
4
V_INT
J102 pin 36
36
RSVD
Not present
5
GND
J102 pins 7-10
37
RSVD
Not present
6
DSR
J102 pin 18
38
SIM_CLK
J101 pin 15
7
RI
J102 pin 17
39
SIM_IO
J101 pin 14
8
DCD
J102 pin 11
40
SIM_RST
J101 pin 16
9
DTR
J102 pin 12
41
VSIM
J101 pin 13
10
RTS
J102 pin 13
42
GPIO5
J102 pin 23
11
CTS
J102 pin 14
43
GND
J102 pins 7-10
12
TXD
J102 pin 15
44
RSVD
Not present
13
RXD
J102 pin 16
45
RSVD
J101 pins 37-41
14
GND
J102 pins 7-10
46
RSVD
J101 pins 37-41
15
PWR_ON
J102 pin 29
47
RSVD
J101 pins 37-41
16
GPIO1
J102 pin 33
48
RSVD
J101 pins 37-41
17
TXD_AUX
J102 pin 26
49
RSVD
J101 pins 37-41
18
RESET_N
J101 pin 26
50
GND
J102 pins 7-10
19
RXD_AUX
J102 pin 27
51
VCC
J101 pins 7-10
20
GND
J102 pins 7-10
52
VCC
J101 pins 7-10
21
VSEL
J102 pin 24
53
VCC
J101 pins 7-10
22
GND
J102 pins 7-10
54
GND
J102 pins 7-10
23
GPIO2
J102 pin 31
55
GND
J102 pins 7-10
24
GPIO3
J102 pin 32
56
ANT
Not present
25
GPIO4
J102 pin 25
57
GND
J102 pins 7-10
26
SDA
J101 pin 21
58
GND
J102 pins 7-10
27
SCL
J101 pin 20
59
ANT_BT
Not present
28
RXD_FT
J102 pin 20
60
GND
J102 pins 7-10
29
TXD_FT
J102 pin 19
61
GND
J102 pins 7-10
30
GND
J102 pins 7-10
62
ANT_DET
Not present
31
RSVD
Not present
63
GND
J102 pins 7-10
32
GND
J102 pins 7-10
64
GND
J102 pins 7-10
Table 4: Interfaces of the SARA-N3 series module, as routed on the 42-pin dual in-line board-to-board connectors (J101,
J102) available on the ADP-N3 adapter board of the EVK-N3 evaluation kit
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Dual in-line board-to-board connector J102
Dual in-line board-to-board connector J101
Signal name
Pin N°
Pin N°
Signal name
Signal name
Pin N°
Pin N°
Signal name
Not connected
2 1 GND Not connected
2 1 GND
Not connected
4 3 V_BCKP
Not connected
4 3 Not connected
Not connected
6 5 Not connected
Not connected
6 5 Not connected
GND 8 7
GND VCC 8 7
VCC
GND
10 9 GND VCC
10 9 VCC
DTR
12
11
DCD Not connected
12
11
Not connected
CTS
14
13
RTS SIM_IO
14
13
VSIM
RXD
16
15
TXD SIM_RST
16
15
SIM_CLK
DSR
18
17
RI Not connected
18
17
Not connected
RXD_FT
20
19
TXD_FT
SCL
20
19
Not connected
Not connected
22
21
Not connected
Not connected
22
21
SDA
VSEL
24
23
GPIO5
Not connected
24
23
Not connected
TXD_AUX
26
25
GPIO4
RESET_N
26
25
Not connected
ADC1
28
27
RXD_AUX
Not connected
28
27
Not connected
Not connected
30
29
PWR_ON
Not connected
30
29
Not connected
GPIO3
32
31
GPIO2
Not connected
32
31
Not connected
Not connected
34
33
GPIO1
Not connected
34
33
Not connected
V_INT
36
35
Not connected
Not connected
36
35
Not connected
Not connected
38
37
Not connected
RSVD
38
37
RSVD
Not connected
40
39
Not connected
RSVD
40
39
RSVD
GND
42
41
Not connected
GND
42
41
RSVD
Table 5: Pin-out of the 42-pin dual in-line board-to-board connectors (J101 and J102) available on the ADP-N3 adapter
board of the EVK-N3 evaluation kit
☞ The pins / interfaces that are not supported by a specific SARA-N3 series product version should
be not driven by an external device; see the SARA-N3 series data sheet [2] for the list of features
supported by each SARA-N3 series product version.
1.7 Software installation
The USB drivers are available with the EVK-N3 evaluation kit package. Executable files can be
downloaded from www.u-blox.com/evk-downloads and saved to any location on the computer hard
drive. The installation can be started by running the executable file on a computer with the Windows
operating system.
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1.8 Board setup
1. Insert a SIM card into the SIM card holder (J300 on the EVB).
2. Connect a cellular antenna (provided with the evaluation kit) to the Cellular antenna SMA
connector on the ADP-N3 (ANT NB, RF input/output for transmission and reception of NB-IoT RF
signals)
3. If the GNSS functionality is required, connect the GNSS antenna provided with the evaluation kit
to the GNSS antenna SMA connector on the ADP-GNSS. Place the GNSS antenna in a location
with a good view of the sky.
☞ Interface to the GNSS module is not supported by SARA-N3 series modules.
4. Connect the AC / DC +12 V power adapter provided with the evaluation kit to 9 – 18 V Power Input
connector (J400 on the EVB) LED DL401 lights blue.
5. Be sure to provide a jumper socket on both the Cellular VCC supply jumpers (J404 on the EVB,
and J155 on the ADP-N3). These jumpers provide the connection from the 3.8 V output of the
supply circuit on the EVB board to the VCC input of the module.
6. To enable the board power supply, turn the Main power switch (SW400 on the EVB) to the ON
position. LED DL400 lights green.
7. To switch on the cellular module, press the Cellular power-on button (SW302 on EVB).
8. For communication via UART interface of the cellular module, the following connections are
allowed and can be alternatively enabled in a mutually exclusive way (see Table 6 for slide
switches positions and LED status):
8.1. Connect a USB cable to mini USB connector (Cellular USB, J501 on EVB), LED DL501 lights
blue.
In this case, two COM ports are enabled with Windows (the numbering of the COM ports
can be seen via the Windows Device Manager):
▪ SARA-N3 UART interface is available over the first COM port (for AT commands and
data)
▪ SARA-N3 additional UART FT interface is available over the second COM port (for FW
update and diagnostic)
8.2. Connect an RS232 cable to DB9 connector (Cellular RS232, J500 on EVB)
Type of connections
SW401
SW403
LED
Access to cellular UART over the Cellular USB (UART / UART FT) mini USB connector
(J501)
ON-BOARD
MINIUSB
DL403
Access to cellular UART over the Cellular RS232 (UART) DB9 connector (J500)
ON-BOARD
DB9
DL405
Access to cellular UART on DIL Board-to-Board connector on the adapter board:
cellular UART detached from USB (UART / UART FT) and RS232 (UART) connectors
B2B
Do not care
DL404
Table 6: Serial interface configuration
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Then, besides the specific serial connector used (case 8.1 or case 8.2), run an AT terminal
application (as for example, the u-blox m-center tool) by selecting the appropriate AT COM port
with these settings:
o Data rate: 57'600 bit/s
o Data bits: 8
o Parity: N
o Stop bits: 1
o Flow control: disabled
9. It is possible to access SARA-N3 module’s additional UART FT for diagnostic purpose. To do so:
Connect a USB cable to the mini USB connector (Cellular USB, J501 on EVB). LED DL501 lights
blue.
In this case, two COM ports are enabled with Windows (the numbering of the COM ports can be
seen via the Windows Device Manager):
o SARA-N3 series UART interface is available over the first COM port (for AT commands and
data)
o SARA-N3 series additional UART FT interface is available over the second COM port (for FW
update and diagnostic)
Make sure to appropriately set the related slide switches:
o SW401 set to ON-BOARD
o SW403 set to MINIUSB
o SW510 set to UART1
Then, run a terminal application (as for example the u-blox m-center tool), selecting the
appropriate diagnostic COM port with the following settings:
o Data rate: 921'600 bit/s
o Data bits: 8
o Parity: N
o Stop bits: 1
o Flow control: software
See appendix A for information about how to configure the u-blox m-center AT terminal for Windows.
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Appendix
A Setting up AT terminal applications for
communication with EVK-N3
The u-blox m-center cellular module evaluation tool is a powerful platform for evaluating, configuring
and testing u-blox cellular products. m-center includes an AT commands terminal for communication
with the device and can be downloaded free-of-charge from our website (http://www.u-blox.com).
1. Follow the board setup instructions in section 1.8 to provide all the required connections and
switching on the cellular module.
2. Run the m-center tool: after the m-center start-up, the Home page appears.
3. On the Home page, set up the AT COM port
with the setting values described in section
1.8.
Check the Windows Device Manager to find
out which COM port is being used by
EVK-N3.
Figure 3: “Home” page
4. Enable the connection to u-blox cellular
module by clicking the Connect button.
5. Retrieve the module and network information
by clicking the Get info button.
6. The module information is retrieved and
displayed on the Home page.
7. Click on the AT Terminal button (upper right
of the Home page). A new window opens and
the AT command terminal is now ready for
communication with EVK-N3.
Figure 4: AT terminal window
8. The AT terminal is ready to use.
For the complete list of AT commands
supported by the modules and their syntax,
see the SARA-N2 / SARA-N3 series AT
commands manual [1].
For more information about using the u-blox m-center cellular module evaluation tool, press the F1 key
on the keyboard to open the m-center help window on the computer.
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B AT commands examples
For the complete description and syntax of the AT commands supported by SARA-N3 series modules,
see the SARA-N2 / SARA-N3 series AT commands manual [1].
For detailed AT commands examples for network registration and configuration, context activation,
data connection management, SIM management, module interfaces configurations and other
settings, see the u-blox SARA-N3 application development guide [4].
C Declaration of conformities
The equipment is intended for indoor usage. It is the user’s duty to verify if further restrictions apply,
such as in airplanes, hospitals or hazardous locations (petrol stations, refineries…).
Any changes or modification made to this equipment will void its compliance to the safety
requirements.
Maintenance, inspections and/or repairs of the EVK-N3 evaluation kits shall be performed by u-blox
AG.
EVK-N3 - User guide
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D Current consumption measurement
Current consumption of SARA-N3 series modules can be measured on the EVK-N3 evaluation kits by
removing the jumper socket from the Cellular VCC supply jumper J155 available on the ADP-N3 board,
as shown in Figure 5.
Cellular VCC supply jumper socket (J155)
to be removed for SARA-N3 module
current consumption measurements
Figure 5: Jumper socket to be removed for SARA-N3 modules current consumption measurement
A suitable external digital multi-meter (as for example the Keysight/Agilent 34465A, 34410A or
34411A) can be used for current consumption measurements; in this case, the 3.8 V supply circuit on
the EVB will supply the SARA-N3 module mounted on the adapter board, with the digital multi-meter
placed in series as described in Figure 6.
SARA-N3 adapter board
SARA-N3
Cellular
module
42-pin DIL B2B connectors
EVB-WL3
Step - Down
Main power switch
(SW400)
12 V
(J400)
3.8 V
VCC jumper
(J155)
VCC
Digital Multimeter
DCI
+ –
VCC jumper
(J404)
Figure 6: Block diagram of current consumption setup for SARA-N3
Alternatively, a suitable external DC power supply with dynamic current measurement capabilities (as
for example, the Agilent 66319B/D) can be used for current consumption measurements, acting also
as supply source for the SARA-N3 module mounted on the adapter board.
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E Glossary
Abbreviation
Definition
ADP
Adapter Board
AT
AT Command Interpreter Software Subsystem, or attention
B2B
Board-to-Board Connector
CTS
Clear To Send
DDC
Display Data Channel
DIL
Dual in-line
EVB
Evaluation Board
FW
Firmware
GDI
Generic Digital Interface
GND
Ground
GPIO
General Purpose Input Output
I2C
Inter-Integrated Circuit
LED
Light Emitting Diode
LTE
Long Term Evolution
NB-IoT
Narrow Band Internet of Things
RF
Radio Frequency
RI
Ring Indicator
RSVD
Reserved
RTS
Request To Send
RX
Receiver
SIM
Subscriber Identification Module
TX
Transmitter
UART
Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter
USB
Universal Serial Bus
Table 7: Explanation of the abbreviations and terms used
EVK-N3 - User guide
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Related documents
[1] u-blox SARA-N2 / SARA-N3 series AT commands manual, UBX-16014887
[2] u-blox SARA-N3 series data sheet, UBX-18066692
[3] u-blox SARA-N2/N3 series system integration manual, UBX-17005143
[4] u-blox SARA-N3 application development guide, UBX-19026709
☞ For regular updates to u-blox documentation and to receive product change notifications, register
on our homepage (www.u-blox.com).
Revision history
Revision
Date
Name
Comments
R01
08-Mar-2019
fvid
Initial release.
R02
14-Oct-2019
lpah / fvid
Updated EVK-N300-0-00 and EVK-N310-0-00 product status; added J155
VCC jumper description for current consumption measurement
R03
29-Jun-2020
fvid
Updated product status; added reference to SARA-N3 application
development guide
R04
14-Oct-2020
alos
Updated EVK-N310-0-00 product status to initial production
EVK-N3 - User guide
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For complete contact information, visit us at www.u-blox.com.
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