The nRF9160 DK (PCA10090) features an onboard programming and
debugging solution.
Hardware figures
The nRF9160 DK hardware drawings show both sides of the PCA10090.
Block diagram
The block diagram illustrates the nRF9160 DK functional architecture.
Power supply nRF9160 DK has a flexible and configurable power supply system to allow software development and testing using different power sources and to facilitate accurate power measurements.
Antenna interfaces
The nRF9160 DK has three antenna interfaces mounted representing LTE, GPS, and the 2.4 GHz radio.
GPS
The nRF9160 DK has a dedicated GPS port to support global navigation.
GPIO interfaces
Access to the nRF9160 GPIOs is available from connectors P2, P3, P4, P6, and P24. The nRF9160 DK supports the Arduino UNO interface.
nRF52840
An nRF52840 Bluetooth®
/IEEE 802.15.4 SoC is included on the nRF9160 DK.
Buttons, slide switches, and LEDs
The nRF9160 DK has four LEDs, two buttons, and two switches for simple user interaction. By default, they are connected to nRF9160 GPIOs as shown in the following table.
I/O expander
The nRF9160 DK has an I/O expander that can optionally be used to interface the LEDs, slide switches, and buttons.
External memory
The nRF9160 DK has a 64 Mb external flash memory. The memory is a multi-I/O memory supporting both SPIs.
Debug input and trace options
The primary debug interface on the nRF9160 DK is the Segger OB debugger available through the USB port. However, if other than USB supply is used on the DK, this functionality will be disabled.
Debug output
The nRF9160 DK supports programming and debugging external boards with Nordic SoCs and SiPs.
Signal routing switches
A number of the GPIO signals of the nRF9160 DK are routed through analog switches for use for onboard functionality or having them available on the pin headers for external circuitry or Arduino type shields.
SIM and eSIM
The nRF9160 DK is designed to support both regular SIM and eSIM. For this purpose, it has a pluggable SIM card socket (J5) that takes a nano-sized SIM (4FF) and a non-populated footprint for an eSIM (MFF2).
SiP enable
The nRF9160 SiP can be enabled or disabled by pulling pin 101 high and low.
Solder bridge configuration
The nRF9160 DK has a range of solder bridges for enabling or disabling functionality on the DK. Changes to these are not needed for normal use of the DK.