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RAK19026 WisMesh Base Board Datasheet

Overview

RAK19026 is a WisBlock Base Board that connects WisBlock IO, and WisBlock Modules. It provides the power supply and interconnection to the modules attached to it.
Different to other WisBlock Base Boards, it has no Core Slot for a WisBlock Core module. Instead it has a WisDuo RAK4630 integrated as its MCU. Beside of the MCU, a GNSS module and acceleration sensor are as well on the Base Board. Similar to other WisBlock Base Boards it has three slots B-D for WisBlock modules. The WisBlock modules are attached to the top or bottom side of the RAK19026. The Slot D holds modules up to 23 mm in size, while slots B to C support 10 mm WisBlock modules. In addtion it has one IO slot for WisBlock IO modules.

For convenience, there is a USB-C connector that is connected directly to WisDuo MCU’s USB port. It can be used for uploading firmware or serial communication. The USB-C connector is also used as a battery charging port.

WisBlock modules are connected to the RAK19026 WisBlock Base board via high-speed board-to-board connectors. They provide secure and reliable interconnection to ensure the signal integrity of each data bus. A set of screws are used for fixing the modules, which makes it reliable even in an environment with lots of vibrations.

RAK19026 has connectors for the following:

  • 1 WisBlock modules compatible with IO slot
  • 4 WisBlock modules compatible with slots A-D
  • 1 Type-C USB port for programming and debugging
  • 3.7 V Rechargeable battery connector
  • 5 V Solar panel connector
  • Multiple headers with solder contacts
    • 4 pin header with I2C, 3.3V and GND
    • 4 pin header with IO5, IO6, IO7, and IO8
    • 5 pin header with IO1, IO3, IO4, 3.3V, and GND
    • 4 pin header for OLED display with I2C, 3.3V and GND
    • 5 pin header with SWD, SWCLK, RST, 3.3V, and GND (for programming and debugging with RAKDAP1 or Jlink adapters)

Additionally, it has two user-definable LEDs, one power supply/charging indicator LED, a reset button, a user-definable button and a battery disconnection switch.

NOTE
Battery Disconnection Switch

The battery can still be recharged through the USB port or the 5 V/Solar panel connector, even if the switch is in OFF position.

If modules require to be placed outside of the WisMesh Base Board, extension cables are available:
RAK19005 WisBlock Sensor Extension Cable to position the WisBlock Sensor modules apart from the WisBlock Base board or in any part of your case.
RAK19008 WisBlock IO Extension Cable to position the WisBlock IO modules apart from the WisBlock Base board or in any part of your case.

If you can't find a WisBlock module that fits your IoT requirements, use the standard connectors of WisBlock to develop your specific function module. WisBlock supports open-source hardware architecture and you can find tutorials showing how to create your own Awesome WisBlock module.

Applications

  • Meshtastic device

Main Features

  • Flexible building block design, which enables modular function realization and expansion
  • High-speed interconnection connectors in the WisMesh Base Board to ensure signal integrity
  • Features the RAK4630 WisDuo module with the Nordic nRF52840 MCU and the Semtech SX1262 LoRa transceiver
  • Supports multiple types of sensors. A single board can support a combination of two different types of sensors
  • Low power battery power supply
  • Supports lithium battery charging
  • Supports solar panel charging
  • Fulfills industrial level design
  • User definable button
  • Battery disconnection switch
  • Integrated GNSS module and acceleration sensor
  • Connector for OLED display
  • Compact size: 41.6 x 60 mm

Specifications

Overview

There are five (5) slots on RAK19026 WisMesh Base:

  • IO SLOT: This slot is used for IO extension modules.
  • Three Sensor Slots: The sensor slots B to D are used to connect with the I2C bus, have two GPIO's each and an UART RX/TX.

Also, there are multiple 2.54 mm pitch hole pads for extension interfaces.

Figure 633: WisMesh Base top view
Figure 634: WisMesh Base bottom view

Block Diagram

The block diagram in Figure 3 shows the internal architecture and external interfaces of the RAK19026 board.

Figure 635: RAK19026 WisMesh Base block diagram

Hardware

The hardware specification is categorized into six parts. It shows the interfacing, pinouts and the corresponding functions and diagrams. It also presents the electrical, environmental, and mechanical parameters that include the tabular data of the functionalities and standard values of the RAK19026 WisMesh Base.

Interfaces

RAK19026 WisMesh Base provides the following interfaces, headers, a button, and WisBlock Connectors.

  • One Type-C USB connector
  • One connector for the IO slot
  • Three connectors for WisBlock sensor modules (slots B to D)
  • Multiple pin header 2.54 mm hole pads
    • 4 pin header with I2C, 3.3V and GND
    • 4 pin header with IO5, IO6, IO7, and IO8
    • 5 pin header with IO1, IO3, IO4, 3.3V, and GND
    • 4 pin header for OLED display with I2C, 3.3V and GND
    • 5 pin header with SWD, SWCLK, RST, 3.3V, and GND (for programming and debugging)
  • 2-pin battery interface
  • 2-pin solar panel interface

Additionally, the RAK19026 has two user-definable LEDs, one power supply/charging indicator LED, a reset button, a user-definable button and a battery ON/OFF switch.

Figure 4 and Figure 5 show the location of RAK19026 main components.

Figure 636: RAK19026 top view components
Figure 637: RAK19026 bottom view components
Type-C USB port

The Type-C USB connector is compliant with the USB 2.0 specification. This USB interface directly communicates with the connected WisBlock Core module. It is also used as a charging input port for the battery. Here are some of the advantages of the Type-C USB connector:

  • Smaller and reversible connector shape
  • Port can be input or output
  • Fast battery charging
Figure 638: USB Type-C receptacle pinout
J10, J11, J12 Headers

On the RAK19026 Base Board, there are five 2.54 mm pitch headers for IO extension. I2C, SWD pins from the WisDuo module are exposed on these headers.

J2 Header Pinout (I2C OLED display)
PinPin NameDescription
13V33.3 V
2GNDGround pin
3SCLI2C1 clock
4SDAI2C2 data
J3 Header Pinout
PinPin NameDescription
13V33.3 V
2IO1General purpose IO
3IO3General purpose IO
4IO4General purpose IO
5GNDGround pin
J4 Header Pinout
PinPin NameDescription
1IO5General purpose IO
2IO6General purpose IO
3IO7General purpose IO
4IO8General purpose IO
J10 Header Pinout
PinPin NameDescription
13V33.3 V
2GNDGround pin
3SCLI2C1 clock
4SDAI2C2 data
J7 Header Pinout
PinPin NameDescription
13V33.3 V
2SWDIODebug IO
3SWDCLKDebug CLK
4GNDGround pin
5RESETMCU Reset pin
J7 Debug Header

This header includes all required signals to connect a JLink or DAPLink debug/flash adapter.

Battery and Solar Panel / 5V Connection

RAK19026 can be powered via the USB cable or Li-Ion/LiPo battery via the dedicated connectors, as shown in below. The matching connector for the battery wires is a JST PHR-2 2 mm pitch female.

The battery can be recharged as well via a small solar panel or a regulated 5V supply, as shown below. The matching connector for the battery wires is a JST ZHR-2 1.5 mm pitch female.

Figure 639: Battery connector pin order
warning
  • Battery can cause harm if not handled properly.
  • Only 3.7-4.2 V Rechargeable LiPo batteries are supported. It is highly recommended not to use other types of batteries with the system unless you know what you are doing.
  • If a non-rechargeable battery is used, it has to be unplugged first before connecting the USB cable to the USB port of the board to configure the device. Not doing so might damage the battery or cause a fire.
  • Make sure the battery wires match the polarity on the RAK19007 board. Not all batteries have the same wiring.
warning
  • Only 5 V solar panels are supported. Do not use 12 V solar panels. It will destroy the charging unit and eventually other electronic parts.
  • The GND pin of the Solar Panel Connector is located on edge of the board. Make sure the Solar Panel wires are matching the polarity on the RAK19007 board.

LEDs

Three LEDs are used to indicate the operating status. Below are the functions of the LEDs:

  • 🔴 Red LED - Connected to the charger chip to indicate the charger status. When the battery is charging, this red LED is on. When the battery is full, this LED is weak light or off.
  • 🟢 Green LED - Connected to the WisBlock Core module, controlled by MCU defined by the user.
  • 🔵 Blue LED - Connected to the Wisblock Core module, controlled by MCU defined by the user.

RESET Push Button

The Reset Push Button is connected to the WisBlock Core module. When pushed, it resets the MCU.

GNSS Module

The GNSS module on the RAk19026 uses the u-blox ZOE-M8Q module. It supports a wide variety of satellite data protocols such as GPS, GLONASS, QZSS, and BeiDou. This ensures the retrieval of precise location data. The module features exceptional performance, high sensitivity, and minimal acquisition time. A very suitable module for your low-power IoT solution needs.

Features
  • Module Specification
    • Uses the very accurate GNSS Module: u-blox ZOE-M8Q chip
    • Location Accuracy of ±2.5 meter
    • Velocity Accuracy of ±0.05 m/s
    • GPS, GLONASS, QZSS, and BeiDou Satellite support
    • Serial and I2C communication to WisBlock Core support
    • 10 Hz Update Rate
    • 29 seconds Location Fix from Cold Start, 1 second from Hot Start
    • Operating Voltage: 3.3 V
    • Operating Current: < 15 µA
    • Chipset: u-blox ZOE-M8Q
Chipset

The RAk19026 utilizes a very accurate u-blox ZOE-M8Q chip. See the manufacturer's u-blox ZOE-M8Q Page for more details.

VendorPart number
u-bloxZOE-M8Q

Acceleration Sensor

The acceration sensor on the RAk19026 is a ST LIS3DH 3-axis acceleration sensor. A ready-to-use SW library and tutorial make it easy to build up a motion detection and acceleration data acquisition system. It has an ultra-low-power high-performance three-axis linear accelerometer with a digital I2C interface. The device features ultra-low-power operational modes that allow advanced power saving and smart embedded functions.

The accelerometer of the RAK1904 module can be dynamically configured to work in the scales of ±2 g/±4 g/±8 g/±16g and is capable of measuring accelerations with output data rates from 1 Hz to 5.3 kHz.

Features
  • User selectable scales: ±2g/±4g/±8g/±16g
  • Data acquisition rates: from 1 Hz to 5.3 kHz
  • Voltage Supply: 3.3 V
  • Current Consumption: 0.5 uA to 11 uA
  • Chipset: ST LIS3DH
  • Module size: 10 x 10 mm#### Pin Definition
Chipset
VendorPart number
STLIS3DH

Connectors for WisBlock Sensor

The WisBlock sensor module connector is a 24-pin board-to-board connector.

Figure 640: WisBlock Sensor module connector
NOTE

There are three connectors reserved for the sensor modules on the RAK19026.

Connector DConnector CConnector BPin NumberPin NumberConnector BConnector CConnector D
TXD1NCNC12GNDGNDGND
SPI_CSSPI_CSSPI_CS34SPI_CLKSPI_CLKSPI_CLK
SPI_MISOSPI_MISOSPI_MISO56SPI_MOSISPI_MOSISPI_MOSI
I2C1_SCLI2C1_SCLI2C1_SCL78I2C1_SDAI2C1_SDAI2C1_SDA
VDDVDDVDD910IO1IO4IO6
3V3_S3V3_S3V3_S1112IO2IO3IO5
NCNCNC13143V3_S3V3_S3V3_S
NCNCNC1516VDDVDDVDD
NCNCNC1718NCNCNC
NCNCNC1920NCNCNC
NCNCNC2122NCNCNC
GNDGNDGND2324NCNCRXD1

As for the following table, it shows the pin name and description of each pin in the WisBlock Sensor module connector.

Pin NumberConnector BConnector CConnector DTypeDescription
1NCNCTXD1I/OUART TX signal
2GNDGNDGNDSGround
3SPI_CSSPI_CSSPI_CSI/OSPI chip select signal
4SPI_CLKSPI_CLKSPI_CLKI/OSPI clock
5SPI_MISOSPI_MISOSPI_MISOI/OSPI MISO signal
6SPI_MOSISPI_MOSISPI_MOSII/OSPI MOSI signal
7I2C1_SCLI2C1_SCLI2C1_SCLI/OI2C clock signal
8I2C1_SDAI2C1_SDAI2C1_SDAI/OI2C data signal
9VDDVDDVDDSGenerated by CPU module. Used to power sensor board if MCU IO level is not 3.3 V
10IO1IO4IO6I/OGeneral purpose IO. IO2 controls the power switch of 3V3_S. When the 3V3_S function is used, IO2 can not be used as an interrupt of the sensor.
113V3_S3V3_S3V3_SS3.3 V power supply. Can be shut down by the CPU module.
12IO2IO3IO5I/OGeneral purpose IO - IO controls the power switch of 3V3_S. When the 3V3_S function is used, IO2 cannot be used as an interrupt of the sensor.
13NCNCNCNCNot connected
143V3_S3V3_S3V3_SS3.3 V power supply. Can be shut down by the CPU module.
15NCNCNCNCNot connected
16VDDVDDVDDSGenerated by CPU module. Used to power sensor board if the MCU IO level is not 3.3 V.
17NCNCNCNCNot connected
18NCNCNCNCNot connected
19NCNCNCNCNot connected
20NCNCNCNCNot connected
21NCNCNCNCNot connected
22NCNCNCNCNot connected
23GNDGNDGNDSGround
24NCNCRXD1I/OUART RX signal

Connector for WisBlock IO Slot

The WisBlock Module IO Slot connector, as shown in Figure 13, is a 40-pin board-to-board connector.

NOTE

The two WisBlock 40-pin connectors have the same connections for all IO, signal, and serial pins (UART, SPI, I2C).

Figure 641: WisBlock IO slot connector

Pinout definition for IO slot:

Connector BConnector APin NumberPin NumberConnector AConnector B
VBATVBAT12VBATVBAT
GNDGND34GNDGND
3V33V3563V3_S3V3_S
USB+USB+78USB–USB–
VBUSVBUS910SW1SW1
TXD0TXD01112RXD0RXD0
RESETRESET1314LED1LED1
LED2LED21516LED3LED3
VDDVDD1718VDDVDD
I2C1_SDAI2C1_SDA1920I2C1_SCLI2C1_SCL
AIN0AIN02122AIN1AIN1
NCNC2324NCNC
SPI_CSSPI_CS2526SPI_CLKSPI_CLK
SPI_MISOSPI_MISO2728SPI_MOSISPI_MOSI
IO1IO12930IO2IO2
IO3IO33132IO4IO4
TXD1TXD13334RXD1RXD1
I2C2_SDAI2C2_SDA3536I2C2_SCLI2C2_SCL
IO5IO53738IO6IO6
GNDGND3940GNDGND

As for the following table, it shows the pin name and description of the WisBlock IO module connector.

Pin NumberPin NameTypeDescription
1VBATSPower supply from battery
2VBATSPower supply from battery
3GNDSGround
4GNDSGround
53V3S3.3 V power supply
63V3_SS3.3 V power supply. Can be shut down by a CPU module.
7USB+I/OUSB D+
8USB–I/OUSB D–
9VBUSS5 V input for USB
10SW1I/OUser Defined Button (available on RAK4631/RAK4631-R and 11200 WisBlock Cores)
11TXD0I/OMCU UART0 TX signal
12RXD0I/OMCU UART0 RX signal
13RESETIConnected to the reset switch, for MCU reset
14LED1I/OLED for battery charge indicator
15LED2I/OLED for custom used
16LED3I/OLED for custom used
17VDDSGenerated by CPU module - Used for power sensor board if the MCU IO level is not 3.3 V
18VDDSGenerated by CPU module - Used for power sensor board if the MCU IO level is not 3.3 V.
19I2C1_SDAI/OThe first set of I2C data signal
20I2C1_SCLI/OThe first set of I2C clock signal
21AIN0AAnalog input for ADC
22AIN1AAnalog input for ADC
23NCNCNot connect
24NCNCNot connect
25SPI_CSI/OSPI chip select signal
26SP_CLKI/OSPI clock
27SPI_MISOI/OSPI MISO signal
28SPI_MOSII/OSPI MOSI signal
29IO1I/OGeneral purpose IO
30IO2I/OUsed for 3V3_S enable
31IO3I/OGeneral purpose IO
32IO4I/OGeneral purpose IO
33TXD1I/OMCU UART1 TX signal
34RXD1I/OMCU UART1 RX signal
35I2C2_SDAI/OThe second set of I2C data signal
36I2C2_SCLI/OThe second set of I2C clock signal
37IO5I/OGeneral purpose IO
38IO6I/OGeneral purpose IO
39GNDSGround
40GNDSGround

Electrical Characteristics

Absolute Maximum Ratings

The Absolute Maximum Ratings of the device are shown in the table below. The stress ratings are the functional operation of the device.

warning
  1. If the stress rating goes above what is listed, it may cause permanent damage to the device.
  2. Under the listed conditions is not advised.
  3. Exposure to maximum rating conditions may affect the device reliability.
RatingsMaximum ValueUnit
Power supply on the USB port (VBUS)–0.3 to 5.5V
Battery voltage (VBAT)–0.3 to 4.3V
Solar panel voltage (CONN_S)–0.3 to 5.5V
IOs of WisBlock connector–0.3 to VDD+0.3V
ESD2000V
warning

The RAK19026, as any electronic equipment, is sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD). Improper handling can cause permanent damage to the module.

Current Consumption

The RAK19026 is designed for low-power IoT products, and the power supply uses a high-efficiency low grounding current regulator. When there is no module on RAK19026, the leakage current is lower than 2 µA. With WisBlock Core and WisBlock Sensor on it, the sleep current is lower than 10 µA. When a LoRa module is transmitting, the current may reach 130 mA.

ConditionsCurrentUnit
Leakage current, without any module on RAK190262µA
Idle current, with MCU and sensors in sleep mode10µA
Working current, with LoRa module transmitting130mA
Battery Connector

The RAK19026 WisMesh Base can be powered by a rechargeable battery, connected to the P2 connector. The nominal operating voltage of the battery should be within the range shown in the following table. The matching connector for the battery wires is an JST PHR-2 2 mm pitch female.

MinimumTypicalMaximumUnit
3.33.74.3V

The Type-C USB connector is used as a charging port. The voltage and current fed to the battery through the port should not exceed its charging limits, as shown in the table below.

ParameterValue
Charging voltage4.5 – 5.5 V
Charging current350 mA

A suitable Li-Ion battery should have the following parameters as shown in the table below:

ParameterValue
Standard voltage3.7 V
Charging voltage4.2 V
CapacityAs required
Discharge currentAt least 500 mA
NOTE

Do not use a non-rechargeable battery.

Solar Panel Connector

A 5 V solar panel can be connected to the board via the P1 connector. The solar panel can also be used to charge the Li-Ion battery. The matching connector for the solar panel wires is an JST ZHR-2 1.5 mm pitch female.

Mechanical Characteristics

Board Dimensions
NOTE

Top components

Figure 642: RAK19026 mechanical dimensions

Bottom components

Figure 643: RAK19026 mounting holes location and diameter top view
WisConnector PCB Layout
Figure 644: WisConnector PCB footprint and recommendations

Environmental Characteristics

The table below lists the operation and storage temperature requirements of RAK19026:

ParameterMinimumTypicalMaximum
Operational Temperature Range–35º C+25º C+75º C
Extended Temperature Range–40º C+25º C+80º C
Storage Temperature Range–40º C+25º C+80º C

Schematic Diagram

The component schematics diagram of the RAK19026 is shown in Figure 15 and Figure 16.

Figure 645: RAK19026 schematic diagram (Power)
Figure 646: RAK19026 schematic diagram (RAK4630)
Figure 647: RAK19026 schematic diagram (GNSS)
Figure 648: RAK19026 schematic diagram (Pin Headers - Acceleration Sensor)
Figure 649: RAK19026 schematic diagram (Module Slots)