Adafruit Feather nRF52840 Express

The Adafruit Feather Bluefruit Sense takes the popular Feather nRF52840 Express and adds a smorgasbord of sensors to make a great wireless sensor platform.

This Feather microcontroller comes with Bluetooth Low Energy and native USB support featuring the nRF52840!  This Feather is an ‘all-in-one’ Arduino-compatible + Bluetooth Low Energy with built-in USB plus battery charging. With native USB it works great with CircuitPython, too.

Like the Feather nRF52840, this chip comes with Arduino IDE support – you can program the nRF52840 chip directly to take full advantage of the Cortex-M4 processor, and then call into the Nordic SoftDevice radio stack when you need to communicate over BLE. Since the underlying API and peripherals are the same for the ‘832 and ‘840, you can supercharge your older nRF52832 projects with the same exact code, with a single recompile!

This Feather is also a BLE-friendly CircuitPython board! CircuitPython works best with disk drive access, and this is the only BLE-plus-USB-native chip that has the memory to handle running a little Python interpreter. The massive RAM and speedy Cortex M4F chip make this a good match. Make centrals or peripherals with the ease of CircuitPython.

FEATURES:

1. ARM Cortex M4F (with HW floating point acceleration) running at 64MH
2. 1MB flash and 256KB SRAM
3. Native Open Source USB stack – pre-programmed with UF2 bootloader
4. Bluetooth Low Energy compatible 2.4GHz radio (Details available in the nRF52840 product specification)
5. FCC / IC / TELEC certified module
6. Up to +8dBm output power
7. 1.7v to 3.3v operation with internal linear and DC/DC voltage regulators
8. 21 GPIO, 6 x 12-bit ADC pins, up to 12 PWM outputs (3 PWM modules with 4 outputs each)
9. Pin #3 red LED for general purpose blinking, NeoPixel for colourful feedback
10. Power/enable pin
11. Measures 2.0×0.9×0.28″ (51x23x7.2mm) without headers soldered in
12. 6 grams
13. 4 mounting holes
14. Reset button
15. SWD connector for debugging
16. Works out of the box with all Adafruit FeatherWings (Even the UART-using ones like the GPS FeatherWing)

Package Includes:

1 x Adafruit Feather nRF52840 Express

Datasheet:-

https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/downloads/pdf/introducing-the-adafruit-nrf52840-feather.pdf

Adafruit Feather nRF52840 Express Overview

The Adafruit Feather nRF52840 Express is a compact development board built around the Nordic nRF52840 ARM Cortex-M4F processor clocked at 64 MHz with integrated Bluetooth Low Energy and native USB support. It features 1 MB of flash, 256 KB of SRAM, a LiPo battery connector with onboard charger, and an SWD header, making it ideal for portable BLE and USB-powered projects.

Key Features of Adafruit Feather nRF52840 Express

• ARM Cortex-M4F processor running at 64 MHz with floating-point unit for efficient computation
• 1 MB onboard flash memory and 256 KB SRAM to host complex firmware and data buffers
• Integrated Nordic SoftDevice Bluetooth Low Energy radio for reliable wireless communication
• Native USB interface (micro-USB) for programming, data transfer, and serial console
• Onboard LiPo battery charger and JST connector for 3.7 V cells allows true portable operation
• SWD header exposed for in-circuit debugging and advanced firmware flashing
• Available from Zbotic with genuine product guarantee and fast shipping

Applications and Use Cases

• Battery-powered BLE sensor nodes for environmental monitoring
• Portable USB devices such as MIDI controllers or custom human interfaces
• CircuitPython-based prototypes requiring both USB and BLE connectivity
• Arduino-compatible BLE applications, e.g., custom smartphone peripherals
• Low-power IoT gateways or mesh network endpoints with minimal footprint

How to Use Adafruit Feather nRF52840 Express

Connect the Feather nRF52840 Express to your computer via micro-USB to access the bootloader and flash firmware using Arduino IDE or drag-and-drop CircuitPython UF2 files. Attach a 3.7 V LiPo battery to the JST connector for standalone operation—the onboard charger will replenish the pack whenever USB power is present. For advanced debugging or firmware updates, plug an SWD debugger into the exposed header pads.

Why Buy from Zbotic?

• Genuine Products: All items sourced from authorized distributors
• Fast Shipping: Orders ship within 24 hours with tracking (non backordered products)
• Free Shipping: Free delivery on qualifying orders
• COD Available: Cash on Delivery, UPI, cards, net banking
• Technical Support: Expert help for setup and troubleshooting
• Easy Returns: Hassle-free replacement for defective products

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Feather nRF52840 Express support CircuitPython?

Yes, the board’s native USB bootloader and storage allow you to copy the CircuitPython UF2 firmware directly onto its USB volume, instantly enabling Python scripting on the nRF52840.

What battery specifications are required?

The on-board charging circuit supports single-cell 3.7 V lithium polymer batteries up to 500 mA charge current. Simply plug in a standard 1 cell LiPo pack via the JST connector.

How do I perform hardware debugging?

Use the exposed 10-pin SWD pads to connect a compatible SWD debugger (e.g., SEGGER J-Link). This provides full access to breakpoints, memory inspection, and step-through debugging of your firmware.

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