Conexio Stratus Pro is a tiny-yet-powerful development kit for creating cellular-connected electronic projects and products. Powered by the cutting-edge nRF9161 cellular modem from Nordic Semiconductor, Stratus Pro offers unparalleled versatility, reliability, and ease of use, making it the go-to solution for IoT developers worldwide. It is a battery-operated platform, making it ideal for prototyping cellular IoT systems, such as asset tracking, environmental monitoring, smart metering, and even industrial automation.

With LTE-M, NB-IoT, and GPS connectivity packed into a compact form factor, Stratus Pro ensures your devices stay connected in any environment. It enables real-time data transmission and location tracking with minimal power consumption. Future-proof your IoT projects with DECT NR+ readiness, ensuring compatibility with emerging cellular standards for enhanced performance and longevity.

Stratus Pro also supports platforms like Edge Impulse, Memfault, and Golioth, leveraging machine learning (ML) to provide seamless Over-the-Air (OTA) updates to your devices. ML capabilities are extremely helpful in implementing predictive maintenance in scenarios where uninterrupted operation is particularly important, such as in smart factories. For easy data visualization and dashboard creation, Stratus Pro also connects to Datacake, a low-code IoT platform that requires no programming.

Built-In Battery Charging, Monitoring, and Energy-Harvesting

Thanks to the nPM1300 PMIC and fuel gauge, you can remotely monitor your Stratus Pro’s battery vitals and charging status. Stratus Pro also has built-in charging circuitry that makes it easier to connect to and recharge the Li-Po battery, creating fully energy-autonomous applications.

Ultra Low-Power by Design

In numerous battery-operated IoT applications, devices primarily spend most of its time in low-power mode. Hence, minimizing overall power consumption of Stratus Pro during this mode was a paramount design objective. We are thrilled with the outcome and have confirmed that Stratus Pro consumes less than 9 µA in its ultra-low power state.

Compact Feather Form Factor

Designed to be adaptable, Status Pro also embraces modularity. Its QWIIC connector and feather-compatible 28 header pins are ready to integrate with compatible modules, allowing you to extend its functionality with additional hardware like cameras, thermometers, or ultrasonic distance sensors.

In addition, the Conexio Stratus Pro is equipped with a USB Type-C port, enhancing its connectivity options. This port allows for easy connection with a wide range of devices and accessories, making charging, debugging, and programming a breeze.

Prepaid Global Data Included

Each Stratus Pro debvice comes pre-loaded with 500 MB of IoT data and 250 SMS messages, valid for 10 years, no strings attached.

Whether you’re deploying IoT solutions locally or internationally, Stratus Pro has you covered. With service availability in over 100 countries, you can confidently connect your devices anywhere, anytime. And if you want to migrate Stratus Pro to your local network of choice or provider, the switch is easy with eSIM and software SIM support.

Visual Studio Code Plugin Support

To make the application and project development with Conexio Stratus Pro fun and fast for low-level application designers and novices alike, we made Stratus compatible with nRF Connect for Visual Studio Code. Using the nRF Connect plugin, you can build, compile, and deploy code to the Stratus Pro with minimal effort. Create projects with nRF Connect SDK and Zephyr RTOS with built-in templates created by the Conexio team.

Pinouts

Features & Specifications

MCU: Nordic nRF9161 SiP

• ARM Cortex-M33 with 1 MB Flash
• 256 kB RAM
• Pre-programmed MCUBoot bootloader

Modem

• Transceiver and baseband
• 3GPP LTE release 14 LTE-M/NB-IoT support
• DECT NR+ ready
• GPS/GNSS receiver
• RF Transceiver for global coverage supporting bands:
• B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B8, B12, B13, B17, B18, B19, B20, B25, B26, B28, B65 (new), B66, and B85 (new)
• Supports 4FF Nano SIM, optional eSIM, or software SIM

Included cellular Data

• 500 MB of cellular data
• 250 SMS messages
• Valid for 10 years, can be reloaded or moved to a new plan
• Service available in 100+ countries (LTE + NB-IoT)

Power Management IC: Nordic nPM1300

• 800 mA battery charger
• Dual 200 mA buck DC/DC regulator

Charging IC: Texas Instruments BQ25185

• Charge inputs: 3 V to 18 V
• Supports Li-ion, Li-Poly, and LiFePO4 battery chemistries

External Storage:

• 16 KBit I2C EEPROM memory (24CW160T)

Power

• Operating range 1.8 to 5.5 V
• External LiPo battery connection (2 Pin JST type)
• Maximum output current: 800 mA
• Output voltages (via headers): 1.8 V, 3.3 V, 5 V (VUSB), VBAT
• SPDT slide switch for turning Stratus Pro on or off
• Quiescent current of entire board < 9 μA

Onboard sensors

• Battery fuel gauge enabled by nPM1300
• STMicroelectronics LIS2DH MEMS high-performance 3-axis accelerometer

I/O

• USB Type-C, for USB-to-Serial, DFU, and application firmware programming and debugging or battery charging
• 1 x U.FL for LTE-M/NB-IoT antenna
• 1 x U.FL for passive GPS antenna
• Total I/O pinouts: 36
• User I/O: Feather-compatible header, 28 programmable GPIO pins, 2 push buttons (1 reset, 1 programmable), 1 programmable LED
• QWIIC connector for external peripherals
• Supports J-Link and CMSIS-DAP-based programmers
• Onboard 10-pin 0.05 " (1.27 mm) mini SWD/JTAG pin connector

Size: 66.04 mm x 25.40 mm

Comparisons

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Open Source

We have made the Stratus Pro sample applications fully open-source to empower users to customize and enhance their devices while fostering a collaborative community. Device schematics will be made available when we are ready to begin shipping boards to our backers.

• Board schematics
• Firmware
• Conexio Learning Hub
• Full Product Datasheet
• Tutorials

We welcome questions and discussion on our discussions forum on Github.

What’s included in the box

Options 1 & 2

• 1 x Conexio Stratus Pro dev kit.
• 1 x IoT SIM card
• 1 x Getting Started instructions card/sticker
• Out-of-the-box, Stratus Pro kit comes with pre-loaded firmware that periodically blinks the LED.

Option 3

• 1 x Conexio Stratus Pro dev kit.
• 1 x Getting Started instructions card/sticker
• Out-of-the-box, Stratus Pro kit comes with pre-loaded firmware that periodically blinks the LED.

Manufacturing Plan

Stratus Pro hardware has been refined gradually over multiple pre-production revisions. The latest revision has been thoroughly validated and is already being used by a number of pre-production testers and open-source contributors. Each board will be tested prior to shipment to our backers. We have developed working relationships with several contract manufacturers in China, and we trust them to manufacture and assemble Stratus Pro electronics. We are working closely with a number of distributors and vendors—including Nordic Semiconductor, who designed the main nRF9161 SiP module and nPM1300 PMIC, and Symmetry Electronics, to accelerate component acquisition so that we can manufacture Conexio Stratus Pro as quickly as possible after end of the campaign. We expect the first batch of Conexio Stratus Pro to ship to our backers by August of 2024. As always, we’ll keep you up to date on manufacturing developments as they occur! Updates will be posted to the Conexio Discord Channel, as well as on Crowd Supply campaign updates, and sent via email to campaign subscribers.

Fulfillment & Logistics

After the Stratus Pro hardware is manufactured and tested, it will be sent to Crowd Supply’s fulfillment partner, Mouser Electronics, who will distribute it to the backers worldwide. You can learn more about Crowd Supply’s fulfillment service under Ordering, Paying, and Shipping in their guide.

Risks & Challenges

We are confident in our ability to deliver the Stratus Pro device on time to our backers, but we acknowledge the potential risks and challenges inherent in the development and fulfillment process. These include shipment delays or production delays from our PCB manufacturers.

To reduce the above delays as much as possible, we’ve been working directly with our suppliers, manufacturers, and critical-component vendors to acquire the necessary components as soon as possible. We’ve made arrangements to ensure the manufacturing process will start as soon as possible once all necessary components are on hand.

Please be confident that our team is fully prepared to address these challenges as we have done this before. We will keep our backers informed of any updates or potential delays throughout the project’s timeline. We are dedicated to delivering Stratus Pro as promised, and with your support, we can unlock the full potential of accelerating the device to cloud connectivity via Stratus Pro.