Raytac’s Impact on the Zephyr Ecosystem – Little Module, Huge Potential

In this article, Stanley Huang, MSc, Deputy Manager of Firmware Development at Raytac, shares insights on how Raytac’s modules and development kits strengthen the Zephyr ecosystem.

[Stanley Huang, New Taipei City]
When we talk about open-source platforms like Zephyr RTOS, most people immediately think of major chip manufacturers such as ST Micro, NXP, or Nordic. But to me, what truly makes Zephyr famous amongst the developer community is through modules that developers can actually touch: those they can instantly plug in and start using right away. In these terms, Raytac is one of the most underrated and important contributors in this ecosystem.

Raytac Modules Make Zephyr More Accessible
Instead of being a chip vendor, we specialize in producing high-quality, globally certified modules – especially Bluetooth and Wi-Fi modules based on Nordic chipsets, such as the AN7002Q, AN54LQ, AN54LV, MDBT53, MDBT50Q, and MDBT42Q.
All these modules are already certified with Regional RF compliances(FCC, IC, CE, KC, etc.) and the latest Bluetooth Specifications, offering developers the assurance of “plug and play” and “production-ready” solutions.
We assure that our modules have become one of the easiest platforms for Zephyr developers to test BLE functionality.

I paired Zephyr with Raytac’s MDBT50Q-DB-40 development board when I first applied Zephyr in a BLE Peripheral project . With a simple west build -b nrf52840dk_nrf52840 followed by flashing the firmware using J-Link or nRF Connect for Desktop, the BLE beacon immediately showed up on my phone. Clean, simple, noise-free, and developer-friendly – that’s Raytac’s style.

Modules play an invaluable role in product development
Many would say Raytac only makes modules and the real core is still Nordic’s SoC.
But I believe that in an open-source system like Zephyr, the hardware that helps your project runs first is that which contributes the most.
Our Zephyr-registered development kits eliminate the hassles of manual soldering, regulatory certification, and antenna design, allowing engineers to fully focus on developing applications based on Zephyr.
They can run Zephyr’s BLE peripheral, central, GATT, and HCI samples directly on the Raytac kits that act as a one-stop hardware solution.
In many ways, Raytac has pushed Zephyr’s usability a significant step forward.

Raytac Also Expands Zephyr’s Application Horizon
Many of Raytac’s modules are ultra-compact- ideal for wearables, smart sensors, and low-power beacons…etc. These are the scenarios where Zephyr excels, and Raytac’s modules provide the physical platform to enable companies to build their “dream devices".
When running Zephyr on a tiny module like the AN54LV-15(Product Link), developers will be amazed that something smaller than a piece of corn kernel can run a full RTOS, manage the BLE stack, trigger timers, drive I2C sensors, and even connect to the cloud, all by itself.  This combination doesn’t just make development easier – it inspires developers to realize that: “they can build their projects using Raytac’s hardware.”

Raytac may not be the star, but we’re always ready for you
On Zephyr’s main stage, companies like Nordic, STM, and Intel take the spotlight, but Raytac plays an essential supporting role – supporting the performance from behind the scenes. We offer stable, high quality, and low-power platforms, giving every line of Zephyr code a place to run and every feature a cornerstone.
Our greatest value lies in helping developers skip antenna design and RF interference concerns – so they can jump right into the Zephyr ecosystem with ease.

Our products deliver the reliability you need and the efficiency you expect.

We invite you to explore more about how Raytac supports the Zephyr ecosystem and discover our range of development kits and modules designed for seamless integration.
Visit our Zephyr page here: https://docs.zephyrproject.org/latest/boards/raytac/index.html
Visit Zephyr’s Ecosystem Vendors page: https://www.zephyrproject.org/ecosystem-vendor-offerings/

For more information, please contact:
Raytac Contact Form: https://www.raytac.com/contact/
Raytac Sales email: sales@raytac.com
abietec Service email: service@abietec.com



Article by Firmware Deputy Manager: Stanley Huang
Edited by Business Development Manager: Tony Yin

Raytac Corporation 勁達國際電子股份有限公司 / Raytac Corporation (USA) / abietec Inc.
A Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and LoRa Module Maker/ODM & OEM Manufacturer based on
Nordic nRF54; nRF53: nRF52; nRF51; nRF7002
Semtech Specification: SX1262

Bluetooth Specification: BT6 ; BT5.4 ; BT5.3 ; BT5.2.
Wi-Fi Specification: Wi-Fi 6
LoRa Specification: LoRaWAN


All products are FCC/IC/CE/Telec/KC/RCM/SRRC/NCC/WPC/RoHS/Reach Pre-Certified.
http://www.raytac.com
https://www.raytac.com/contact/
email: sales@raytac.com
Tel: +886-2-3234-0208(TW)/+1-626-217-3139(USA)

Raytac nRF52 Modules Bluetooth Specification Updated to BT5.1

Raytac nRF52 series module now has been updated to BT5.1

QDID: 139361 / DID: D047708

Raytac Module BT5.1 Specification
Raytac Module BT5.1 Specification

Regulations, Certifications and Raytac’s Modules – What do we make more convenient for our customers?

Raytac’s pre-certified module for your convenience – but how?So, in this post, we would like to take you on a little journey through most of the important certifications that Raytac has pre-certified their modules with.
The exact topic is actually what you need to know and what that means to you as a Raytac customer.Obviously, each and every certification has their own rules, so that’s how we’re going to do this – one by one.

  1. FCC – (U.S.A.)

Most people in the industry have heard of FCC, but for you who really don’t know what it is, it’s the Federal Communications Commission in the United States of America. Although considered as a center for these regulations, you will soon realize that they’re not really the center of these regulations and laws at all.
So for the FCC certification, you can as a Raytac customer:

    1. Use Raytac’s certification ID directly on your finished product’s label

But you need to:

  1. Test FCC Part 15B EMC for your finished products
  1. IC – (Canada)

When it comes to the Industry Canada (yes, that’s what IC stands for), the regulations and procedures are much like their sibling FCC.

    1. Use Raytac’s certification ID on your finished product’s label (same as FCC)

But, just like FCC, you need to:

  1. Test IC ES003 (EMC)
    • This can be combined together with the FCC Part 15B test
  1. TELEC – (Japan)

TELEC, sometimes referred to as MIC, is surprisingly simple.
What you will need to do is:

  1. Use Raytac’s certification ID on your finished product’s label

Yes – you can actually just go right ahead and implement and/or commercialize your product after its parts are all proven TELEC certified which is pretty neat. However, there is another test that you as a customer can do if you wish, and that is VCCI which is just like the EMC tests mentioned above with the only difference (in terms of regulation) is that it’s NOT mandatory. Thus, you can choose not to do it as well.

  1. KC – (South Korea)

As for the Korean regulation, these are the things you will have to do:

  1. Test EMC for wireless (KN301489 – same as CE’s EN301489)
  2. Test EMC for wire (IO port) (KN3235)
    • If, and only if, your final product is equipped with IO ports, that is.

These two tests needs to be done locally (Korean test lab) and depending on which test it is, you’ll have to deal with them differently.
Firstly, for the wireless test, you can refer to Raytac’s own certification report so that the lab knows the module itself has passed although it still needs to be tested.
Secondly, the for wire (IO port) test, you will have to do from scratch essentially.
Thus, even though we have applied for KC for our modules, you will still have to test them locally.

  1. CE (Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU (RED)) – (EEA, Europe)

Although CE is considered as strict regulation, the procedure is pretty simple. Simply put, you will have to conduct tests on a few different samples, and the procedure goes:

  1. Test on Conducted engineering sample (EN300328)
    • You can refer to Raytac’s test report, if the test lab accepts it, that is.
      To ensure that they do, you can choose to conduct your tests at the same lab as Raytac – SGS.
  2. Test on Radiated engineering sample (EN300328)
  3. Test EMC (EN301489)
  4. Test Safety (EN60950)
    • Subject to change to EN62368 in 2021
  1. SRRC

Simply put, you will have 2 scenarios:

  1. Your end product can either be defined as a “Home Appliances" or an “Office Utilities" product
    • Then you can simply refer Raytac’s SRRC ID (module policy just like FCC/IC/TELEC)
  2. Your end product is neither of the above
    • You have to apply for your own SRRC ID by testing everything required by the regulation
  1. NCC

They go by a “Platform policy" which basically means that as long as you are just adding functionality onto an already existing feature, then you can leverage Raytac’s NCC ID on your product’s label directly (module policy just like FCC/IC/TELEC/SRRC). Otherwise, you will have to apply for a new one.
Thus, the procedure becomes:

  1. Adding functionality of an already existing feature (a.k.a. platform)?
    • Then you can simply refer Raytac’s NCC ID on your product (module policy just like FCC/IC/TELEC/SRRC)
  2. New ideas/features?
    • Sorry, you have to apply for your own NCC ID by conducting all tests necessary
  1. RCM

Australia’s RCM (Regulatory Compliance Mark) is a lot like CE, much like IC is similar to FCC.
When applying to this certification, you will be in either of these two circumstances:

  1. CE already done.
    • You can refer to your own CE certification and ask your test lab to copy the report to your RCM application.
  2. CE NOT done.
    • You must conduct the test from scratch. But it is a whole lot like CE, meaning:
    • Test on Conducted engineering sample
    • Test on Radiated engineering sample
    • Test EMC
    • Test Safety
  1. Bluetooth Certification

Last, but definitely not least, is the Bluetooth Certification. For this one, choosing Raytac’s modules will bring you great benefits. But first, you need to:

  1. Apply for Bluetooth SIG’s “Adopter Membership" (free)
    • You can apply for the membership here
  2. Purchase your DID
  3. Leverage Raytac’s QDID
    • To activate your newly purchased DID

For your first product, that is all you will have to do. But what if you come up with a new model of the product? Before you ask, I will answer “No – you don’t necessarily have to purchase another DID." In order for this to be true though, your new product cannot have either of these things changed:

  1. Hardware
    • Unless you are still using Raytac’s module
  2. Feature
    • Unless you are still using Raytac’s module
  3. Brand Name
    • Brand name remains unchanged.

Although you might be able to apply for these certifications all on your own without trouble whatsoever, we always encourage customers using Raytac’s BLE modules to contact us before hand so that we can provide you valuable information. This way, you will get unbiased guidance which will save you time and money.

As always – Happy tinkering everybody 🙂

Raytac Corporation 勁達國際電子有限公司 A BT 5.1 & BT 5 & BT 4.2 module maker based on Nordic nRF51 & nRF52 solution (nRF52840 & nRF52832 & nRF52811 & nRF52810 & nRF51822)

www.raytac.com email: cs@raytac.com Tel: +886.2.3234.0208