Beacon offers proximity-sensing Bluetooth applications

Mouser Electronics, Inc. is now stocking the PAN1740 Beacon from Panasonic. The PAN1740 Beacon, based on the PAN1740 Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) module, is pre-configured to work out of the box by adding a CR2032 battery and using the Locate Beacon app for Android and iOS. The Beacon continuously transmits a unique user ID to smartphones, tablets, and personal computers, which then use an app to perform actions such as indoor positioning, providing shoppers with personalized sales pitches and promotions, and presenting information on points of interest.

Panasonic’s PAN1740 Beacon, available from Mouser Electronics, is based on the PAN1740 Bluetooth module, which features a fully shielded case, integrated chip antenna, and on-board crystal oscillators. The module provides the Beacon with receiver (Rx) sensitivity of -93 dBm and output power up to 0 dBm. Using less than 5mA in transmit (Tx) mode, the ultra-low power consumption enables the Beacon to run for 18 months on a single coin cell battery. The compact, 26×24mm beacon includes an antenna, ARM Cortex-M0 processor with 256 kBytes of flash memory, and a CR2032 coin cell battery holder.

The PAN1740 Beacon is available from Mouser with or without an 18-pin connector compatible with the Beacon Kit’s adaptor cable. For development, designers can use the PAN1740 Beacon Kit to create custom applications and beacon-specific parameters. Each PAN1740 Beacon Kit consists of five PAN1740 Beacons with 18-pin connectors, a Dialog DA14580 motherboard, Beacon adapter board, and adaptor cable.