Arduino Nano 33 BLE - ElectronicsWiki.com

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Overview

The Arduino Nano 33 BLE is a compact 32-bit board built around the Nordic nRF52840 ARM Cortex-M4 microcontroller, packaged inside a u-blox NINA-B306 module. Released in 2019, it represents a major step up from the classic AVR-based Nano in terms of processing power and memory: 1 MB of Flash and 256 KB of SRAM, running at 64 MHz, make it capable of tasks that would overwhelm the 2 KB SRAM of the ATmega328P.

Alongside the more powerful MCU, the Nano 33 BLE includes a built-in LSM9DS1 9-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) combining a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, and 3-axis magnetometer. This makes the board immediately useful for motion-sensing, orientation, and gesture-recognition projects without additional hardware.

Bluetooth Low Energy 5 is provided by the nRF52840's integrated radio. The board is BLE-only — there is no Wi-Fi and no classic Bluetooth. For projects requiring Wi-Fi or both Wi-Fi and BLE, consider the Nano 33 IoT or Nano RP2040 Connect.

The board operates at 3.3V logic throughout. It is physically pin-compatible with the classic Nano footprint but is NOT electrically compatible with 5V peripherals on its I/O pins.

Quick Overview

Feature	Detail
Microcontroller	Nordic nRF52840 (via u-blox NINA-B306)
CPU	ARM Cortex-M4 with FPU
Clock Speed	64 MHz
Operating/Logic Voltage	3.3V (NOT 5V tolerant)
Flash Memory	1 MB
SRAM	256 KB
Bluetooth	BLE 5.0 (no Wi-Fi, no classic Bluetooth)
IMU	LSM9DS1 (9-axis	accelerometer + gyroscope + magnetometer)
Digital I/O Pins	22
PWM Pins	9
Analog Input Pins	8 (12-bit ADC)
USB Interface	micro-USB
Dimensions	18 × 45 mm

Key Features

Nordic nRF52840 ARM Cortex-M4 at 64 MHz with hardware floating-point unit (FPU)
1 MB Flash and 256 KB SRAM — dramatically more than the classic Nano
Bluetooth Low Energy 5 built in (BLE peripheral and central roles supported)
LSM9DS1 9-axis IMU onboard: accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer
9 PWM-capable pins for motor and LED control
12-bit ADC on 8 analog input pins
Hardware UART, I2C, and SPI
Pin-compatible with classic Arduino Nano (same 18 × 45 mm footprint)
Board package: Arduino Mbed OS Nano Boards
3.3V logic throughout — suited for modern low-voltage sensors and modules

Technical Specifications

Parameter	Value
Microcontroller	Nordic nRF52840 (via u-blox NINA-B306 module)
CPU Core	ARM Cortex-M4 with FPU
Clock Speed	64 MHz
Operating/Logic Voltage	3.3V
Input Voltage (USB)	5V via micro-USB
Input Voltage (VIN)	4.5–21V
USB Connector	micro-USB (USB-to-serial bridge)
Flash Memory	1 MB
SRAM	256 KB
Bluetooth	BLE 5.0
Classic Bluetooth	Not supported
Wi-Fi	Not supported
IMU	LSM9DS1 (3-axis accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer)
Digital I/O Pins	22
PWM Channels	9
Analog Input Pins	8 (A0–A7)
ADC Resolution	12-bit
UART	1
I2C	1
SPI	1
Board Dimensions	18 × 45 mm

Pinout

Digital Pins

22 digital I/O pins are available in the standard Nano layout. D0 (RX) and D1 (TX) are shared with the hardware UART.

PWM Pins

9 pins support PWM output via analogWrite(). The nRF52840 uses configurable hardware PWM peripherals.

Analog Pins

8 analog input pins (A0–A7) are connected to the nRF52840's 12-bit SAR ADC.

Communication Pins

Interface	Pins
UART	D0 (RX), D1 (TX)
I2C	A4 (SDA), A5 (SCL)
SPI	D10 (SS), D11 (MOSI), D12 (MISO), D13 (SCK)

Power Pins

Pin	Function
VIN	External supply input (4.5–21V)
5V	5V output from regulator
3.3V	3.3V regulated output (from onboard regulator)
GND	Ground
RESET	Resets the microcontroller

Power

The Arduino Nano 33 BLE is powered via:

Micro-USB: 5V from USB bus, regulated to 3.3V onboard.
VIN pin: accepts 4.5–21V, regulated down to 3.3V.

All I/O operates at 3.3V. Idle current draw is approximately 5 mA without BLE radio active; BLE advertising adds a few milliamps depending on interval.

On-Board Components

Component	Description
LSM9DS1 IMU	9-axis IMU	3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, 3-axis magnetometer
u-blox NINA-B306	Module containing the Nordic nRF52840 SoC and BLE antenna
Onboard LED	Single LED on D13 (LED_BUILTIN)
RGB LED	Onboard RGB LED (red, green, blue channels)

The LSM9DS1 is accessible via the Arduino_LSM9DS1 library (install via Library Manager). It communicates with the nRF52840 over I2C internally.

#include <Arduino_LSM9DS1.h> void setup() { Serial.begin(9600); while (!Serial); if (!IMU.begin()) { Serial.println("IMU failed to start"); while (1); } Serial.println("IMU ready."); } void loop() { float ax, ay, az; if (IMU.accelerationAvailable()) { IMU.readAcceleration(ax, ay, az); Serial.print("Accel X: "); Serial.print(ax); Serial.print(" Y: "); Serial.print(ay); Serial.print(" Z: "); Serial.println(az); } delay(100); }

Wireless Connectivity

The Nano 33 BLE supports Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0 only. Classic Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are not available on this board. Use the ArduinoBLE library for BLE communication.

BLE Peripheral Example

#include <ArduinoBLE.h> BLEService ledService("19B10000-E8F2-537E-4F6C-D104768A1214"); BLEByteCharacteristic switchChar("19B10001-E8F2-537E-4F6C-D104768A1214", BLERead | BLEWrite); void setup() { Serial.begin(9600); pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT); if (!BLE.begin()) { Serial.println("BLE failed to start"); while (1); } BLE.setLocalName("NanoBLE"); BLE.setAdvertisedService(ledService); ledService.addCharacteristic(switchChar); BLE.addService(ledService); switchChar.writeValue(0); BLE.advertise(); Serial.println("BLE LED peripheral ready"); } void loop() { BLEDevice central = BLE.central(); if (central) { while (central.connected()) { if (switchChar.written()) { digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, switchChar.value() ? HIGH : LOW); } } } }

Getting Started

Install the Board Package

In the Arduino IDE, open Tools > Board > Boards Manager. Search for "Arduino Mbed OS Nano Boards" and install it. Select Arduino Nano 33 BLE from the board list.

Install Required Libraries

From the Library Manager, install:

ArduinoBLE (for Bluetooth Low Energy)
Arduino_LSM9DS1 (for the onboard IMU)

Blink Example

void setup() { pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT); } void loop() { digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH); delay(1000); digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW); delay(1000); }

Programming

The Nano 33 BLE is programmed via the Arduino IDE using the Arduino Mbed OS Nano Boards package. The board uses Mbed OS as its underlying RTOS, which enables advanced features like threads and mutexes for experienced users.

Uploading is done via the micro-USB port. If the board does not appear as a COM port, double-press the RESET button to enter bootloader mode — the onboard LED will pulse to indicate bootloader mode is active.

Package Contents

Item	Quantity
Arduino Nano 33 BLE board	1
micro-USB cable	1 (included with some retail versions; check listing)

Applications

BLE beacons and proximity sensors
Motion detection, gesture recognition, and orientation tracking (using LSM9DS1)
Wearable fitness and health monitors
Robotics with wireless feedback
BLE-connected smart home devices
Low-power portable data loggers
Educational projects involving 32-bit ARM and Bluetooth

Where to Buy

Retailer	Link
Arduino Official Store	https	//store.arduino.cc/products/arduino-nano-33-ble
Amazon	https	//www.amazon.com/s?k=Arduino+Nano+33+BLE

Equivalent Boards

Board	Key Difference
Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense	Same board plus environmental sensors (humidity, pressure, mic, gesture)
Arduino Nano 33 IoT	Wi-Fi + BLE 4.2, SAMD21 MCU (32-bit ARM M0+), 3.3V
Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect	RP2040 dual-core MCU, Wi-Fi + BLE, same NINA-W102 module, 3.3V

Documentation

Resource	Link
Official Product Page	https	//store.arduino.cc/products/arduino-nano-33-ble
Documentation & Pinout	https	//docs.arduino.cc/hardware/nano-33-ble
ArduinoBLE Library	https	//www.arduino.cc/reference/en/libraries/arduinoble/
Arduino_LSM9DS1 Library	https	//www.arduino.cc/reference/en/libraries/arduino_lsm9ds1/
nRF52840 Product Spec	https	//infocenter.nordicsemi.com/pdf/nRF52840_PS_v1.7.pdf

Notes

WARNING: The Nano 33 BLE operates at 3.3V logic. I/O pins are NOT 5V tolerant. Connecting 5V signals to any I/O pin can permanently damage the board. Use a level shifter when interfacing with 5V devices.
The board is BLE-only. There is no Wi-Fi radio. If your project needs Wi-Fi, consider the Nano 33 IoT or Nano RP2040 Connect instead.
If the board is not recognized over USB, double-press the RESET button to enter bootloader mode (LED will pulse). Then re-upload your sketch.
The Mbed OS board package enables RTOS features (threads, semaphores). This is optional but available for advanced scheduling needs.
The onboard LSM9DS1 connects to the nRF52840 via an internal I2C bus. The external I2C pins (A4/A5) are on a separate bus and can be used simultaneously.

Community

Arduino Forum — official community for questions and projects
Arduino Discord — real-time chat with the Arduino community
r/arduino (Reddit) — share projects and ask questions
Arduino Project Hub — browse community-submitted projects

Revision History

Version	Date	Notes
v1.0	2026-06	Initial entry