Home / Arduino / Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense

Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense

Category: Arduino
Manufacturer: Arduino
SKU: ABX00031
Status: Active
Release Year: 2019
Form Factor: Arduino Nano
Read Time: ~9 min read

Image Gallery

Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense top view
Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense bottom view
Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense pinout diagram
Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense top view
Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense bottom view
Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense pinout diagram

Overview

The Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense shares its core hardware with the Arduino Nano 33 BLE — the same Nordic nRF52840 ARM Cortex-M4 microcontroller at 64 MHz, 1 MB Flash, 256 KB SRAM, and Bluetooth Low Energy 5. What sets it apart is a comprehensive collection of onboard environmental and motion sensors packed onto the same 18 × 45 mm Nano form factor.

In addition to the LSM9DS1 9-axis IMU found on the plain Nano 33 BLE, the Sense version adds a temperature and humidity sensor (HTS221), a barometric pressure sensor (LPS22HB), a PDM digital microphone (MP34DT05), and a multifunction sensor for color, proximity, and gesture detection (APDS9960). This suite of sensors makes the Nano 33 BLE Sense one of the most sensor-rich Arduino boards available at its size.

The board is closely associated with machine learning at the edge (TinyML). Arduino and Edge Impulse have collaborated to make the Nano 33 BLE Sense a first-class target for training and deploying ML models for keyword spotting, gesture recognition, and anomaly detection — all running locally on the nRF52840 without a cloud connection.

Rev2 Note

A revised version, the Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense Rev2, is also available. It replaces the LSM9DS1 with the BMI270 + BMM150 IMU and the HTS221 with the HS3003 temperature/humidity sensor. The Rev2 also uses the BMI270 for its accelerometer/gyroscope functions and the BMM150 for the magnetometer. All other features remain the same. When purchasing, check which revision your retailer stocks.

IMPORTANT: The Nano 33 BLE Sense operates at 3.3V logic. I/O pins are NOT 5V tolerant.

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
IMU LSM9DS1 (9-axis) — Rev2 BMI270 + BMM150
Temperature & Humidity HTS221 — Rev2 HS3003
Barometric Pressure LPS22HB
Microphone MP34DT05 (PDM MEMS)
Color / Proximity / Gesture APDS9960
Dimensions 18 × 45 mm

Key Features

  • Nordic nRF52840 ARM Cortex-M4 at 64 MHz with hardware FPU
  • 1 MB Flash and 256 KB SRAM for ML model storage and inference
  • Bluetooth Low Energy 5 integrated (BLE peripheral and central)
  • LSM9DS1 9-axis IMU (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer)
  • HTS221 temperature and humidity sensor
  • LPS22HB barometric pressure sensor
  • MP34DT05 PDM MEMS digital microphone — suitable for keyword spotting
  • APDS9960 RGB color, proximity, and gesture sensor
  • Officially supported by Edge Impulse for TinyML model deployment
  • Pin-compatible with the classic Arduino Nano footprint (18 × 45 mm)
  • Board package: Arduino Mbed OS Nano Boards
  • 3.3V logic throughout

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
Flash Memory 1 MB
SRAM 256 KB
Bluetooth BLE 5.0
Wi-Fi Not supported
IMU LSM9DS1 (9-axis) — Rev2 BMI270 + BMM150
Temperature & Humidity HTS221 — Rev2 HS3003
Barometric Pressure LPS22HB
Microphone MP34DT05 (PDM digital MEMS)
Color/Proximity/Gesture APDS9960
Digital I/O Pins 22
PWM Channels 9
Analog Input Pins 8 (A0–A7, 12-bit ADC)
ADC Resolution 12-bit
UART 1
I2C 1 (external) + internal bus for sensors
SPI 1
Board Dimensions 18 × 45 mm

Pinout

Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense pinout diagram

Digital Pins

22 digital I/O pins in standard Nano layout. D0 (RX) and D1 (TX) are shared with the hardware UART. D13 is LED_BUILTIN.

PWM Pins

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

Analog Pins

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

Communication Pins

Interface Pins
UART D0 (RX), D1 (TX)
I2C (external) 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
GND Ground
RESET Resets the microcontroller

Power

The Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense is powered via micro-USB (5V) or the VIN pin (4.5–21V). All logic operates at 3.3V. The added sensors increase idle current slightly compared to the plain Nano 33 BLE. During BLE advertising and microphone sampling, expect 10–20 mA typical draw.

On-Board Components

Component Part Function
9-axis IMU LSM9DS1 (Rev2 BMI270 + BMM150) Accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer
Temp & Humidity HTS221 (Rev2 HS3003) Relative humidity (0–100% RH) and temperature
Barometric Pressure LPS22HB Absolute pressure (260–1260 hPa)
Microphone MP34DT05 PDM MEMS digital microphone for audio capture
Color/Proximity/Gesture APDS9960 RGB color, ambient light, proximity, directional gesture
MCU Module u-blox NINA-B306 Contains nRF52840 SoC and BLE antenna
RGB LED Onboard User-addressable RGB LED

All onboard sensors communicate with the nRF52840 over internal I2C or SPI buses. They do not occupy the external I2C or SPI pins unless the same pins are physically shared.

Wireless Connectivity

The Nano 33 BLE Sense supports Bluetooth Low Energy 5 via the nRF52840 integrated radio. Use the ArduinoBLE library for BLE peripheral and central roles. Wi-Fi is not available on this board.

#include <ArduinoBLE.h> BLEService sensorService("181A"); // Environmental Sensing service BLEFloatCharacteristic tempChar("2A6E", BLERead | BLENotify); void setup() { Serial.begin(9600); if (!BLE.begin()) { Serial.println("BLE start failed"); while (1); } BLE.setLocalName("NanoSense"); BLE.setAdvertisedService(sensorService); sensorService.addCharacteristic(tempChar); BLE.addService(sensorService); BLE.advertise(); } void loop() { BLE.poll(); // (Update tempChar with sensor readings periodically) }

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 Sense from the board list.

Install Required Libraries

From the Library Manager, install:

  • ArduinoBLE
  • Arduino_LSM9DS1 (or Arduino_BMI270_BMM150 for Rev2)
  • Arduino_HTS221 (or Arduino_HS300x for Rev2)
  • Arduino_LPS22HB
  • Arduino_APDS9960

Read All Sensors

#include <Arduino_HTS221.h> #include <Arduino_LPS22HB.h> #include <Arduino_APDS9960.h> void setup() { Serial.begin(9600); while (!Serial); HTS.begin(); BARO.begin(); APDS.begin(); } void loop() { float temp = HTS.readTemperature(); float hum = HTS.readHumidity(); float pres = BARO.readPressure(); Serial.print("Temp: "); Serial.print(temp); Serial.print(" C "); Serial.print("Humidity: "); Serial.print(hum); Serial.print("% "); Serial.print("Pressure: "); Serial.print(pres); Serial.println(" kPa"); if (APDS.proximityAvailable()) { int prox = APDS.readProximity(); Serial.print("Proximity: "); Serial.println(prox); } delay(1000); }

Programming

The Nano 33 BLE Sense is programmed via the Arduino IDE using the Arduino Mbed OS Nano Boards package. If the board is not detected on USB, double-press RESET to enter bootloader mode (onboard LED will pulse slowly).

The board is also supported by TensorFlow Lite for Microcontrollers via the Harvard_TinyMLx library and the Edge Impulse Arduino library, enabling deployment of ML models trained in the cloud directly onto the device.

// Keyword detection setup sketch (abbreviated — use Edge Impulse export for full model) #include <PDM.h> short sampleBuffer[256]; volatile int samplesRead; void onPDMdata() { int bytesAvailable = PDM.available(); PDM.read(sampleBuffer, bytesAvailable); samplesRead = bytesAvailable / 2; } void setup() { Serial.begin(9600); PDM.onReceive(onPDMdata); PDM.begin(1, 16000); // mono, 16 kHz Serial.println("Microphone ready."); } void loop() { if (samplesRead) { for (int i = 0; i < samplesRead; i++) { Serial.println(sampleBuffer[i]); } samplesRead = 0; } }

Package Contents

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

Applications

  • TinyML and Edge AI: keyword spotting, gesture classification, anomaly detection
  • Environmental monitoring: temperature, humidity, pressure logging
  • Gesture-controlled interfaces using the APDS9960
  • Proximity detection and ambient light sensing
  • Microphone-based audio processing and sound classification
  • BLE-connected sensor nodes for IoT dashboards
  • Wearable health and fitness monitors
  • Research and academic machine learning projects

Where to Buy

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

Equivalent Boards

Board Key Difference
Arduino Nano 33 BLE Same MCU and BLE, no environmental sensors (base version)
Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect RP2040 MCU, Wi-Fi + BLE, onboard microphone, no full sensor suite
Arduino Nano 33 IoT SAMD21 MCU, Wi-Fi + BLE 4.2, no onboard sensors

Documentation

Resource Link
Official Product Page https//store.arduino.cc/products/arduino-nano-33-ble-sense
Documentation & Pinout https//docs.arduino.cc/hardware/nano-33-ble-sense
Edge Impulse Integration https//docs.edgeimpulse.com/docs/development-platforms/officially-supported-mcu-targets/arduino-nano-33-ble-sense
ArduinoBLE Library https//www.arduino.cc/reference/en/libraries/arduinoble/
nRF52840 Product Spec https//infocenter.nordicsemi.com/pdf/nRF52840_PS_v1.7.pdf

Notes

  • WARNING: The Nano 33 BLE Sense operates at 3.3V logic. I/O pins are NOT 5V tolerant. Applying 5V signals can permanently damage the board. Use a level shifter for 5V peripherals.
  • Rev1 uses LSM9DS1 + HTS221. Rev2 uses BMI270 + BMM150 + HS3003. These require different Arduino libraries — check your board revision before installing libraries.
  • The MP34DT05 microphone outputs PDM (Pulse Density Modulation) audio. Use the PDM library included with the Mbed OS board package to capture audio samples.
  • The APDS9960 gesture detection works best when the sensor is unobstructed and at close range (a few centimeters). Enclosure design should account for the sensor's field of view.
  • The onboard sensors share internal I2C buses with the MCU. They do not interfere with devices connected to the external A4/A5 I2C pins.
  • The Nano 33 BLE Sense does not include Wi-Fi. For Wi-Fi + sensors, an external Wi-Fi module or a different board is required.

Community

Revision History

Version Date Notes
v1.0 2026-06 Initial entry