nRF5340 Audio DK Bluetooth LE Audio development kit

Better audio quality, longer playtime, and Auracast™ features.

Our nRF5340 Audio Development Kit (DK) is the recommended platform for Bluetooth LE Audio products and contains everything needed to start development. It supports all Auracast™ features. The kit is configurable and can function as a USB dongle to send or receive audio data from a PC. It can also function as a Business Headset or a True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earbud. For most use-cases, we recommend using two or more DKs.

Main board components

The three main components of this DK are the nRF5340 SoC, nPM1100 PMIC, and Cirrus Logic’s CS47L63 Audio DSP. The CS47L63’s high-performance DAC and differential output driver are optimized for direct connection to an external headphone load. It is perfect for earbuds with mono-only and direct speaker output.

Powering the kit

The nRF5340 Audio DK is typically powered via USB and has a battery connector for a Li-Ion/Li-Po battery. The current consumption can be measured by using the dedicated current measurement pins. We recommend using Nordic’s Power Profiler Kit II for that.

The new codec

The new “Low Complexity Communications Codec” (LC3) that replaced Bluetooth Classic’s “Low Complexity Subband Codec” (SBC) is also available for this DK. The LC3 codec has superior audio quality compared to SBC, even at about half the wireless data rate. This low data rate is a key factor in minimizing the power consumption of your products.

Download PDF  Download nRF5340 Audio DK product brief [PDF]

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Key features

Bluetooth LE Audio

Auracast™ supported

Based on our nRF5340 SoC

2.4 GHz antenna

Two 3.5 mm audio jacks

Cirrus Logic Audio DSP CS47L63

SWF RF connector for direct RF measurements

5 user-programmable buttons 

4 user-programmable LEDs

SEGGER J-Link debugger on board

Pins for measuring power consumption

SD-Card holder for additional storage

Introducing the nRF5340 Audio DK

About the Kit

The DK includes:
  • Two 3.5 mm audio jacks for analog in and headphones out
  • Five user-programmable buttons and LEDs
  • SD-Card holder for extra storage if needed
  • J4 connector for an NFC antenna
  • SEGGER J-Link debugger for programming and debugging
  • Connectors to access the analog/digital interfaces, and GPIOs

nRF5340 SoC

The nRF5340 SoC combines a high-performance application processor with a fully programmable ultra-low-power network processor. This dual core architecture allows for optimal power efficiency. The 128 MHz Arm® Cortex®-M33 Application Processor has 1 MB flash and 512 KB of RAM, which is perfect for handling custom applications and audio codecs, like LC3. The 64 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 Network Processor has 256 KB Flash and 64 KB RAM. It is power optimized to run Nordic’s Bluetooth LE Audio stack.

nPM1100 PMIC

The nPM1100 power management IC has a highly efficient configurable buck regulator. It also includes an integrated battery charger with a charge current up to 400mA. It’s extremely small form factor makes it ideal for size-constrained applications like True Wireless Earbuds.

nRF Connect SDK

The nRF Connect SDK is the software development kit for the nRF5340 SoC, and it has board support for the nRF5340 Audio DK. It supports the development of Bluetooth LE Audio, Bluetooth Low Energy, Thread, and other applications. The Zephyr RTOS, protocol stacks, samples, hardware drivers, and much more are integrated in the nRF Connect SDK

nRF Connect SDK also supports the nRF9160, our LTE-M/NB-IoT/GPS SiP, and the nRF52 Series. It is a common platform for both cellular IoT and short-range development.

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Develop LE Audio

with the nRF5340 SoC

nRF5340 SoC

Dual-core Bluetooth 5.4 SoC supporting Bluetooth Low Energy, Bluetooth mesh, NFC, Thread and Zigbee

128 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 CPU with
1 MB Flash + 512 KB RAM
64 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 CPU with
256 KB Flash + 64 KB RAM
Bluetooth Low Energy
Bluetooth Direction Finding
Bluetooth mesh
Thread, Zigbee
ANT
NFC
Advanced security
USB, QSPI, HS-SPI
105 °C extended operating temperature
1.7-5.5 V supply voltage range

Development tools

nRF Connect for Desktop

nRF Connect for Desktop is a cross-platform framework for development applications. It contains applications for testing Bluetooth Low Energy and LTE links, power optimization, programming and more.

nRF Connect for Mobile

nRF Connect for Mobile is a powerful mobile tool that allows you to scan and explore your Bluetooth Low Energy devices and communicate with them.

nRF Command Line Tools

The nRF Command Line Tools are used for development, programming, and debugging of Nordic Semiconductor's nRF51, nRF52, nRF53 and nRF91 Series devices.

Measure current

With ease

Power Profiler Kit II

The Power Profiler Kit II is an easy-to-use tool for measuring and optimizing power consumption for embedded solutions.