Japanese company KAGA FEI has announced the ES4L15MA1, an ultra‑small Bluetooth LE 6.0 module built around Nordic’s nRF54L15 ultra‑low‑power wireless MCU. With a footprint of just 8.55 x 3.25 x 1.00 mm, it targets space‑constrained IoT designs where developers want to avoid full BLE stack development.
Hardware overview
At the core is a 128 MHz Arm Cortex‑M33 with Arm TrustZone‑M, paired with a RISC‑V coprocessor used for a software‑defined peripheral architecture. On‑chip resources include:
- 256 KB SRAM
- 1.5 MB non‑volatile memory
- Integrated high‑performance PCB antenna
The 2.4 GHz radio supports:
- Bluetooth LE 6.0
- Data rates: 2 Mbps, 1 Mbps, 500 kbps, 125 kbps
- Planned firmware features: AoA / AoD, Channel Sounding
- +8 dBm TX power, 2402–2480 MHz band
Hardware also supports:
- 802.15.4 for Thread / Zigbee / Matter
- Nordic proprietary 2.4 GHz up to 4 Mbps
but these are not enabled in the built‑in firmware.
Peripherals include 5 GPIO pads, a 14‑bit ADC, and a global RTC. Supply voltage is 1.7–3.6 V, and the module is rated for ‑40°C to 105°C. It carries radio certifications for Japan (MIC), USA (FCC), and Canada (ISED), plus ETSI EN 300 328 conducted test reporting and RoHS compliance.
Embedded firmware and UART API
Earlier, the tiny ES4L15BA1 module shipped without vendor firmware, pushing customers to develop everything on top of Nordic’s nRF Connect SDK. The ES4L15MA1 changes that by including embedded firmware and a UART‑based command API, so a host MCU can use BLE 6.0 without touching the Nordic SDK.
Supported features include:
- Peripheral and Central roles
- Up to 8 simultaneous connections
- SPP‑like Bluetooth LE profile
- Custom GATT service configuration
- OTA and UART DFU (Device Firmware Update)
- Power Save and Deep Sleep modes
KAGA FEI also offers an ES4L15MA1‑EVB evaluation board for early testing and integration. Target applications span IoT nodes, industrial equipment, smart home devices, lighting, smart locks, and fitness/wearable products. The larger EC4L15MA1 (12.9 x 9.6 x 2.0 mm) is already in mass production, while ES4L15MA1 sampling is planned for January 2027, with mass production to follow.
Source: CNX Software
