BLE112-E-V1 - Bluetooth 4.0 BLE Module U.FL | Silicon Labs
MPN: BLE112-E-V1 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1.93 | $1.93 |
| 10 | $1.8 | $18.00 |
| 100 | $1.65 | $165.00 |
| 500 | $1.55 | $775.00 |
| 1,000 | $1.45 | $1,450.00 |
BLE112-E-V1 Overview
A Bluetooth Low Energy module is an integrated wireless subsystem that combines a 2.4 GHz radio transceiver, a microcontroller, an antenna feed, and a complete BLE software stack on a pre-certified printed circuit assembly. Within the wireless connectivity hierarchy, it sits below full custom radio designs (lower integration effort) and above bare wireless MCUs (higher ease of use), making BLE modules the fastest route to adding short-range, ultra-low-power connectivity to a product.
Key features of the BLE112-E-V1 include full Bluetooth 4.0 single-mode compliance, an integrated radio, microcontroller and software stack in one package, an 18-source interrupt controller, and support for power modes 1 and 2 in which the sleep timer keeps running to minimize average current draw. The module is targeted specifically at low-power sensors and accessories where battery life, not throughput, is the primary design constraint.
Technically, the module is built around the CC2540 Bluetooth SoC, which pairs an industry-standard 8051 core with a 2.4 GHz RF transceiver. Peripheral peripherals can choose between two alternate I/O pin locations for layout flexibility, and an ultra-low-power sleep timer uses an external 32.768 kHz crystal oscillator. Receiver sensitivity of -91 dBm provides practical indoor range for a Class 2 device, while the 2 Mbps PHY minimizes radio-on time.
Typical applications include battery-powered sensor nodes and beacons, wireless health and fitness accessories, smart-home sensor peripherals, and RS232-over-BLE cable replacement links in industrial equipment.
When designing with the BLE112-E-V1, plan the power budget around sleep modes and remember that the E variant requires an external antenna connected via the U.FL receptacle; the -A variant integrates the antenna on the PCB instead. Supply rails must stay within 2.0 V to 3.6 V, ideally from a primary lithium or single Li-Ion cell.
This page synthesizes verified distributor pricing, drop-in same-family alternatives, and practical design guidance not consolidated in the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for BLE112-E-V1 — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with BLE112-E-V1 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Antenna, Interrupt Sources, Mounting Type, Supply Voltage.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
BLE112-A-V1
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$16.89 / Unit
View Datasheet →BLE112-N-V1
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
BLE112-E-V1Q
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
BLE112-E-V1 Specifications (manufacturer-published)
| Bluetooth Version | Bluetooth 4.0 (single mode / Bluetooth Smart) |
| Frequency Band | 2.4 GHz ISM |
| Data Rate | 2 Mbps |
| Receiver Sensitivity | -91 dBm |
| Supply Voltage | 2 V to 3.6 V |
| RF Output Power Class | Class 2 |
| Antenna | Not included; U.FL connector for external antenna |
| Core IC | CC2540 (8051 core + BLE radio) |
| Interrupt Sources | 18 (six interrupt groups) |
| Sleep Modes | Power modes 1 and 2 with running sleep timer |
| Sleep Timer Crystal | External 32.768 kHz crystal |
| Software Stack | Integrated Bluetooth Low Energy stack (software version 1.0) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Application Target | Low power sensors and accessories |
| Package Type | Surface-mount module with U.FL connector |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| LCSC Stock Price Reference | From $1.9328 as of 2026-10-19 |
BLE112-E-V1 Interfaces & Connectors
BLE112-E-V1 exposes the following interfaces and connectors as published by the manufacturer: Bluetooth, Power Input. Expansion header pinout, connector pin numbering, and electrical limits are defined in the manufacturer documentation.
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 4.0 (single mode / Bluetooth Smart) |
| Power Input | 2 V to 3.6 V |
Refer to the manufacturer documentation for the full expansion header pinout and connector pin numbering.
Power & Thermal Characteristics
| Power Input | 2 V to 3.6 V |
Power input and thermal parameters for BLE112-E-V1 as published by the manufacturer.
Typical Applications
BLE112-E-V1 is suitable for 6 applications: Battery-Powered BLE Sensor Nodes, Health and Fitness Accessories, Smart Home Sensors and Beacons, Industrial Cable Replacement (Serial over BLE), Smart Retail Beacons and Proximity Tags, Wireless Networked Sensor Peripherals (IoT).
Battery-Powered BLE Sensor Nodes
The BLE112-E-V1 is explicitly targeted at low-power sensors and accessories, and its power modes 1 and 2 with a running sleep timer make it well suited to coin-cell sensor nodes that must sleep for seconds between measurements. The integrated CC2540 8051 core runs the application and BLE stack locally, so no external MCU is required, and the 18-source interrupt controller allows peripherals to wake the radio only on events. With -91 dBm sensitivity and Class 2 output, a node achieves practical indoor range of 10-30 m. Power budget the design around the 2.0 V to 3.6 V rail from a CR2032 cell, and use the external 32.768 kHz crystal sleep timer to keep average current in the microamp range.
Recommended
Health and Fitness Accessories
Heart-rate straps, fitness pendants, and medical patch sensors benefit from the BLE112-E-V1's Bluetooth 4.0 single-mode compliance, which guarantees interoperability with standard GATT profiles on smartphones and tablets. The module integrates the full BLE radio, microcontroller, and software stack, so firmware effort focuses on the profile layer rather than protocol bring-up. Its 2.0 V to 3.6 V supply range fits a single Li-Ion cell directly. The U.FL connector allows an antenna positioned away from the body, improving radiation efficiency compared with body-adjacent PCB antennas - a measurable RF advantage for wearables where tissue absorption degrades link margin.
Recommended
Smart Home Sensors and Beacons
Door/window sensors, motion detectors, and iBeacon-style emitters use the BLE112-E-V1 for its ability to advertise asynchronously from deep sleep, waking only on the 32.768 kHz-driven sleep timer or a GPIO interrupt from the sensor element. Because the CC2540 SoC and BLE stack are fully integrated, a beacon can be implemented in a few kilobytes of code with the radio active only for the advertising burst, minimizing battery drain. The 2 Mbps PHY shortens connection events further. E-version U.FL antenna routing lets the antenna sit inside a plastic enclosure for optimal radiation while keeping the module clear of metal housings.
Recommended
Industrial Cable Replacement (Serial over BLE)
Silicon Labs community deployments demonstrate the BLE112 family used as a wireless RS232 cable replacement in industrial settings, pairing an external BLE-to-serial bridge with legacy equipment. The module's integrated 8051 core implements transparent UART bridging over GATT, and the 18-interrupt-source controller services UART traffic efficiently. Note the documented limitation: BLE 4.0 single mode has no classic SPP, and throughput at 38400 baud has proven marginal in community reports, so validate your baud and duty-cycle requirements early. The 2.0 V to 3.6 V input accepts a standard 3.3 V industrial rail via an LDO.
Recommended
Smart Retail Beacons and Proximity Tags
Retail proximity tags and asset trackers use the BLE112-E-V1 to emit standardized advertising packets received by shoppers' smartphones without an app-level pairing burden. The module's ultra-low-power sleep timer keeps time-based advertising intervals precise even in power mode 2, and battery life targets of one to two years on a CR2477 cell are achievable with conservative 500 ms to 1000 ms advertising intervals. Class 2 output power balances range against battery size, and -91 dBm sensitivity ensures reliable reception at shelf distances. The U.FL feed allows tuned external antennas for long-aisle coverage.
Recommended
Wireless Networked Sensor Peripherals (IoT)
As a general IoT peripheral radio, the BLE112-E-V1 offloads all RF and protocol processing from the host product: the integrated stack handles pairing, encryption, and GATT services, exposing a simple API to the application core. Its 802.15.1-compliant 2.4 GHz radio with -91 dBm sensitivity and 2 Mbps PHY delivers dependable short-range links, and firmware-version-controlled stacks simplify certification. Place the module on the host PCB with a 10 uF plus 100 nF supply decoupling pair and keep the U.FL-to-antenna 50-ohm coax run short to preserve RF match.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for BLE112-E-V1 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | BLE112-A-V1 | BLE112-N-V1 | BLE112-E-V1Q |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | BLE112 module (surface mount, U.FL connector) | BLE112 module (same footprint, PCB antenna) | BLE112 module (same footprint, RF pad) | BLE112 module (same footprint, U.FL) |
| Brand | Silicon Labs | Silicon Labs | Silicon Labs | Silicon Labs |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.0 single mode | 4.0 single mode | 4.0 single mode | 4.0 single mode |
| Supply Voltage | 2.0 V to 3.6 V | 2.0 V to 3.6 V | 2.0 V to 3.6 V | 2.0 V to 3.6 V |
| Receiver Sensitivity | -91 dBm | -91 dBm | -91 dBm | -91 dBm |
| Data Rate | 2 Mbps | 2 Mbps | 2 Mbps | 2 Mbps |
| Antenna | External via U.FL connector | Integrated PCB antenna | Antenna via RF pad (board-provided) | External via U.FL connector |
Key Differentiators
- External antenna flexibility via U.FL connector (vs BLE112-A-V1)
- Fully integrated single-chip solution (vs BLE113-A-M256K)
- Same-footprint antenna-option matrix (vs BLE112-N-V1)
Design Notes
Supply the BLE112-E-V1 from a clean 2.0 V to 3.6 V rail. Exceeding 3.6 V stresses the CC2540 radio, and brown-outs below 2.0 V during RF transmit bursts cause reset loops - a common failure mode on coin-cell designs with high internal resistance. Place a 10 uF ceramic bulk capacitor plus a 100 nF decoupling capacitor directly at the module supply pin. Estimate: a Class 2 transmit burst drawing tens of milliamps from a CR2032 (approx. 10 ohm effective internal resistance near end of life) can drop the rail by a few hundred millivolts, so verify voltage holdup with your actual cell.
Because the E variant has no antenna, the U.FL-to-antenna coaxial run is part of the RF chain. Keep the pigtail as short as possible (under 50 mm ideally), use a 50-ohm antenna with good return loss across 2.4 GHz, and never route the coax near switching regulators or crystal traces. Datasheet guidance confirms peripherals can map I/O to alternate pin locations - use this to keep high-speed digital traces away from the RF feed. For qualification of the final product, antenna choice affects regulatory testing, so select antennas with existing modular approvals where possible.
Remember the BLE112-E-V1 is BLE 4.0 single mode: it cannot connect to classic-Bluetooth SPP devices, and users migrating from RS232-over-Bluetooth-SPP designs have reported throughput shortfalls at 38400 baud (Silicon Labs community). Also remember the 32.768 kHz crystal is external - without it, the low-power sleep timer cannot run and average current rises dramatically. Finally, the family is end-of-life: Silicon Labs PCN 2112141153 documents component replacements for BLE112 modules, so buy sufficient last-time inventory or plan migration to BGM11x modules.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliance inferred from standard Silicon Labs module build for consumer/industrial BLE modules; regulatory conformity of the final product depends on host design and antenna choice. Verify REACH and conflict-minerals declarations with Silicon Labs directly.
