Introduction
Last updated on: April 18, 2022
Icarus IoT Board (nRF9160)
The Icarus is a cost-effective board combining the latest cellular IoT technologies on the market. It is equipped with the nRF9160 System in Package / modem engineered by Nordic Semiconductor. This low-power SiP integrates the use of GPS and Cellular communication (LTE-M / NB-IoT) to get your project online anywhere, anytime. Furthermore, the Icarus hosts a low-power 3-axis accelerometer, battery charging and measurement, a SIM-card holder and an eSIM (full feature list in the Icarus datasheet). Control, monitor, and keep track of any asset, fleet or cargo: the possibilities are endless.
What's in the box
Your board comes pre-programmed with the following:
- The latest (at the time of production) modem firmware from Nordic. The modem inside the nRF9160 contains a host processor that takes care of the cellular communication (if you want to update your modem firmware, check out this guide).
- The MCUboot bootloader: A secure bootloader for 32-bit microcontrollers which provides you with the option to upload firmware to the Icarus using the USB-port and the Actinius Programmer application. MCUBoot is used in combination with the Zephyr RTOS on the nRF9160. It also Over-The-Air (OTA) updates.
- The Actinius Asset Tracker Application Firmware.
- Certificates that make it possible to register your board on our online IoT Platform actinius.io.
NOTE:
This combination of firmware can always be restored on your board by flashing it with the Actinius Asset Tracker (Factory Firmware Bundle) binary, which is available in the Actinius Programmer application. A J-Link programmer is required to program the Icarus with its factory firmware (MCUBoot + SPM + Application). The Actinius Programmer also provides a version of the Actinius Asset Tracker that can be flashed through MCUBoot (only applicable if the board still contains the MCUBoot bootloader).
This combination of firmware can always be restored on your board by flashing it with the Actinius Asset Tracker (Factory Firmware Bundle) binary, which is available in the Actinius Programmer application. A J-Link programmer is required to program the Icarus with its factory firmware (MCUBoot + SPM + Application). The Actinius Programmer also provides a version of the Actinius Asset Tracker that can be flashed through MCUBoot (only applicable if the board still contains the MCUBoot bootloader).
Getting started
- Register for an account at actinius.io. Here you can register and manage your Icarus, as well as receive data from firmware such as the Actinius Asset Tracker.
- Use the Actinius Programmer application to upload ready-to-use, pre-built firmware applications and samples.
- Follow the Getting started guide for setting up the toolchain(s) and development environment on your computer.
- Check-out the Icarus samples and tweak some code, such as the GPS Sample
- See the Board files page to download the latest board files for your board and nRF Connect SDK version.