ARDUINO Portenta C33 Powerful System Module Instruction Manual

Arduino® Portenta C33
Product Reference Manual
SKU: ABX00074

Portenta C33 Powerful System Module

Description
The Portenta C33 is a powerful System-on-Module designed for low-cost Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Based on the R7FA6M5BH2CBG microcontroller from Renesas®, this  board shares the same form factor as the Portenta H7 and it is backward compatible with it, making it fully compatible with all Portenta family shields and carriers through its high- density connectors. As a low- cost device, the Portenta C33 is an excellent choice for developers looking to create IoT devices and applications on a budget. Whether you’re building a smart home device or a connected industrial sensor, the Portenta C33 provides the processing power and connectivity options you need to get the job done.
Target Areas
IoT, building automation, smart cities, and agriculture

Application Examples

Thanks to its high-performance processor, the Portenta C33 supports many applications. From industrial applications to rapid prototyping, IoT solutions, and building automation,  among many others. Here are some application examples:

• Industrial Automation: The Portenta C33 can be implemented as a solution for different industrial applications, such as:
  • Industrial IoT gateway: Connect your devices, machines, and sensors to a Portenta C33 gateway. Collect real-time operation data and display them on an Arduino IoT Cloud  dashboard, leveraging end-to-end secure data encryption.
  • Machine monitoring to track OEE/OPE: Track Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE) and Overall Process Effectiveness (OPE) with the Portenta C33 as an IoT node. Collect data  and get alerted on machine uptime and unplanned downtime to provide reactive maintenance and improve production rate.
  • Inline Quality Assurance: Leverage full compatibility between Portenta C33 and Nicla family to carry out quality control in your production lines. Collect Nicla smart sensing  data with the Portenta C33 to catch defects early and resolve them before they travel down the line.

• Prototyping: The Portenta C33 can assist Portenta and MKR developers with their IoT prototypes by integrating ready-to-use Wi-Fi®/Bluetooth® connectivity and various  peripheral interfaces, including CAN, SAI, SPI, and I2C. Moreover, the Portenta C33 can be promptly programmed with high-level languages like MicroPython, allowing for  rapid prototyping of IoT applications.

• Building Automation: The Portenta C33 can be used in multiple building automation applications:
  • Energy Consumption Monitoring: Collect and monitor consumption data from all services (e.g., gas, water, electricity) in a single system. Display usage trends in Arduino IoT  Cloud charts, providing an overall image for energy management optimization and cost reduction.
  • Appliances Control System: Leverage high-performing Portenta C33 microcontroller to control in realtime your appliances. Adjust HVAC heating or improve the efficiency of your ventilation system, control the motors of your curtains, and switch on/off lights. The onboard Wi-Fi® connectivity easily allows Cloud integration, so that everything is under  control even from the remote.

Features

2.1 General Specifications Overview
The Portenta C33 is a powerful microcontroller board designed for low-cost IoT applications. Based on the highperformance R7FA6M5BH2CBG microcontroller from Renesas®, it offers a range of key features and a low-power design that make it well-suited for a variety of applications. The board has been designed with the same form factor as the Portenta H7 and is backward compatible, making it fully compatible with all Portenta family shields and carriers through its MKR-styled and high-density connectors. Table 1 summarizes the board’s  main features, and Table 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 shows more detailed information about the board’s microcontroller, secure element, Ethernet transceiver, and external memory.

(R7FA6M5BH2CBG)
internal Memory| 2 MB Flash and 512 kB SRAM
External Memory| 16 MB QSPI Flash memory (MX25L12833F)
Connectivity| 2.4 GHZ WI-FIS (802.11 b/g/n) and Bluetooth® 5.0 (ESP32-C3-MINI-1 U)
Ethernet| Ethernet physical layer (PHY) transceiver (LAN8742A1)
Security| loT-ready secure element (SE050C2)
USB Connectivity| USB-C® port for power and data (accessible also through the board’s High-Density connectors)
Power Supply| Various options for easily powering the board: USB-C® port, single-cell lithium-ion/lithium polymer battery and external power supply connected through MKR-styled connectors
Analog Peripherals| Two, eight-channel 12-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and two 12-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC)
Digital Peripherals| GPIO (x7), I2C (x1), UART (x4), SPI (x2), PWM (x10), CAN (x2), 125 (x1), SPDIF (x1), PDM (x1), and SA1(x1)
Debugging| JTAG/SWD debug port (accessible through the board’s High-Density connectors)
Dimensions| 66.04 mm x 25.40 mm
Surface-mount| Castellated pins allow the board to be positioned as a surface- mountable module

Table 1: Portenta C33 Main Features

2.2 Microcontroller

operating frequency of 200 MHz
2 MB of flash memory and 512 KB of SRAM
Several peripheral Interfaces, including UART, 12C, SPI, USB, CAN, and Ethernet
Hardware-based security features, such as a True Random Number Generator (TRNG), a Memory Protection Unit (MPU), and a TrustZone-M security extension
Onboard power management features that allow It to operate on low power mode
Onboard RTC module that provides accurate timekeeping and calendar functions, along with programmable alarms and tamper detection features
Designed to operate over a wide temperature range, from -40°C to 105°C, making It suitable for use in harsh environments

Table 2: Portenta C33 Microcontroller Features

2.3 Wireless Communication

Bluetooth® 5.0 Low Energy support

Table 3: Portenta C33 Wireless Communication Features

2.4 Ethernet Connectivity

industrial and automotive applications
Designed to operate in harsh environments, with built-in features such as ESD protection, surge protection, and low EMI emissions
Media Independent Interface (MI1) and Reduced Media Independent Interface (RMII) interfaces support, making it compatible with a wide range of Ethernet controllers
Built-in low-power mode that reduces power consumption when the link is idle, helping to conserve power in battery-powered devices
Auto-negotiation support, which allows it to automatically detect and configure the link speed and duplex mode, making it easy to use in a variety of applications
Built-in diagnostic features, such as loopback mode and cable length detection, which help to simplify troubleshooting and debugging
Designed to operate over a wide temperature range, from -40°C to 105°C, making it suitable for use in harsh industrial and automotive environments

Table 4: Portenta C33 Ethernet Connectivity Features

2.5 Security

NXP
SE050C2| Secure boot process that verifies the authenticity and integrity of the firmware before it is loaded
into the device
Built-in hardware cryptography engine that can perform various encryption and decryption
functions, including AES, RSA, and ECC
Secure storage for sensitive data, such as private keys, credentials, and certificates. This storage is
protected by strong encryption and can only be accessed by authorized parties
Secure communication protocols support, such as TLS, which helps to protect data in transit from
unauthorized access or interception
Tamper detection features that can detect if the device has been physically tampered with. This
helps to prevent attacks such as probing or power analysis attacks that attempt to access the
device’s sensitive data
Common Criteria security standard certification, which is an internationally recognized standard
for evaluating the security of IT products

Table 5: Portenta C33 Security Features

2.6 External Memory

and configuration settings
SPI and QSPI interfaces support, which provide high-speed data transfer rates of up to 104 MHz
Onboard power management features, such as a deep power-down mode and standby mode, that help to reduce power consumption in battery-powered devices
Hardware-based security features, such as a one-time programmable (OTP) area, a hardware write-protect pin, and a secure silicon ID
Auto-negotiation support, which allows it to automatically detect and configure the link speed and duplex mode, making it easy to use in a variety of applications
Reliability-enhancing features, such as ECC (Error Correction Code) and high endurance of up to 100,000 program/erase cycles
Designed to operate over a wide temperature range, from -40°C to 105°C, making it suitable for use in harsh industrial and automotive environments

Table 6: Portenta C33 External Memory Features

2.7 Included Accessories
Wi-Fi® W.FL antenna (not compatible with Portenta H7 U.FL antenna)

2.8 Related Products

• Arduino® Portenta H7 (SKU: ABX00042)
• Arduino® Portenta H7 Lite (SKU: ABX00045)
• Arduino® Portenta H7 Lite Connected (SKU: ABX00046)
• Arduino® Nicla Sense ME (SKU: ABX00050)
• Arduino® Nicla Vision (SKU: ABX00051)
• Arduino® Nicla Voice (SKU: ABX00061)
• Arduino® Portenta Max Carrier (SKU: ABX00043)
• Arduino® Portenta CAT.M1/NB IoT GNSS Shield (SKU: ABX00043)
• Arduino® Portenta Vision Shield – Ethernet (SKU: ABX00021)
• Arduino® Portenta Vision Shield – LoRa® (SKU: ABX00026)
• Arduino® Portenta Breakout (SKU: ABX00031)
• Arduino® boards with an onboard ESLOV connector

Note: The Portenta Vision Shields (Ethernet and LoRa® variants) are compatible with the Portenta C33 except for the camera, which is not supported by the Portenta C33 microcontroller.

Ratings

3.1 Recommended Operating Conditions
Table 7 provides a comprehensive guideline for the optimal use of the Portenta C33, outlining typical operating conditions and design limits. The operating conditions of the Portenta C33 are largely a function based on its component’s specifications.

Table 7: Recommended Operating Conditions

3.2 Current Consumption
Table 8 summarizes the power consumption of the Portenta C33 on different test cases. Notice that the operating current of the board will depend greatly on the application.

Table 8: Board Current Consumption

1 All peripherals off, wake-up on RTC interrupt.
2 All peripherals on, continuous data download via Wi-Fi®.

Functional Overview

The core of the Portenta C33 is the R7FA6M5BH2CBG microcontroller from Renesas. The board also contains several peripherals connected to its microcontroller.

4.1 Pinout
The MKR-styled connectors pinout is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Portenta C33 pinout (MKR-styled connectors)

The High-Density connectors pinout is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Portenta C33 pinout (High-Density connectors)

4.2 Block Diagram
An overview of the Portenta C33 high-level architecture is illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 3. High-level architecture of the Portenta C33

4.3 Power Supply
The Portenta C33 can be powered through one of these interfaces:

• USB-C® port
• 3.7 V single-cell lithium-ion/lithium-polymer battery, connected through the onboard battery connector
• External 5 V power supply connected through the MKR-styled pins

The recommended minimum battery capacity is 700 mAh. The battery is connected to the board via a dis connectable crimp-style connector as shown in Figure 3. The battery connector part number is BM03B-ACHSSGAN-TF(LF)(SN).
Figure 4 shows the power options available on the Portenta C33 and illustrates the main system power architecture.

Figure 4. Power architecture of the Portenta C33

Device Operation

5.1 Getting Started – IDE
If you want to program your Portenta C33 while offline you need to install the Arduino® Desktop IDE [1]. To connect the Portenta C33 to your computer, you will need a USB-C® cable.

5.2 Getting Started – Arduino Web Editor
All Arduino® devices work out-of-the-box on the Arduino® Web Editor [2] by just installing a simple plugin.
The Arduino® Web Editor is hosted online, therefore it will always be up-to- date with the latest features and support for all boards and devices. Follow [3] to start coding on the browser and upload your sketches onto your device.

5.3 Getting Started – Arduino IoT Cloud
All Arduino® IoT enabled products are supported on Arduino® IoT Cloud which allows you to log, graph and analyze sensor data, trigger events, and automate your home or business.

5.4 Sample Sketches
Sample sketches for Portenta C33 can be found either in the “Examples” menu in the Arduino® IDE or the “Portenta C33 Documentation” section of Arduino® [4].

5.5 Online Resources
Now that you have gone through the basics of what you can do with the device, you can explore the endless possibilities it provides by checking exciting projects on ProjectHub [5], the Arduino® Library Reference [6] and the online store [7] where you will be able to complement your Portenta C33 product with additional extensions, sensors and actuators.

Mechanical Information

The Portenta C33 is a double-sided 66.04 mm x 25.40 mm board with a USB-C® port overhanging the top edge, dual castellated/through-hole pins around the two long edges and two High-Density connectors on the bottom side of the board. The onboard wireless antenna connector is located on the bottom edge of the board.

6.1 Board Dimensions
Portenta C33 board outline and mounting holes dimensions can be seen in Figure 5.

Figure 5. Portenta C33 board outline (left) and mounting holes dimensions (right)

The Portenta C33 has four 1.12 mm drilled mounting holes to provide for mechanical fixing.

6.2 Board Connectors
Connectors of the Portenta C33 are placed on the top and bottom side of the board, their placement can be seen in Figure 6.

Figure 6. Portenta C33 connectors placement (top view left, bottom view right)

The Portenta C33 is designed to be usable as a surface-mount module as well as presenting a dual inline package (DIP) format with the MKR-styled connectors on a 2.54 mm pitch grid with 1 mm holes.

Certifications

7.1 Certifications Summary

7.2 Declaration of Conformity CE DoC (EU)
We declare under our sole responsibility that the products above are in conformity with the essential requirements of the following EU Directives and therefore qualify for free movement within markets comprising the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA).

7.3 Declaration of Conformity to EU RoHS & REACH 211 01/19/2021
Arduino boards are in compliance with RoHS 2 Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and RoHS 3 Directive 2015/863/EU of the Council of 4 June 2015 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.

Exemptions: No exemptions are claimed.
Arduino Boards are fully compliant with the related requirements of European Union Regulation (EC) 1907 /2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). We declare none of the SVHCs (https://echa.europa.eu/web/guest/candidate-list-table), the Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern for authorization currently released by ECHA, is present in all products (and also package) in quantities totaling in a concentration equal or above 0.1%. To the best of our knowledge, we also declare that our products do not contain any of the substances listed on the “Authorization List” (Annex XIV of the REACH regulations) and Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) in any significant amounts as specified by the Annex XVII of Candidate list published by ECHA (European Chemical Agency) 1907 /2006/EC.

7.4 Conflict Minerals Declaration
As a global supplier of electronic and electrical components, Arduino is aware of our obligations concerning laws and regulations regarding Conflict Minerals, specifically the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Section 1502. Arduino does not directly source or process conflict minerals such as Tin, Tantalum, Tungsten, or Gold. Conflict minerals are contained in our products in the form of solder, or as a component in metal alloys. As part of our reasonable due diligence, Arduino has contacted component suppliers within our supply chain to verify their continued compliance with the regulations. Based on the information received thus far we declare that our products contain Conflict Minerals sourced from conflict-free areas.

8 FCC Caution
Any Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

1. This device may not cause harmful interference
2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

FCC RF Radiation Exposure Statement:

1. This Transmitter must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter
2. This equipment complies with RF radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment
3. This equipment should be installed and operated with a minimum distance of 20 cm between the radiator and your body.

English: User manuals for license-exempt radio apparatus shall contain the following or equivalent notice in a conspicuous location in the user manual or alternatively on the device or both. This device complies with Industry Canada license-exempt RSS standard(s). Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

1. This device may not cause interference
2. This device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.

IC SAR Warning:
English: This equipment should be installed and operated with a minimum distance of 20 cm between the radiator and your body.
Important: The operating temperature of the EUT can’t exceed 85 °C and shouldn’t be lower than -40 °C.
Hereby, Arduino S.r.l. declares that this product is in compliance with essential requirements and other relevant provisions of Directive 2014/53/EU. This product is allowed to be used in all EU member states.

Company Information

Reference Documentation

/getting-started/iot-cloud-getting-started>
Portenta C33 Documentation| https://docs.arduino.cc/hardware/portenta-c33
Project Hub| https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub?by=part&part_id=11332&sort=trending
Library Reference| https://www.arduino.cc/reference/en/
Online Store| https://store.arduino.cc/

Document Revision History

Arduino® Portenta C33
Modified: 20/09/2023

References

• Arduino Project Hub
• docs.arduino.cc/arduino-cloud/getting-started/iot-cloud-getting-started
• Portenta C33 | Arduino Documentation
• Arduino Official Store | Boards Shields Kits Accessories
• Software | Arduino
• Arduino Reference - Arduino Reference

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