# makerdiary nRF52840-MDK USB Dongle > Open-source multi-protocol wireless USB dongle based on the Nordic nRF52840 SoC. Supports BLE 5.4, Thread, Zigbee, 802.15.4, NFC, and USB 2.0 with UF2 drag-and-drop bootloader. Priced at $12.99. ## Quick Facts - **Brand:** makerdiary - **Board Type:** nRF52840 - **Price:** ~$12.99 - **Product Readiness:** developer - **CPU:** ARM Cortex-M4F @ 64MHz, FPU, DSP, CryptoCell-310 (RSA, ECC, SHA-256, AES) - **CPU Architecture:** ARM Cortex-M4F - **CPU Cores:** 1 - **RAM:** 256 KB SRAM - **Flash:** 1 MB - **USB:** USB-A 2.0 Full-Speed - **Power:** 5V - **Operating Voltage:** 3.3V - **Operating Temp:** -40°C to +85°C - **Dimensions:** 42 × 17.78 × 3.75 mm - **Weight:** 10g - **Antenna:** built-in 2.4GHz chip antenna ## Connectivity - **Bluetooth:** Bluetooth 5.4 BLE + Mesh - **Zigbee:** Zigbee 3.0 - **Thread:** Thread 1.3 ## Open Source - **Firmware:** Yes - **Schematics:** Yes - **PCB Layout:** Yes - **License:** Apache-2.0 ## Compatible Firmware Zephyr RTOS, nRF Connect SDK, OpenSK, circuitpython, micropython, TinyGo ## Use Cases - ble-packet-sniffing - 802154-packet-sniffing - fido2-security-key - iot-development - zigbee-development - thread-development - wireless-protocol-analysis ## Components - **nRF52840** (MCU): ARM Cortex-M4F @ 64MHz with 256KB RAM, 1MB flash, BLE 5.4, Thread, Zigbee, 802.15.4, ANT, NFC-A, USB 2.0, and hardware crypto (RSA, ECC, AES, SHA-256). Deep sleep 0.3µA. — [Datasheet](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.nordicsemi.com%2Fbundle%2Fps_nrf52840%2Fresource%2FnRF52840_PS_v1.7.pdf&ref=openhardware.directory&product=makerdiary-nrf52840-mdk-usb-dongle&source=md-export) - **2.4 GHz Chip Antenna** (Antenna): Integrated PCB chip antenna for 2.4 GHz wireless protocols (BLE, Thread, Zigbee, 802.15.4) with +8 dBm TX power — [Datasheet](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.nordicsemi.com%2Fbundle%2Fps_nrf52840%2Fresource%2FnRF52840_PS_v1.7.pdf&ref=openhardware.directory&product=makerdiary-nrf52840-mdk-usb-dongle&source=md-export) - **RGB LED** (LED): User-programmable RGB LED for status indication, connected to P0.22 (green), P0.23 (red), P0.24 (blue), active-low — [Datasheet](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fwiki.makerdiary.com%2Fnrf52840-mdk-usb-dongle%2Fhardware%2F&ref=openhardware.directory&product=makerdiary-nrf52840-mdk-usb-dongle&source=md-export) ## Protocols - **UART**: TX: P0.20, RX: P0.19 - **I2C**: SDA: P0.05, SCL: P0.04 - **SPI** - **USB**: D+: integrated, D-: integrated - **SWD**: SWDCLK: edge, SWDIO: edge - **NFC**: NFC1: P0.09, NFC2: P0.10 - **IEEE 802.15.4** - **BLE** ## GPIO Map | Pin | Name | Type | Functions | |-----|------|------|-----------| | P0.04 | I2C SCL (default) | I2C | digital-input, digital-output, adc | | P0.05 | I2C SDA (default) | I2C | digital-input, digital-output, adc | | P0.09 | NFC1 (shared) | NFC | — | | P0.10 | NFC2 (shared) | NFC | — | | P0.18 | User/Reset Button | — | digital-input | | P0.19 | UART RX (default) | UART | digital-input, digital-output | | P0.20 | UART TX (default) | UART | digital-input, digital-output | | P0.22 | RGB LED Green | — | digital-output, pwm | | P0.23 | RGB LED Red | — | digital-output, pwm | | P0.24 | RGB LED Blue | — | digital-output, pwm | ## Description ## Overview The nRF52840-MDK USB Dongle is a small, low-cost, open-source wireless development tool from makerdiary built on the Nordic nRF52840 — one of the most versatile multi-protocol wireless SoCs available. At just $12.99, it packs BLE 5.4, Thread, Zigbee, 802.15.4, ANT, NFC, and USB 2.0 into a compact USB-A dongle form factor. The dongle features a UF2 bootloader for drag-and-drop firmware flashing, an onboard 2.4 GHz chip antenna with +8 dBm TX power, a programmable RGB LED, and up to 12 GPIO pins exposed via breadboard-friendly castellated edge connectors. The nRF52840's CryptoCell-310 provides hardware-accelerated RSA, ECC, SHA-256, and AES operations. It supports a wide range of development ecosystems including Zephyr RTOS, nRF Connect SDK, CircuitPython, MicroPython, TinyGo, and OpenSK (FIDO2 security key). Popular uses include BLE/802.15.4 packet sniffing with Wireshark, Thread/Zigbee network analysis, and IoT prototyping. ## Where to Buy - [makerdiary Store](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fmakerdiary.com%2Fproducts%2Fnrf52840-mdk-usb-dongle&ref=openhardware.directory&product=makerdiary-nrf52840-mdk-usb-dongle&source=md-export) — $12.99 ## Resources - [product](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fwiki.makerdiary.com%2Fnrf52840-mdk-usb-dongle%2F&ref=openhardware.directory&product=makerdiary-nrf52840-mdk-usb-dongle&source=md-export) - [github](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fmakerdiary%2Fnrf52840-mdk-usb-dongle&ref=openhardware.directory&product=makerdiary-nrf52840-mdk-usb-dongle&source=md-export) - [schematics](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fwiki.makerdiary.com%2Fnrf52840-mdk-usb-dongle%2Fassets%2Fattachments%2Fnrf52840-mdk-usb-dongle-schematic-v1.1.pdf&ref=openhardware.directory&product=makerdiary-nrf52840-mdk-usb-dongle&source=md-export) ## Tags `nrf52840`, `wireless`, `bluetooth`, `thread`, `zigbee`, `usb-dongle`, `open-hardware`, `zephyr`, `packet-sniffer`, `nfc` ## Images ![makerdiary nRF52840-MDK USB Dongle](https://nbg1.your-objectstorage.com/openhardware-directory/entities/makerdiary-nrf52840-mdk-usb-dongle/592714a65d6d.png) ![makerdiary nRF52840-MDK USB Dongle](https://nbg1.your-objectstorage.com/openhardware-directory/entities/makerdiary-nrf52840-mdk-usb-dongle/d091cbbd26e6.png) ![makerdiary nRF52840-MDK USB Dongle](https://nbg1.your-objectstorage.com/openhardware-directory/entities/makerdiary-nrf52840-mdk-usb-dongle/e97ee156d2f7.png) ![makerdiary nRF52840-MDK USB Dongle](https://nbg1.your-objectstorage.com/openhardware-directory/entities/makerdiary-nrf52840-mdk-usb-dongle/6b82364d5cb3.png) --- [View full device page](https://openhardware.directory/devices/makerdiary-nrf52840-mdk-usb-dongle)