E104-BT5040U is a small USB port Bluetooth wireless packet capture tool produced by Ebyte; it comes with a high-performance PCB on-board antenna and uses a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) SOC solution. This compact packet capture tool features a high-performance PCB antenna and uses a powerful Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) SOC solution. Easily connect and transfer data wirelessly with this E104-BT5040U device.
| Technical Parameter | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Model Number | E104-BT5040U |
| Core SoC | Nordic nRF52840 |
| Operating Frequency | 2360 ~ 2500 MHz |
| Supported Protocols | BLE 4.2 / BLE 5.0 |
| Communication Distance | 250 meters (Line-of-Sight) |
| Primary Interface | USB (Plug-and-Play) |
| Dimensions & Weight | 59 * 18 mm | 7g |
| Parameter | Performance | Remark |
|---|---|---|
| Crystal frequency | 32MHz/32.768kHz | — |
| support protocol | BLE4.2/5.0 | — |
| Power supply | USB | — |
| Interface method | USB | — |
| IC full name | nRF52840-QIAAC0/aQFNTM 73 | — |
| FLASH | 1024kB | — |
| RAM | 256kB | — |
| Kernel | ARM@ Cortex ® -M4 | — |
| Dimensions | 59*18mm | Plus shell with cap |
| Antenna form | PCB Onboard antenna | — |
| Crystal frequency | 32MHz/32.768kHz | |
| support protocol | BLE4.2/5.0 | — |
| Power supply | USB | — |
| Interface method | USB | — |
| IC full name | nRF52840-QIAAC0/aQFNTM 73 | — |
| FLASH | —1024kB | — |
| RAM | 256kB | — |
| Kernel | ARM@ Cortex ® -M4 | — |
| Dimensions | 59*18mm | Plus shell with cap |
| Antenna form | PCB Onboard antenna | — |
| Parameter | Min. | Typ. | Max. | Unit | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating voltage | 4.35 | 5 | 5.5 | V | USB/VBUS power supply |
| Communication level | 0 | 3.3 | 3.6 | V | — |
| TX current(TX only run current (DCDC, 3V) PRF =+8 dBm） | - | 17.05 | - | mA | — |
| TX current(TX only run current (DCDC, 3V) PRF =+4 dBm) | - | 12.68 | - | mA | — |
| TX current(TX only run current (DCDC, 5V, REG0 out = 3.3 V)PRF= 0dBm) | - | 7.25 | - | mA | — |
| TX current(TX only run current (DCDC, 3V)PRF = 0dBm) | - | 7.63 | - | mA | — |
| TX current(TX current (3V) 1Mbps BLE measured from VBAT with PRF=9dBm) | - | 32 | - | mA | — |
| RX current(RX only run current (DCDC, 3V) 1Mbps / 1Mbps BLE) | - | 7.71 | - | mA | — |
| RX current(RX only run current (DCDC, 3V) 2Mbps / 2Mbps BLE) | - | 8.27 | - | mA | — |
| Operating temperature | -40 | - | +85 | ℃ | Industrial design |
Application
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Bluetooth Mesh Protocol Analysis: Industrial automation integrators deploying hundreds of nodes can use the E104-BT5040U as a Wireshark sniffer. Its 250m line-of-sight range enables engineers to capture real-time BLE 5.0 data packets across an entire factory floor, troubleshooting latency and routing bottlenecks.
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Automated Production Line Testing: Plugs directly into an industrial PC via USB. The nRF52840 architecture handles concurrent multi-protocol testing, allowing QA engineers to verify BLE connection stability and RSSI values on assembly lines without requiring large, specialized RF testing equipment.
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Field Diagnostic Tool for IoT Integrators: Weighing only 7g with a 59*18mm USB form factor, engineers can easily carry the dongle for on-site diagnostic inspections. It quickly hooks into local systems to analyze the 2360-2500MHz spectrum, identifying signal interference or packet drops caused by competing 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks in commercial buildings.
FAQ
Q: How does the integrated PCB antenna on the E104-BT5040U maintain impedance matching in different USB port environments?
A: The onboard PCB antenna is tuned to a standard 50-ohm characteristic impedance at the 2.4GHz band. However, the ground plane of the host computer or USB hub can cause parasitic capacitance, altering the impedance and shifting the resonant frequency. To mitigate this, the module includes an optimized Pi-matching network between the nRF52840 RF pin and the trace antenna, minimizing return loss and preserving the 250-meter communication range.
Q: What are the power consumption and current draw characteristics of the E104-BT5040U during continuous packet sniffing?
A: When operating as a continuous packet sniffer, the nRF52840 radio remains in a constant Rx state. The current draw from the USB 5V rail is regulated down by an internal DC-DC converter to the SoC operational voltage, typically consuming around 5 to 10 milliamperes depending on CPU load. This low thermal dissipation prevents internal clock drift in the 32MHz crystal oscillator, ensuring highly accurate packet time-stamping.
Q: Does the E104-BT5040U USB interface require logic level conversion when communicating with the nRF52840 SoC?
A: The E104-BT5040U utilizes the native USB 2.0 full-speed controller embedded directly within the nRF52840 chip. Because the SoC features dedicated VBUS and D+/D- pins capable of handling USB signal levels natively, no external UART-to-USB bridge or logic level translation IC is required. This direct integration eliminates transmission latency and reduces the component count, optimizing data throughput during high-density BLE 5.0 traffic analysis.
