Product description
Clipper enables your Raspberry Pi to receive and transmit data via 4G LTE mobile networks – perfect for remote or mobile projects.
Clipper features an SP/CE connector on the board – this means you can easily connect it to any SP/CE-compatible microcontroller or peripheral using a handy cable.
The 4G LTE module on the Clipper supports the following frequency bands:
B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B28
Antenna connection: SMA female
Pinout (these functions are available via the SP/CE connector and as unpopulated pins on the board):
GND – Ground (this is pin 1 on the SP/CE connector, closest to the SIM card holder)
PWRKEY – Power key pin; must be switched to low and then to high to start the module
RX – UART input to the breakout board
RESET – Reset pin; pull high to keep the switch active
NETLIGHT – Output from the LTE module, for a flashing LED when a network connection is present. It has a maximum output current of 7 mA; if you connect an external LED to this pin, it should have a series resistor.
TX – UART output from the board
VDDIO – IO voltage input; 3.0–3.6 V is recommended for reliable IO. Low power consumption.
VDD – 3.7 V–6.0 V power supply to the board
Getting started
You can use the Clipper with the Raspberry Pi Pico (or other RP2040- or RP2350-based microcontrollers) using Pimoroni’s custom MicroPython build, which includes (experimental) built-in LTE support.
Good to know:
Dimensions: 65 x 30 x 17 mm (L x W x D, including connectors). With a Pi Zero 2 W mounted using a 10 mm spacer, the total depth (including the antenna connector) is approximately 23 mm.
VDD power consumption:
Idle: 17 mA
Sleep mode: 0.12 mA – 1.63 mA
Maximum power consumption during transmission: 700 mA (the peak current is only reached for a brief moment, and the 440 µF capacitors on the breakout board help to smooth out the peaks)
The average currents when using the module are in the range of 50 mA – 100 mA.
The LTE module has a fairly sensitive undervoltage circuit, so if it keeps switching off randomly or when you try to do something with it, check the power supply.
