SARA-G3 and SARA-U2 series - System Integration Manual 
UBX-13000995 - R26    Design-in 
    Page 115 of 217 
2.3  System functions interfaces 
2.3.1  Module power-on (PWR_ON) 
2.3.1.1  Guidelines for PWR_ON circuit design 
Connecting the PWR_ON input to a push button that shorts the PWR_ON pin to ground, provide an external 
pull-up resistor (e.g. 100 kΩ) biased by the  V_BCKP supply pin of the  module, as  described in  Figure 52  and 
Table  33.  Connecting  the  PWR_ON  input  to  a  push  button,  the  pin  will  be  externally  accessible  on  the 
application device: according to EMC/ESD requirements of the application, provide an additional ESD protection 
(e.g. EPCOS CA05P4S14THSG varistor array) on the line connected to this pin, close to accessible point. 
 
  The PWR_ON pin has high input impedance and is weakly pulled to the high level on the module. Avoid 
keeping it floating in a noisy environment. To hold the high logic level stable, the PWR_ON pin must be 
connected to a pull-up resistor (e.g. 100 kΩ) biased by the V_BCKP supply pin of the module. 
  The ESD sensitivity rating of the PWR_ON pin is 1 kV (Human Body Model according to JESD22-A114). A 
higher protection level can be required if the line is externally accessible on the application board, e.g. if 
an accessible push button is directly connected to PWR_ON pin. A higher protection level can be achieved 
by mounting an ESD protection (e.g. EPCOS CA05P4S14THSG varistor array) close to accessible points. 
 
When  connecting  the  PWR_ON  input  to  an  external  device  (e.g.  application  processor),  use  an  open  drain 
output on the external device with an external pull-up resistor (e.g. 100 kΩ) biased by the V_BCKP supply pin of 
the module, as described in Figure 52 and Table 33. 
A  compatible  push-pull  output  of  an  application  processor  can  also  be  used:  in  this  case  the  pull-up  can  be 
provided to pull the PWR_ON level high when the application processor is switched off. If the high-level voltage 
of the push-pull output pin of the application processor is greater than  the maximum input voltage operating 
range of the V_BCKP pin (refer to the SARA-G3 series Data Sheet [1] and the SARA-U2 series Data Sheet [2]), 
the V_BCKP supply cannot be used to bias the pull-up resistor: the supply rail of the application processor or the 
module VCC supply could be used, but this increases the V_BCKP (RTC supply) current consumption when the 
module is in not-powered mode (VCC supply not present). Using a push-pull output of the external device, take 
care to fix the proper level in all the possible scenarios to avoid an inappropriate module switch-on. 
 
SARA-G3 series
SARA-U2 series
Rext
2
V_BCKP
15
PWR_ON
Power-on 
push button
ESD
Open 
Drain 
Output
Application 
Processor
SARA-G3 series
SARA-U2 series
Rext
2
V_BCKP
15
PWR_ON
TP
TP
 
Figure 52: PWR_ON application circuits using a push button and an open drain output of an application processor 
100 kΩ Resistor 0402 5% 0.1 W 
External pull-up resistor 
Varistor array for ESD protection 
Table 33: Example of pull-up resistor and ESD protection for the PWR_ON application circuit 
  It is recommended to provide direct access to the PWR_ON pin on the application board by means of an 
accessible test-point directly connected to the PWR_ON pin.