How to power the nRF9161DK from an external battery while ensuring proper LTE and GNSS Operation

[gc0rreiab]

I attempted to power the nRF9161DK using an external battery by feeding the VDD_nRF pin. However, the nRF9161 SiP did not operate correctly because several subsystems on the DK rely on additional supply rails:

• The GNSS RF path requires VDD_GPIO (to power the LNA) and VDD_3V0 (for the external GNSS antenna)
• The uSIM card requires its own VDD supply

These rails are generated by the nPM1300 PMIC and are not powered when only VDD_nRF is supplied externally. After reviewing the nRF9161DK schematics, it appears that VDD_nRF exists solely for current-consumption measurements of the SiP, not as a means to power the entire board.

Since the DK already includes the nPM1300 and most VDDx rails originate from VOUT1/VOUT2, it raises the question: why is there no dedicated battery connector wired directly to the nPM1300 VBAT pin? Or alternatively, why is there no battery connector integrated into the power-input selection path, similar to other Nordic DKs such as the nRF52833DK, nRF52840DK, or nRF7002DK?

Just to confirm: is it correct that there is no supported way to power the nRF9161 DK directly from a 3.7 V LiPo battery while still ensuring proper operation of both LTE and GNSS subsystems?

[Syed Maysum Abbas Zaidi]

Hi, Yes, it is correct that the nRF9161 DK cannot be directly connected to a 3.7 V Li-Po battery in a supported way. To operate LTE, GNSS, and the SIM interface, the DK requires multiple power rails generated by the nPM1300 PMIC. Supplying only VDD_nRF bypasses the PMIC and therefore does not power the necessary subsystems. The supported approach is to power the DK with 5 V (either through the USB connector or the VIN/5V pin on connector P20).

And the DK does not include a dedicated Li-Po connector because it is primarily designed for development and evaluation using USB or regulated external supplies. For battery-powered products, the recommended approach is to integrate a suitable PMIC (such as the nPM1100 or nPM1300) on your custom hardware design. Alternatively, if you need a Nordic platform that already includes a battery, the Thingy:91X may be a good option.

Regards,
Syed Maysum