RM50xQ Series 
Hardware Design 
5G Module Series
Version: 1.2 
Date: 2022-01-27 
Status: Released 
5G Module Series 
   
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RM50xQ_Series_Hardware_Design                                                                                                    1  / 99 
   
 
 
5G Module Series 
   
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To implement module functionality, certain device data are uploaded to Quectel’s or third-party’s servers, 
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Copyright © Quectel Wireless Solutions Co., Ltd. 2022. All rights reserved. 
RM50xQ_Series_Hardware_Design                                                                                                    2  / 99 
   
 
 
5G Module Series 
   
Safety Information   
The following safety precautions must be observed during all phases of operation, such as usage, service 
or repair of any cellular terminal or mobile incorporating the module. Manufacturers of the cellular terminal 
should  notify  users  and  operating  personnel  of  the  following  safety  information  by  incorporating  these 
guidelines into all manuals of the product. Otherwise, Quectel assumes no liability for customers’ failure to 
comply with these precautions. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Full attention must be paid to driving at all times in order to reduce the risk of an 
accident.  Using  a  mobile  while  driving  (even  with  a  handsfree  kit)  causes 
distraction and can lead to an accident. Please comply with laws and regulations 
restricting the use of wireless devices while driving. 
Switch off the cellular terminal or mobile before boarding an aircraft. The operation 
of  wireless  appliances  in  an  aircraft  is  forbidden  to  prevent  interference  with 
communication systems. If there is an Airplane Mode, it should be enabled prior to 
boarding an aircraft. Please consult the airline staff for more restrictions on the use 
of wireless devices on an aircraft.   
Wireless  devices  may  cause  interference  on  sensitive  medical  equipment,  so 
please  be  aware  of  the  restrictions  on  the  use  of  wireless  devices  when  in 
hospitals, clinics or other healthcare facilities.   
Cellular  terminals  or  mobiles  operating  over  radio  signal  and  cellular  network 
cannot be guaranteed to connect in certain conditions, such as when the mobile bill 
is unpaid or the (U)SIM card is invalid. When emergency help is needed in such 
conditions, use emergency call if the device supports it. In order to make or receive 
a call, the cellular terminal or mobile must be switched on in a service area with 
adequate cellular signal strength. In an emergency, the device with emergency call 
function  cannot  be  used  as  the  only  contact  method  considering  network 
connection cannot be guaranteed under all circumstances. 
The cellular terminal or mobile contains  a  transceiver.  When  it is  ON,  it  receives 
and transmits radio frequency signals. RF interference can occur if it is used close 
to TV sets, radios, computers or other electric equipment. 
In  locations  with  explosive  or  potentially  explosive  atmospheres,  obey  all  posted 
signs  and  turn  off  wireless  devices  such  as  mobile  phone  or  other  cellular 
terminals.  Areas  with  explosive  or  potentially  explosive  atmospheres  include 
fueling areas, below decks on boats, fuel or chemical transfer or storage facilities, 
and  areas  where  the  air  contains  chemicals  or  particles  such  as  grain,  dust  or 
metal powders.   
RM50xQ_Series_Hardware_Design                                                                                                    3  / 99 
   
 
 
5G Module Series 
About the Document 
Revision History 
Version   Date 
Author 
Description 
1.0 
2020-08-31 
Kingson ZHANG/ 
Initial 
Norton ZHANG/ 
Qiqi WANG 
1. Updated the status of 5G NR SA bands (in Table 2);
2. Added the supported GNSS system: GZSS (in Table 2);
3. Updated application fields of the module (in Chapter 2.1);
4. Updated the content and notes of key features (Chapter
2.2);
5. Updated 5G NR features (in Table 3);
6. Updated the temperature range of the module;
7. Updated  I/O  parameter  definitions  and  deleted  M.2
Socket  2  PCIe-based  Pinout  descriptions  (in  Chapter
2.6);
8. Updated  the  description  of  turn-on/turn-off/reset  timing
and PCIe  timing  of  the module  (in Chapter 3.4, Chapter
3.5, Chapter 3.6 and Chapter 4.3.4);
9. Updated the content of (U)SIM interfaces (Chapter 4.1);
10. Updated  MIMO1  to  PRX  MIMO,  and  MIMO2  to  DRX
MIMO (in Chapter 5);
11. Updated  WCDMA  information  of  ANT0  and  ANT3  (in
Table 30 and Table 31);
12. Updated 5G NR receiving sensitivity data (Table 33);
13. Added new chapters: Chapter 1.2, Chapter 1.3, Chapter
5.3.4, and Chapter 5.3.5;
14. Updated current consumption data (Table 40);
Updated the reference image of the module (Figure 38). 
1.
Incorporated 
the 
information  of  RM500Q  series,
RM502Q-AE, RM505Q-AE into this hardware design and
renamed  the  document  to  Quectel  RM50xQ  Series
1.1 
2021-03-08 
Norton ZHANG/ 
Jerax KONG 
1.2 
2022-01-27 
Norton ZHANG/ 
Emmy CHEN 
RM50xQ_Series_Hardware_Design 
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5G Module Series 
Hardware Design; 
2. Changed  the  applicable  EVB  from  PCIe  Card  EVB  to
5G-M2 EVB (Chapter 2.3);
3. Added  the  supported  WCDMA  B6  of  RM500Q-GL
module (Table 4);
4. Added  the  footnote  that  the  maximum  5G  SA  UL
transmission  rate  of  RM50xQ-AE  reaches  900  Mbps
(Table 5);
5. Updated  the  supported  Internet  protocol  features  (Table
6);
6. Updated  the  operating  temperature  range  (Table  6  and
Chapter 6.6);
7. Updated the I/O information of pins 8/10/23/26/34/42/50/
52/54 (Table 8/16/18/20);
8.
Incorporated  the  PCIe  turn-on/turn-off/reset  timing  into
the  USB  turn-on/turn-off/reset  timing  and  updated  the
related timing parameters (Chapter 3.4/3.5/3.6);
9. Merged  the  antenna  port  mapping  information  into  the
antenna connector definition tables (Chapter 5.1.1);
10. Updated Rx sensitivity data of RM500Q-GL (Table 34);
11. Simplified power consumption information of the module
(Chapter 6.2);
12. Added information about 3.3 V digital I/O (Table 46);
13. Added  new  chapter  about  notices  in  module  application
(Chapter 6.7);
14. Updated  the  mechanical  dimensions,  top  and  bottom
views  and  the  packaging  information  of  the  module
(Chapter 7).
RM50xQ_Series_Hardware_Design 
5  / 99 
5G Module Series 
   
Contents 
Safety Information ....................................................................................................................................... 3 
About the Document ................................................................................................................................... 4 
Contents ....................................................................................................................................................... 6 
Table Index ................................................................................................................................................... 9 
Figure Index ............................................................................................................................................... 11 
1 
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 13 
1.1.  Applicable Modules ................................................................................................................... 13 
1.2.  Reference Standard .................................................................................................................. 14 
1.3.  Special Marks ............................................................................................................................ 14 
2  Product Overview .............................................................................................................................. 15 
2.1.  Frequency Bands and Functions .............................................................................................. 15 
2.2.  Key Features ............................................................................................................................. 18 
2.3.  EVB ........................................................................................................................................... 21 
2.4.  Functional Diagram ................................................................................................................... 21 
2.5.  Pin Assignment ......................................................................................................................... 22 
2.6.  Pin Description .......................................................................................................................... 23 
3  Operating Characteristics ................................................................................................................. 28 
3.1.  Operating Modes ....................................................................................................................... 28 
3.1.1.  Sleep Mode .................................................................................................................... 28 
3.1.2.  Airplane Mode ................................................................................................................ 30 
3.2.  Communication Interface with a Host ....................................................................................... 30 
3.3.  Power Supply ............................................................................................................................ 31 
3.3.1.  Voltage Stability Requirements ...................................................................................... 31 
3.3.2.  Reference Design for Power Supply .............................................................................. 32 
3.3.3.  Power Supply Voltage Monitoring .................................................................................. 33 
3.4.  Turn On ..................................................................................................................................... 33 
3.5.  Turn Off ..................................................................................................................................... 35 
3.6.  Reset ......................................................................................................................................... 36 
4  Application Interfaces ....................................................................................................................... 39 
4.1. 
(U)SIM Interfaces ...................................................................................................................... 39 
4.1.1.  Pin Definition of (U)SIM.................................................................................................. 39 
4.1.2. 
(U)SIM Hot-Plug ............................................................................................................. 40 
4.1.3.  Normally Closed (U)SIM Card Connector...................................................................... 41 
4.1.4.  Normally Open (U)SIM Card Connector ........................................................................ 42 
4.1.5. 
(U)SIM Card Connector Without Hot-Plug ..................................................................... 43 
4.1.6. 
(U)SIM2 Card Compatible Design ................................................................................. 43 
4.1.7. 
(U)SIM Design Notices................................................................................................... 44 
4.2.  USB Interface ............................................................................................................................ 44 
4.3.  PCIe Interface ........................................................................................................................... 46 
RM50xQ_Series_Hardware_Design                                                                                                    6  / 99 
   
 
 
5G Module Series 
   
4.3.1.  PCIe Operating Mode .................................................................................................... 46 
4.3.2.  Pin Definition of PCIe ..................................................................................................... 47 
4.3.3.  Reference Design for PCIe ............................................................................................ 48 
4.4.  PCM Interface ........................................................................................................................... 49 
4.5.  Control and Indication Interfaces .............................................................................................. 51 
4.5.1.  W_DISABLE1# ............................................................................................................... 51 
4.5.2.  W_DISABLE2# ............................................................................................................... 52 
4.5.3.  WWAN_LED#................................................................................................................. 53 
4.5.4.  WAKE_ON_WAN# ......................................................................................................... 53 
4.5.5.  DPR* .............................................................................................................................. 54 
4.5.6.  STATUS* ........................................................................................................................ 55 
4.6.  Cellular/WLAN COEX Interface* ............................................................................................... 55 
4.7.  Antenna Tuner Control Interface .............................................................................................. 55 
4.8.  Configuration Pins ..................................................................................................................... 56 
5  RF Characteristic ............................................................................................................................... 58 
5.1.  Cellular Network ........................................................................................................................ 58 
5.1.1.  Antenna Interfaces & Frequency Bands ........................................................................ 58 
5.1.1.1.  RM500Q-GL ........................................................................................................ 58 
5.1.1.2.  RM500Q-AE & RM502Q-AE ............................................................................... 60 
5.1.1.3.  RM505Q-AE ........................................................................................................ 62 
5.1.1.4.  RM500Q-CN ........................................................................................................ 64 
5.1.2.  Rx Sensitivity .................................................................................................................. 65 
5.1.3.  Tx Power ........................................................................................................................ 71 
5.2.  GNSS ........................................................................................................................................ 71 
5.2.1.  Antenna Interfaces & Frequency Bands ........................................................................ 72 
5.2.2.  GNSS Performance ....................................................................................................... 73 
5.2.3.  Active GNSS Antenna Reference Circuit ....................................................................... 73 
5.3.  Antenna Connectors ................................................................................................................. 74 
5.3.1.  Antenna Connector Size ................................................................................................ 74 
5.3.2.  Antenna Connector Installation ...................................................................................... 75 
5.3.2.1.  RF Connector Assemble Coaxial Cable Plug Manually ..................................... 77 
5.3.2.2. 
Assemble Coaxial Cable Plug with Jig ............................................................... 78 
5.3.3.  Recommended Manufacturers of RF Connector and Cable ......................................... 78 
5.4.  Antenna Design Requirements ................................................................................................. 79 
6  Electrical Characteristics and Reliability ........................................................................................ 80 
6.1.  Power Supply Requirements .................................................................................................... 80 
6.2.  Power Consumption .................................................................................................................. 80 
6.3.  Digital I/O Characteristic ........................................................................................................... 82 
6.4.  ESD ........................................................................................................................................... 83 
6.5.  Absolute Maximum Ratings ...................................................................................................... 84 
6.6.  Operating and Storage Temperatures ...................................................................................... 84 
6.7.  Notification ................................................................................................................................ 85 
6.7.1.  Coating ........................................................................................................................... 85 
RM50xQ_Series_Hardware_Design                                                                                                    7  / 99