The document summarizes the features and specifications of the Microchip MRF49XA ISM Band Sub-GHz RF transceiver module. It supports sub-GHz frequency ranges between 433-915 MHz and integrated features such as an automatic frequency control, RSSI outputs, and low power modes. Application examples are provided for home automation, wireless peripherals, telemetry, and more. Block diagrams depict the transceiver's architectural design and interface with microcontrollers.
20. MRF49XA PICtail™/PICtail Plus Daughter Board MRF49XA Pictail / Pictail PLUS DAUGHTER BOARD MRF49XA Daughter Board Plugged Into PIC18 Explorer Board.
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Hinweis der Redaktion
This is a training module for the Microchip ISM Band Sub-GHz RF Transceiver
Welcome to the training module on the Microchip MRF49XA. This module gives an Brief introduction to ISM Band Sub-GHz RF Transciever.
The MRF49XA by Microchip is a highly integrated RF transceiver that can be used in the 433, 868 and 915 MHz frequency bands. FSK modulation is internally used by this module. It is mainly used to interface to a PIC microcontroller. A transceiver is a device that can both transmit and receive. A system that can send and receive data at the same time is called a full duplex system. On the other hand, a system that can only send or receive at a time is called a half-duplex system. Half-duplex systems use only one frequency carrier and the two ends share the same frequency. Full-duplex systems use two carrier frequencies, known as uplink frequency and downlink frequency.
The receiver’s Baseband Bandwidth (BBBW) can be programmed to accommodate various deviations, data rates and crystal tolerance requirements. The MRF49XA is a fully integrated Sub-GHz RF transceiver. This low-power single chip FSK baseband transceiver supports: • Zero-IF architecture • Multi-channel and multi-band • Synthesizer with Phase Locked Loop (PLL) • Power Amplifier (PA) • Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) • I/Q down converter mixers • I/Q demodulator • Baseband filters and amplifiers
The MRF49XA has low phase noise and provides an excellent adjacent channel interference, Bit Error Rate (BER) and larger communication coverage along with higher output power. The MRF49XA device’s Automatic Frequency Control (AFC) feature allows for the use of a low-accuracy, low-cost crystals.
The MRF49XA Sub-GHz transceiver radio covers the 434/868/915 MHz unlicensed Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) Radio Frequency (RF) band, which is ideal for low data-rate, low-power embedded wireless applications, The MRF49XA is the best option for Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) applications requiring frequency agility to meet FCC, IC or ETSI requirements. Microchip makes it easy to integrate this new Sub-GHz transceiver with any 8-, 16- or 32-bit PIC microcontroller, enabling cost-effective designs for a wide range of, bi-directional, short-range wireless applications, such as remote controls, remote meter reading and home security/alarms.
The MRF49XA is an integrated, single chip ISM Band Sub-GHz Transceiver. A simplified architectural block diagram of the MRF49XA is shown here. The frequency synthesizer is clocked by an external 10 MHz crystal and generates the 433, 868 and 915 MHz radio frequency. The receiver with a Zero-IF architecture consists of Low Noise Amplifier, Down Conversion Mixers, Channel Filters, Baseband Limiting Amplifiers, Receiver Signal Strength Indicator. The transmitter with a direct conversion architecture has a typical output power of +7 dBm. An internal transmit/receive switch combines the transmitter and receiver circuits into differential RFP and RFN pins.
The MRF49XA has a low phase noise and provides an excellent adjacent channel interference, Bit Error Rate (BER) and larger communication coverage along with higher output power. The MRF49XA device’s Automatic Frequency Control (AFC) feature allows for the use of a low-accuracy, low-cost crystal. The MRF49XA provides a clock signal for the microcontroller and avoids the need for a second crystal on the circuit board. The transceiver can be interfaced with many popular Microchip PIC microcontrollers via a 4-wire SPI, interrupt (IRO) and Reset. The receiver’s Baseband Bandwidth (BBBW) can be programmed to accommodate various deviations, data rates and crystal tolerance requirements.
The transceiver can be interfaced with many popular Microchip PIC microcontrollers via a 4-wire SPI, interrupt (IRO) and Reset. The interface between the microcontroller and MRF49XA is shown here. MRF49XA is a highly integrated RF transceiver. It requires only a few external components and can be controlled via an SPI interface. Thus, MRF49XA is ideal for low-power, short-range radio communications, where the host system is a microcontroller, such as Microchip’s PIC microcontrollers. In a radio link, the transmitter and the receiver are working on the same frequency. Only one device can transmit at one time and the other must receive. Once the transmission is done, they can change roles and send the data back i.e., send back an acknowledgement.
This page explains about the hardware description of MRF49XA device. The Power Amplifier (PA) has an open-collector differential output and can directly drive different PCB antennas, like loop or dipole, with a programmable output power level during signal transmission. The Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) has approximately 250Ω of differential input impedance which functions well with the proposed antenna during signal transmission. The LNA gain can be selected in four steps for different gain factors (between 0 and -20 dB relative to the highest gain) based on the required RF signal strength.
This page discusses the Phase Lock Loop and Automatic frequency control. The Phase Locked Loop (PLL) circuitry determines the operating frequency of the device. This programmable PLL synthesizer requires only a single 10 MHz crystal reference source. The PLL in MRF49XA is capable of performing automatic fine adjustment for the carrier frequency by using an integrated Automatic Frequency Control (AFC) feature. The receiver uses the AFC feature to minimize the frequency offset between the TX/RX signals in discrete steps.
The AFC block operates in two modes and these modes depend on the strobe signals which are governed by the MFCS bit. The two operating modes are : Manual Mode and Automatic Mode. In Automatic mode the strobe signal from the microcontroller is not required to update the Frequency Offset register block, as shown here. The AFC circuit is automatically enabled when the DIO indicates the potential incoming signal during the entire measurement cycle and measures the same result in two subsequent cycles. Without AFC, the transmitter and the receiver need to be tuned precisely to the same frequency.
The advanced interrupt handler circuit is implemented in the MRF49XA to reduce the power consumption. The Sleep mode is the lowest power consumption mode in which the mode clock and all functional blocks of the chip are disabled. In case of any interrupt, the device wakes up, switches to the Active mode and an interrupt signal generated on the IRO pin of the device indicates the change in state or occurrence of an interrupt to the host microcontroller. The source of the interrupt is determined by reading the status word of the device.
The baseband receiver has several programming options to optimize the communication for a wide range of applications. The programmable functions are Baseband Analog Filter, Baseband Digital Filter, Receive Bandwidth, Receive Data Rate, Clock Recovery. If the deviation is known for a given transmitter, good results are obtained with a bandwidth of at least twice the transmitter FSK deviation.
The DIO can be disabled by the user so that only raw data from the comparator comes out, or it can be set to accept only a preset range of data rates and data quality. The DIO signal is valid when using the internal receive FIFO or an external pin to capture baseband data. DIO can be multiplexed to pin 16 for external usage. The DIO has three modes of operation: Slow, Medium and Fast. Each mode is dependent on the signals it uses to determine the valid data and also on the number of incoming preamble bits present at the beginning of the packet.
The Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) estimates the received signal power within the bandwidth of ISM channels. The MRF49XA provides both analog RSSI and digital RSSI. The DRSSIT value is a 3-bit binary value ranging from 0-8. The digital RSSI is basically a sensitive comparator behind an analog RSSI block. The analog RSSI level is linear with input signal levels between -103 and -73 dBm.
This page gives information about the Antenna design consideration for the device MRF49XA. The dipole is typically not a good option for compact designs due to its inherent size at resonance, and its space requirements around the ground plane, to be an efficient antenna. A monopole antenna can be used, along with a Balun, or by using the matching circuit.
This page shows the Bit Error Rate of the device at 433 MHz and 868 MHz. The MRF49XA has a low phase noise and provides an excellent adjacent channel interference, Bit Error Rate (BER) and larger communication coverage along with higher output power.
The application circuit of MRF49XA with a balun circuit is shown here. If low tolerance components (i.e., ±5%) are used with an appropriate ground, the impedance remains close to the 50Ω measurement.
The MRF49XA PICtail / PICtail Plus Daughter Board are demonstration and development daughter boards for the MRF49XA ISM Band Sub-GHz RF Transceiver. The MRF49XA PICtail / PICtail Plus Daughter Board can be plugged into multiple Microchip Technology demonstration and development boards. This allows the developer to choose the microcontroller that best suits the customer’s development environment.
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