The Demo Board is a robust platform for developing and demonstrating advanced wireless solutions. It leverages the synergy between the microcontroller and RFMD’s proficiency in RF technology.
The Atmel RF6505RC128A-410 Demo Board is a collaborative reference design by RFMD and Atmel Corporation. It provides a comprehensive 2.4GHz ZigBee IEEE 802.15.4-compliant radio transceiver solution conforming to FCC CFR47 part 15 regulations. This design features ATmega128RFA1 and ATmega256RFR2 as its core ZigBee platform, integrating a low-power 2.4GHz radio frequency transceiver with a high-performance, low-power AVR 8-bit microcontroller in a compact 9mm x 9mm x 0.9mm 64-pin QFN package.
RFMD plays a pivotal role in this reference design with its world-class Front End Module (FEM), the RF6505. This module is engineered to deliver efficient, extended output power exceeding 27dBm while incorporating features such as harmonic filtering, a diversity switch, and an LNA with bypass. The key highlights of this design include an impressive output power of +27dBm (1/2 Watt), an industry-leading 129dB link budget, and a sensitivity of -102.5dBm at 1% Packet Error Rate (PER), ensuring robust communication. The design boasts low harmonic content, antenna diversity for enhanced signal reliability, RoHS compliance for environmental sustainability, and a single differential bidirectional TX/RX interface for streamlined connectivity.
The RF6505 FEM is a single-chip medium power (24 to 27dBm) Smart Energy front-end solution, integrating a PA with harmonic filtering, an LNA with bypass, an SPDT switch for TX/RX functionality, a DP2T switch for antenna diversity, and a 100Ω Balun for a single differential bidirectional TX/RX interface, all within a compact 3.5 x 3.5 x 0.55 QFN 20-pin package. The integrated AVR RISC 8-bit microcontroller and IEEE 802.15.4-compliant transceiver support the globally accessible 2.4GHz ISM band, making the system suitable for standard-based applications such as ZigBee/IEEE 802.15.4, ZigBee RF4CE, 6LoWPAN, and high data rate ISM applications.
This application note is designed to equip developers with the essential data, evaluation steps, and design tools required to implement a ZigBee solution utilizing the RF6505RC128A reference design. The potential applications for this design are diverse and include ZigBee 802.15.4 based systems for remote monitoring and control, serving as a communications hub for smart energy and home automation, smart metering for energy management applications, and building automation. These applications highlight the versatility and utility of the RF6505RC128A reference design in various smart and connected environments.
Atmel Corporation has tested this reference design. It comes with Functional Descriptions, FCC Compliance Measurements, ETSI_EN 300 Compliance Testing etc. You can find additional data about the reference design on the company’s website. To read more about this reference design, click here.
