Anaren A1101R04C User manual

Anaren Integrated Radio
A1101R04C User’s Manual
Release Date 02/20/12

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USER'S MANUAL
A1101R04C
Contents
1. Overview ..........................................................................................................................................................5
1.1. Features.......................................................................................................................................................6
1.2. Theory of Operation..................................................................................................................................6
1.2.1. Typical Flow........................................................................................................................................8
1.3. Configuration...........................................................................................................................................10
1.4. Applications.............................................................................................................................................10
2. Approvals and Usage ...................................................................................................................................12
2.1. Product Approvals..................................................................................................................................12
2.1.1. Europe (Conformité Européenne, )...............................................................................................12
2.2. Potential Interference Sources ...............................................................................................................13
2.2.1. Time critical data...............................................................................................................................13
2.3. Approved Usage .....................................................................................................................................13
2.3.1. Europe ...............................................................................................................................................13
3. Electrical Characteristics ..............................................................................................................................16
3.1. Absolute Maximum Ratings ..................................................................................................................16
3.2. Operating Conditions .............................................................................................................................17
3.3. Pin Out......................................................................................................................................................17
3.4. Recommended Layout (Dimensions in mm)......................................................................................19
3.5. Power Supply Considerations...............................................................................................................19
4. Mechanical and Process................................................................................................................................20
4.1. Radio Module Details (Dimensions in mm) .......................................................................................20
4.1.1. A1101R04C.......................................................................................................................................20
4.2. Packaging Details (Dimensions in mm) ..............................................................................................21
4.2.1. Matrix Tray Packaging .....................................................................................................................21
4.2.2. Tape-Reel Packaging .........................................................................................................................21
4.3. Soldering...................................................................................................................................................22
4.3.1. Manual Mounting Procedure ...........................................................................................................22
4.3.2. Automated Mounting Procedure ......................................................................................................23

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A1101R04C –User’s Manual Page 5 of 26
Release Date 02/20/12
1. Overview
The A1101R04C is a surface mount module with an integrated crystal, internal voltage
regulator, matching circuitry and filtering. The A1101R04C utilizes an external antenna through
a U.FL connector (see Table 1). The module operates in the European band of 433.05 to
434.79 MHz, is ideal for achieving low power wireless connectivity without having to deal with
extensive RF design and regulatory compliance, and provides quick time to market. The
modules are 100% tested to provide consistent performance.
The A1101R04C has received regulatory approvals for modular devices in Europe (ETSI). The
modular approval allows the OEM or end user to place A1101R04C with an approved antenna
inside a finished product without having to perform costly regulatory testing for an intentional
radiator. Section 2 has information on the requirements the end user/integrator must fulfill to use
the modules without intentional radiator regulatory testing.
The A1101R04C is based on the CC1101 transceiver IC from Texas Instruments. All control
lines for the transceiver are provided at module level for full control of its operation. Please see
the CC1101 data sheet (www.ti.com) for how to control the modules. Please see section 2.3 for
the recommended register settings to achieve optimal performance and regulatory compliance.
The A1101R04C has a compact antenna connector that allows for locating the antenna away
from the module due to form/function or in order to exit a metal enclosure.
The A1101R04C module measures 9x12x2.5mm.

Page 6 of 26 A1101R04C –User’s Manual
Release Date 02/20/12
1.1. Features
Features:
Frequency range: 433.05 –434.79
MHz
Ultra small package size 9mm x 12mm
x 2.5mm
Impedance controlled multi-layer PCB
Shielded Package
1.8 to 3.6 V operation
SPI Interface
RoHS Compliant
LGA Footprint
Low Power Consumption
Regulatory compliance for ETSI
Digital RSSI output
Programmable channel filter bandwidth
Programmable output power up to +12
dBm
High sensitivity (–116 dBm at
0.6kBaud, 1% packet error rate)
Low current consumption (15.7 mA in
RX, 250 kBaud, input well above
sensitivity limit)
Separate 64-byte RX and TX data
FIFOs
Fast startup time: 240us from SLEEP
to Rx or Tx mode
Data Rate: 0.6 –600 Kbit/Sec
Sleep state: 0.2uA
Idle State: 1.7mA
Benefits Summary:
Operating temperature -40 to +85C
100% RF Tested in production
Common footprint for all family
members
No RF engineering experience
necessary
Only requires a 2 layer PCB
implementation
Excellent receiver selectivity and
blocking Performance
Suitable for frequency hopping and
multichannel systems due to a fast
settling frequency synthesizer with 75
us settling time
Suited for systems compliant with EN
300 220
No regulatory “Intentional radiator”
testing is required to integrate module
into end product. Simple certification
labeling replaces testing.
1.2. Theory of Operation
The A1101R04C is designed for low power wireless applications in the European band of
433.05 MHz to 434.79 MHz. It can be used to implement a variety of networks, including point
to point, point to multipoint, peer to peer and mesh networks.
The A1101R04C interfaces to an application microcontroller via an SPI bus. Physical and MAC
layer functionality are accessed via the SPI bus, through addressable registers as well as
execution commands. Data received or to be transmitted are also accessed through the SPI bus
and are implemented as a FIFO register (64 bytes each for Tx and Rx).
To transmit, a frame of data is placed in the FIFO; this may include a destination address. A
transmit command is given, which will transmit the data according to the initial setup of the
registers. To receive data, a receive command is given, which enables the unit to “listen” for a

A1101R04C –User’s Manual Page 7 of 26
Release Date 02/20/12
transmission and when one occurs put the received frame in the FIFO. When neither transmit
nor receive is required, the device can enter either an Idle mode, from which it can quickly re-
enter receive or transmit mode, or a low power sleep mode, from which a crystal startup is also
required prior to transmit or receive operation.
Below a block diagram is given for the A1101R04C module.
Antenna
oThe antenna couples energy between the air and the AIR module. For
applications where installations are done by an end user (non-professional), an
omni-directional antenna pattern is desired, such that the application will work
equally well in any direction. Similarly for peer to peer or point to multipoint
applications an omni-directional pattern is desired such that all nodes have a fair
chance of communicating. The A1101R04C has an approved near omni-
directional monopole antenna listed in Table 1. Note that the end radiation
pattern depends not only on the antenna, but also on the ground plane,
enclosure and installation environment.
Filtering
oFiltering removes spurious signals to comply with regulatory intentional radiator
requirements.
Matching
oMatching provides the correct loading of the transmit amplifier to achieve the
highest output power as well as the correct loading for the receive LNA to
achieve the best sensitivity.
Physical
oThe physical layer provides conversions between data, symbol and RF signal.
MAC
oThe MAC layer is part of the Logical Link Layer and provides frame handling,
addressing and medium access services.
Microcontroller Interface
oThe microcontroller interface exposes registers and commands for the physical
and MAC layers to a microcontroller.
Power Management
oPower management ensures a stable supply for the internal functions as well as
providing means for a low power sleep mode (in which case, most of the
transceiver is power off).
Table 1 Approved Antenna
Item
Part Number
Manufacturer
Type
Gain
(dBi)
1
66089-0406
Anaren
Monopole whip, 173mm lead
3

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Release Date 02/20/12
Figure 1 The functionality of the A1101R04C, using an external antenna.
Figure 2 Transceiver IC block diagram.
1.2.1. Typical Flow
After initial setup of registers for desired behavior, the normal operation flow diagram is shown
in Figure 3 . In applications of infrequent data transmissions the transceiver would be in “sleep”
mode to save power (200nA). From there it would awaken and then enter “idle” mode. As part of
the wake up process the crystal oscillator is started (~240μs) and the digital microcontroller
interface is powered up. Before transmit or receive, the frequency synthesizer needs to be
started (“FS_Wakeup”) and, having been powered off (or idle for a while), the control loop of the
VCO/PLL needs to be calibrated (“calibrate”).

A1101R04C –User’s Manual Page 9 of 26
Release Date 02/20/12
A data frame is loaded into the transmit FIFO and the “TX” mode is entered. The transceiver will
transmit the data and enter “idle” mode after completion. When transmit is complete “RX” mode
is entered to wait for the acknowledge frame. Once a frame is received the transceiver will again
enter “idle” mode. If no acknowledge frame is received within a given timeout the data frame
would be re-transmitted. If the acknowledge frame indicates that the data was received the next
data frame will be transmitted. After the last data frame has been transmitted successfully, the
transceiver will again be put in “sleep” mode.
Figure 3 Transceiver state diagram

Page 10 of 26 A1101R04C –User’s Manual
Release Date 02/20/12
1.3. Configuration
Table 2 lists the radio module configuration parameters, and the level of configurability by the
user.
Legend:
1.4. Applications
Ultra low-power wireless applications, operating in the 433.05 –434.79 MHz ISM/SRD bands:
Wireless alarm and security systems
Industrial monitoring and control
Wireless sensor networks
AMR –Automatic Meter Reading
Home and building automation
Existing applications where simple upgrade to wireless is desired
Certification is valid for any value choosen
Use the provided certified settings as other may degrade performance
Any modification of this value is a violation of the certification and the
customer is responsible for optaining their own certification
Unused/undocumented function. The provided default value must be written.
No assumption should be made on the value read from this field
Read only register (burst mode read only, command strobes otherwise).