Digi XLR PRO User manual

XLR PRO™
Radio Frequency (RF) Module
User Guide

Revision history—90001407
Revision Date Description
A October
2015
Updated to include full descriptions of all XLR PRO RF Module features.
B October
2016
Added several I/O settings commands. Added a getting started section for
the development kit. Added mechanical drawings. Revised the AT command
and APIframe sections. Added Australian certification information.
C December
2017
Added information about heat dissipation and using a heat sink. Added RF
power level saturation information.
D May 2018 Added note on range estimation. Changed ICto ISED.
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© 2018 Digi International Inc. All rights reserved.
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merchantability for a particular purpose. Digi may make improvements and/or changes in this manual
or in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described in this manual at any time.
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www.digi.com/howtobuy/terms
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XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Module User Guide 2

Contents
About the XLR PRO RF Module
Antenna port 10
Mechanical drawings 10
Pinouts 10
Heat dissipation 12
Use a heat sink 13
Operation without a heat sink 14
For more information 14
Technical specifications
General specifications 16
Electrical specifications 16
RF characteristics 17
Rural range line-of-sight 18
Receiver sensitivity 18
Receiver selectivity 19
Interface data rate (software selectable) 19
Networking and security specifications 19
Power requirements 19
Environmental 19
Regulatory conformity summary 19
Connectors 20
Getting started with the XLR PRO RF Module
Development Board for the XLR PRO RF Module 22
Edge connector 22
XLR PRO Modular Development Board LEDs 23
USB communication enable and loopback switches 25
Commissioning and Reset buttons 26
XLR PRO Shutdown control switch 26
XLR PRO direct voltage supply input 27
40-Pin development header 28
Set up a Development kit for a range test 29
Configure the device using XCTU 29
Configure the devices for a range test 29
Perform a range test 30
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Module User Guide 3

XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Module User Guide 4
Operations
Operational design 33
UART 33
Serial communications 34
SPI signals 34
Signal description 34
Slave mode characteristics 35
Full duplex operation 35
Configuration considerations 36
SPI and API mode 36
SPI parameters 36
Serial port selection 36
Serial receive buffer 37
Serial transmit buffer 37
Networking methods
MAC/PHY layers 39
Addressing basics 39
64-bit addresses 39
Make a unicast transmission 39
Make a broadcast transmission 40
Delivery methods 40
Point to Point / Point to Multipoint (P2MP) 40
Repeater/directed broadcast 40
Transmission timeouts 41
Transmit a broadcast 41
AT commands
Special commands 43
AC (Apply Changes) 43
FR (Software Reset) 43
RE (Restore Defaults) 43
WR (Write) 43
MAC/PHY commands 44
ID (Network ID) 44
BR (RF Data Rate) 44
PL (Power Level) 45
RR (Unicast Retries) 45
MT(Broadcast Multi-Transmits) 45
Diagnostic commands 45
DB (Received Signal Strength) 46
EA (MAC ACK Timeouts) 46
ER (Received Error Count) 46
GD (Good Packets Received) 46
TR (Transmission Failure Count) 47
UA (Unicasts Attempted) 47
%H (MAC Unicast One Hop Time) 47
%8 (MAC Broadcast One Hop Time) 47
N? (Network Discovery Timeout) 48
Network commands 48
CE (Node Messaging Options) 48

XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Module User Guide 5
BH (Broadcast Hops) 48
NH (Network Hops) 49
NN (Network Delay Slots) 49
Addressing commands 49
SH (Serial Number High) 49
SL (Serial Number Low) 49
DH (Destination Address High) 50
DL (Destination Address Low) 50
TO (Transmit Options) 50
NI (Node Identifier) 51
NT (Node Discovery Timeout) 51
NO (Node Discovery Options) 51
CI (Cluster ID) 52
DE (Destination Endpoint) 52
SE (Source Endpoint) 52
Addressing discovery and configuration commands 53
DN (Discover Node) 53
ND (Network Discover) 53
FN (Find Neighbors) 54
Security commands 55
KY (AES Encryption Key) 55
Serial interfacing commands 55
BD (Baud Rate) 55
NB (Parity) 55
SB (Stop Bits) 56
RO (Packetization Timeout) 56
FT (Flow Control Threshold) 56
AP (API Mode) 57
AO (API Options) 57
I/O settings commands 58
D0 (DIO0/AD0) 58
D1 (DIO1/AD1) 58
D2 (DIO2/AD2) 59
D3 (DIO3/AD3) 59
D4 (DIO4) 59
D5 (DIO5/ASSOCIATED_INDICATOR) 60
D6 (DIO6/RTS) 60
D7 (DIO7/CTS) 61
D8 (DIO8/DTR/SLP_RQ) 61
D9 (DIO9/ON_SLEEP) 62
DIO10/PWM0/RSSI 62
P1 (DIO11/PWM1 Configuration) 63
P2 (DIO12 Configuration) 63
P3 (DIO13/DOUT) 64
P4 (DIO14/DIN/CONFIG) 64
P5 (DIO15/SPI_MISO) 64
P6 (SPI_MOSI Configuration) 65
P7 (DIO17/SPI_SSEL ) 65
P8 (DIO18/SPI_CLK) 66
P9 (DIO19/SPI_ATTN) 66
PD (Pull Up/Down Direction) 67
PR (Pull-up/Down Resistor Enable) 68
M0 (PWM0 Duty Cycle) 69
M1 (PWM1 Duty Cycle) 69
LT (Associate LED Blink Time) 69

XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Module User Guide 6
RP (RSSI PWM Timer) 69
I/O sampling commands 70
AV (Analog Voltage Reference) 70
IC (Analog Voltage Reference) 70
IR (Sample Rate) 71
TP (Temperature) 71
%V (Voltage Supply Monitoring) 71
I/O line passing commands 72
IU (I/O Output Enable) 72
IA (I/O Input Address) 72
T0 (D0 Timeout) 72
T1 (D1 Timeout) 73
T2 (D2 Timeout) 73
T3 (D3 Timeout) 73
T4 (D4 Timeout) 73
T5 (D5 Timeout) 73
T6 (D6 Timeout) 74
T7 (D7 Timeout) 74
T8 (D8 Timeout) 74
T9 (D9 Timeout) 74
Q0 (P0 Timeout) 74
Q1 (P1 Timeout) 75
Q2 (P2 Timeout) 75
Q3 (P3 Timeout) 75
Q4 (P4 Timeout) 75
PT (PWM Output Timeout) 76
Command mode options 76
CC (Command Sequence Character) 76
CN (Exit Command mode) 76
CT (Command Mode Timeout) 76
GT (Guard Times) 77
Firmware commands 77
VR (XLR PRO Firmware Version) 77
HV (Hardware Version) 77
DD (Device Type Identifier) 77
NP (Maximum Packet Payload Bytes) 78
CK (Configuration CRC) 78
Operate in API mode
API mode overview 80
Use the AP command to set the operation mode 80
API frame format 80
API operation (AP parameter = 1) 80
API operation with escaped characters (AP parameter = 2) 81
Length field 82
Frame data 82
Checksum field 82
API serial exchanges 83
AT command frames 83
Transmit and receive RF data 83
Remote AT commands 83
Code to support future API frames 83
API frames 84
AT Command frame - 0x08 84

XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Module User Guide 7
AT Command - Queue Parameter Value frame - 0x09 86
Transmit Request frame - 0x10 87
Explicit Addressing Command frame - 0x11 89
Remote AT Command Request frame - 0x17 92
AT Command Response frame - 0x88 94
Modem Status frame - 0x8A 96
Transmit Status frame - 0x8B 97
Receive Packet frame - 0x90 99
Explicit Rx Indicator frame - 0x91 101
Remote Command Response frame - 0x97 103
Advanced application features
Monitor I/O lines 106
Pin configurations 106
Periodic I/O sampling 108
Detect digital I/O changes 108
I/O line passing 109
Configuration example 109
Work with networked devices 110
Network commissioning and diagnostics 111
Local configuration 111
Remote configuration 111
Test links in a network - loopback cluster 112
Test links between adjacent devices 112
General Purpose Flash Memory 115
Access General Purpose Flash Memory 115
Work with flash memory 121
Over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates 122
Distribute the new application 122
Verify the new application 123
Install the application 123
Keep in mind 123
Configure the XLR PRO RF Module using XCTU
Download and install XCTU 125
Connect XLR PRO to your PC 125
Launch XCTU and add the XLR PRO 125
Configure parameters using XCTU 125
Update firmware with XCTU 126
Safety notices and certifications
RF exposure statement 128
FCC (United States) certification 128
FCC labeling requirements 128
FCC notices 128
FCC limited modular approval 129
FCC-approved antennas 129
Fixed base station and mobile applications 129
Portable applications and SAR testing 129
RF exposure 129

XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Module User Guide 8
ISED (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada) certification 130
RF exposure 130
IC labeling requirements 130
Transmitters with detachable antennas 130
Australia (RCM) [pending] 131
Power requirements 131
Antennas
Omni-directional antennas 132
Yagi antennas 134

About the XLR PRO RF Module
The XLR PRO RF Module is a high performance, industrial grade, long-range radio solution that
ensures reliable wireless data communications over long distances.
Using patent-pending Punch2™ Technology to maximize range and significantly increase immunity to
interference, the XLR PRO 900 MHz radio can connect a variety of devices across many industrial
applications.
Punch2 Technology leverages chirp spread spectrum (CSS) modulation to provide better receiver
sensitivity, multipath performance, and interference rejection than is available through commonly
used frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) or direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) systems.
The advantages of Punch2 Technology arise from the characteristics of the chirp signal as well as
several digital-signal-processing techniques that enhance performance and reliability. With Punch2
Technology, data is spread to a higher bandwidth by multiplying each transmit modulation symbol
with a chirp signal. Operating at an expanded bandwidth provides several benefits:
nGreater receiver sensitivity
nInterference immunity
nImproved multipath performance
nAdjustable data rates
The XLR PRO RF Module flexible configuration and management options allow you to quickly set up
and deploy one or more XLR PRO RF Modules, as well as apply firmware updates, get device status
information, and more.
Antenna port 10
Mechanical drawings 10
Pinouts 10
Heat dissipation 12
For more information 14
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Module User Guide 9

About the XLR PRO RF Module Antenna port
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Module User Guide 10
Antenna port
The antenna port is a 50 Ω MMCX RF signal connector for connecting to an external antenna.
Mechanical drawings
The following figures show the XLR PRO RF Module mechanical drawings. All dimensions are in inches.
Pinouts
The following table shows the pin assignments for the XLR PRO RF Module. In the table, low-asserted
signals have a horizontal line above signal name.
Pin
number Name
Default
direction Notes
1 — — do not connect
2 — — do not connect
3 — — do not connect
4 — — do not connect
5 GND —
6 VDD_5V Source
input
7 — — do not connect
8 — — do not connect
9 — — do not connect
10 — — do not connect

About the XLR PRO RF Module Pinouts
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Module User Guide 11
Pin
number Name
Default
direction Notes
11 VDD_5V Source
input
12 GND —
13 3.3V_OUT Source
output
Output of the regulator is defaulted to 3.3 V. Intended
use is for powering 3.3V_IN. VDD_5V is required even
if an external regulator is used to power 3.3V_IN
instead of 3.3V_OUT.
14 3.3V_IN Source
input
This powers the IO_RING determining I/O voltage
levels.
15 3.3V_ADJUST Input 3.3V_OUT can be adjusted to a lower voltage level by
connecting through a resistor to 3.3V_IN.
16 RESET Input
17 — — do not connect
18 DIO0/AD0/COMMBTN Both
19 — — do not connect
20 DIO1/AD1 Both
21 — — do not connect
22 DIO2/AD2 Both
23 — — do not connect
24 DIO3/AD3 Both
25 — — do not connect
26 DIO4 Both
27 — — do not connect
28 DIO5/ASSOC Both
29 DIO19/SPI_ATTN Both
(input)
30 DIO8/DTR/SLP_RQ Both
31 DIO17/SPI_SSEL Both
32 DIO9/ON/SLEEP Output
33 DIO16/SPI_MOSI Both
34 VREF Both unused
35 DIO15/SPI_MISO Both

About the XLR PRO RF Module Heat dissipation
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Module User Guide 12
Pin
number Name
Default
direction Notes
36 DIO10/PWM0/RSSI Both
(output)
37 DIO18/SPI_CLK Both
38 DIO11/PWM1 Both
39 DIO7/CTS Both
(output)
40 DIO12 Both
41 DIO6/RTS Both
(input)
42 GND —
43 DIO13/DOUT Output
44 — — do not connect
45 DIO14/DIN/CONFIG Input
46 SHUTDOWN Input Controls 3.3V_OUT regulator. Connect to VDD_5V if
the module should always be on. Connect to ground if
3.3V_OUT is not used.
47 GND —
48 VDD_5V Source
input
49 — — do not connect
50 — — do not connect
51 — — do not connect
52 — — do not connect
Heat dissipation
We recommend that you use a heat sink with the XLR PRO RF Module. The XLR PRO RF Module
produces heat and when it transmits, it generates more heat. The device has over-temperature
protection and automatically shuts down if it gets too hot. It is best to avoid this temperature and not
exceed 90 °C so that the application can control transmissions, and is not stopped due to overheating.
The device’s temperature is affected by:
nTransmitter duty-cycle
nQuality of heat sink
nAmbient temperature
Continuous transmission with a good heat sink is possible up to an ambient temperature of
approximately 75 °C. The device's heat dissipation has to be tested on an application by application
basis.

About the XLR PRO RF Module Heat dissipation
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Module User Guide 13
Use a heat sink
Use a heat sink to prevent the XLR PRO RF Module from overheating. The following mechanical
drawing shows the heat sink that we use on the XLR Module Development Board:
<insert picture>
Your application can follow this design, or use a custom one. When implementing a custom design, we
recommend using a gasket that covers at least the area covered by the XLR Module Development
Board, highlighted in red in the following image:
Place the heat sink on the back side opposite to the shield, including the exposed rectangle and test
point. Use non-conductive material whenever contacting the module to prevent shorting. Avoid the
bulls-eye of the target, which is highlighted in red in the following image.
Use the TP (Temperature) command to query and measure the temperature on the module. This
returns the temperature of the module in 8-bit two’s compliment format. If the temperature in your
application exceeds 90°C, re-evaluate the application design.
Methods to alleviate the heat are:

About the XLR PRO RF Module For more information
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Module User Guide 14
nReduce the transmitter duty-cycle.
nRedesign the heat sink implementation.
nAdd a fan.
Operation without a heat sink
Although we do not recommend it, you can operate the XLR PRO RF Module without a heat sink. This
can only be done with an ambient temperature lower than 40 °C, and with the transmitter being used
no more than five seconds in a ten second period.
If you do not use a heat sink:
nLimit transmissions to fifty percent or less.
nThe ambient temp must be less than 40 °C.
For more information
You can download the XLR PRO RF Module Development Board schematics from:
http://ftp1.digi.com/support/documentation/55001864-02-ENG_A.pdf
The XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) family of products includes the following publications:
Title
Part
number Description
XLR PRO Radio
Frequency
(RF) Modem
Quick Start
Guide
90002204 Provides a brief summary of the XLR PRO and XLR PRO INTL Radio
Frequency (RF) Modem kit.
XLR PRO Radio
Frequency
(RF) Modem
Getting
Started Guide
90002203 Provides step-by-step instructions for setting up a pair of XLR PRO (or
XLR PRO INTL) modems to test over-the-air communications between
the radios.
XLR PRO Radio
Frequency
(RF) Modem
User Guide
90002202 Provides complete information on all XLR PRO and XLR PRO INTL Radio
Frequency (RF) Modem features; describes how to configure XLR PRO
modems using XCTU, the Web configuration interface, and Device
Cloud; provides reference information on all supported AT commands
and API frames.

Technical specifications
The following tables provide the device's technical specifications.
General specifications 16
Electrical specifications 16
RF characteristics 17
Rural range line-of-sight 18
Receiver sensitivity 18
Receiver selectivity 19
Interface data rate (software selectable) 19
Networking and security specifications 19
Power requirements 19
Environmental 19
Regulatory conformity summary 19
Connectors 20
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Module User Guide 15

Technical specifications General specifications
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Module User Guide 16
General specifications
The following table describes the general specifications for the devices.
Specification Value
Dimensions 34 x 51 x 6.1 mm (1.34 x 2.01 x .240 inches)
Weight 11 g (.39 oz)
RoHS Compliant
Electrical specifications
The following table provides the electrical specifications for the XLR PRO RF Module.
In this table, low-asserted signals have a horizontal line above signal name.
Electrical
specifications Minimum Typical Maximum Units Status
VDD_5V 3.8 5 5.5 V Operation below 4.5 V may reduce
radio transmit power performance
and LNA sensitivity.
SHUTDOWN IL
Note See the
warning below.
-0.3 0.4 V 3.3 V_OUT Disabled
SHUTDOWN IH 1.1 VDD_5V
+0.3
V 3.3 V_OUT Enabled
3.3V_OUT voltage 1.8 3.3 3.4 V 3.3 V_OUT = 3.3 V if 3.3 V_ADJUST is
not connected
3.3V_OUT current 300 mA Up to 50 mA may be drawn for
other devices if a ferrite is used to
keep noise off XLR supply
3.3V_ADJUST
voltage
open 3.3V_OUT V 3.3 V_ADJUST connected by resistor
R to 3.3 V_OUT: 3.3 V_OUT =
0.5 V*(340k*(R+340k)/
(340k+R+340k)/60.4k+1)
3.3V_IN voltage
Note See the
warning below.
2.4 3.3 3.5 V
3.3V_IN current 80 mA
General I/O inputs IL -0.3 0.3 x
(3.3V_IN)
V Input low

Technical specifications RF characteristics
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Module User Guide 17
Electrical
specifications Minimum Typical Maximum Units Status
General I/O inputs
IH
0.7 x
(3.3V_IN)
3.3V_IN +
0.3
V Input high
Internal pull-up
resistor
40k Ω
Internal pull-down
resistor
40k Ω
General I/O outputs
OL
0.05 x
(3.3V_IN)
V Output low
General I/O outputs
OH
0.95 x
(3.3V_IN)
V Output high
Output source
current
2 mA
Output sink current 2 mA
Maximum output
current drawn on all
GPIOs
48 mA
VREF range N/A 3.3V_IN V Not used
WARNING! In shutdown modes where 3.3V_IN voltage is turned off, ensure that all I/O
lines do not have any voltage applied to them or parasitic powering may occur. I/O lines
should never exceed 3.3V_IN + 0.3 V.
RF characteristics
The following table provides the RF characteristics for the device.
Specification Value
Frequency range:USA, Canada
and Mexico
ISM 902 to 928 MHz
Frequency range: Australia and
Brazil
ISM 915 to 928 MHz
RF data rate 9.4 kb/s to 3.2 Mb/s
Receiver selectivity at 141 kb/s
RF data rate
70 dB (below 908 MHz, above 922 MHz)
40 dB (908 MHz to 922 MHz)
Maximum transmit power
(software selectable)
+30 dBm (1 W)

Technical specifications Rural range line-of-sight
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Module User Guide 18
Specification Value
Modulation Chirp Spread Spectrum
RF power level saturation Receiver input begins to saturate at 0 dBm.
Input damage level is 4 dBm.
We recommend placing the modems at least 2 meters apart from
each other when transmitting.
Rural range line-of-sight
Note Range figure estimates are based on free-air terrain with limited sources of interference. Actual
range will vary based on transmitting power, orientation of transmitter and receiver, height of
transmitting antenna, height of receiving antenna, weather conditions, interference sources in the
area, and terrain between receiver and transmitter, including indoor and outdoor structures such as
walls, trees, buildings, hills, and mountains.
Speed Range
1.2 Mb/s up to 100+ miles1
Receiver sensitivity
The following table lists the available data rates along with the corresponding receiver sensitivity.
RF data rate setting (BR command) Data rate Receiver sensitivity (dBm, 25 °C)
0 9.4 kb/s -120
1 28 kb/s -118
2 66 kb/s -116
3 141 kb/s -112
4 291 kb/s -109
5 591 kb/s -106
6 1.2 Mb/s -103
7 2.4 Mb/s -100
8 3.2 Mb/s -98
1Based on 100-mile range results. Other data rates scale based on sensitivity levels. Results will vary based on
noise levels and line of sight quality.

Technical specifications Receiver selectivity
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Module User Guide 19
Receiver selectivity
RF data rate Selectivity
141 kb/s 70 dB (below 908 MHz, above 922 MHz)
40 dB (908 MHz to 922 MHz)
Interface data rate (software selectable)
UART interface Serial data rate
UART Up to 921.6 kb/s
SPI Up to 6 Mb/s
Networking and security specifications
The following table describes the networking and security specifications for the devices.
Item Specification
Supported network topologies Point-to-point/point-to-multipoint
Encryption 128-bit AES
Power requirements
The following table describes the power requirements for the XLR PRO RF Module.
Item Value
Supply voltage 3.8 to 5.5 VDC (see Electrical specifications)
Receive current @ 5 VDC 295 mA typical
Transmit current @ 5 VDC 1.58 A typical
Shutdown/power down current 3 µA typical at room temperature
Environmental
Specification Description
Operating temperature -40° C to 85° C
Regulatory conformity summary
This table describes the agency approvals for the devices.

Technical specifications Connectors
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Module User Guide 20
Regulation Approval
United States FCC ID: MCQ-XLRP
Canada IC: 1846A-XLRP
Australia RCM (pending)
Connectors
Connector Description
Antenna MMCX