Radiocrafts RC HP-DK Series User manual

Radiocrafts
Embedded Wireless Solutions RCxxxxHP-DK
2020 Radiocrafts AS RCxxxxHP-DK User Manual (rev. 3.04) Page 1 of 13
RCxxxxHP-DK Development Kit User Manual
Table of contents
QUICK START GUIDE .............................................................................................................. 2
DEVELOPMENT KIT INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 3
DEVELOPMENT BOARD INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 4
BLOCK DIAGRAM .................................................................................................................... 7
JUMPER SECTION ................................................................................................................... 8
PROTOTYPING WITH THE RCXXXXHP-DB ........................................................................... 9
ANTENNA SELECTION VERSUS RANGE PERFORMANCE .............................................. 10
RCXXXXHP-DB CIRCUIT DIAGRAM, PCB AND ASSEMBLY LAYOUT ............................. 11
TROUBLESHOOTING ............................................................................................................ 11
KNOWN ISSUES..................................................................................................................... 12
DOCUMENT REVISION HISTORY ......................................................................................... 13
DISCLAIMER .......................................................................................................................... 13
TRADEMARKS ....................................................................................................................... 13
LIFE SUPPORT POLICY ........................................................................................................ 13
CONTACT INFORMATION ..................................................................................................... 13

Radiocrafts
Embedded Wireless Solutions RCxxxxHP-DK
2020 Radiocrafts AS RCxxxxHP-DK User Manual (rev. 3.04) Page 2 of 13
Quick Start Guide
How do I set up a simple link between the boards?
To do a basic communication test, do like this for each of the Development Boards:
 Attach the antenna to the SMA connector
 Download the latest version of RCTools from www.radiocrafts.com
 Install RCTools (this will also install the USB VCP (Virtual COM Port) driver)
 Connect the USB port to a PC
 Connect the external power supply
 Start a terminal program on the PC (RC232_CCT or Microsoft HyperTerminal
program)
 Select the correct COM-port and set data rate 19200, 1 start bit, no parity, 1 stop bit,
no flow control
The module will now be in idle mode listening for a valid data packet to arrive. Now you can
enter data in one terminal window and after a predefined timeout, the ASCII string is
transmitted to the other module and shown in the other terminal window if the transmission
was successful.
How do I find the COM Port to use?
A list of all available COM-ports on your PC is found from the Windows Device manager. This
is opened by “Start->Run” and type “devmgmt.msc”. Alternatively, Open “System” from
“Control Panel” and select the Hardware tab and click on the Device Manager button. In the
Device Manager you can expand the “Ports (COM & LPT)” tab to get the list of both Standard
COM ports and USB COM ports connected to your PC. For details please see the Installation
Guide.
How do I go on and change the RF channel or any other parameter?
To change configurable parameters, assert the CONFIG pin (pulling low by pressing
CONFIG-button, see Figure 1), and send the command string using the same serial interface
as for transmitting data. Parameters can be changed permanently and stored in non-volatile
memory in the module. See the User Manual for the CCT software for details on how to
change settings by using this tool. The details for the configuration memory contents can be
found in the RC232 User Manual, the MBUS User Manual, the WIZE User Manual, the SIG
User Manual or the TinyMeshTM Data Sheet respectively.
Why is it an USB connector when the Radiocrafts modules use a serial UART?
The benefit of USB is that power is available from the Port. The RCxxxxHP-DB has an USB to
UART converter from FTDI that includes a Virtual COM Port (VCP) driver that allows you to
use the Development boards with any PC software that originally require a serial COM port.
This means that the PC will communicate with the module using a serial connection via the
virtual COM port. Both standard terminal program and the RCTools PC suite from Radiocrafts
can for this reason be used together with the RCxxxxHP-DK. For simplicity it is recommended
to first use the RCTools from Radiocrafts since the USB VCP driver is included in this
installation. Details on how to use this software is available from separate User Manuals.
Figure 1: RC232-CCT, one of the applications in RCTools

Radiocrafts
Embedded Wireless Solutions RCxxxxHP-DK
2020 Radiocrafts AS RCxxxxHP-DK User Manual (rev. 3.04) Page 3 of 13
Development Kit Introduction
The Development Kit (DK) is designed to make it easy for the user to evaluate the onboard
module, develop an application and build prototypes very quickly. The kit includes either two
Development Boards (DB) or three DBs (for TinyMesh kits). The Development board contains
the selected module with its dedicated article number and embedded protocol and associated
support circuits. The board can easily be operated using a PC terminal emulator or the
RCTools PC suite from Radiocrafts.
Your Development Kit should contain the following items:
Kit contents
Item Number of articles
Development Board w/high power radio module 2
Antenna, 50 quarter-wave monopole, SMA male connector 2
SMA to BNC adapters 2
USB Cable 2
AC/DC battery eliminator 6VDC 2
For TinyMeshTM Development Kits the number of articles is 3 of each item.
There are two different assemblies of the Development Board referenced in the rest of this
document depending on the article number on the onboard RF module as summarized in the
table below:
Development
B
o
ards
RC11xxHP-DB RC12xxHP-DB RC17xxHP-DB RC16xxHP-DB
Supported
Modules
RC11x0HP-RC232
RC11x0HP-TM
RC12x0HP-RC232 RC17xxHP-
MBUS4
RC17xxMP-
MBUS4
RC17xxHP-
WIZE
RC1692HP-SIG
This User Manual describes how to use the Development Kit and provides detailed
documentation for the Development Board.
The Development Kit includes what you need to evaluate the RF performance of the modules,
develop your own application interfacing the modules, and can also be used to build a
prototype of your application.

Radiocrafts
Embedded Wireless Solutions RCxxxxHP-DK
2020 Radiocrafts AS RCxxxxHP-DK User Manual (rev. 3.04) Page 4 of 13
Development Board Introduction
The Development Board contains USB connector, USB to serial converter, buttons, LEDs,
voltage regulator, configuration jumpers and connectors to make it easy to interface the
onboard module with various test equipment or the host MCU used in an application. Not all
components are needed in an actual application. Please see the datasheet for each specific
module for a typical application circuit.
The module on the Development Board is as default at power-up configured with a channel in
the frequency band where high output power is allowed.
For RC1180HP-RC232 / -TM in particular: The allowed band for 500 mW (+27 dBm)
operation is 869.400-869.650 MHz if configured for another channel, be sure to program the
maximum allowed output power according to the datasheet, never exceeding +14 dBm
outside the mentioned frequency band.
Figure 2: RC11xxHP-DB Development Board
P4:
Antenna
connector
P13: Digital
I/O connector
P12: DC Jack
Voltage
regulator
High power
module
P8: Firmware update
connector
CONFIG
P3: USB LED
jumper
USB LED
Buttons LEDs
P2: USB connector
P1: RC_VCC
power jumper
RESET

Radiocrafts
Embedded Wireless Solutions RCxxxxHP-DK
2020 Radiocrafts AS RCxxxxHP-DK User Manual (rev. 3.04) Page 5 of 13
Figure 3: RC12xxHP-DB Development Board
P4:
Antenna
connector
P13: Digital
I/O connector
P12: DC Jack
Voltage
regulator
High power
module
Buttons for RX and
TX in Un-buffered
mode
CONFIG
P3: USB LED
jumper
USB LED
P9: ON/OFF jumper
P11: PA_EN jumper
P2: USB connector
P1: RC_VCC
power jumper
RESET
P10: CTS Jumper

Radiocrafts
Embedded Wireless Solutions RCxxxxHP-DK
2020 Radiocrafts AS RCxxxxHP-DK User Manual (rev. 3.04) Page 6 of 13
Figure 4: RC17xxHP-DB Development Board
3.3V Voltage
regulator
5V Voltage
regulator
P1: RC_VCC
power jumper
P4:
Antenna
connector
P17:
5V vs. 3.3V jumper
for VCC
-
PA
CONFIG
RESET P8: Firmware update
connector
P13: Digital
I/O connector
P12: DC Jack
P3: USB LED
jumper
USB LED
P2: USB connector
High power
module
Buttons LEDs

Radiocrafts
Embedded Wireless Solutions RCxxxxHP-DK
2020 Radiocrafts AS RCxxxxHP-DK User Manual (rev. 3.04) Page 7 of 13
Block Diagram
The same PCB is used for all high-power modules previously mentioned. The component
assembly is however different depending on which module is mounted. The block diagrams in
figure 5-7 informs about actual parts used for a given Development board.
Figure 5: RC11xxHP-DB
LED D1 and LED D2 are activated on Development Boards with TinyMesh protocol. See
TinyMesh Data Sheet for details.
Figure 6: RC12xxHP-DB

Radiocrafts
Embedded Wireless Solutions RCxxxxHP-DK
2020 Radiocrafts AS RCxxxxHP-DK User Manual (rev. 3.04) Page 8 of 13
Figure 7: RC17xxHP-DB
Jumper section
The board contains several jumper options for connector P1, P3, P9, P10, P11 and P13. The
connectors and jumper settings are summarized in this chapter.
P1: UART voltage level jumper
Pin
#
Signal Note
1 VCC_REGOUT 3.3V power from voltage regulator.
2 RC_VCC Module Power. Connect jumper between pin 1 and pin 2 during normal IDLE,
RX and TX operation. Replace jumper with Ampere meter for current
consumption measurements.
P3: USB LED Jumper
Pin # Signal Note
1 2 TXD Data Install jumper to enable LED blink when data on UART RXD. RF transmit mode
3 4 RXD data Install jumper to enable LED blink when data on UART TXD. RF receive mode
5 6 POWER Install jumper to enable LED when Power is available from USB (default). LED
current draw is typ
2.5
-
3.5 mA
depending on RF module

Radiocrafts
Embedded Wireless Solutions RCxxxxHP-DK
2020 Radiocrafts AS RCxxxxHP-DK User Manual (rev. 3.04) Page 9 of 13
P9: ON/OFF Jumper
Pin # Signal Note
1 ON/OFF Add jumper to enter OFF mode for RC12xxHP-DB. Not in use for RC11xxHP-DB
2 GND
P10: CTS Jumper
Pin #
Signal
Note
1 2 CTS Remove jumper for enabling CTS for RC12xxHP-DB. Not in use for RC11xxHP-
DB
P11: PA_EN Jumper
Pin # Signal Note
1 PA_EN Add jumper to switch off high power PA for RC12xxHP-DB. Not in use for
RC11xx
HP
-
DB
2 GND
P13: Digital I/O Connector
Pin #
Signal
Note
1 2 VCC_REGOUT 3.3V power from voltage regulator. Can be used to power external plug-in board.
3 4 CTS Install jumper when using hardware handshake
5 6 RTS Install jumper when using hardware handshake
7 8 CONFIG 7 and 8 connected together. Connect pin 7 to pin 3 for PC control of CONFIG
9 10 TXD Jumper installed from factory
Remove jumper when measuring sleep mode current
11 12 RXD Jumper installed from factory
Remove jumper whe
n measuring sleep mode current
13 14 GND
P17: VCC_PA Power Selection
Pin # Signal Note
1 5V 5V regulator output
2 VCC_PA RC1700HP selection only. Jumper to select between 5V and 3.3V power for
internal PA.
3 3.3V 3.3V regulator output.
Prototyping with the RCxxxxHP-DB
All pins to the module are available though standard pin rows using a pitch distance of 100 mil
(2.54 mm). This simplifies the build of a standalone application just by making a small plug-in-
board to the existing Development Board. Battery connectors on the bottom side are available
for self powered demos, and REGOUT is available on P13. The Battery clips and most of the
connectors are not mounted from factory, but part numbers are available from the Bill of
Materials at the end of this document. The idea is that an external MCU and application
specific sensors etc easily can be connected to the Development Board as a proof of concept
for the final product.

Radiocrafts
Embedded Wireless Solutions RCxxxxHP-DK
2020 Radiocrafts AS RCxxxxHP-DK User Manual (rev. 3.04) Page 10 of 13
Antenna selection versus range performance
The choice of antenna is crucial for achieving the maximum range for any radio system. Due
to the small size of the PCB and the off-centre placement of the onboard SMA connector the
Development Boards will not demonstrate the maximum range or omnidirectional radiation.
To improve this, a larger ground plane and a centred placement of the antenna above this
ground plane is required. One possible solution for maximum radiation is shown in the figure
below. With the addition of two different SMA adaptors and one sufficiently large ground plane
(radius ≥ L, length of the antenna) and a good electrical connection to the GND-layer, an
optimum performance of the antenna following the kit is achieved.
Other antenna solutions can be tested by connecting to the existing SMA female connector
on the Development Board via one of the methods below:
1. Solder the feeding point of the antenna to be tested directly to an SMA male
connector and fasten to the SMA female connector
2. Connect to an external antenna (or board with antenna) via a shortest possible 50
Ohm coax cable with minimum insertion loss
Figure 7: Extending size of ground plane with extra PCB
Radiocrafts Demo
Board
SMA male/male
adaptor
SMA female/female
adaptor in drilled
hole
Antenna
PCB with solid bottom
GND layer
Proper connection
betwen GND plane
and adaptor outer
shielding
Antenna length L
Minimum radius of
GND plane = L

Radiocrafts
Embedded Wireless Solutions RCxxxxHP-DK
2020 Radiocrafts AS RCxxxxHP-DK User Manual (rev. 3.04) Page 11 of 13
RCxxxxHP-DB Circuit Diagram, PCB and Assembly layout
A full resolution schematic is found in RCxxxxHPDB_x_x.zip available from Radiocrafts’
webpage. To download follow this link to download your revision of the board:
https://www.radiocrafts.com/uploads/rcxxxxdbhp-usb_3_00.zip
The dimension on the board are 73.66 mm x 45.72 mm. The PCB feet are BS-19S from AVC,
which lifts the PCB 19.1mm from the table.
Troubleshooting
It doesn’t work. The Power LED is not lighting.
 Is the USB connector active? Some USB ports may be disabled if it’s not commonly
in use. The Development board takes power from the USB port, and need an active
USB port to power the board.
 Are all jumpers placed at the default position? P3 can disable POWER LED info, and
P9 can disable power to the module.
I cannot communicate with the UART through the serial port
 Make sure that the RXD and TXD jumpers are inserted on P13.
 Set up your terminal program according to the instructions in the Quick Start Guide.
Remember to select the correct COM-port and connect to this port.
 Entering configuration mode (by press CONFIG button) the command prompt (“>”)
should be displayed on the terminal window. Make sure to exit the command mode
using the exit command (capital “X”).
I cannot communicate between two modules in buffered mode
 Make sure that the address mode and CRC mode is the same in both modules (set
using the “M” Memory configuration command, refer to the RC232 User Manual).
 Make sure the destination address is the same as the other modules Unique ID if
addressing is used (set using the “T” Destination address command, refer to the
RC232 User Manual).
 Make sure to exit from command mode using capital “X”.
 The present configuration can be listed to the terminal using the test command “0”
(zero).
 -SIG variants do not able to communicate with each other. For further details, please
see the relevant User Manual.
The module consumes more than the rated current in OFF and SLEEP mode
 Note that the ON/OFF signal pull up resistor R2 (100 kΩ) draws approximately 27 uA.
Remove this resistor when measuring the module current in OFF mode For
RC12xxHPDB.
 Note that the level driver on the USB controller has common power as the module for
default jumper setting. Remove P3 jumpers during the measurements.

Radiocrafts
Embedded Wireless Solutions RCxxxxHP-DK
2020 Radiocrafts AS RCxxxxHP-DK User Manual (rev. 3.04) Page 12 of 13
I cannot access configuration mode when I press the CONFIG button
 Press and hold CONFIG button while pushing the RESET button (or power up the
board). The reason you could not enter configuration mode, is most likely that some
configuration memory values have been set to illegal values. List and check all values
using the ‘0’ (zero) command. Set all values back to default values (see RC232 User
Manual or the respective Data Sheet).
 Note: If the mode is already in configuration mode it will not respond with another
prompt if the CONFIG button is pressed. Send the ‘0’ (zero) command to the module
in order to check if it is already in configuration mode.
I get unexpected results when measuring supply voltage with V-command
 See Known Issues section
Known Issues
HW Version
Issue
3.0 and earlier The UART level from the FTDI-chip is always 3.3V. This
work well when module is powered with 3.3 +/- 0.3V.
Powering the module with external source <3.0V or >3.6V
will create leakage current in UART input pins and give
strange results for ‘V’ command, sleep current and so on.

Radiocrafts
Embedded Wireless Solutions RCxxxxHP-DK
2020 Radiocrafts AS RCxxxxHP-DK User Manual (rev. 3.04) Page 13 of 13
Document Revision History
Document Revision
Changes
1.0
First release
1.1
Updated with RC1700HP info
1.11
Updated with TinyMesh info (
-
TM)
3.01 Updated with SIGFOX info,
3.02 Updated link to schematics
Added chapter “Known Issues”
3
.03
Updated with WIZE info
3.04 Added mechanical dimensions of the Development Board. Removed USB in
product name,
kit
and
board
are
refer
red to as a Development Kit / Board.
Disclaimer
Radiocrafts AS believes the information contained herein is correct and accurate at the time of this printing. However,
Radiocrafts AS reserves the right to make changes to this product without notice. Radiocrafts AS does not assume
any responsibility for the use of the described product; neither does it convey any license under its patent rights, or
the rights of others. The latest updates are available at the Radiocrafts website or by contacting Radiocrafts directly.
As far as possible, major changes of product specifications and functionality will be stated in product specific Errata
Notes published at the Radiocrafts website. Customers are encouraged to check regularly for the most recent
updates on products and support tools.
Trademarks
RC232™ is a trademark of Radiocrafts AS. The RC232™ Embedded RF Protocol is used in a range of products from
Radiocrafts. The protocol handles host communication, data buffering, error check, addressing and broadcasting. It
supports point-to-point, point-to-multipoint and peer-to-peer network topologies.
TinyMesh™ is a trademark of Tiny Mesh AS. The TinyMesh™ Embedded RF Protocol is used in a range of products
from Radiocrafts. The protocol handles host communication, data buffering, error check, addressing and
broadcasting. It supports transparent and packet-addressed mesh topologies.
All other trademarks, registered trademarks and product names are the sole property of their respective owners.
Life Support Policy
This Radiocrafts product is not designed for use in life support appliances, devices, or other systems where
malfunction can reasonably be expected to result in significant personal injury to the user, or as a critical component
in any life support device or system whose failure to perform can be reasonably expected to cause the failure of the
life support device or system, or to affect its safety or effectiveness. Radiocrafts AS customers using or selling these
products for use in such applications do so at their own risk and agree to fully indemnify Radiocrafts AS for any
damages resulting from any improper use or sale.
© 2011-2020, Radiocrafts AS. All rights reserved.
Contact Information
Web site: www.radiocrafts.com
Address:
Radiocrafts AS
Sandakerveien 64
NO-0484 OSLO
NORWAY
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mails: [e-mail]
[e-mail]