Swarm TILE01 User manual

Swarm Tile
Product Manual
Swarm Tile Product Manual
Revision 1.10
October 2020
© 2020 Swarm Technologies, Inc.

Legal Notices
This User Manual provides user information and is provided “as is.” Swarm Technologies and its affiliated
companies, directors, officers, employees, agents, trustees or consultants (“Swarm”) assume no
responsibility for any typographical, technical, content or other inaccuracies in this User Manual. Swarm
reserves the right to revise this User Manual or withdraw it at any time without prior notice. You can find
the current version of this Swarm Tile User Manual at www.swarm.space.
SWARM MAKES NO GUARANTEES, CONDITIONS, WARRANTIES, OR REPRESENTATIONS,
EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED
REPRESENTATIONS, GUARANTEES, CONDITIONS OR WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NONINFRINGEMENT, SATISFACTORY QUALITY,
NON-INTERFERENCE, ACCURACY OF INFORMATIONAL CONTENT, OR ARISING FROM A
COURSE OF DEALING, LAW, USAGE, OR TRADE PRACTICE, USE, OR RELATED TO THE
PERFORMANCE OR NONPERFORMANCE OF ANY PRODUCTS, ACCESSORIES, FACILITIES,
SERVICES OR USER INFORMATION, EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY STATED IN THE LIMITED
WARRANTY. ANY OTHER STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE, GUARANTEES, CONDITIONS AND
WARRANTIES ARE HEREBY EXPRESSLY EXCLUDED AND DISCLAIMED TO THE FULLEST
EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. THIS DISCLAIMER AND EXCLUSION SHALL APPLY EVEN IF THE
EXPRESS LIMITED WARRANTY PROVIDED IN THE LEGAL INFORMATION BOOKLET FAILS OF ITS
ESSENTIAL PURPOSE. FURTHER, THE LIMITED WARRANTY COVERS THE SWARM TILE
(INCLUDING HARDWARE, SOFTWARE AND/OR FIRMWARE) AND ACCESSORIES ONLY, AND NO
WARRANTY IS MADE AS TO USER INFORMATION AND/ OR COVERAGE, AVAILABILITY OR
GRADE OF SERVICE PROVIDED BY SWARM SEPARATELY FOR SWARM SATELLITE SERVICES.
IN NO EVENT SHALL SWARM BE LIABLE, WHETHER IN CONTRACT OR TORT OR ANY OTHER
LEGAL THEORY, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION STRICT LIABILITY, GROSS NEGLIGENCE OR
NEGLIGENCE, OR IMPLIED WARRANTY, FOR ANY DAMAGES IN EXCESS OF THE PURCHASE
PRICE OF THE Swarm Tile (INCLUDING HARDWARE, SOFTWARE AND/OR FIRMWARE) AND/OR
ACCESSORIES AND/OR THE COST OF SWARM SATELLITE SERVICES PROVIDED, NOR SHALL
SWARM BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR
PUNITIVE DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, OR LOSS OF REVENUE OR PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS,
LOSS OF PRIVACY, LOSS OF USE, LOSS OF TIME OR INCONVENIENCE, LOSS OF INFORMATION
OR DATA, SOFTWARE OR APPLICATIONS OR OTHER FINANCIAL LOSS CAUSED BY THE SWARM
TILE (INCLUDING HARDWARE, SOFTWARE AND/ OR FIRMWARE) AND/OR ACCESSORIES
AND/OR THE SWARM SATELLITE SERVICES, OR ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH
THE ABILITY OR INABILITY TO USE THE SWARM TILE (INCLUDING HARDWARE, SOFTWARE
AND/OR FIRMWARE) AND/OR ACCESSORIES AND/OR THE SWARM SATELLITE SERVICES , TO
THE FULLEST EXTENT THESE DAMAGES MAY BE DISCLAIMED BY LAW AND REGARDLESS OF
WHETHER SWARM WAS ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITIES OF SUCH DAMAGES.
October 2020 Swarm Tile Manual - Rev 1.10 2/65

Third Party Information
This User Manual might refer to third party sources of information, hardware or software, products or
services and/or third party web sites (“third party information”). Swarm does not control, and is not
responsible for, any third party information, including without limitation the content, accuracy, copyright
compliance, compatibility, performance, trustworthiness, legality, decency, links, or any other aspect of
third party information. The inclusion of such third party information does not imply endorsement by
Swarm of the third party information. ANY THIRD PARTY INFORMATION THAT IS PROVIDED WITH
SWARM’S FACILITIES, SERVICES, PRODUCTS OR USER INFORMATION IS PROVIDED “AS IS.’’
SWARM MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS, GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES IN RELATION TO
THIRD PARTY INFORMATION AND SWARM SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSSES, DAMAGES,
LIABILITIES, JUDGMENTS, FINES, AMOUNTS PAID IN SETTLEMENT, EXPENSES OR COSTS OF
DEFENSE SUSTAINED IN RELATION TO ANY SUCH THIRD PARTY INFORMATION.
Intellectual Property, Trade Secret, Proprietary or Copyrighted Information
To protect Swarm proprietary and confidential information and/or trade secrets, this User Manual may
describe some aspects of Swarm technology in generalized terms. Swarm products may include
copyrighted Swarm and third party software. Any such copyrighted software contained in Swarm products
may not be modified, reverse engineered, distributed or reproduced in any manner to the extent provided
by law. The purchase of any Swarm products shall not be deemed to grant either directly or by implication
or otherwise, any license under copyrights, patents, or patent applications of Swarm or any third party
software provider, except for the normal, nonexclusive, royalty free license to use that arises by operation
of law in the sale of a product.
Content Copyright
You are exclusively responsible for the use of the Swarm Tile, including proper use of third party
copyrighted materials. If you violate these terms you agree to defend, indemnify and hold Swarm
harmless with respect to any claims or actions by third parties related to your improper use of copyrighted
materials and to pay all costs, damages, fines and other amounts incurred by Swarm, or on its behalf, in
the defense of any such claims or actions.
Export Compliance
The Swarm Tile is controlled by the export laws and regulations of the United States of America. The U.S.
Government may restrict the export or re-export of this product to certain individuals and/or destinations.
For further information, contact the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security or
visit www.bis.doc.gov
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Revision History
Revision
Date
Comment
0.95
03/16/2020
Tile Product Manual - Initial Release
1.00
6/3/2020
Updated Firmware Commands to reflect version 0.7.3. Improved
specifications on Tile mechanical and electrical sections
1.10
10/5/2020
Including EU RED Declaration of Conformity
Enhanced integration guidance
Update to firmware commands to reflect firmware version 0.9.0
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Revision History 4
1 Safety Information and Compliance 7
1.1 FCC Compliance 7
1.2 ISED Compliance 8
1.3 RF Exposure Guidance 8
1.4 EU RED Certification 9
1.5 Transceiver Regulatory Certification 10
2 Product Overview 11
3 Mechanical Specification 12
3.1 Tile Dimensions 12
3.2 Environmental 13
3.3 Mechanical Specification – Placement 13
3.4 Reflow Soldering 14
3.5 Physical Interface Connectors 15
4 Electrical Interfaces 16
4.1 User Host Device 16
4.2 Tile Pin Allocation 17
4.3 DC Power Interface 20
4.4 Power On/Off Control 24
4.5 Serial Data Interface 24
4.6 LED Indicators 25
5 RF Interface 26
5.1 RF Connectors 26
5.2 RF Connectors 26
5.2.1 Antenna Characteristics 27
5.2.2 Ground Plane Requirements 29
5.3 RF Trace Layout Design 30
5.4 Integration Guidance 31
5.5 Antenna Debugging 31
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6 Software interface 32
Message types 32
General command structure 32
Command timing 33
Command responses 33
Boot up sequence 33
$CS - Configuration Settings 34
$DT - Date/Time 35
$FV - Firmware Version 38
$GJ - GPS Jamming/Spoofing Indication 39
$GN - Geospatial information 41
$GP - GPIO1 Control 44
$GS - GPS Fix Quality 47
$PO - Power Off 50
$PW - Power Status 51
$RS - Restart Device 53
$RT - Receive Test 54
$SL - Sleep mode 57
$TILE - Tile Status 60
$TD - Transmit data 61
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1 Safety Information and Compliance
The Tile is designed to comply with the standards for Radio Emissions Compliance and
Electromagnetic Compatibility in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United
Kingdom, European Union, as well as worldwide.
1.1 FCC Compliance
1.1.1 FCC Interference Statement (Part 15.105 (b))
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,
pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates,
uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with
the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no
guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does
cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning
the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one of the
following measures:
● Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
● Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
● Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver
is connected.
● Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the condition that
this device does not cause harmful interference.
1.1.2 FCC Part 15 Clause 15.21:
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could
void the user's authority to operate the equipment.
1.1.3 FCC Part 15.19(a):
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept
any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
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1.1.4 FCC ID:
The FCC ID for the Tile is 2AVE9-TILE01. All manufacturers integrating the Tile into their
products are advised to provide a physical or e-label stating “Contains FCC ID: 2AVE9-TILE01”.
1.1.5 Part 15 Subpart B Disclaimer:
The final host product requires Part 15B compliance testing with the modular transmitter
installed.
1.2 ISED Compliance
1.2.1 ISED RSS-Gen Notice CAN ICES-3 (B)NMB-3(B):
This device complies with Industry Canada’s licence-exempt RSSs. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause interference; and
(2) This device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired
operation of the device.
Le présent appareil est conforme aux CNR d’Industrie Canada applicables aux appareils radio
exempts de licence. L’exploitation est autorisée aux deux conditions suivantes :
1) l’appareil ne doit pas produire de brouillage;
2) l’appareil doit accepter tout brouillage radioélectrique subi, même si le brouillage est
susceptible d’en compromettre le fonctionnement.
1.2.2 IC ID:
The IC ID for the Tile is 25817-TILE01. All manufacturers integrating the Tile into their products
are advised to provide a physical or e-label stating “Contains IC ID: 25817-TILE01”
1.3 RF Exposure Guidance
In order to comply with FCC / ISED RF Exposure requirements, this device and antenna must
be installed to provide at least 29 cm separation from the human body at all times.
Afin de se conformer aux exigences d'exposition RF FCC / ISED, cet appareil doit être installé
pour fournir au moins 29 cm de séparation du corps humain en tout temps.
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1.4 EU RED Certification
1.4.1 Declaration of Conformity:
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1.4.2 Article 10(2)/(10):
This product has been so constructed that the product complies with the requirement of with
Article 10(2) as it can be operated in at least one Member State as examined and the product is
compliant with Article 10(10) as it has no restrictions on putting into service in all EU member
states.
1.5 Transceiver Regulatory Certification
The Tile is a regulatory approved modular transmitter that is designed to be integrated into an
enclosed host system. With appropriate external connections, the host can be designed to meet
full regulatory tests and sold as a regulatory certified product that meets FCC, IC, and CE
requirements. Table 1 below is a partial list of regulatory approvals.
Regulatory
Approvals
Radio Tests
EMC Tests
Safety Tests
FCC
FCC CFR47 Parts 2, 15, and 25
IC
Industry Canada RSS170 Issue 2 - March 2011
CE
ETSI EN 301 721
V2.1.1 (2016-05)
ETSI EG203 367
V1.1.1
CISPR 16-23:2010/A1:2010
EN 55032:2012
EN 6100-4-2/EN55024:2010
EN 6100-4-3/EN55024:2010
EN 6100-4-8/EN55024:2010
EN 62368-1:2014/A11:2017
Table 1: Overview of the Swarm Tile regulatory approvals.
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2 Product Overview
The Swarm Tile (Model: TILE01) satellite data modem transmits and receives data to and from
Swarm’s space network and is designed to be embedded into a third-party product. Swarm
backend systems support the delivery of customer data via a REST API to the cloud service of
each user’s choice.
The Tile is a module suitable for a variety of low-bandwidth use cases: from connecting people
and tracking vehicles, ships, or packages to relaying sensor data for agriculture, energy, and
industrial IoT applications.
Tile is a Surface Mount Technology (SMT) module that can be easily integrated into any new or
existing PCB design. The Tile communicates via a standard 3.3V CMOS serial UART interface
or a PC interface with a USB-to-serial converter.
Category
Description
Satellite data
Maximum latency will be <1 min (95% of the time)
Components
GPS, VHF radio with integrated T/R switch, U.FL connector for GPS and
VHF antenna (SMD interface also available), indicator LEDs, 3.3V serial
interface, 3.3V GPIO
Sensors
Onboard GPS (lat/lon/alt), 1 pulse per second signal, Temperature sensor
Dimensions
and Mass
58.7 mm x 27.4 mm x 6.0 mm, 14g
See detailed description in the Mechanical Specification section.
Power
Mode
Average
Peak
Sleep, 3.3V
N/A
22 µA
Receiver Active, 3.3V
30 mA
35 mA
Transmitter on, 3.3V
888 mA
939 mA
Protocol
Modified NMEA two-letter command set
Bit rate
1 kbps. Maximum packet size is 200 bytes
Table 2: Overview of the Swarm Tile.
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3 Mechanical Specification
3.1 Tile Dimensions
The overall dimensions of the Tile and its weight are summarized in Table 3.
Parameter
Value
Length
58.67±0.3 mm
Width
27.43±0.3 mm
Height
6.00±0.1 mm
Weight
14 g
Table 3: Tile Mechanical Dimensions and Weight.
A diagram of the Tile’s mechanical dimensions is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Tile front and back views.
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3.2 Environmental
The environmental specifications of the Tile are summarized in Table 4 below. The Tile is not
conformally coated, and as such the user needs to provide any weatherproofing for their
application.
Parameter
Value
Operating Temperature Range
-55 °C to +85 °C
Storage Temperature Range
-220 °C +160 °C
Operating Humidity Range
0% to 95%, non-condensable
Storage Humidity Range
0% to 95%, non-condensable
Table 4: Environmental Specifications.
3.3 Mechanical Specification – Placement
The Tile must be fitted within an enclosed host system. The Tile is designed to be soldered
directly to a PCB, and is provided with solder pads on its underside.
Figure 2: Location of solder pads on the underside of the Tile. Bottom view.
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3.4 Reflow Soldering
The Tile is designed to be reflow soldered onto a PCB. A recommended reflow profile can be
found below in Figure 3 and Table 5.
Use of "No Clean" soldering paste is recommended. An example “No Clean” paste can be found
below:
Soldering Paste: M8 SAC305 / PN#89268 (AIM Solder)
Alloy specification: Sn 95.5/ Ag 4/ Cu 0.5 (96.5% Tin/ 3% Silver/ 0.5% Copper)
Melting Temperature: 217° C
Stencil Thickness: 100 to 150 µm for base boards
Figure 3: Recommended reflow profile for lead-free solder paste.
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Time (Seconds)
Temperature (℃)
0
25
45
150
165
200
180
240
220
240
280
25
Table 5: Data points for reflow soldering.
3.5 Physical Interface Connectors
The Tile incorporates two connectors:
• A GPS Antenna U.FL male connector [TE Connectivity #1909763-1]
• An RF Antenna U.FL male connector [TE Connectivity #1909763-1]
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4 Electrical Interfaces
The following subsections contain information for the electrical interfaces of the Tile.
4.1 User Host Device
The user host device provides the following connections to the Tile:
● DC power supply input: 3.3V, 1000 mA peak
○ The DC power supply is required to be contained within an EMI shielding can
○ Additional filtering of the 3.3V supply is highly recommended
● 3.3 volt serial data interface
● Satellite signal (Use either the provided U.FL connector labeled SAT or Pin 18. See
section 5.3 - RF Trace Layout Design for more information)
● GPS signal (Use either the provided U.FL connector labeled GPS or Pin 8)
● GPIO_1 (optional)
 
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4.2 Tile Pin Allocation
The pin numbering scheme of the Tile is shown in Figure 4. The module pins allow soldering
onto a printed circuit board (PCB) using standard reflow soldering techniques. The pin function
assignment is given in Tables 6 and 7. Multiple supply grounds are provided and all supply and
supply grounds are required to be connected to the power supply in order to limit the current on
any one pin. Multiple signal grounds are provided to reduce cross-talk. Pins 13 and 14 are
intentionally left empty, and must be left unconnected.
Figure 4: Tile pinout and pin numbers. Bottom view.
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Pin
Number
Name
Type
Description
1
GPS_XINT
Not Connected
RESERVED - DO NOT CONNECT
2
GND
Ground
Ground
3
GPIO_1
Input/Output
General purpose input/output
4
GND
Ground
Ground
5
SERIAL_RX
Input
3.3V serial receive
6
SERIAL_TX
Output
3.3V serial transmit
7
GND
Ground
Ground
8
GPS_RF
RF
External GPS antenna connection
9
3V3
VCC
3.3V at up to 1000mA
10
3V3
VCC
3.3V at up to 1000mA
11
GND
Ground
Ground
12
GND
Ground
Ground
13
NC
Not Connected
RESERVED - DO NOT CONNECT
14
NC
Not Connected
RESERVED - DO NOT CONNECT
15
GND
Ground
Ground
16
GND
Ground
Ground
17
GND
Ground
Ground
18
SAT_OUT
RF
External satellite radio antenna
connection
19
GND
Ground
Ground
Table 6: Tile pin numbers and descriptions.
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Additional Notes
Pin Number
Note
3
Connection is unbuffered directly to a GPIO on the Tile processor.
Configuration will be provided via Tile firmware. GPIO pin is 3.3V tolerant
and open drain, with a sink current limit of 8 mA (20 mA with a relaxed
VOL/VOH)
8
GPS_RF uses 50 Ohm input impedance. Pin 8 by default is not connected
- by default the GPS U.FL connector is selected. To enable Pin 8 the
resistor R5 (adjacent to GPS U.FL connector) must have a 0-ohm resistor
(0402) placed and a 50 ohm strip line to the RF connector.
9, 10
The 3.3V connection points are in parallel with one another and power the
Tile. If the designer wants to enable a complete power off mode, a load
switch can be provided here.
18
SAT_RF uses 50 Ohm input impedance. Use of SAT_RF instead of the
SAT U.FL connector requires the user to use the FCC certified layout as
defined in section 5.3 - RF Trace Layout Design
Table 7: Additional notes on pin numbers.
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4.3 DC Power Interface
The DC power interface consists of the DC power inputs as summarized in Table 8. The power
requirements apply to DC power measured at the Tile user connector input and not at the output
of the power supply. It is required that users incorporate the required bypass capacitors for the
supplied power input as can be seen in Figure 5.
Name
Description
Min
Typ
Max
Unit
VCC
Module supply voltage
-
3.30±3%
-
V
VCC Ripple
Module supply voltage ripple
-
-
75
mVpp
VCC Limits
Module supply voltage absolute limits
3.15
-
3.60
V
ICC (3.15V)
Current consumption - Sleep Mode
-
-
22.0
μA
Current consumption - Receiver Active
26.9
27.6
30.4
mA
Current consumption - GPS Acquisition Mode*
44.7
49.1
55.2
mA
Current consumption - Transmitter on
904
910
963
mA
ICC (3.30V)
Current consumption - Sleep Mode
-
-
22.0
μA
Current consumption - Receiver Active
27.2
27.9
30.5
mA
Current consumption - GPS Acquisition Mode*
46.0
49.3
54.8
mA
Current consumption - Transmitter on
880
888
939
mA
ICC (3.60V)
Current consumption - Sleep Mode
-
-
22.0
μA
Current consumption - Receiver Active
27.9
29.1
35.0
mA
Current consumption - GPS Acquisition Mode*
47.6
49.6
55.2
mA
Current consumption - Transmitter on
845
853
902
mA
Table 8: Power supply characteristics for 3.15, 3.30, and 3.60V supplies to the Tile.
*Includes satellite receiver active current with GPS in acquisition mode. The Tile enters into GPS acquisition mode for
approximately 30 seconds after exiting from sleep mode, on powerup, or when the Tile needs to re-acquire a GPS fix
(approximately once every 3 hours) while the Tile is continuously powered on and not in sleep mode.
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