Swarm Tile User manual

Swarm Tile Product Manual
Swarm Tile Manual
Revision 0.95
March 2020
0

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.
1

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
2

Revision History
Revision
Date
Comment
0.95
03/16/2020
Tile Product Manual - Initial Release
Swarm Tile Product Manual 0
Revision History 3
1 Safety Information and Compliance 5
1.1 FCC Compliance 5
1.2 ISED Compliance 6
1.3 Transceiver Regulatory Certification 7
2 Product Overview 8
3 Mechanical Specification 9
3.1 Tile Dimensions 10
3.2 Environmental 10
3.2 Mechanical Specification – Mounting 10
3.3 Reflow Soldering 11
3.4 Physical Interface Connectors 13
4 Electrical Interfaces 14
4.1 User Connector 14
4.2 Tile Pin Allocation 14
4.3 DC Power Interface 16
4.4 Power On/Off Control 19
4.5 Serial Data Interface 19
5 RF Interface 20
5.2 Antenna Implementation 20
5.2.1 Antenna Characteristics 21
5.3 RF Trace Layout Design 22
3

6 Software interface 25
Message types 25
General command structure 25
Command timing 25
Additional notes 26
6.1 Unsolicited Messages 27
Date/time 27
Tile status 28
Geospatial information 29
GPS fix quality 30
GPS spoofing indicator 31
Received data 31
6.2 Commands and Responses 32
Date/time 32
Firmware version 34
Geospatial information 35
GPS Fix Quality 37
Manage received messages 39
Disable/enable messages 41
Restart Tile 45
Sleep mode 46
Transmit data 49
4

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, and the European Union.
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.
1.1.4 FCC ID:
5

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”
1.1.5Part 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 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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1.3 Transceiver Regulatory Certification
The Tile is a regulatory approved modular transmitter that is designed to be integrated into a
enclosed host system. With appropriate external connections, the host can be designed to emet
full regulatory tests and sold as a regulatory certified product that meets FCC, IC, and CE
requirements
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)
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
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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 can support the delivery of customer data via a REST API to the cloud service
of each user’s choice.
The Tile is a miniaturized 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.
Using proven IoT technologies, the Tile is an 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
Message transmission access will be <1 min (90% of the time) by late 2020.
As Swarm’s network grows, transmission latencies of <60s will be achieved.
Components
GPS, VHF radio with integrated T/R switch, U.FL connector for GPS and
VHF antenna (SMD interface also available), ARM Cortex-M4 processor,
indicator LEDs, 3.3V serial interface, 3.3V GPIO
Sensors
Onboard GPS (lat/lon/alt), 1 Hz
Dimensions
and Mass
59 mm x 27 mm x 7 mm, 10g
See detailed description in Mechanical Specification section.
Power
Mode
Average
Peak
Sleep, 3.3V
24 µA
33 µA
Receiver Active, 3.3V
55 mA
57 mA
Transmitter on, 3.3V
745 mA
750 mA
Protocol
Modified NMEA two-letter command set via 3.3V CMOS serial UART
interface
Data rate
1 to 2.7 kbps. Maximum packet size of 200 bytes
8

Table 1: Overview of the Swarm Tile
9

3 Mechanical Specification
A diagram of the Tile is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Tile front and back views
10

3.1 Tile Dimensions
The overall dimensions of the Tile and its weight are summarized in Table 2.
Parameter
Value
Length
58.67 mm
Width
27.43 mm
Height
6.03 mm
Weight
10 g
Table 2: Tile Mechanical Dimensions and Weight
3.2 Environmental
The environmental specifications of the Tile are summarized in Table 3 below.
Parameter
Value
Operating Temperature Range
-55 °C to +130 °C
Survivable Temperature Range
-220 °C +160 °C
Operating Humidity Range
0% to 95%, non-condensable
Survivable Humidity Range
0% to 95%, non-condensable
Table 3: Environmental Specifications
3.2 Mechanical Specification – Mounting
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.
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Figure 2: Location of solder pads on the underside of the Tile
3.3 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 4
Use of "No Clean" soldering paste is strongly recommended, as it does not require cleaning
after the soldering process has taken place. The paste listed in the example below meets these
criteria:
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
12

Figure 3: Recommended reflow profile for lead-free solder paste
Time (Seconds)
Temperature (℃)
0
25
45
150
165
200
180
240
220
240
280
25
Table 4: Data points for reflow soldering
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3.4 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]
14

4 Electrical Interfaces
The following subsections contain information for the electrical interfaces of the Tile. The RF
interfaces are covered in section 5.
4.1 User Connector
The user connector provides the following required connections to the Tile:
• DC power supply input, 3.3V, 1000 mA peak
• Serial data interface
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 5 and 6. 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 have no function.
Figure 4: Tile pinout and pin numbers
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Pin
Number
Name
Type
Description
1
GPS_EXTINT
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_OUT
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
N/A
Not Connected
Intentionally left empty
14
N/A
Not Connected
Intentionally left empty
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 5: Tile pin numbers and descriptions
16

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, with
a sink/source current limit of ±8 mA (±20 mA with a relaxed VOL/VOH)
8
If not using the provided U.FL connector, a 50Ω impedance path must be
provided to a non-powered external GPS antenna.
9, 10
The 3.3V connection points are in parallel with one another and provide the
primary radio, amplifier, and system voltage which is always required. If the
designer wants to enable a complete power off mode, an electronic switch can
be provided here.
18
If not using the provided U.FL connector, a 50Ω impedance path must be
provided to the external VHF antenna.
Table 6: Additional notes on pin numbers
4.3 DC Power Interface
The DC power interface consists of the DC power inputs as summarized in Table 7. The +3.3V
inputs and ground supply returns are used to supply DC power to the Tile and ensure that
enough current can be drawn across the connector without the Tile malfunctioning during
transmit due to lack of current supply. In addition, the +3.3V inputs are used to supply DC power
to the Tile to operate its microcontroller as well as receive signals. All power and ground pins
should be connected externally. The power requirements apply to DC power measured at the
Tile user connector input and not at the output of the power supply. Long power supply cables
can cause a voltage drop sufficient to cause the voltage to be out of specification at the physical
power supply input to the Tile.
17

Name
Description
Min
Typ
Max
Unit
VCC
Module supply voltage
2.8
3.3
3.5
V
ICC (3.3V)
Current consumption - Sleep Mode
21.6
23.7
32.8
μA
Current consumption - Receiver Active
29.7
31.6
34.1
mA
Current consumption - Geolocation Mode*
51.1
53.7
55.2
mA
Current consumption - Transmitter on
740
743
745
mA
ICC (3.5V)
Current consumption - Sleep Mode
27.3
28.0
28.0
μA
Current consumption - Receiver Active
30.3
32.8
36.1
mA
Current consumption - Geolocation Mode*
50.8
52.9
54.8
mA
Current consumption - Transmitter on
725
728
732
mA
Table 7: Power supply characteristics for 2.8, 3.3, and 3.5V supplies to the Tile
*Includes receiver active current with GPS in acquisition mode. Tile enters into Geolocation
mode for approximately 30 seconds after exiting from sleep mode, on powerup, or every 3
hours the Tile is continuously powered on and not in sleep mode.
An example of the interface between a Tile and a third-party host device is shown in Figure 5. A
photo of a Tile integrated onto a third party device can be found in Figure 6.
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Figure 5: Sample hardware integration for Tile
Figure 6: Example integration of a Tile
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