User's Manual

2
Atmel AVR2080
8479A-AVR-01/12
2 Disclaimer
Typical values contained in this application note are based on simulations and testing
of individual examples.
Any information about third-party materials or parts was included in this document for
convenience. The vendor may have changed the information that has been
published. Check the individual vendor information for the latest changes.
3 Overview
The radio extender board is assembled with an Atmel AT86RF231 radio transceiver
[1], a Sk
yworks SE2431L FEM [9] and two ceramic antennas, demonstrating an
increased link budget together with hardware-based antenna diversity, improving
radio link robustness in harsh environments significantly [3].
The ra
dio extender board was designed to interface to an Atmel microcontroller
development platform. The microcontroller board in combination with the REB
provides an ideal way to:
• Evaluate the outstanding radio transceiver performance, such as the excellent
receiver sensitivity achieved at ultra-low current consumption
• Test the radio transceiver’s comprehensive hardware support of the
IEEE 802.15.4 standard
• Test the radio transceiver’s enhanced feature set, which includes antenna
diversity, AES, high data rate modes and other functions
The photograph in Figure 3-1 shows a development and evaluation setup using the
REB-CBB [2]
in combination with the Atmel REB231FE2 radio extender board.
Figure 3-1. The REB231F2 connected to a REB-CBB.