RFD900x Data Sheet V1.1 www.rfdesign.com.
RFD900x User Manual V2.0 www.rfdesign.com.au General Cautions During operation there must be a separation distance of 20cm between all persons and the antenna. Ensure that all used RF connectors are secure and properly terminated. When used in the US - FCC Caution Caution: The user is cautioned that changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.
RFD900x User Manual V2.0 www.rfdesign.com.au Acceptable Antennas This device has been designed to operate with the antenna(s) listed below and having a maximum gain of 3 dBi. Antennas not included in this list or having a gain greater than 3 dBi are strictly prohibited for use with this device. The required antenna impedance is 50 ohms. Acceptable antenna – 3dBi RFD whip.
RFD900x User Manual V2.0 www.rfdesign.com.au Table of contents 1 Key Features .................................................................................................................................... 5 2 Specifications .................................................................................................................................. 6 3 OEM Labelling ..............................................................................................................................
RFD900x User Manual V2.0 www.rfdesign.com.au 1 Key Features Features Applications • • • • • • • • • • Out of the box RF communications. Air data rate speeds of up to 224kbps Diversity antenna support Weight of 14g Outdoor RF line-of-site range of 40km or more depending on antenna configuration Telemetry data UAV control Remote weather station House automation Long range RC Operational • • • • Operating voltage: 5V, I/O Voltage (3.3V) Temperature range: -40°C to +85°C Dimensions of 30mm x 57.
RFD900x User Manual V2.0 www.rfdesign.com.
RFD900x User Manual V2.0 www.rfdesign.com.au 3 OEM Labelling For equipment containing the RFD-900x where the RFD-900x label is not visible the following applies. Equipment using the RFD 900x in the USA must display a label referring to the enclosed module. This label must contain the words “Contains FCC ID: 2ADLE-900X”. Equipment using the RFD 900x in Canada must display a label referring to the enclosed module. This label must contain the words “Contains IC ID: 24610-900X”.
RFD900x User Manual V2.0 www.rfdesign.com.au 4 Pin signals and layout Pin # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Name GND GND CTS Vcc Vusb Vusb RX GPIO5/P3.4 TX GPIO4/P3.3 RTS GPIO3/P1.3 GPIO0/P1.0 GPIO2/P1.2 GPIO1/P1.
RFD900x User Manual V2.0 www.rfdesign.com.
RFD900x User Manual V2.0 www.rfdesign.com.au 6 Software/GCS Support The default firmware (see “Useful Links”) is a development of the open source project called “SiK” and was created by Mike Smith. It has been further developed and modified by Andrew Tridgell and RFDesign. The modems feature a boot loader to facilitate field upgrade of the modem firmware via the serial port.
RFD900x User Manual V2.0 www.rfdesign.com.au 7 Diversity The RFD900x has two antenna ports and firmware which supports diversity operation of antennas. During the receive sequence the modem will check both antennas and select the antenna with the best receive signal. The antenna selected during receive is then also used for subsequent transmission. In the case of only one antenna connected, it will automatically select the port with the antenna connected.
RFD900x User Manual V2.0 www.rfdesign.com.au 8 Network options RFD900x support firmware for simple pair (peer to peer), asynchronous mesh network and multipoint network. Available for download from the website (see “Useful Links”). 8.1 Simple pair (P2P) The out-of-the-box firmware of the RFD900x radio modem is set to work in simple pair mode. If you purchased a bundle, you are only required to connect the antennas and supply to initiate the link.
RFD900x User Manual V2.0 www.rfdesign.com.au All nodes within range Node 0 Node 1 Node 3 Node 2 Node 4 Figure 8-2 Asynchronous mesh topology It is also possible to establish forwarding between nodes in the network. (See the asynchronous firmware datasheet for details) 8.3 Multipoint synchronised mesh The network requires that one of the devices assumes a base role to control the timeslot distribution of the surrounding radios.
RFD900x User Manual V2.0 www.rfdesign.com.au 9 Frequently asked questions (FAQ) 9.1 How many antennas do I need to use? One is the minimum. Two is recommended. 9.2 How do I connect the FTDI cable to the modem? The black cable of the FTDI (pin 1) should connect to pin 1 on the modem as shown in Figure 10-1. Figure 10-1: An FTDI cable connected to the RFD900x modem 9.3 What do I need to upload the firmware or to change the modem configuration? Download the latest firmware (see “Useful Links”).
RFD900x User Manual V2.0 www.rfdesign.com.au NODEID = 1 DESTID = 65535, (32768 from version 2.45F) MAVLINK = 1 Set the ground station as follows: NODEID = 2 or 3 DESTID = 1 MAVLINK = 1 This will allow the airborne modem to handover to multiple ground stations as it flies from the coverage area of one ground station, to another. Both ground stations can be connected and can control the Airborne platform simultaneously.
RFD900x User Manual V2.0 www.rfdesign.com.au 10 Useful links RFD900x Firmware http://rfdesign.com.au/firmware/ RFD SiK firmware is default RFD Asynchronous firmware RFD Multipoint firmware RFD900x Flash Programmer http://rfdesign.com.au/downloads/ FTDI Cable documentation http://www.ftdichip.com/Support/Documents/DataSheets/Cables/DS_TTL-232R_CABLES.pdf 11 Revision History Version 1.0 1.1 2.0 2.
