Chipcon & other RF transcievers?

H,

We've used the CC2420 802.15.4 / Zigbee part without any major snags, though it is important to follow their recommended PCB layout very closely, and have some decent RF test equipment to prove the design (frequency & power meters, vector signal generator etc.).

802.15.4 does 250 kbit/s at 2.4 Ghz - the next step up is 802.11, but chipset manufacturers are remarkably reluctant to sell to (or even give datasheets to) anyone buying less than a million parts per year. If you get past this hurdle the hardware design & testing isn't much harder than 802.15.4; the real killer is the software complexity.

Most 802.11 WLAN cards have PCB antennas, but you might also consider a ceramic antenna which will have better directivity, and easier PCB design & manufacture.

Jeremy Bentham Iosoft Ltd.

Yeah, that's exactly why I was looking for a Chipcon type device --

802.11 is a mess I don't at all want to cross into. I'm even avoiding Zigbee because it's more complex than what I need (point-to-point RF).

I know of a few other parts like it from guys like Atmel, Micrel, etc, just didn't know if anyone here had used a part and found it particularly compelling (or not).

Did you end up doing a PCB antenna or going for a ceramic element?

Thanks. HW.

Hw,

A lot of developers are doing this; they use the 802.15.4 data transport, with the possibility of upgrading the software to Zigbee at a later date (a "Zigbee Ready" device).

We have no experience of these parts, but are very happy with our choice of Chipcon; they're the most helpful semiconductor company I've come across.

Neither; the current design has antenna connectors.

Jeremy Bentham Iosoft Ltd.

Hi...

You can also look at NordIc, the nRF2401, radio only chip or the nRF2E41 which is the nRF2401 with a 8051 added. These are very easy to use and reliable. They are not really suited if you want to transmit large amounts of data because their packet size is very limited, but they are easy to use and setup.

Good luck. Pieter.

If you are looking for a simple RF link with a roll your own protocol look at RF Monolythics. These are simple transceivers with no embedded anything. They call it Virtual Wire. Their TR1100 can handle 1Mbd. I use a slower version in my current designs. They are easy to use. Good appnotes including PCB antenna design. Good people to work with. Design assistance software. PCB gerber files. Lots of Pros. However, the one con for some is it is only a single channel only @

916.5Mhz. I managed to work around it.

If it looks like it has potential, here is the link

Jeff

I haven't used the chipcon parts (though I have played a little with the demo board for the Frescale part). For 1 Mbd, you might check out Vishay RF Waves:

They have chips or module, are supposed to be cheap and low power. They use a proprietary protocal, but claim to operate well in a mixed environment with other protocals sharing the spectrum. I haven't used them; I just found out about them a couple of days ago.