ER-EVK-SIGFOX

eRA, eRIC, eRA-LoRa, eRIC-LoRa & eRIC-Sigfox Evaluation Board with GNSS This board can be used for the evaluation and range testing of the following LPRS RF Modules: eRA400, eRA900, eRIC4, eRIC9, eRA-LoRa, eRIC-LoRa and eRIC-Sigfox. The board is provided with a u-blox GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver and patch antenna that allows the board to accurately report its geographical position during range tests. Feature Description eRIC Radio Socket Snap in spring clip socket for all eRIC modules. N.B. Position of Pin 1 eRA Radio Socket Turned pin Single in Line (SIL) sockets for all eRA style modules RSSI LED Display Bargraph mode 5 x LED display Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) Mode Selection 3 way DIL switch sets Mode of operation on power up (See table) Microcontroller Microchip PIC24HJ32GP302 microcontroller ISM Radio USB Interface Micro USB connector for Serial Data In/Out for RF modules On/Off Switch Board power On/Off slide switch Power Indicator Red LED indicates that board is powered GNSS USB Interface Micro USB connector for serial data output from GNSS module GNSS Signal Indicator Indicates valid received signal with 1 pulse per second LED output GNSS Receiver Module u-blox NEO M8M Global Navigation Satellite System (GNNS) module GNSS Antenna Patch Antenna for GNSS Module ISM Radio Antenna 50R SMA Female RF connector for antenna or test equipment connection to eRIC modules ISM Radio Antenna 50R SMA Female RF connector for antenna or test equipment connection to eRA modules Tx LED (Red) Indicates transmit data activity Rx LED (Green) Indicates receive data activity PICKIT Programmer Connector for Microchip PICKIT PIC programmer for microcontroller Battery Box 3 x AA Pencell battery box. Provides 4.5V power supply for board via On/Off slide switch Gnd Pin 0V Gnd reference for scope or other test equipment eRIC eRA GNSS Eval Board 1.3.docx Page 1 of 15 eRA, eRIC, eRA-LoRa, eRIC-LoRa & eRIC-Sigfox Evaluation Board with GNSS The board can be powered either by the host, via the USB connection or by the built in three cell (4.5V) switched battery supply mounted on the reverse side of the board. The u-blox GNSS receiver module serial data can be directly accessed using the second micro USB connector provided. Messages from the receiver can be viewed in any serial terminal software program. Alternatively the u-blox U-Centre evaluation software can be used to exercise and fully explore the device. The on board Microchip PIC24HJ32GP302 is pre-programmed with a bootloader and application software which can be selected to perform different functions using the Mode Select switch. (See table) An FTDI USB device provides the serial interface between the board and the host PC USB port. A Microchip PICkit compatible Single In Line (SIL) connector is provided to allow re-programming of the on board PIC microcontroller. Application software or firmware can be updated via the board micro USB connector using the pre-loaded bootloader firmware within the microcontroller. easyRadio Companion software can be used to update the microcontroller firmware. (TBA) The Mode Select switch allows up to 8 different operating modes to be selected but only 6 modes are implemented in the current firmware version. The following table describes the different operating modes available: eRIC eRA GNSS Eval Board 1.3.docx Page 2 of 15