ANT-1356M

ib technology Data Sheet ANTENNA 1356.PDF 6 Pages Last Revised 18/02/08 Micro RWD MF (Mifare) Antenna Specification The MicroRWD MF (Mifare) module has been designed to interface to a simple high Q antenna coil of around 1uH inductance together with some capacitor and resistor components. The antenna coil and passive components form the tuned RLC (Resistor- Inductor-Capacitor) circuit, which is designed to resonate at the 13.56 MHz carrier frequency and have a Q factor of 35-40. For the 125 kHz family of MicroRWD modules, the low Q antenna (700uH) has a relatively wide tolerance of inductance so the capacitor components are fixed and mounted on the RWD module itself pins AN1 and AN2 connect to an external antenna coil directly. For the 13.56 MHz MicroRWD modules, the antenna Q is higher and the inductance tolerance is narrow. For this reason the capacitor components are external to the module to allow fine-tuning and adjustment of the LC circuit as shown below. The external resistors are used to limit the antenna current and correct the antenna Q to 35-40 range. Approx 3cm max MicroRWD 65mm diameter coil, 2 turns 0.45mm diameter MF C1 = 22pF Enamelled Cu wire (26 SWG), approx 1uH AN1 (pin 9) Rext 5-50pF trimming C3 = 220pF capacitor GND (pins 7/13) C4 = 220pF AN2 (pin 12) Rext C2 = 22pF Centre tap not required typically < 0.5R All capacitors ceramic 50v minimum for simple antenna NPO/COG types +/- 5% or better Directly connected antenna arrangement For maximum range and performance the following factors should be considered: 1) Maximum range and coupling between transponder and RWD is based on the ratio of their antenna diameters. Very approximately the RWD antenna loop diameter should be 2-3 times the diameter of the transponder coil. The basic method of communication is via magnetic flux linkage (like an air-cored transformer) so the more lines of flux that intersect the transponder coil, the better the overall performance. For ISO card transponders there is little benefit in using an RWD antenna larger than 10cm diameter. Circular antenna coils generally give a more uniform flux distribution 1ib technology 2) The Micro RWD is designed to generate a 13.56 MHz carrier frequency in short bursts of energy with a peak-to-peak voltage of up to 60 volts. This RF field is only turned-on whenever there is card communication and for the remainder of time the RF field is off. This dramatically reduces the average current consumption to around 20ma with short bursts of up to 200ma. 3) Generally for 65mm diameter wound antenna or similar sized PCB antenna the range is around 5 cm, larger antenna (10 15cm diameter) can achieve up to 10cm range under ideal conditions. Lower burst current can be achieved by adjusting the series resistors in the antenna loop circuit (ensuring Q value is around 35-40). 4) Sample antenna supplied are for evaluation only. The characteristics of an antenna for EMC approval will vary according to shape of coil, type of wire, style of winding, bobbin material, spacing between windings or PCB track design and PCB material etc. 5) The antenna coil (PCB or wire wound) should be positioned as close to the capacitor components as possible and the coil-capacitor (LC) arrangement should be no more than 3cm from the MicroRWD module for optimum performance. For longer distances a screened twisted-pair antenna cable can be used with an impedance matching transformer, this technique is not described here. 6) The position and environment of the antenna in the final applications should be taken into account and a trimming capacitor can be used to adjust the capacitance to fine tune the LC arrangement back to 13.56 MHz resonance. An oscilloscope should be connected ACROSS the antenna coil connections. With NO transponder card in the field a pulsed 13.56 MHz sine wave will be seen with a peak-to-peak voltage of up to 60 volts. The trimming capacitor should be adjusted to achieve the highest amplitude of sine wave. The antenna resistance should then be checked to ensure the Quality factor is correct. The capacitor and coil inductance values have been carefully chosen for optimum performance so any custom antenna should be designed to be as close to this arrangement as possible. 7.5 ms 100ms (default polling delay) Antenna waveform 13.56 MHz NO card in field RF duty cycle 60v peak-to-peak measured across the antenna coil NOTE THAT OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE (BEST SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO) IS ACHIEVED WHEN PEAK-TO-PEAK ANTENNA VOLTAGE IS APPROXIMATELY 50 VOLTS. 2