Developing a universal module

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11 Jan 2014 03:41 #18347 by PhracturedBlue
Replied by PhracturedBlue on topic Developing a universal module
I realized as I was going that there is no reason to directly control the paen/lnaen pins in most cases. These could be tied to the output GPIO and we could program them via SPI on the modules themselves.

I haven't actually tested it on a real module, but assuming thatit works, here's an initial draft of the circuit diagram:

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11 Jan 2014 09:35 - 11 Jan 2014 09:51 #18355 by RandMental
Replied by RandMental on topic Developing a universal module
I unfortunately did not look at the current drain of the individual modules when I did the battery voltage and power consumption tests on my Devo8s with it's 3 modules.

We would need to verify the power budget at a the full 150mW for the Taranus as we might just need to control a few FET switches to selectively enable power to the module in use.

Worst case we'll need to run through all modules at boot time to ensure they are have powered up and/or are set idle or sleep mode to ensure they consume as little power as possible.
Last edit: 11 Jan 2014 09:51 by RandMental.

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11 Jan 2014 13:08 #18363 by vlad_vy
Replied by vlad_vy on topic Developing a universal module
It is strange, I have not seen the last two posts before I sent my message. After this came the fifth page with two additional messages.

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11 Jan 2014 13:48 #18364 by vlad_vy
Replied by vlad_vy on topic Developing a universal module
Where we can get CYRF6936 module? I cann't find any in sale.

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11 Jan 2014 14:07 #18365 by PhracturedBlue
Replied by PhracturedBlue on topic Developing a universal module
Th thread got derailed in the end, but there are some sources in here:
www.deviationtx.com/forum/7-development/...yrf6936-transceivers

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11 Jan 2014 18:06 #18368 by PhracturedBlue
Replied by PhracturedBlue on topic Developing a universal module
Here's a rough layout for the board. I want to mock it up and see if it'll fit in my transmitters. I placed the cyrf module on the back, and stack the nrf module op top of the a7105 module. It will add thickness but reduce x/y. I need to do some measurements to see if I can actually fit it inside any Tx though.

I'm going to try to fit a few different module layouts on the board, especially an AWA24S CYRF module which is quite a lot smaller than the CYRF equivalent.

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11 Jan 2014 19:52 #18373 by blackmoon
Replied by blackmoon on topic Developing a universal module
Out of curiosity, what's the purpose of the 10k between MISO- MOSI ?

Thanks.

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11 Jan 2014 20:07 - 11 Jan 2014 20:09 #18374 by RandMental
Replied by RandMental on topic Developing a universal module
This is how I fitted the 3 modules as a single removal unit inside a Devo8s with external Antennas






RM
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Last edit: 11 Jan 2014 20:09 by RandMental.

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12 Jan 2014 00:36 #18387 by PhracturedBlue
Replied by PhracturedBlue on topic Developing a universal module
what is the module running horizontally on the top?

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12 Jan 2014 00:56 #18391 by HappyHarry
Replied by HappyHarry on topic Developing a universal module
looks like a nrf24l01 to me, but I'm on the phone so I might be wrong?

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12 Jan 2014 02:36 - 12 Jan 2014 03:43 #18394 by PhracturedBlue
Replied by PhracturedBlue on topic Developing a universal module
I mean this one:



I guess you are right as it has a 4x2 pin header and by process of elimination can't be anything else. I haven't seen that variant of the nrf24l01 I think though.

Edit: I see. It is the standard nrf24l01 but with the antenna port removed
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Last edit: 12 Jan 2014 03:43 by PhracturedBlue.

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12 Jan 2014 14:20 - 12 Jan 2014 14:22 #18412 by RandMental
Replied by RandMental on topic Developing a universal module
Hi PB

Yes, you are correct. I removed the connector on a standard nrf2401+PA board. Since we have only two extra CS lines available, I put a small toggle switch in the battery compartment to switch the one CS line between the CC2500 and nrf2401 boards. This way I have all the protocols available without additional software support.
Last edit: 12 Jan 2014 14:22 by RandMental.

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13 Jan 2014 00:37 - 13 Jan 2014 00:57 #18446 by PhracturedBlue
Replied by PhracturedBlue on topic Developing a universal module
Here is my breadboarded design. It'll fit in a devo7e and devo8, and will go into the module cover of the X9D if you remove the pins (In the final design I'll see if I can avoid them so it can be used without removing them. It has a CC2500, A7105, and NRF24L01+(No PA, but I believe the PA version should fit just fine). The CYRF module would attach to the back (I'm going to try using the AWA24S instead of the Devo module due to it being smaller, and roughly the same price shipped)






Note that this is still untested as I don't have the ATTiny chips I plan to use with it yet. I'll finish designing the board with a similar layout to this (I want to try to squeeze 1/4" off the board to get it under 2", though I'm not sure that is possible), and get a few printed. It looks like BatchPCB closed up shop, which is too bad because I had really good luck with them in the past. Has anyone used OSHPark? They look like they're likely to have the fastest shipping speed. Not as cheap as Seeed and the like, but it looks like you get a really high quality board.
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Last edit: 13 Jan 2014 00:57 by PhracturedBlue.

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13 Jan 2014 00:51 #18447 by cstratton
Replied by cstratton on topic Developing a universal module
OSHPark boards are nice - literally gold plated ;-) Full 1.6mm or whatever it is stock, so not good for anything that flies, but suitable for ground stuff.

They seem to take about 10 days - 2 weeks, so it's not clear they are faster than some of the overseas options.

If you are trying to squeeze in a tight space, beware the remainders of breakaway tabs randomly placed along your outline. You can clean that up of course, but it's fiberglass :-(

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13 Jan 2014 00:58 - 13 Jan 2014 01:00 #18449 by Pattaya01
Replied by Pattaya01 on topic Developing a universal module
I have used this supplier a few times. Very reliable, fast shipping and very good quality:

www.ebay.com/itm/1-2-Layers-PCB-Producti...&hash=item2ecd47c9e9
Last edit: 13 Jan 2014 01:00 by Pattaya01.

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13 Jan 2014 00:59 - 13 Jan 2014 01:00 #18450 by PhracturedBlue
Replied by PhracturedBlue on topic Developing a universal module

If you are trying to squeeze in a tight space, beware the remainders of breakaway tabs randomly placed along your outline. You can clean that up of course, but it's fiberglass :-(

I never had that with my BatchPCB boards. I'll just have to see how it goes I guess.

Edit: I had problems uploading my images. they are fixed now.
Last edit: 13 Jan 2014 01:00 by PhracturedBlue.

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13 Jan 2014 08:06 - 13 Jan 2014 08:37 #18463 by blackmoon
Replied by blackmoon on topic Developing a universal module
OSH quality is top notch, I use them each time for prototyping, you can't beat the price and quality they offer (no need to mess with pcb etching anymore) .

The breakaway tabs can be removed easily with a X-acto knife.
Last edit: 13 Jan 2014 08:37 by blackmoon.

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13 Jan 2014 16:15 #18480 by victzh
Replied by victzh on topic Developing a universal module
I second OSHPark - I used it since when it was Laen's small service and never had any problems with them. It is 10 days for me now.

Tabs for a design with no border-specific features are no problem.

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13 Jan 2014 19:12 #18482 by PhracturedBlue
Replied by PhracturedBlue on topic Developing a universal module
Board ordered from OSH Park. I'm using a smt mounting technique for the A7105 and CC2500 modules. I'm not sure the pads are right, and I'm not 100% sure of the clearance, but at $8.50 shipped, it is easier to ship it off and see if it works.

I should have my ATTiny chips mid-week, so I'll throw together some software to control them in the mean time.

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13 Jan 2014 20:54 #18485 by victzh
Replied by victzh on topic Developing a universal module
Do you still use schematics from post #18347? Why did you connect TXEN/RXEN (PA_EN/LNA_EN) to their GPIOs for A7105 and CC2500? Wouldn't it be simpler to use a chip with more IO pins?

Another question - you have at least one pin which could be used for nRF24L01's CE, wouldn't it be wise to connect it? TX to RX and back is much faster with CE than with powerdown/powerup.

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