Radiocrafts

Embedded Wireless Solutions

RC2500-RC232
Low cost 2.45 GHz Multi-Channel RF Transceiver
Module

Product Description
The RC2500 RF Transceiver Module is a compact surface-mounted module for multi-channel
GFSK operation in the 2.45 GHz ISM band. The module is completely shielded and pre-
certified for operation under the European radio regulations for license-free use, and complies
with FCC (US), WPC (India) and ARIB (Japan) regulations.

Applications
• Automatic Meter Reading(AMR)
• OEM equipment
• Home and building automation
• Radio modems
• Point-of-sales terminals
• Bar code scanners
• Telemetry stations
• Fleet management

Features
• Multi-channel GFSK
• Compact shielded module for SMD mounting
• Embedded RF protocol (RC232™)
• Up to 1018 byte data buffer
• 83 channels at 2.400 – 2.483 GHz
• Buffered mode: 2.4 – 230.4 kBd UART Baud rate
1.2 kb/s to 100 kb/s on air RF data rate
• Wide supply voltage range, 2.0 – 3.6 V
• Conforms with EN 300 440s (Europe), FCC CFR 47 part 15 (US), ARIB STD-T66 (Japan)

Quick Reference Data (3.3V, 25C)

Parameter Min Typ Max Unit
Frequency band 2400 2483 MHz
Number of channels 83
RF data rate (programmable) 1.2 100 kbit/s
UART data rate 2.4 19.2 230.4 kBaud
Output power (programmable) -20 1 dBm
Sensitivity, 1.2 kbit/s -105 dBm
Sensitivity, 100 kbit/s - 89 dBm
Supply voltage 2.0 3.6 Volt
Current consumption, RX 25 mA
Current consumption, TX, +1dBm 27 mA
Current consumption, SLEEP 0.4 A
Temperature range -40 +85 C

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Typical Application Circuit
2.0 - 3.6 V

Optional
GND GND
CTS/RXTX/RXEN VCC
To host MCU or
RS232/422/485
driver { RTS/TXEN
CONFIG
TXD
RXD
GND
RESET

GND
RF
GND
NC

Antenna

Quick Product Introduction

How do I transmit data?
Send your data to the RXD pin on the module. Use the UART format with settings (19200, 8,
1, N, no flow control), use 2 stop-bits if CTS is enabled. Up to 1018 of payload bytes are
buffered in the module (total of 1024 including header bytes). The module will transmit the
data when
• the max packet length is reached
• the unique end character is sent to the module
• the modem timeout limit is reached
The packet length, end character and timeout limit are configurable in-circuit.

How do I receive data?

Any received data packet with correct address and check sum will be sent on the TXD pin
using the same UART format as for transmit.

What about the antenna?

In most cases a simple quarter wavelength wire or a PCB track will do. Connect a piece of
wire to the RF pin with length corresponding to the quarter of a wavelength. For space limited
products, contact Radiocrafts and we will recommend the best antenna solution for your
application.

How do I change the RF channel or any other parameter?

To change configurable parameters, assert the CONFIG pin, and send the command string
using the same serial interface as for transmitting data. Parameters can be changed
permanently and stored in non-volatile memory in the module.

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Pin Assignment

GND 14 GND
1
CTS/RXTX 2 13 VCC
RTS/SLEEP 3 12 RESET
CONFIG 4 11
NC
TXD 5 10
GND
6 9
RXD RF
7 8
GND 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 GND

Pin Description

Pin no Pin name Description Equivalent circuit

1 GND System ground GND

2 CTS/RXTX UART Clear to Send or UART VCC

RXTX Input:
3 RTS/SLEEP UART Request to Send. Set low
to enter Sleep mode if RTS 20k
handshake is not in use.
(See Note 2)
4 CONFIG Configuration Enable. Active low.
Should normally be set high.
(See Note 2) VCC
Output:
5 TXD UART TX Data
6 RXD UART RX Data.

Use external max 8k2 kohm pull-

up resistor if connected to an
open collector output from a host
MCU or other high impedance
circuitry like level shifters.
(See Note 1)
7 GND System ground GND
8 GND System ground

9 RF RF I/O connection to antenna

RF

10k

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Pin no Pin name Description Equivalent circuit
10 GND System ground GND

11 NC Not connected
12 RESET Main reset (active low). Should VCC
normally be left open. Internal 12
kΩ pull-up resistor.

12k

RESET

13 VCC Supply voltage input. Internally

regulated. 1.8 V
VCC
VREG

2u2

14 GND System ground GND

15-30 RESERVED Test pins or pins reserved for

future use. Do not connect!
Note 1: For UART communication the TXD and RXD are used for serial data, and CTS and RTS for flow control
(optional). RXD should be high when not sending data to the module.
Note 2: The internal pull-ups on CONFIG and RTS/SLEEP pin are disabled in Sleep mode to minimise the sleep
current.

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Block Diagram
GND
GND
Communication
VCC
CTS Controller
RF Tranceiver RESET
RTS

CONFIG NC

GND
TXD Voltage
Regulator RF
RXD
GND

Circuit Description
The module contains a communication controller with embedded RC232™ protocol software
and a high performance RF transceiver

The communication controller handles the radio packet protocol, the UART interface and
controls the RF transceiver. Data to be sent by the host is received at the RXD pin and
buffered in the communication controller. The data packet is then assembled with preamble,
start-of-frame delimiter (SOF), address information and CRC check sum before it is
transmitted on RF. The preamble and SOF is always used. The address and CRC are
optional.

The RF transceiver modulates the data to be transmitted on RF frequency, and demodulates

data that are received.

Received data are checked for correct address and CRC by the communication controller. If
the address matches the modules own address, and no CRC errors were detected, the data
packet is sent to the host on the TXD line after removing the header.

The asynchronous UART interface consists of RXD and TXD. Optionally CTS, RTS can be
used for hardware handshake flow control. RXTX can be used to control the direction of an
RS485 driver circuit.

When the CONFIG pin is asserted the communication controller interprets data received on
the RXD pin as configuration commands. There are commands to change the radio channel,
the output power, the destination address etc. Permanent changes of the configuration is also
possible and are then stored in internal non-volatile memory.

The RF protocol and the configuration commands are described in detail in the RC232™ User
Manual.

The supply voltage is connected to the VCC pin. The module contains an internal voltage
regulator, which gives the transceiver a filtered operating voltage.

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RC232™ Embedded Protocol
The module offers a buffered packet radio in the RC232™ embedded protocol. Using the
buffered packet radio mode, all data to be sent is stored in the module before they are
transmitted by the RF circuitry. Likewise, when data is received they are stored in the module
before they are sent to the host. This allows the communication controller to add address
information and to do error check of the data. In buffered mode the UART interface is used to
communicate with the host.

The embedded protocol, configuration commands and configuration memory is described in

the RC232™ User Manual. This protocol is used in a wide range of RF modules available
from Radiocrafts. Please refer to the latest revision available on Radiocrafts web-site.

Power Management
The module can be set in SLEEP mode in order to reduce the power consumption.

When the SLEEP pin is not enabled (RF_SLEEP_MODE = 0x00) the module can be set in
Sleep mode by activating CONFIG and sending a ‘Z’ command. The module is woken up
when CONFIG is deactivated (goes high). Note: During Sleep the CONFIG pin does not have
any internal pull-up, so the CONFIG pin must be driven high in order to wake the module. Any
activity on the RXD pin will make the module wake up, but immediately return to Sleep as
long as CONFIG is kept low. Such activity on the RXD pin should be avoided in order to
reduce current consumption.
When the SLEEP pin is enabled (RF_SLEEP_MODE = 0x02) the module can be set in Sleep
mode by activating RTS/SLEEP (asserting low). The module is woken up when RTS/SLEEP
is deactivated (goes high). Note: During Sleep the RTS/SLEEP pin does not have any internal
pull-up, so the RTS/SLEEP pin must be driven high in order to wake up the module. Any
activity on the RXD or CONFIG pins will not make the module wake up. Activity on module pin
16 and 17 can wake the module and must be avoided (do not connect, as previously stated in
this document). CONFIG must be high when awakening the module to avoid setting the
module directly in configuration mode.
All configuration settings and RAM values are retained during Sleep. The pull-ups on
RTS/SLEEP and CONFIG pin are disabled during sleep mode in order to minimise the sleep
current consumption. If the module is shut completely off, all configuration settings in non-
volatile memory is restored, but values in RAM are overwritten with default settings.

Enter SLEEP Mode Using RTS/SLEEP pin

RTS/SLEEP

MODE IDLE SLEEP IDLE

Enter SLEEP Mode Using CONFIG and Z Comand

CONFIG

UART Comand Z

MODE IDLE CONFIG SLEEP IDLE

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Timing Information
The figure and table below shows the timing information for the module when changing
between different operating states.

The IDLE state is the normal state where the module search for preamble on the air and wait
for a character to be received on the UART. RXD is the state when receiving characters from
the host filling up the internal buffer. TX state is when the data is transmitted on the air. RX
state is when data is received from the air after preamble detection. TXD is the state where
the received data is sent to the host on the UART.

CONFIG is the state entered by asserting the CONFIG pin and used during parameter
configuration, while MEMORY CONFIG is the sub-state entered by the ‘M’ command where
the configuration memory is being programmed. Note the limitation on maximum number of
write cycles using the ‘M’ command, see Electrical Specifications.

tTXD

RX tRX-TXD tTXD-IDLE
IDLE TXD IDLE

Preamble detected First character on Last character on

UART TXD UART TXD

tRXD-CTS tTX

RXD tPACKET_TIMEOUT tRXD-TX tTX-IDLE

IDLE TX IDLE

First character on Last character on

UART RXD UART RXD

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tOFF-IDLE
OFF IDLE

tRESET-IDLE
RESET IDLE

tSLEEP-IDLE
SLEEP IDLE

tCONFIG-PROMPT tC-CONFIG tCONFIG-IDLE

IDLE CONFIG CONFIG IDLE
CONFIG ’C’ ’X’
set low

MEMORY CONFIG tMEMORY-CONFIG tCONFIG-IDLE

CONFIG CONFIG IDLE
’M’ 0xFF ’X’

Symbol Value Description / Note

tRX-TXD 180 us Time from last byte is received from the air until first character is sent
on the UART
tTXD Min 590 us tTXD = # bytes received x 590 us/char (10 bits at 19.2 kBd + 70 us
delay per character)
tTXD-IDLE 900 us Time from last character is sent on the UART until module is in IDLE
mode (ready for RXD and RX)
TRXD-CTS 20 us Time from last character is received by the UART (including any
timeout) until CTS is activated
tRXD-TX 960 us Time from last character is received by the UART (including any
timeout) until the module sends the first byte on the air.
TTX-IDLE 960 us Time from last character is sent on the air until module is in IDLE
mode (ready for RXD and RX)
tOFF-IDLE 3.2 ms
tRESET-IDLE 3.0 ms
tSLEEP-IDLE 1.28 ms
tCONFIG- 590 us Time from CONFIG pin is set low until prompt (“>”)
PROMPT
tC#-CONFIG 1.1 ms Delay after channel-byte is sent until prompt (“>”). (For other
commands like ’M’, ’T’ there is no delay but immediate prompt)
tMEMORY- 30.52 ms In this period the internal flash is programmed. Do not reset, turn the
CONFIG module off, or allow any power supply dips in this period as it may
cause permanent error in the Flash configuration memory. After 0xFF
the host should wait for the ‘>’ prompt before any further action is
done to ensure correct re-configuration.
TCONFIG- 1.42 ms
IDLE
tTX Min 20 ms tTX = # bytes to send x 1.67 ms/byte (at 4.8 kbit/s) + 7 bytes
preamble, sync and length + 2 bytes address + 2 bytes CRC
TRSSI 4 ms Time from end of S command to start of RSSI byte received on
UART

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RF Frequency, Output Power Levels and Data Rates
The following table shows the available RF channels and their corresponding frequencies,
nominal output power levels and available data rates.

Model RF channel Output power Data rate

RC2500-RC232 1: 2400.75 MHz Channel 1-83: 1: 1.2 kbit/s
2: 2401.75 MHz 1: -20 dBm 2: 4.8 kbit/s
3: 2402.75 MHz 2: -10 dBm 3: 19.2 kbit/s
4. 3: -5 dBm 4: 32.768 kbit/s
.... 4: -1 dBm 5: 76.8 kbit/s
39: 2438.75 MHz 5: 1 dBm 6: 100 kbit/s
40: 2439.75 MHz 7: For future use
41: 2440.75 MHz
..
....
80: 2479.75 MHz
81: 2480.75 MHz
82: 2481.75 MHz
83: 2482.75 MHz

N: 2399.75+N MHz
Table 1 Frequency and output power settings
RF channel and output power level can be set using the configuration commands ‘C’ and ‘P’
respectively. The data rate can only be changed in configuration memory by using the ‘M’
command setting RF_DATA_RATE. The default RF channel and output power level can be
set in the configuration memory by using the ‘M’ command setting RF_CHANNEL and
RF_POWER. The default values are used after power ON and RESET. The default factory
settings are shown in bold in the table above.

For more details on changing the RF channel, output power or data rate, refer to the
description of the configuration commands.

Due to the large frequency area covered some channel could proved to have reduced
sensitivity at high data rates. The channels not recommended for rates of > 19.2 are
ch 3, 17, 30, 37, 44, 51, 57, 64, and 71.

RSSI Reading
The module provides a digital Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) through the ‘S’
command, or the RSSI value can be attached to received messages. The module returns an
8 bit character (one byte) indicating the current input signal strength (followed immediately by
a second character which is the prompt (‘>’) when in command mode). The signal strength
can be used as an indication of fading margin, or as a carrier sense signal to avoid collisions.

The signal strength measure by the S command is the instantaneous value. The RSSI value
appended to a received message (RSSI_MODE = 1) is the signal strength of that received
packet.

The RSSI value increases with increased input signal strength in 0.5 dB steps. Input signal
strength is given by (typ.):

P = - RSSI / 2 [dBm]

Temperature Reading
The module provides readings of a digital temperature monitoring sensor (TEMP) through the
‘U’ command. The module returns an 8 bit character (one byte) indicating the current

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temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) followed immediately by a second character which is the
prompt (‘>’).

The TEMP value increases with increased temperature in 1 °C steps and accuracy of +/- 5
°C.
Temperature is given by:

T = TEMP(dec) - 128 [°C] (example: TEMP=0x98 equals +24 °C)

Power Supply voltage Reading

The module provides readings of an internal power supply voltage monitoring sensor (VCC)
through the ‘V’ command. The module returns an 8 bit character (one byte) indicating the
current power supply voltage level followed immediately by a second character which is the
prompt (‘>’). The command can be useful for battery power monitoring.

The VCC value increases with increased power supply voltage in 30 mV steps. The power
supply voltage is given by:

V = VCC(dec)*0.030 [V] (example: VCC=0x68 equals 3.12 V)

Module Configuration
The configuration of the module can be changed in-circuit from the host during operation, at
the time of installation of the equipment, at the manufacturing test, or even as a stand alone
module. The configuration is changed sending commands on the UART interface after the
module is set in configuration mode. The configuration mode is entered by asserting the
CONFIG pin (set low).

In command mode the module will respond by sending a ‘>’ prompt on the TXD pin. This
indicates that the module is ready to receive commands. The CONFIG pin can then be de-
asserted. Note that the CONFIG pin must be de-asserted before the Exit command (‘X’) is
sent to the module in order to return to normal operation.

After a command is executed, the module responds with the ‘>’ prompt character again
indicating it is ready for a new command. Do not send a new command before the ‘>’ prompt
is received. The time required to execute a command can vary depending on the command
(see the Timing Information section). There is no ‘>’ prompt after the ‘X’ exit command.

The parameters that are set by commands directly take immediate effect after returning to
normal operation (IDLE), but will not be stored in non-volatile memory, and will be lost in case
the supply power is turned off or if the module is reset. These parameters are for example the
radio channel and output power.

A list of commands is shown in the table below.

Parameter Command Argument in hex (decimal) Note
Channel ‘C’ – 0x43 0x01-0x53 (1-83) Data is stored in volatile
memory only. For variants
not listed here, refer to the
specific data sheet.
Output power ‘P’ – 0x50 0x01-0x05 (1-5) Data is stored in volatile
memory only.
Signal Strength ‘S’ – 0x53 Returns one byte indicating the
(RSSI) signal strength
Destination ‘T’ – 0x54 0x00 – 0xFF (0-255) Data is stored in volatile
address memory only.
Temperature ‘U’ – 0x55 Returns one byte indicating the See page 10 for details
monitoring temperature.

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Parameter Command Argument in hex (decimal) Note
Battery ‘V’ – 0x56 Returns one byte indicating the See page 10 for details
monitoring power supply voltage.
Memory Read ‘Y’ – 0x59 0x00 – 0x7F Return one byte value from
one byte (The argument is the address in the configuration memory.
the configuration memory.)
Memory ‘M’ – 0x4D (Address, Data): see list of Used to enter memory
configuration parameters below. configuration menu.
0xFF exits memory Parameters changed are
configuration. stored in non-volatile
memory.
Memory Reset ‘@RC’ No arguments, but CONFIG Resets the configuration
must be low for this command. memory back to factory
default values in the whole
non-volatile memory.
Exit command ‘X’ – 0x58 (none) Exit to normal operation
mode. All changes of
parameters take effect.
Test mode 1 ‘1’ – 0x31 (none) TX carrier
Test mode 2 ‘2’ – 0x32 (none) TX modulated signal
PN9 sequence
Test mode 3 ‘3’ – 0x33 (none) TX Off, RX mode
Test Mode 4 ‘4’ – 0x34 (none) Radio off mode
(RX and TX off)

Note: ASCII characters are written as ‘X’, hexadecimal numbers are written like 0x00, and
decimal numbers are written like 10 throughout the text. A table of ASCII characters and their
respective hex and decimal values are found in the Appendix.

Commands must be sent as ASCII characters or their corresponding binary value. All
arguments must be sent as binary values to the module (not as ASCII representation for hex
or decimal). Any invalid command will be ignored and the ‘>’ prompt will be re-sent. The
CONFIG line must be de-asserted after the first ‘>’ prompt was received, but before the ‘X’
command.

To make permanent changes to default values and other parameters, the Memory
Configuration command ‘M’ is used. This command should be followed by pairs of byte being
the memory address and the new value to be stored at that address. In order to exit the
Memory Configuration mode command ‘X’ must be sent.

Example:
To select RF channel 3, send the follow sequence after asserting the CONFIG line and the ‘>’
prompt is received:

Command Hex Response Comment/Note

CONFIG asserted ‘>’ De-assert CONFIG after ‘>’ prompt
‘C’ 0x43 ‘>’
3 0x03 ‘>’ Wait for ‘>’ prompt
[A new command could be issued here]
‘X’ 0x58 (none) Module returns to IDLE state

It is important to enter Test mode 3 before exiting the configuration mode (‘X’) if Test mode 1
or 2 has been used. This will ensure proper operation in normal mode.

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Configuration Memory
The table below shows the complete list of configurable parameters stored in non-volatile
memory. These values can be changed using the ‘M’ command. All addresses and
arguments must be sent as binary values to the module (not as ASCII representation for hex
or decimal).

Parameter Description Address Argument Factory Comment

hex dec setting
hex (dec)
Radio configuration
RF_CHANNEL Default RF 0x00 1-83 0x28(40) See table page for details
channel
RF_POWER Default RF 0x01 1-5 0x05 (5) See table page 9 for details
output power
RF_DATA_RATE Default RF 0x02 1-7 0x03 (3) See table page 9 for details
data rate
SLEEP_MODE Sleep Mode 0x04 0: SLEEP pin 0x00 (0) When enabled, the module
disabled will enter sleep mode by
1: reserved asserting sleep pin low.
2: SLEEP pin Do not use in combination
enabled with enabled UART flow
control.
RSSI_MODE Append 0x05 0-1 0x00 (0) 0: No RSSI append No
RSSI 1: RSSI append
Radio packet configuration
PACKET_LENGTH_H Max packet 0x0E 0x00-0x03 0x00 Packet length > 128 was
length high (0-3) (0) introduced in FW rev 1.28.
byte For older revisions always
PACKET_LENGTH_L Max packet 0x0F 0x01-0xFF 0x80 use
length low (1-255) (128) PACKET_LENGTH_H=0.
byte If PACKET_LENGHT_H=0
for FW rev 1.28 and newer,
then the packet format is
backward compatible with
FW rev 1.27 and older.
PACKET_TIMEOUT Time before 0x10 0x00-0xFE 0x7C None means packet timeout
modem time- (0-254) (124) is disabled (not 0 s).
out and 0x00 (0): None
transmitting 0x01 (1): 32 ms Timeout value is
the buffer 0x02 (2): 48 ms (PACKET_TIMOEOUT x 16
0x03 (3): 64 ms ms) + 0/16 ms min/max
0x7C (124): 2 s
0xF9 (249): 4 s 0xFE (254) is max, giving
4.080 sec.
Default is 2 s = 0x7C (124)
PACKET_END_CHARACTE 0x11 0x00: Off 0x00 0: No end character
R 0x01-0xFF: On 1-255: Use value as end
character
Medium access, addressing and network management
ADDRESS_MODE 0x14 0x00, 0x02, 0x08 0x02 (2) 0: No addressing
2: 1 byte addressing
8: 4 byte addressing (FW
rev 1.28 and newer)

Using addressing adds the

SID and DID bytes to the
radio packet.
CRC_MODE 0x15 0x02 (2) 0: None
2: CRC16
UNIQUE_ID1 (UID1) 0x19 0-255 0x01 (1)
SYSTEM_ID1 (SID1) 0x1A 0-255 0x01 (0) ADDRESS_MODE=8
UNIQUE_ID2 (UID2) 0x1B 0-255 0x01 (1) UID=UID4:UID3:UID2:UID1
SYSTEM_ID2 (SID2) 0x1C 0-255 0x01 (0) SID=SID4:SID3:SID2:SID1
UNIQUE_ID3 (UID3) 0x1D 0-255 0x01 (1) DID=DID4:DID3:DID2:DID1
SYSTEM_ID3 (SID3) 0x1E 0-255 0x01 (0) BID=BID:BID:BID:BID
UNIQUE_ID4 (UID4) 0x1F 0-255 0x01 (1)
SYSTEM_ID4 (SID4) 0x20 0-255 0x01 (0) ADDRESS_MODE=2

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Parameter Description Address Argument Factory Comment
hex dec setting
hex (dec)
DESTINATION_ID1(DID1) 0x21 0-255 0x01 (1) UID=UID1
DESTINATION_ID2(DID2) 0x22 0-255 0x01 (1) SID=SID1
DESTINATION_ID3(DID3) 0x23 0-255 0x01 (1) DID=DID1
DESTINATION_ID4(DID4) 0x24 0-255 0x01 (1) BID=BID
BROADCAST_ 0x28 0-255 0xFF (255)
ADDRESS
Data and configuration interface, UART Serial Port
UART_BAUD_RATE Baud rate 0x30 0x00: Not used 0x05 (5) BE CAREFUL
0x01: 2400 IFCHANGING AS HOST
0x02: 4800 MAY LOOSE CONTACT
0x03: 9600 WITH MODULE!
0x04. 14400
0x05: 19200 Does not take effect until
0x06: 28800 module is re-booted / reset.
0x07: 38400
0x08: 56700
0x09: 76800
0x0A: 115200
0x0B: 230400
UART_NUMBER_OF_BITS 0x31 8: 8 bits 0x08 (8) BE CAREFUL IF
9: 8 bits +1 parity CHANGING AS HOST MAY
UART_PARITY 0x32 0: even parity 0x00 (0) LOOSE CONTACT WITH
1: odd parity MODULE! Parity bit only an
UART_STOP_BITS 0x33 1: 1 stop bit 0x01 (1) option when address
2: 2 stop bits 0x31=0x09 (9 bits)
UART_FLOW_CTRL UART flow 0x35 0: None 0x00 (0)
control 1:CTS only Does not take effect until
3:CTS/RTS module is re-booted / reset.
4:RXTX(RS485)
PART_NUMBER 0x3C- RCxxxx
0x49 RC232
HW_REV_NO 0x4B- x.yz x, y and z; Any number 0d-
0x4E 9d
FW_REV_NO 0x50- x.yz x, y and z; Any number 0d-
0x53 9d

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Antenna Connection

The antenna shall be connected to the RF pin. The RF pin is matched to 50 Ohm. If the
antenna connector is placed away from the module at the motherboard, the track between the
RF pin and the connector should be a 50 Ohm transmission line.

On a two layer board made of FR4 the width of a microstrip transmission line should be 1.8
times the thickness of the board, assuming a dielectric constant of 4.8. The line should be run
at the top of the board, and the bottom side should be a ground plane.

Example: For a 1.6 mm thick FR4 board, the width of the trace on the top side should be 1.8 x
1.6 mm = 2.88 mm.

The simplest antenna to use is the quarter wave whip antenna. A quarter wave whip antenna
above a ground plane yields 37 Ohm impedance and a matching circuit for 50 Ohm are
usually not required. A quarter wave antenna, like a piece of wire normal to ground plane
should have a length equivalent to 95% of the free space wavelength.

A PCB antenna can be made as a copper track where the ground plane is removed on the
back side. The rest of the PCB board should have a ground plane as large as possible,
preferably as large (in one dimension) as the antenna itself, to make it act as a counterweight
to the antenna. A quarter wavelength antenna on a PCB must be shorter than the wire
antenna due to the influence of the dielectric material of the PCB. The length reduction
depends on the PCB thickness and material, as well as how close to the edge of the board
the antenna is placed. Typical reduction is to 75-90 % but exact length must be found
empirically. However, a 1.0 or 1.6 mm FR4 PCB with the antenna trace < 1 cm from
conducting obstacles normally reduces the length to about 2.4 cm.

If, for space reasons, the track is made even shorter than the resonating quarter of a
wavelength, the antenna should be matched to 50 ohms using a series inductor and a shunt
capacitor.

The length of a quarter-wave antenna is given in the table below.

Frequency Length of Length of

[MHz] whip antenna PCB track
[cm] [cm]
2450 2.9 2.25 – 2.7

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PCB Layout Recommendations
The recommended layout pads for the module are shown in the figure below. All dimensions
are in thousands of an inch (mil). The circle in upper left corner is an orientation mark only,
and should not be a part of the copper pattern.

A PCB with two or more layers and with a solid ground plane in one of the inner- or bottom
layer(s) is recommended. All GND-pins of the module shall be connected to this ground plane
with vias with shortest possible routing, one via per GND-pin.

On the back side of the module there are several test pads. These test pads shall not be
connected, and the area underneath the module should be covered with solder resist. If any
routing or vias is required under the module, the routing and vias must be covered with solder
resist to prevent short circuiting of the test pads. It is recommended that vias are tented.

Reserved pins should be soldered to the pads but the pads must be left floating.

Note that Radiocrafts technical support team is available for schematic and layout review of
your design.

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Mechanical Drawing

Mechanical Dimensions
The module size is 12.7 x 25.4 x 3.7 mm.

Carrier Tape and Reel Specification

Carrier tape and reel is in accordance with EIA Specification 481.

Tape width Component Hole pitch Reel Units per

pitch diameter reel
44 mm 16 mm 4 mm 13” Max 1000

Soldering Profile Recommendation

JEDEC standard IPC/JEDEC J-STD-020D.1 (page 7 and 8), Pb-Free Assembly is
recommended.

The standard requires that the heat dissipated in the "surroundings" on the PCB is taken into
account. The peak temperature should be adjusted so that it is within the window specified in
the standard for the actual motherboard.

Aperture for paste stencil is normally areal-reduced by 20-35%, please consult your
production facility for best experience aperture reduction. Nominal stencil thickness of 0.1-
0.12 mm recommended.

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Absolute Maximum Ratings
Parameter Min Max Unit
Supply voltage, VCC -0.3 3.9 V
Voltage on any pin -0.3 VCC+0.3V V
Input RF level 10 dBm Caution ! ESD sensitive device.
Storage temperature -50 150 C Precaution should be used when
handling the device in order to prevent
Operating temperature -40 85 C permanent damage.

Under no circumstances the absolute maximum ratings given above should be violated.
Stress exceeding one or more of the limiting values may cause permanent damage to the
device.

Electrical Specifications
T=25C, VCC = 3.3V if nothing else stated.

Parameter Min Typ. Max Unit Condition / Note

Operating frequency 2400 2483 MHz

Number of channels 83

Input/output impedance 50 Ohm

Data rate (programmable) 1.2 19.2 100 kbit/s

Frequency stability +/-20 ppm Over operating temperature

range

Transmit power
Power level 1: -17 dBm
2: -10
3: -5
4: -1
5: 1

Harmonics, 2nd and 3rd

1 dBm output power -43/-52 dBm
Spurious emission, TX, 1 dBm
30-1000 MHz -36 dBm Complies with EN 300 328, EN
1 – 12.75 GHz -30 300 440, FCC CFR47 Part 15
1.8 – 1.9 GHz -47 and ARIB STD-T66
5.15 – 5.33 GHz -47

Sensitivity Measured at Packet Error Ratio

1.2 kbit/s -105 dBm = 1%. Packet size = 20 bytes
4.8 kbit/s -103
19.2 kbit/s -101
32.768 kbit/s -99
76.8 kbit/s -91
100 kbit/s -89
Blocking / Interferer rejection / Wanted signal 3 dB above
desensitization sensitivity level, modulated
+/- 10 MHz 55 dBm interferer. BER=0.1%
+/- 20 MHz 60 Compliant to class 2 receiver
+/- 50 MHz 60 requirements in EN 300 440
class 2
Saturation -10 dBm

Spurious emission, RX Complies with EN 300 328, EN

30 – 1000 MHz -57 dBm 300 440, FCC CFR47 Part 15
1 – 12.75 GHz -47 and ARIB STD-T66

Supply voltage 2.0 3.6 V

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Current consumption, Apply over entire supply
RX 25 mA voltage range

Current consumption, TX 27 mA

Current consumption, SLEEP 0.4 1 µA Max value in bold apply over

the entire temperature and
supply voltage range

Digital I/O
Input logic level, low 30 % V Of VCC
Input logic level, high 70 % Of VCC
RESET pin Minimum 250 ns pulse width
Input logic level, low 30 % V
Input logic level, high 70 %
UART Baud Rate tolerance +/- 2 % UART receiver and transmitter

Configuration memory write 1000 The guaranteed number of

cycles write cycles using the ‘M’
command is limited

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Regulatory Compliance Information

The use of RF frequencies and maximum allowed RF power is limited by national regulations.
The RC2500 has been designed to comply with the RED directive 2014/53/EU in Europe,
FCC regulation and ARIB regulation. But in order to comply with the different standards, the
output power should be configured as commented below.

RED directive (EU)

According to RED directives, it is the responsibility of Radiocrafts’ customers to check
that the host product (i.e. final product) is compliant with RED essential requirements.
The use of a CE marked radio module can avoid re-certification of the final product,
provided that the end user respects the recommendations established by Radiocrafts.
A Declaration of Conformity is available from Radiocrafts on request.

For CE there is a limitation in usage to comply with EN300440v2.1.1 section 4.2.4.

Only RF channels 3-81 shall be used to comply with this requirement.

FCC compliance (US, Canada)

The RC2500 has been tested towards FCC regulations for license free operation
under part 15. However, a final approval is required by FCC for the end product.
Output power is limited to EIRP of -1.25dBm for compliance to part 15, §249.
This corresponds to power level 4.

WPC compliance (India)

License based operation in India is bases on case by case grant and the basis is
normally a compliance to RED directive(CE) or FCC.

License free operation in India can be achieved thru spreading of bandwidth > 10
MHz, with external frequency hopping routine.

ARIB compliance

The RC2500 has been designed to comply with the requirements given by the
Japanese ARIB STD-T66 for low power (short range) devices in the 2.4GHz range.
However, it has not been assessed for conformity with the appropriate regulations.
Users must assess and verify that their final product meets the appropriate
specifications and to perform the required procedures for regulatory compliance.

The relevant regulations are subject to change. Radiocrafts AS do not take responsibility for
the validity and accuracy of the understanding of the regulations referred above. Radiocrafts
only guarantee that this product meets the specifications in this document. Radiocrafts is
exempt from any responsibilities related to regulatory compliance.

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Power Supply
Noisy external circuitry may under certain scenarios affect the transmitted signal on RC2500-
RC232 and precaution should be taken for EU RED conformity. Example of circuits that can
generate noise on the RC2500-RC232 transmitted spectrum may be DC/DC converters and some
level converters like RS232 and RS485. To increase spectrum margin it is important to add an EMI
filter bead on the VCC pin of the RC2500-RC232 module. Alternatively the RC2500-RC232 may
be powered form a separate voltage regulator. This will ensure that potential switching noise is
filtered out from the power supply to the RC2500-RC232. A block diagram of a typical PC serial
port interface is illustrated below.

Suggested part numbers:

Component Manufacturer Part number

EMI filter bead Murata BLM11A102S, ordering code
BLM18xx102xN1D

Programming Interface
For future firmware updates and possible custom variants it is recommended to include a 2x5 pins
programming connector to the module programming pins. The connector should be a 2.54 mm
pitch pin-row (same pitch in both directions), SMD or through-hole version, with the connections
shown below.

Reset connection
To minimize effect of noise on the Reset-line, the Reset pin on the module (pin 12) must be
connected to external circuitry via an RC-network. It is recommended to connect Reset to either a
supervisory circuit or microcontroller I/O-pin. If the Reset is driven by a push-pull output, an
additional series resistor of 5k6 shall be inserted as shown in the figure, to allow an external
programmer used for firmware upgrade to assert Reset low. In noisy surroundings and where
Reset is not driven by a push-pull output, it is recommended that the connection ‘A’ below is pulled
to VCC via one or more resistors where the equivalent pull-up resistor is close to 5k6

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Document Revision History
Document Revision Changes
1.0 First version
1.01 Updated chapter on power management
Corrected buffer size to 128 bytes.
1.02 -Max packet length increased to 1024 bytes.
-New address mode option for 4 byte addressing
-UART number of bits and parity option added
Product status updated to full production
Changes harmonize to RC232 firmware revision 1.28
1.03 Updated section on Power supply / EMI bead with figure
1.04 Updated with RED assessment
1.05 Updated Mechanical drawing and height information. Please refer to
Hardware PCN for revision history.
1.06 Clarified modulation format

Product Status and Definitions

Current Data Sheet Identification Product Status Definition
Status
Advance Information Planned or under This data sheet contains the design
development specifications for product
development. Specifications may
change in any manner without notice.
Preliminary Engineering Samples This data sheet contains preliminary
and First Production data, and supplementary data will be
published at a later date. Radiocrafts
reserves the right to make changes at
any time without notice in order to
improve design and supply the best
possible product.
No Identification Noted Full Production This data sheet contains final
specifications. Radiocrafts reserves
X the right to make changes at any time
without notice in order to improve
design and supply the best possible
product.
Obsolete Not in Production This data sheet contains
specifications on a product that has
been discontinued by Radiocrafts.
The data sheet is printed for
reference information only.

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Disclaimer
Radiocrafts AS believes the information contained herein is correct and accurate at the time of this printing. However,
Radiocrafts AS reserves the right to make changes to this product without notice. Radiocrafts AS does not assume
any responsibility for the use of the described product; neither does it convey any license under its patent rights, or
the rights of others. The latest updates are available at the Radiocrafts website or by contacting Radiocrafts directly.

As far as possible, major changes of product specifications and functionality, will be stated in product specific Errata
Notes published at the Radiocrafts website. Customers are encouraged to check regularly for the most recent
updates on products and support tools.

Trademarks
RC232™ is a trademark of Radiocrafts AS. The RC232™ Embedded RF Protocol is used in a range of products from
Radiocrafts. The protocol handles host communication, data buffering, error check, addressing and broadcasting. It
supports point-to-point, point-to-multipoint and peer-to-peer network topologies.

All other trademarks, registered trademarks and product names are the sole property of their respective owners.

Life Support Policy

This Radiocrafts product is not designed for use in life support appliances, devices, or other systems where
malfunction can reasonably be expected to result in significant personal injury to the user, or as a critical component
in any life support device or system whose failure to perform can be reasonably expected to cause the failure of the
life support device or system, or to affect its safety or effectiveness. Radiocrafts AS customers using or selling these
products for use in such applications do so at their own risk and agree to fully indemnify Radiocrafts AS for any
damages resulting from any improper use or sale.

Radiocrafts Technical Support

Knowledge base: https://radiocrafts.com/knowledge-base/
Application notes library: https://radiocrafts.com/resources/application-notes/
Whitepapers: https://radiocrafts.com/resources/articles-white-papers/
Technology overview: https://radiocrafts.com/technologies/
RF Wireless Expert Training: https://radiocrafts.com/resources/rf-wireless-expert-training/

Contact Radiocrafts
Sales requests: https://radiocrafts.com/contact/

© 2019, Radiocrafts AS. All rights reserved.

©2019 Radiocrafts AS RC2500-RC232 Data Sheet (rev. 1.06) Page 22 of 22