
The evaluation kit consists of two PC boards with a ATA542x transceiver, a custom LCD display, an external antenna, ISP and UART headers, a miniature joystick, and two AA batteries. Communication links can be established within seconds using the two transceiver boards to demonstrate functions such as RSSI links, frequency hopping, and temperature and light sensoring. The kit features an example design with the ATmega88 flash microcontroller and includes powerful adaptive frequency-hopping firmware. The kit is available in five different versions.
The ATMEL Wireless BlackBird is a 2" x 3.5" PC-board transceiver using the ATA542xUHF transceiver IC and the ATmega3290 AVR micro-controller, as shown in Figure 1-1. It is offered in five frequencies: 315, 345, 434, 868, and 915 MHz. The BlackBird is UART-, ISP-, and JTAG- ready. It has a custom LCD display, a 4-way joystick, and is powered by 2 AAA batteries.
The UART, ISP, and JTAG I/Os allow end-users to load software into the AVR and to interface with the ATA542x radio. With the joystick, the end-user can navigate through menus and select functions to execute. The LCD displays the menus, as well as showing transceiver activity during each of the various demo functions.
The BlackBird is capable of up to 20Kbit/s Manchester FSK modulation, or 10Kbit/s ASK. Its fractional-N frequency synthesizer gives a nice 800Hz RF resolution. An internal TX/RX switch controls the single-ended RF I/O which is capable of up to 10dBm (adjustable) output.
The ATMEL part numbers for the different frequency versions are:
The ATAB542x kit contains two ATAB542x transceivers (with batteries), as determined by the ATMEL part number ordered, a Quick Start Card, and a CD. The kit is complete, the software is preloaded, and it is ready for immediate use.
Included on the accompanying CD are:
1. User Guide
2. Bills of Material
3. Data Sheets
4. schematic and layout files
5. IAR® and WinAVR source code
6. a *.hex file for the Demo software
7. a Quick Start Guide