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Guan Yang of HackManhattan writes about his efforts working with a Bluetooth low energy component:
This amazing component is the Nordic nRF51822 that was released last year and is now available for order from Mouser. It’s a Bluetooth Low Energy system-on-chip that includes a transceiver and a Cortex-M0 microcontroller.Here’s a breakout board I made for it, using a Johanson balun and chip antenna. It takes a little help from the Internet, but I got it to work with Nordic’s SDK and the gcc-arm-none-eabi toolchain. Haven’t tried debugging yet.
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HackManhattan’s Nordic nRF51822 breakout board - [Link]
VHF FM Aircraft receiver:
VHF FM Aircraft Receiver is a superregenative receiver developed for listening to FM transmitters but also tunes the aircraft band and the top portion of the FM broadcast band. Receives both AM and FM (107mHz to 135 MHz). You can use this receiver with the any FM transmitter. The receiver is amazingly simple using only one transistor for the receiver section and one IC for the audio section. This circuit is a self-quenching regenerative RF receiver also known as a superregenerative receiver.
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VHF FM Aircraft receiver - [Link]
Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) released a new version of its popular ADIsimRF design tool:
The free design tool is the software accompaniment to ADI’s complete portfolio of RF-to-digital functional blocks, allowing engineers to model RF signal chains using devices from across ADI’s RF IC and data converter portfolio. ADIsimRF Version 1.7 adds a number of new device models along with enhanced support for inter-stage mismatch calculations. The design tool provides calculations for the most important parameters within an RF signal chain, including cascaded gain, noise figure, IP3, P1dB, and total power consumption. The ADIsimRF design tool contains embedded data from many of ADI’s RF ICs and data converters, which designers can easily access using pull-down menus to assist in component selection.
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Analog Devices releases free version of RF design tool - [Link]
Have you ever wanted to send data from a sensor or project wirelessly? This simple circuit allows you to build your own wireless transceiver using two ICs, a transistor, and two resistors. The IC is from Melexis and uses On-Off Keying modulation and can be battery powered.
Here is the circuit.
DIY Wireless Data Transceiver - [Link]
GSM, DCS, PCS, UMTS, 434/868 MHz, GPS, TETRA and many other signals are no problem for small ceramic antennas from company 2J.
Among products from company 2J, which can be found in our stable stock offer, we recently incorporated miniature ceramic SMT antennas enabling to create miniature closed devices without any external antennas, connectors, cables, …
● 2JE03 – 5-band SMT antenna for GSM850, GSM900, DCS, PCS and UMTS (1710-2170 MHz) bands. With dimensions of only 24×5.5×4.4mm, it represents a miniature solution for a wide spectrum of applications.
● 2JE05 – extremely small (9x3x1,2mm) SMT antenna intended for free bands 434 MHz, 868 MHz and 915 MHz. The antenna can be easily matched for a given frequency band by means of a few passive LC components (matching circuit). 2JE05 features a relatively very good standing waves ratio (VSWR) max 2.0:1 in the whole range.
Detailed specification of these antennas can be found in the 2JE03 and 2JE05 datasheets. A comprendious overview will provide you the 2J catalogue as well as catalogue of internal (embedded) antennas. Upon order, we´re able to provide you any antenna from the 2J portfolio. In case of interest, please contact us at info@soselectronic.com.
Miniature SMT antennas 2J are able to cover several bands - [Link]
This is a TV transmitter to generate a stream containing four TV programs and broadcasts it on a frequency in the DTT standard.
Ideal for stacking in an antenna system, audiovisual channels generated on-site or from other sources like a decoder for satellite television.
With this project you can make a small local TV station that has up to four TV channels. You can also integrate into a system into other existing TV signals that will be transmited on a desired RF channel. It’s ideal for exclusive cable installations for a condominium, a hotel, company premises or public place.
This merges 1 to 4 television channels in one stream of output that is ready to be transmitted on air (with the help of a linear RF) or injected in a localized cable TV circuit.
Using DTT to create your own TV transmitter - [Link]
RFID modules SL102 and SL500A are readily usable and provide many useful functions.
Similarly like in other segments of electronics, even at RFID you have a possibility to assemble a target device from components themselves, from modules, or to use a complete ready-made module, which is pluggable to a PC, often already with a SW included. SL102 and SL500A modules represent the „3-rd group“ from this point of view and provide a ready-to-use RFID solution.
• SL102, 125 kHz RFID reader – USB keyboard emulator. That means, that after SL102 appears as a keyboard after connecting to a PC (PC automatically recognizes it). SL102 operates in the way, that after reading an RFID tag, it sends its ID in the same form as if we typed it via a keyboard (and finished it be pushing „Enter“), i.e. every ID is in a new line. It is only necessary to open any program in which it is possible to enter numbers via a keyboard (excel, notepad, word,…). This system is very convenient for example for tracking of goods in production, in stock (stock in, stock out) but also for admission systems and many other.
• SL500A,Mifare 13,56 MHz reader/writer with the USB interface (virtual COM device). SL500A is able to read and write Mifare_1k, Mifare_4k, UltraLight and Mifare_ProX cards (ISO14443A, ISO1443B and ISO15693 protocols). SL500A is supplied with the software, including a DLL library and examples. SL500A can be used by a supplied SW, but you can also create your own application best suited to your needs.
Both RFID devices are available directly from our stock. A detailed description will provide you the SL102 and SL500A datasheets.
“Plug’n'play” desktop RFID modules with a USB interface - [Link]
The RFD900 is a high performance 900MHz, ISM band radio modem covering the 902 – 928 MHz frequency band. It is designed for long range serial communications applications requiring best in class radio link performance.
Key Features:
- Long range >40km depending on antennas and GCS setup
- 2 x RP-SMA RF connectors, diversity switched.
- 1 Watt (+30dBm) transmit power.
- Transmit low pass filter.
- > 20dB Low noise amplifier.
- RX SAW filter.
- Passive front end band pass filter.
- Open source firmware / tools, field upgradeable, easy to configure.
- Small, light weight.
- Compatible with 3DR / Hope-RF radio modules.
- License free use in Australia, Canada, USA, NZ.
RFDesign RFD900 open source RF modem - [Link]
RFID system DESFire EV1 enables substantially more than only an identification. Access systems, public transportation, loyalty programs, those are only few examples of usage of this system.
Similarly like every system has its hierarchy, even in the RFID can be found simpler but also more sophisticated technologies. DESFire EV1 working at the 13,56 MHz frequency belongs to a top in an RFID, that´s why it can be found mainly in payment systems, public transportation and other areas, where fast read/write on the card, various applications on the card and mainly highly secure communication are beneficial. An advantage of the system is also its anti-collision design – important in the case, when several cards are in the range of a reader. Relatively big memory (2, 4 or 8 kB) enables to store a considerable amount of data in various files. DES/2K3DES and mainly 3K3DES and AES encrypting algorithms takes care for a secure communication.
New DESFire cards in our portfolio DESFIREEV14KISO and DESFIREEV18KISO are suitable for all Mifare/DESFire readers like for example SL040A. For a full usage of cards potential, it is necessary to use a device able to read but also to write, like for example SL032 and SL500A-USB. . Many useful information can be found at www.mifare.net
RFID DESFire EV1 – one card for more applications - [Link]
This project goes through the process of designing and building a simple RF transmitter and RF receiver pair that operate at 27 MHz. Only basic parts like 555 timers and 2N2222 transistors are used to make the modules, so it’s generic but fun.
Simple Pyro RF Transmitter – Receiver (27 MHz) - [Transmitter - Receiver]
