Microwave Journal
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TI low power RF transceiver delivers leading range and co-existence for Sub-1 GHz wireless connectivity

July 9, 2013

Texas Instruments (TI) announced the SimpleLink™ Sub-1 GHz CC1200 transceiver, an extension to TI’s RF performance line family. With leading range, co-existence and data rates up to 1Mbps, the CC1200 is aimed at Sub-1 GHz wireless connectivity for Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and Home Area Networks (HAN) in the smart grid, home and building automation, and alarm and security system applications. The CC1200 offers years of battery life from low power operation with sniff modes and fast settling time. A flexible RF solution, the CC1200 supports legacy Sub-1 GHz systems, all IEEE 802.15.4g FSK modes with hardware packet handling as well as hardware AES security support and all Wireless M-Bus (wM-Bus) modes. For more information on the CC1200 and corresponding CC1200DK development kit and CC1200EMK evaluation module, please visit: www.ti.com/lprf-cc1200-pr.

Pin-for-pin compatibility with TI’s CC1120 RF transceiver enables manufacturers to easily adopt the SimpleLink Sub-1 GHz CC1200 for new designs with higher data rates, AES security and 802.15.4g support. Additionally, the CC1200 is optimized to work with several other TI products to further enhance system operation, including:

  • CC1190 power amplifier front end: Provides up to +27 dBm operation in 868/915/920MHz bands (learn more in this application note)
  • TPS62730 DC/DC converter: Delivers up to 30 percent lower current consumption (read more in this application note)
  • MSP430F5438A microcontrollers (MCU): In a typical system, the CC1200 can be used together with an ultra-low power MSP430™ MCUand only few external passive components
  • CC2538: Combined with the CC1200 delivers dual-band 2.4 GHz and Sub-1 GHz ZigBee® and 6LoWPAN solutions

  SimpleLink Sub-1 GHzCC1200 features and benefits

Features

Benefits

High performance

·      Up to 1Mbps radio

·      Supports 169 / 433 / 868 / 915 / 920 MHz ISM/SRD bands with possible support for additional frequency bands: 
137-160, 205-240 and 274-320 MHz

·     High effective data rate for large sensor networks

·     Hardware support for upcoming Sub-1 GHz standards

Best-in-class range and co-existence

·      +16 dBm output power

·      -127 dBm  sensitivity using built-in coding gain

·      60 dB selectivity and 90 dB blocking

·      Up to 143 dB link budget for long range communication

·      Best-in-class co-existence for handling noisy RF environments

Leading low power consumption

·      0.3 µA  power down current, 0.5 µA sleep current with timer running and 2 mA RX sniff mode

·      Quick transition between power modes

·      Reduced system power consumption while maintaining best-in-class RF performance

Low cost design

·      Compact reference design with few external components, and small and efficient PCB antenna

·      No need for expensive SAW and IF filters

·      Reduce external component cost and count

Availability and pricing

The SimpleLink CC1200 is available in a 5x5mm QFN 32 package for $2.20 in 1,000 unit volumes from TI authorized distributors and is part of TI’s free sample program. The CC1200DKdevelopment kit and CC1200EMK (420-470 MHzor 868-930 MHz) evaluation modules are available on TI’s eStore and TI authorized distributors for $299 and $99 respectively.

Find out more about TI’s RF performance line: