ATMEL AT 86 RF 211 S Service Manual
www.DataSheet4U.com
Data Demodulation and Crystal Selection for the
AT86RF211S
1. Introduction
This document gives an overview of the receiver chain of the AT86RF211S and its
associated embedded features:
• Discriminator: Demodulation of the RF signal (principle, measurement/tuning of
output voltage)
• Data slicer:From analog to digital world (different modes of functioning, how to set
up the data slicer threshold)
It also emphasizes the new possibilities of the AT86RF211S
• Selection of lower cost crystal
• Data rate up to 128 kbps
• Frequency deviation wider than ±100 kHz
2. From Analog to Digital
AT86RF211S
FSK
Transceiver for
ISM Radio
Applications
Application Note
2.1 Demodulation
2.1.1 Principle
The FSK modulation used by the AT86RF211S consists in coding each bit as follows:
• “0”: transmission of an RF signal at a frequency F0
• “1”: transmission of an RF signal at a frequency F1
• The channel frequency (or carrier) is the middle frequency Fc = (F0 + F1)/2
• F1 - Fc = Fc - F0 is called the frequency deviation
The receiver therefore has the overall task to:
• Down-convert the signal at lower frequencies (for filtering purposes): 10.7 MHz
and 455 kHz
• Convert the frequencies into voltages (= discriminator)
• Make a decision to separate “0” from “1” levels (= data slicer)
Rev. 5418A–WIRE–04/05
Figure 2-1. Principle of Demodulation
Signal down-converted
at 10.7 MHz
1st filtering stage 2nd filtering stage
RF
F
L01
Embedded function
bandwidth = hundreds of kHz
10.7 MHz
DATAMSG
DATACLK
nd
2 down-conversion
at 455 kHz
L02
bandwidth = tens of kHz
SYNCHRONOUS RESHAPED
Discriminator
FV
Converter
455 kHz
CMOS LEVELS
Vcc
GND
Data slicer
threshold
CLOCK RECOVERY
Vcc
GND
The AT86RF211S discriminator is analog: the output voltage is proportional to the input frequency. It was particularly designed to accept a very long sequence of “zeros” or “ones” (i.e. a
constant input frequency). This is not the case for all receivers (in other words, with some
transceivers it is necessary to use DC-free data encoding).
Figure 2-2. Classic Discriminator without DC Ability
01011010
Sequence
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AT86RF211S Application Note
5418A–WIRE–04/05
Figure 2-3. AT86RF211: Discriminator with DC Ability
0101101
2.1.2 Standard/Narrowband Modes of the Discriminator
Since the output swing of the discriminator is proportional to the input frequency deviation,
small frequency deviations (used in narrowband applications) lead to smaller peak-to-peak
values of discriminator output. For this reason, the discriminator’s gain can be selected. The
AT86RF211S features four different gains – NDB, SDB, MDB and WDB – where NDB and
SDB are fully compatible with the AT86RF211.
AT86RF211S Application Note
Sequence
The slope of the demodulator is:
• Standard Discriminator Bandwidth mode: 14 mV/kHz at 2.4V (+5 mV per volt of power
supply)
• Narrow Discriminator Bandwidth mode: 28 mV/kHz at 2.4V (+10 mV per volt of power
supply)
• Medium Discriminator Bandwidth mode: 9 mV/kHz at 2.4V (+4 mV per volt of power
supply)
• Wide Discriminator Bandwidth mode: 5.5 mV/kHz at 2.4V (+2 mV per volt of power supply)
2.1.3 System Requirements
In order for the system to operate properly, the basic requirements are the following:
• The frequency deviation must be in accordance with the data rate (the higher the data rate,
the larger the frequency deviation).
• The down-converted frequencies must remain within the IF filters over the entire operating
conditions (temperature range, ageing), particularly when a narrow IF2 filter is used.
The typical values are:
=> 10.7 MHz filter: ±50 to ±150 kHz (ceramic filter)
=> optional 455 kHz second IF filter: ±2 to ±17.5 kHz (ceramic filter).
• The output of the discriminator must not exceed the maximum allowed voltage range. The
level on DISCOUT depends on several parameters: the received signal frequency, the
receiver local oscillator, the amplifier offsets, etc.
Important Notes:
5418A–WIRE–04/05
• The temperature drifts of the crystal are often given in ppm (parts per million) over a given
temperature range. 1 ppm is 0.9 kHz at 900 MHz and 0.4 kHz at 400 MHz, with a 10.245
MHz crystal.
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2.2 Data Slicing
Figure 2-4. Data Slicing
• The crystal specifications in this document (ageing and temperature drifts) are given for the
868 to 915 MHz bands. For an application in the 400 MHz to 480 MHz band, these
specifications can be relaxed and multiplied by 2.
• These specifications (temperature and ageing) include the Tx and Rx sides: the overall drift
must meet these requirements.
• Thanks to the high resolution of the AT86RF211S synthesizer (typically 200 Hz) a given
accuracy can be achieved by software: a small shift of the frequency (made by software) is
able to compensate a temperature or ageing drift with no additional hardware cost.
Once the frequency has been converted into a voltage, a decision must be made to identify
the “0” and “1” levels and convert them into CMOS levels. This is achieved thanks to a comparator. The AT86RF211S offers two data-slicing possibilities.
Data slicer threshold set on SKFILT pin
Data slicing
options
Demodulated signal on DISCOUT pin
Data slicer threshold level set by internal DAC (DSREF)
With the AT86RF211S, a hold is possible on the SKFILT capacitor. This helps to maintain the
average value of the signal captured without any discharge during reception of the message.
2.2.1 External Mode Comparing The Signal to its Average Value
A first possibility consists in comparing the signal to its own average value: a capacitor on
SKFILT (pin 25) is charged to the average value of the signal.
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AT86RF211S Application Note
5418A–WIRE–04/05
AT86RF211S Application Note
Figure 2-5. “External” Comparison Mode: Signal Compared to its Average Value.
Demodulator
Output
(DSIN)
+
-
DAC
Data Slicer
0
1
+
100K
A
-
Data Slicer
Threshold
B
DATAMSG
SKFILT
The value of the capacitor is a trade-off: it must be low enough to make the charging time as
short as possible, but high enough to “memorize” the level during the length of the maximum
number of similar consecutive bits. The lower the data rate, the higher the capacitor. Practical
values are:
• Data rate = 2400 bps => C = 22 nF
• Data rate = 4800 bps => C = 10 nF
• Data rate = 9600 bps => C = 4.7 nF
• Data rate ≥ 19200 bps => C = 2.2 nF
This procedure makes it impossible to receive a signal containing a DC component (= a long
sequence of “0” or “1”): the signal and data slicer thresholds become very close to one another
and the decision can no longer be made. Therefore, an adequate data encoding technique
must be used to prevent any DC component.
5418A–WIRE–04/05
Manchester encoding is a popular way of preventing the existence of any DC component. It
consists in encoding the data as follows:
– Logical “0”: 01
– Logical “1”: 10
This way, a long sequence of “0s” will be transformed into a “0101010101…” sequence. A
maximum of two similar successive low or high levels can be seen.
Note: Many other DC-free data encoding techniques are possible that increase the effectiveness of
the encoding, but the principle of operation is the same.
Thanks to the new “Charge & Hold” feature of the AT86RF211S, it is possible to suppress
message encoding. A dedicated application note entitled “Benefits of Charge & Hold” reference 5420, is available that details this.
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