Microchip Technology RN2903 Users Manual
Low-Power Long Range LoRa® Technology
Transceiver Module
General Features
• On-board LoRaWAN™ protocol stack
• ASCII command interface over UART
• Compact form factor: 17.8 x 26.7 x 3.34 mm
• Castellated SMT pads for easy and reliable PCB
mounting
• Environmentally friendly, RoHS compliant
• Compliance:
- Modular Certified for the United States (FCC)
and Canada (IC)
- Australia and New Zealand
• Device Firmware Upgrade (DFU) over UART, see
“RN2903 LoRa
Reference User’s Guide” (DS40001811)
®
Technology Module Command
RN2903
Description
Operational
• Single operating voltage: 2.1V to 3.6V (3.3V
typical)
• Temperature range: -40°C to +85°C
• Low-power consumption
• Programmable RF Communication Bit Rate up to
300 kbps with FSK modulation, 12500 bps with
®
Technology modulation
LoRa
• Integrated MCU, Crystal, EUI-64 Node Identity
Serial EEPROM, Radio Transceiver with Analog
Front End, Matching Circuitry
• 14 GPIOs for control and status
RF/Analog Features
• Low-Power Long Range Transceiver operating in
the 915 MHz frequency band
• High Receiver Sensitivity: down to -146 dBm
• TX Power: adjustable up to +18.5 dBm high
efficiency PA
• FSK, GFSK, and LoRa Technology modulation
• IIP3 = -11 dBm
• Up to 15 km coverage at suburban and up to 5 km
coverage at urban area
Microchip’s RN2903 Low-Power Long Range LoRa
Technology Transceiver module provides an easy to
use, low-power solution for long range wireless data
transmission. The advanced command interface offers
rapid time to market.
The RN2903 module complies with the LoRaWAN
Class A protocol specifications. It integrates RF, a
baseband controller, command Application
Programming Interface (API) processor, making it a
complete long range solution.
The RN2903 module is suitable for simple long ran ge
sensor applications with external host MCU.
Applications
• Automated Meter Reading
• Home and Building Automation
• Wireless Alarm and Security Systems
• Industrial Monitoring and Control
• Machine to Machine (M2M)
• Internet of Things (IoT)
2015 Microchip Technology Inc. DS50002390B-page 1
RN2903
Table of Contents
1.0 Device Overview .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3
2.0 General Specifications ................................................................................................................................................................. 6
3.0 Typical Hardware Connections..................................................................................................................................................... 8
4.0 Physical Dimensions .................................................................................................................................................................... 9
5.0 Application Information............................................................................................................................................................... 10
6.0 Regulatory Approval................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Appendix A: Revision History............................................................................................................................................................... 19
The Microchip Web Site....................................................................................................................................................................... 21
Customer Change Notification Service................................................................................................................................................ 21
Customer Support................................................................................................................................................................................ 21
Product Identification System............................................................................................................................................................... 23
TO OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS
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Most Current Data Sheet
To obtain the most up-to-date version of this data sheet, please register at our Worldwide Web site at:
http://www.microchip.com
You can determine the version of a data sheet by examining its literature number found on the bottom outside corner of any page.
The last character of the literature number is the version number, (e.g., DS30000000A is version A of document DS30000000).
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To determine if an errata sheet exists for a particular device, please check with one of the following:
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DS50002390B-page 2 2015 Microchip Technology Inc.
RN2903
1
GND
2
UART_RTS
3
UART_CTS
4
RESERVED
5
RESERVED
6
UART_TX
7
UART_RX
8
GND
GND
9
GPIO13
10
GPIO12
11
GND
20
GND
12
VDD
13
GPIO11
14
GPIO10
15
NC
16
NC
17
NC
18
NC
19
NC
40
39
38
37
36
35
34
33
32
31
30
21
29
28
27
26
252423
22
GND
GND
GND
GND
GND
GND
RF
NC
VDD
GND
47
46
45
44
43
42
41
GND
NC
TEST 0
TEST 1
RESET
GPIO0
GPIO1
GPIO2
GPIO3
GPIO4
GPIO5
GPIO6
GPIO7
GPIO8
GPIO9
NC
User Hardware:
Status LEDs, 6witches, /ogic IOs, etc.
RN2903 Module
MCU
LoRa®Technology
Radio
Command Processor
14 GPIO Pins
Real Time
Clock
LoRaWANTMProtocol Stack
I2C
SPI
UART
32768 Hz
Crystal
EUI-64
EEPROM
Host MCU
Antenna
915 MHz
1.0 DEVICE OVERVIEW
The RN2903 transceiver module features LoRa
Techno logy RF modul ati on, which provides long range
spread spectrum communication with high interference
immunity.
Using LoRa Technology modulation technique,
RN2903 can achieve a receiver sensitivity of -146 dBm.
The high sensitivity combined with the integrated
+18.5 dBm output power amplifier yields industry
leading link budget, which makes it optimal for
applications requiring extended range and robustness.
FIGURE 1-1: RN2903 TOP VIEW
LoRa Technology modulation also provide s significant
advantages in both blocking and selectivity compared
to the conventional modulation techniques, solving the
traditional design compromise between extended
range, interference immunity, and low-power
consumption.
The RN2903 module delivers exceptional phase noise,
selectivity, receiver linearity, and IIP3 for significantly
lower power consumption. The level of conductive
harmonics is below -70 dBm. Figure 1-1, Figure 1-2,
and Figure 1-3 show the top view, the pinout, and the
block diagram of the module.
FIGURE 1-2: RN2903 PIN DIAGRAM
FIGURE 1-3: RN2903 BLOCK DIAGRAM
2015 Microchip Technology Inc. DS50002390B-page 3
RN2903
Table 1-1 describes the pins of the module.
TABLE 1-1: PIN DESCRIPTION
Pin Name Type Description
1 GND Power Ground supply terminal
2 UART_RTS Output Communication UART RTS signal
3 UART_CTS Input Communication UART CTS signal
4 RESERVED — Do not connect
5 RESERVED — Do not connect
6 UART_TX Output Communication UART Transmit (TX)
7 UART_RX Input Communication UART Receive (RX)
8 GND Power Ground supply terminal
9 GPIO13 Input/Output General purpose I/O pin
10 GPIO12 Input/Output General purpose I/O pin
11 GND Power Ground supply terminal
12 VDD Power Positive supply terminal
13 GPIO11 Input/Output General purpose I/O pin
14 GPIO10 Input/Output General purpose I/O pin
15 NC — Not connected
16 NC — Not connected
17 NC — Not connected
18 NC — Not connected
19 NC — Not connected
20 GND Power Ground supply terminal
21 GND Power Ground supply terminal
22 GND Power Ground supply terminal
23 RF RF analog RF signal pin
24 GND Power Ground supply terminal
25 NC — Not connected
26 GND Power Ground supply terminal
27 GND Power Ground supply terminal
28 GND Power Ground supply terminal
29 NC — Not connected
30 TEST0 — Do not connect
31 TEST1 — Do not connect
32 RESET
33 GND Power Ground supply terminal
34 VDD Power Positive supply terminal
35 GPIO0 Input/Output General purpose I/O pin
36 GPIO1 Input/Output General purpose I/O pin
37 GPIO2 Input/Output General purpose I/O pin
38 GPIO3 Input/Output General purpose I/O pin
39 GPIO4 Input/Output General purpose I/O pin
40 GPIO5 Input/Output General purpose I/O pin
41 GND Power Ground supply terminal
42 NC — Not connected
43 GPIO6 Input/Output General purpose I/O pin
Input Active-low device Reset input
(1)
(1)
DS50002390B-page 4 2015 Microchip Technology Inc.
TABLE 1-1: PIN DESCRIPTION (CONTINUED)
Pin Name Type Description
44 GPIO7 Input/Output General purpose I/O pin
45 GPIO8 Input/Output General purpose I/O pin
46 GPIO9 Input/Output General purpose I/O pin
47 GND Power Ground supply terminal
Note 1: Optional handshake lines are supported in future firmware releases.
RN2903
2015 Microchip Technology Inc. DS50002390B-page 5
RN2903
2.0 GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Table 2-1 provides the general speci fications for the modul e. Table 2-2, Table 2-3, and Table 2-4 provide the el ectrical
characteristics, current consumption, and dimensions of the module. Table 2-5 shows the RF ou tput power calibration
data.
TABLE 2-1: GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Specification Description
Frequency Band 902.000 MHz to 928.000 MHz
Modulation Method FSK, GFSK, and LoRa
Maximum Over-the-Air Data Rate 300 kbps with FSK modulation; 12500 bps with LoRa Technology modulation
RF Connection Board edge connection
Interface UART
Operation Range Up to 15 km coverage at suburban; up to 5 km coverage at urban area
Sensitivity at 0.1% BER -146 dBm
RF TX Power Adjustable up to max. +18.5 dBm on 915 MHz band
Generated Conductive Harmonics
Level
Temperature (operating ) -40°C to +85°C
Temperature (storage) -40°C to +115°C
Humidity 10% ~ 90%
Note 1: Depends on modulation. Expand Spreading Factor (SF).
2: TX power is adjustable. For more information, refer to the “RN2903 LoRa
Reference User’s Guide” (DS40001811).
Below -70 dBm
Non-condensing
(1)
®
Techno logy modulation
(2)
®
T echnology Module Command
TABLE 2-2: ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Parameter Min. T yp. Max. Units
Supply Voltage 2.1 — 3.6 V
Voltage on any pin with respect to VSS (except VDD) -0.3 — VDD + 0.3 V
Voltage on VDD with respect to VSS -0.3 — 3.9 V
Input Clamp Current (IIK) (VI < 0 or VI > VDD) — — +/-20 mA
Output Camp Current (IOK) (VO < 0 or VO > VDD) — — +/-20 mA
GPIO sink/source current each — — 25/25 mA
Total GPIO sink/source current — — 200/185 mA
RAM Data Retention Voltage (in Sleep mode or Reset state) 1.5 — — V
VDD Start Voltage to ensure internal Power-on Reset signal — — 0.7 V
VDD Rise Rate to ensure internal Power-on Reset signal 0.05 — — V/ms
Brown-out Reset Voltage 1.75 1.9 2.05 V
Logic Input Low Voltage — — 0.15 x VDD V
Logic Input High Voltage 0.8 x VDD — — V
Input Leakage at <25°C
(VSS<VPIN<VDD, Pin at high-impedance)
Input Leakage at +60°C
(VSS<VPIN<VDD, Pin at high-impedance)
Input Leakage at +85°C
(VSS<VPIN<VDD, Pin at high-impedance)
RF Input Level — — +10 dBm
—0.150nA
—0.7100nA
—4200nA
DS50002390B-page 6 2015 Microchip Technology Inc.
RN2903
TABLE 2-3: CURRENT CONSUMPTION
Mode Typical Current at 3V (mA)
Idle 2.7
RX 13.5
Deep Sleep 0.002
TABLE 2-4: MODULE DIMENSIONS
Parameter Value
Dimensions 17.8 x 26.7 x 3.34 mm
Weight 2.05g
TABLE 2-5: OUTPUT POWER OF TX
POWER SETTING
TX Power
Setting
23.042.6
34.044.8
45.047.3
56.049.6
67.052.0
78.055.0
89.057.7
910.061.0
10 1 1.0 64.8
11 12.0 73.1
12 13.0 78.0
14 14.7 83.0
15 15.5 88.0
16 16.3 95.8
17 17.0 103.6
20 18.5 124.4
Output Power
(dBm)
T ypical Supply
Current at 3V
(mA)
2015 Microchip Technology Inc. DS50002390B-page 7
RN2903
RN2903
GPIOsHost MCU
TX
TXRX
RX
CTS
(1)
RTS
RTS
(1)
CTS
RFH
915 MHz band
UART
Status LEDs,
6witches,
/ogic IOs,
etc.
14
Note 1: Optional handshake lines ĂƌĞsupported in future firmware releases.
3.0 TYPICAL HARDWARE CONNECTIONS
Figure 3-1 shows the typical hardware connections.
FIGURE 3-1: HARDWARE CONNECTIONS
3.1 INTERFACE TO HOST MCU
The RN2903 module has a dedicated UART interface
to communicate with a host controller. Optional
handshake lines are supported in future firmware
releases. The “RN2903 LoRa
Command Reference User’s Guide” (DS40001811)
provides a detailed UART command description.
Table 3-1 shows the default settings for the UART
communication.
®
Technology Module
TABLE 3-1: DEFAULT UART SETTINGS
Specification Description
Baud Rate 57600 bps
Packet Length 8 bit
Parity Bit No
Stop Bits 1 bit
Hardware Flow Control No
3.2 GPIO PINS (GPIO0–GPIO13)
The module has 14 GPIO pins. These lines can be
connected to switches, LEDs, and relay outputs. The
pins can be either logic inputs or outputs, and some
pins have analog input capability that can be accessed
via the module firmware. These pins have limited sink
and source capabilities. Electrical characteristics are
described in Table 2-2. For more information, see
“RN2903 LoRa
Reference User’s Guide” (DS40001811).
®
Technology Module Command
3.3 RF CONNECTION
When routing RF path, use proper strip lines with an
impedance of 50 Ohm.
3.4 RESET PIN
The Reset pin of the module is an active-low logic
input.
3.5 POWER PINS
It is recommended to connect power pins (Pin 12 and
34) to a stable supply voltage with sufficient source
current. Table 2-3 shows the current consumption.
Additional filtering capacitors are not required but used
to ensure stable supply voltage in a noisy environment.
DS50002390B-page 8 2015 Microchip Technology Inc.
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