Texas Instruments CC1000PP User Manual

User Manual

Rev. 1.22

CC1000PP Plug and Play Module

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Table of contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................................................ 2

INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 3

TYPICAL PERFORMANCE...................................................................................................... 3

MECHANICAL DIMENSIONS AND COMPONENT PLACEMENT ......................................... 4

CIRCUIT DIAGRAM.................................................................................................................. 4

LAYOUT .................................................................................................................................... 8

ANTENNAS............................................................................................................................... 8

BILL OF MATERIALS...............................................................................................................8

BILL OF MATERIALS, CC1000PP-433........................................................................................ 9

BILL OF MATERIALS, CC1000PP-868...................................................................................... 10

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Introduction

The CC1000 is a very flexible and feature-rich single-chip very low-power RF transceiver.
Chipcon has designed the CC1000PP plug-and-play module to serve as a reference layout
and enable very quick prototyping of an RF system.

The tiny CC1000PP module (28x20 mm) contains all RF components required for proper
operation. This includes all the components mentioned in the CC1000 application circuit (see
datasheet for details), as well as a reference crystal and a LC output filter. The layout is
based on a standard, inexpensive 2-layer 1.6mm thick FR-4 PCB process, and has been
carefully optimised by Chipcon. Components are mounted on one side only, the component
side is used for signal routing, and the “solder” (reverse) side is used for a ground plane.

The CC1000PP layout can easily be used as a reference layout by importing it into a PCB
CAD program. Chipcon provides the layout in the industry-standard Gerber format. To
download the files, please visit the Chipcon web site.

As the CC1000PP module contains only the components required for operation, the layout
does not require major modifications when used to make a custom PCB, the user can merely
delete the connector pins at each end of the module. But it is very important that the
component placement, routing and vias are not altered if the same performance is to be
achieved.

If a four layer PCB is to be used, either the two top layers should be used for the RF part, or
layer 1 and 4. Layer 4 should then be the ground plane and layers 2 and 3 should be masked
off.

In a ready-built form, the CC1000PP is ideal for quick prototyping. The module may be
connected to a prototyping board or PCB containing the rest of the system. The CC1000 can
in this way be tested in a complete system without having to create a custom RF PCB layout.

Full documentation is provided for this module, including schematics and PCB layout. This
information can be downloaded from Chipcon’s web site.

Typical performance

The table below shows typical performance at 3 V / 25°C.

CC1000PP-433 CC1000PP-868 Parameter

433 MHz 868 MHz 915 MHz

Sensitivity, 2.4 kBaud -111 -107 -105 dBm

Output power, max 8 2.5 0.5 dBm

RF frequency accuracy

± 10 ± 10 ± 10

LO leakage -68 -62 -59 dBm

2nd harmonic <-36 <-30 <-40 dBc dBm

3rd harmonic <-30 <-30 <-40 dBc dBm

Current consumption, TX 24 23 23 mA

Current consumption, RX 9.7 11.7 11.7 mA

Unit

ppm

Current consumption, PD 100 100 100 nA

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Mechanical dimensions and component placement

The CC1000PP module measures 28x20mm, and has been designed for a two-sided 1.6mm
thick PCB using industry-standard FR-4 board material. Components are mounted on only
one side, and the result is a very small, inexpensive module that can satisfy regulation
requirements.

On each end of the board are connectors for interfacing the module to an external system. An
external antenna, and a 2.1-3.6V power supply should be connected to the top connector
(P2). The RSSI/IF signal can also be accessed via this connector. The lower connector (P1)
can be used to connect an external micro-controller to the data- and configuration interface of
the CC1000.

Figure 1. Mechanical drawing of CC1000PP module (not to scale)

To ensure optimum RF performance, an external antenna should be soldered directly to the
antenna terminals, or a 50 Ohm microstrip line should be used from the antenna terminal to
the external antenna connector. For applications not demanding optimum RF performance, a
pin-row connector may be used to connect the antenna signal to another PCB, but be aware
that this can lead to non-optimal sensitivity and output power, and that measurements using
this arrangement should not be used to characterise the RF performance of CC1000. For
more information on antennas, please see Chipcon application note AN003.

Circuit diagram

The circuit diagram of the CC1000PP is shown below. There are two versions of the
CC1000PP module, the CC1000PP-433 for 433 MHz operation, and the CC1000PP-868 for
operation in the 868 MHz and 902-928 MHz bands. Since the 868 version covers both the
European 868 MHz band and the US 902-928 MHz band, one system can be used in both
Europe and the US using the same hardware, changing the frequency by software control.

The circuit is similar to the application circuit shown in the CC1000 data sheet, with an added
LC filter to reduce emitted harmonics.

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