RF transceiver ups data rate for smart grids

Semtech Corp. debuts a programmable ISM-band transceiver that combines a bit rate of 600Kbit/s with a link budget of 137dB, ultralow power consumption, adjacent channel rejection and blocking immunity. The SX1233 provides high-bandwidth, radio link reliability, RF robustness and strong interference immunity for long-range wireless video and imaging applications in home and building automation systems, smart meter readers, sensors, alarms, security systems, wireless monitoring and remote data measurement networks.

The SX1233 offers high receive (RX) sensitivity and high transmitter (TX) output power programmable in 1dB steps. Thus, it delivers reliable transmission over greater distances and cost savings compared to systems that need RF repeaters.

High linearity and blocking immunity of 80dB give the SX1233 transceiver front-end protection from in-band and out-of-band interference. This includes cellular and devices sharing the 2.4GHz band. The zero-IF architecture of the SX1233 uses a smart automatic frequency control (AFC) engine to ensure performance for low modulation index signals without susceptibility to undesirable image and half-IF spurious products.

Low power consumption in transmit, receive and sleep modes enable longer battery life, while constant RF performance over the 1.8V to 3.6V operating range guaranties stable communication even when the battery approaches end-of-life, without using a voltage regulator.

Also, the device's TrueRF technology cuts the need for a SAW filter, enabling a low-cost external component count while still satisfying ETSI and FCC regulations. It integrates the VCO tank, PLL loop filter and an RF switch, shrinking BOM.

An integrated packet engine in the SX1233 offloads RF packetization from an MCU, freeing up this resource or allowing designers to choose a lower-cost or lower-power alternative. The packet engine also provides packet transmission security via CRC error checking, AES-128 encryption and a 66B FIFO.

The SX1233 has a frequency range of 290MHz to 1,020MHz and is certified for worldwide regulations, including European (ETSI EN 300-220-1), North American (FCC part 15), and Korean and Japanese ARIB regulatory standards. It also supports global modulation formats (FSK, GFSK, MSK, GMSK, OOK).

The devices comes in a 5mm x 5mm, 24-pad QFN package. For consumer applications with Li-ion or alkaline batteries, the SX1233 can be bundled with Semtech's SC120 boost converter in a 1.5mm x 2mm x 0.6mm package to allow for true single-cell operation in a very small form factor.

The transceiver is suited for home and building automation systems such as wireless alarms, lights, access controls, and for smart meters such as water, gas and electric meters.

The SX1233 is available immediately in production quantities. It is priced at $1.87 each in 3,000-piece lots.