New nRF24L01 - almost - available

Archive New Product Ideas
1

Nordic is so cool! They sent us some samples for the new nRF24L01 IC. This new fangled device has all the SMiRF functionality without all the hassle.

http://www.sparkfun.com/images/RF/Main-MiRF-v2.jpg

Here is the preliminary Nordic Semiconductor datasheet:

http://www.sparkfun.com/datasheets/RF/P … ev_1_1.pdf

We are slated to have ICs at the beginning of January-06. As you can see, the MiRF v2 has the Chip antenna as well as an end launch SMA option. Pete’s still hammering out the example PIC code but it should be a fun little device.

Can you think of anything else we may need? I’m attempting to have an antenna friend design an etched antenna but it’s not proceeding much. Do you want to see another MiRF board with etched antenna?

-Nathan

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Nathan: Does Nordic have a dev kit for it? I keep looking on their site, but nothing yet.

Compare and contrast with the nRF24AP1. Is the L01 a subset?

I was hot to get the AP1 last summer, but the dev kit price slowed me down.

3

I am only starting to absorb the datasheet info.

nRF2401 vs nRF24L01:

The auto-retransmit has our immediate attention.

Multiple pipelines for data is interesting.

There were a few Nordic ICs that seem to have sputtered out as more resources were poured into the nRF24L01. We were always asking for samples of the other ICs. I am more intereted in the L01 now just because samples were actually delivered. Let’s hope it’s not more vapor ware.

-Nathan

4

Hi

I have aquired some samples of NRF24L01. I have aslo got a PCB made for it. I am using PIC18lf252 and PIC18lf458 to drive these. although I have been able to send commands through SPI, i am not sure if the nrf chip is reciveng it. have you guys been able to get some thing out of it. waiting for your breakup board for this device. also some code (even in preliminary stage) would be really helpful

thanks

5

sparky:
There were a few Nordic ICs that seem to have sputtered out as more resources were poured into the nRF24L01.

-Nathan

I was waiting for the nRF24AP1 because I’m interested in the ANT protocol. Is that one of the IC’s that sputtered out, or did those chips actually appear? If they do exist, do you have plans to sell them or a break-out board?

Your photo has also made me curious - what’s that other chip on the board (the SOT32-5) about?

Michael

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My guess is that could be a switching voltage regulator.

7

hi

this is a very small size for the board, but wont the ground running besides and under the chip antenna almost kill it?

8

Yes and no. The ground pour is pulled away from the antenna on both top and bottom layers. The antenna strattles a gnd pad which probably reduced reception range. But the point here is that there is a mini solution and a full-blown SMA solution on one PCB. Your application will either need range and have room for a duck antenna, or you need tiny-size and same-room range.

Next month we’ll figure out how to get 2 mile range out of the little chip antenna :wink:

-Nathan