Hello everybody
Does anybody know, if there are small radio modules with nRF24E1 (from nordic semiconductors)? I’m looking for a small module which have a few (2 or 3) ADC ports and a microcontroller with a transceiver with shock burst. I have to transmit a lot of data (sampling with 10kHz).
Thank you for all hints!
Joni
I’m in the process of making a dev board for the new nRF24LU1. It doesn’t have an on-board ADC like the nRF24E1 does, but it has an SPI port that could be expanded to read an SPI ADC. I have schematics listed on my website (see my signature line below).
Thanks!
But it’s really important that it is a very small module. It’s important that it has an on-board ADC.
But thanks anyway!
this thread has peaked my interest 
what range are you looking to achieve? and in what environment(s)? outdoor LoS? Home? Office?
do you have a separate, but local co-processor in your system? if so, what communications bus(s) does it have?
what are you planning to use as your power supply? 2xAA alkaline? 9V? 12V? wall? rechargeable?
what is your preferred connector(s)? header package? dip socket package?
Because of just two pipes, the nRF24E1 isn’t an option for me anymore . I need at least 6 pipes. So I will work with the nRF24L01, because there are some very nice wireless modules already in the market. I bought some Transceiver MiRF v2-modules with nRF24L01. For acquisition of data, I will develop a small circuit with a PIC-microcontroller to read data with an ADC and send them via SPI to the nRF24L01. So I have to use two circuits, one chip with transceiver and mircrocontroller would be better, of course, but for the first trials I can work with that. Next summer a new chip will be available from Nordic Semiconductors and that will be exactli that what I need. Maybe I can upgrading then. The nRF24LU1 is just with an USB-interface available. So I will use it as the receiver at the PC.
I need this wireless modules in our laboratory and the range should be 10 to 20m. As I will use this wireless modules as sensors with radio transmission I will use a button cell (like CR2012 or smaller), not rechargeable. I will develop a additional circuit with SMD.
I hope that will help you, just ask if you have more questions.
Joni
joni:
Because of just two pipes, the nRF24E1 isn’t an option for me anymore . I need at least 6 pipes.
If you design a good protocol for transmitting your data, you really don’t need to have pipes. They don’t actually allow you to get data any faster, as you can still only transmit/receive one packet at a time whether you have one pipe or six. The only advantage is that you can send things to different addresses on one chip and then it gets decoded in that fashion. You could add one additional byte to your packet that would be able to address 256 pipes and simply parse that packet at the receiver.
Do you have a link to this chip? I always like to see Nordic's newest inventions. :wink:joni:
Next summer a new chip will be available from Nordic Semiconductors and that will be exactli that what I need.
joni:
So I have to use two circuits, one chip with transceiver and mircrocontroller would be better, of course, but for the first trials I can work with that.
In the end, there isn’t much advantage to you using a uC with an on-board ADC with a 24L01 over using a 24LU1 with an external ADC (other than having the parts currently available). You’re just a few weeks too early. 
I think that the problem would be, that if two packets are send at the same time, one would be received and the other would be discarded if I don’t use more than one pipe. So I have to use the acknowledgement. But if I have to retransmit a packet, I will lose time and it’s very important that I can sample with 10kHz and send the data continuously and read the data at the transmitter also with 10kHz. If I need to much time to transmitt a packet, I can’t keep this condition (10kHz coninuously sampling). But I think, if I use pipes, the nRF24L01 will handle this and dont discard any packets.
I’m sorry, I don’t have a link to this chip from Nordic, which will be available next summer. I heard that from a salesman of Distrelec (Switzerland) which knows a lot about Nordic.
Is that right that you meant, that there aren’t any modules available with 24LU1 without USB, so that I can add an external ADC? I think it’s the best solution now to use nRF24L01 and an additional uC to transmitt data from a sensor.
joni:
I think that the problem would be, that if two packets are send at the same time, one would be received and the other would be discarded if I don’t use more than one pipe.
If two packets are sent at the same time, you will likely not get either one of them, unless you are transmitting the packets at different frequencies. However, all pipes on the Nordic chips must run at the same frequency, so you don’t get that advantage. You would have to have multiple 24L01 chips to be able to simultaneously send multiple packets successfully. Using pipes doesn’t really help your data throughput, except that it allows you to have to do less in terms of an on-air protocol.
joni:
Is that right that you meant, that there aren’t any modules available with 24LU1 without USB, so that I can add an external ADC? I think it’s the best solution now to use nRF24L01 and an additional uC to transmitt data from a sensor.
There exist modules that have the nRF24LU1 now, but they are expensive and probably not that easy to come by. The 24LU1 has on-board SPI, and there is a huge selection of readily available (and cheap) SPI ADCs that you could interface to. It is actually the same interface that you would be using to communicate with the 24L01. You don’t have to use the USB functionality if you don’t want to, as the device is programmed over SPI, also.
Ok, I see. Thanks.