XBee Explorer and XBee Shield power to the XBee 900HP Module

Wireless & IoT Other Radios
1

The Product description for the XBee Explorer states that it doesn’t supply enough power for the XBee cellular modules. Does that include the XBee Pro 900HP? Does it supply enough power to use the X-CTU configuration software?

Does the XBee Shield provide enough power for the XBee Pro 900HP? It requires 229ma at full transmit power. The schematics for these devices both show the same regulator chip, the MIC5219 and the annotation on the Shield schematic says 500ma max, leading me to think it would work. The documentation and the terminology around the XBee modules is too non-specific to tell what is really going on. It would be nice to have a spec for the two sparkfun boards that identified the output current limits for the 3.3v supply.

2

Hi sderodeff,

You should have no issues using either the XBee Explorer or the XBee Shield with an XBee Pro 900HP. The only limiting factor would be on the XBee Shield. That shield is powered directly from the 5V pin which, on most Arduinos, can supply much more than 229mA so there should be no issue powering an XBee Pro 900HP.