ZigBit™ 2.4 GHz Amplified Wireless Modules

2-5

8228B–MCU Wireless–06/09

Section 2

2.1

Overview

ZigBit™ Amp is an extended-range, low-power, high sensitivity IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee OEM module,

which occupies less than a square inch of space. Based on a solid combination of Atmel's latest MCU

Wireless hardware platform, power amplifier and low-noise amplifier, the ZigBit Amp offers an

unmatched combination of superior radio performance, ultra-low power consumption and exceptional

ease of integration.

Figure 2-1.

ATZB-A24-UFL/UN Block Diagram

ZigBit Amp modules contains Atmel's ATmega1281V Microcontroller [4] and AT86RF230 RF Trans-

ceiver [5]. The module features 128K bytes flash memory and 8K bytes RAM.

The compact all-in-one-chip integration of output Power Amplifier and input Low-Noise Amplifier, along

with RF switches enables digital control of an external RF front-end to dramatically improve ZigBit's

range performance on signal transmission and increase its sensitivity. This ensures stable connectivity

with larger coverage area without significant increase in module size. The HF U.FL coaxial connector [6]

used in the ATZB-A24-UFL module enables the user to choose appropriate external antenna for every

type of application.

ZigBit Amp already contains a complete RF/MCU design with all the necessary passive components

included. The module can be easily mounted on a simple 2-layer PCB with a minimum of required exter-

nal connection. Compared to a custom RF/MCUsolution, a module-based solution offers considerable

savings in development time and NRE cost per unit during the design, prototyping, and mass production

phases of product development.

ATmega1281

AT86RF230

RF

Transceiver

GPIO

SPI Bus

IRQ

UART

USART/SPI

I2C

JTAG

ANALOG

SW

SW

LNA

PA

RF

I/O

Antenna