ATRF231USB-RD - AT86RF231 2.4GHz Eval Board | Microchip
MPN: ATRF231USB-RD ✗ Cuối đờiATRF231USB-RD Tóm tắt
An RF evaluation board is a hardware development tool that lets engineers test a wireless transceiver's radio performance, stack software, and peripheral interfaces before committing to a custom PCB. In the tool hierarchy, it belongs to the family of development boards and kits, supporting wireless MCU and RF transceiver evaluation for IEEE 802.15.4 / ZigBee-class networks.
Key features include the AT86RF231 2.4/2.5 GHz radio transceiver with IEEE 802.15.4 compliance, an on-board ARM Cortex-M3 (ATSAM3S4BA) MCU for protocol handling, USB-stick form factor for direct connection to a PC, and support for programming/debugging via a SAM-ICE JTAG adapter with a standard 20-pin ARM JTAG connector.
The board combines the radio front end with an MCU on a single compact design, letting developers evaluate sensitivity, link quality, and MAC-layer behavior using Atmel's published application notes such as AVR2031 (Quick Start Guide), AVR2032 (User Guide), and AVR2030 (Hardware User Manual), which document USB driver installation, JTAG programming, and the board's pin assignment tables.
Typical applications include ZigBee and 802.15.4 mesh sensor network prototyping, RF transceiver characterization, firmware development for AT86RF231-based end products, and wireless education/training lab setups.
When designing with this board, remember that it is a development tool, not a production component: final products use the AT86RF231 chip itself, so PCB antenna matching and regulatory testing must be redone on the custom design.
This page synthesizes distributor availability, related evaluation kit comparisons (ATSAMR21-XPRO, ATWINC1500-XSTK), quick-start guidance, and practical design notes not consolidated in any single manufacturer document.
Bộ thay thế dễ dàng lắp đặt cho ATRF231USB-RD — cùng gói, chân-to-chân tương thích. Các bộ phận yêu cầu hàn PCB bị loại trừ.
Không có bộ thay thế dễ dàng lắp đặt sẵn có cho sản phẩm này.
Yêu cầu các bộ thay thếATRF231USB-RD Thông số kỹ thuật (bản công bố của nhà sản xuất)
| Product Type | RF Evaluation Board / USB Reference Design |
| Target Radio Transceiver | AT86RF231 |
| On-board MCU | ATSAM3S4BA (ARM Cortex-M3) |
| Frequency Band | 2.4 GHz to 2.5 GHz |
| Radio Standard | IEEE 802.15.4 |
| Form Factor | USB stick |
| Host Interface | USB |
| Programming / Debug Interface | JTAG via SAM-ICE adapter (20-pin ARM JTAG) |
| Supported Software | Atmel AVR2030/2031/2032 documentation, USB MSD driver support |
Giao diện và cáp kết nối ATRF231USB-RD
Hiện tại không có danh sách giao diện do nhà sản xuất công bố cho ATRF231USB-RD. Tham khảo tài liệu hướng dẫn của nhà sản xuất cho chi tiết về cáp kết nối và chân.
Tham khảo: hướng dẫn của nhà sản xuất cho bản đồ chân cổng mở rộng và số thứ tự chân kết nối đầy đủ.
Ứng dụng tiêu biểu
ATRF231USB-RD phù hợp cho 6 Áp dụngs: IEEE 802.15.4 / ZigBee Mesh Sensor Network Prototyping, RF Transceiver Characterization and Test, AT86RF231 Firmware Development, Wireless Education and Training Labs, Legacy AT86RF231 Product Maintenance, Industrial Low-Power Wireless Sensing Proof of Concept.
IEEE 802.15.4 / ZigBee Mesh Sensor Network Prototyping
The ATRF231USB-RD fits 802.15.4 mesh prototyping because its AT86RF231 radio is a fully IEEE 802.15.4-compliant 2.4/2.5 GHz transceiver, and the on-board ATSAM3S4BA ARM Cortex-M3 has the processing headroom to run MAC and network-layer stacks. Plugged into a PC via its USB-stick interface, the board acts as a network node, sniffer, or coordinator during development. Engineers quantify link budget, packet error rate, and mesh routing behavior before designing custom hardware. The trade-off is that development-tool radio performance does not automatically transfer: the final product's antenna matching and enclosure effects must be re-characterized on the custom PCB, and regulatory (FCC/ETSI) testing must be repeated for the production design.
Được đề xuất
RF Transceiver Characterization and Test
For RF characterization, the ATRF231USB-RD provides direct access to the AT86RF231's receiver and transmitter through a controlled, known-good reference layout, which is exactly what radio bring-up requires. Because the board is a published Atmel reference design documented in the AVR2030 Hardware User Manual (including its full pin assignment table), measured results are reproducible and comparable across labs. Engineers can measure sensitivity, adjacent-channel performance, and output spectrum using standard RF instruments connected at the antenna port. As a development tool it removes layout variables from early evaluation, letting teams separate radio-limits from PCB-limits; those layout variables are then reintroduced and re-validated deliberately in the custom design phase.
Được đề xuất
AT86RF231 Firmware Development
Firmware teams use the ATRF231USB-RD as the primary code-development target for AT86RF231-based products. The board's ATSAM3S4BA Cortex-M3 MCU is programmed through a SAM-ICE JTAG adapter over the 20-pin ARM JTAG connector, per Atmel application note AVR2031, enabling full flash erase, program, and debug cycles from a PC. The USB-stick form factor means no external power supply is needed during iteration: the board runs from USB power. Host-side, the board enumerates as a mass-storage device with driver installation documented in AVR2032. This shortens the edit-build-flash-debug loop compared with custom hardware, since the reference design is already proven for power integrity and RF decoupling.
Được đề xuất
Wireless Education and Training Labs
Universities and training labs adopt the ATRF231USB-RD because it packages a complete, standards-compliant 2.4 GHz 802.15.4 node into a low-cost, self-contained USB stick with no soldering or external RF equipment required for basic experiments. Students can move from plugging in the stick to observing network traffic within a single session, using Atmel's step-by-step AVR2031 Quick Start Guide and AVR2032 driver-installation note. The visible separation of radio (AT86RF231) and MCU (ATSAM3S4BA) also teaches the architectural distinction between transceiver and protocol processor that integrated SoCs hide. Multi-stick kits allow mesh-topology experiments with several nodes per classroom.
Được đề xuất
Legacy AT86RF231 Product Maintenance
Teams supporting fielded AT86RF231-based products keep the ATRF231USB-RD as a reference-design golden board for regression testing. Because the board implements the manufacturer's own reference layout, it serves as a known-good baseline when diagnosing whether a field failure originates in firmware, the radio chip, or the customer's PCB. Firmware fixes can be validated against the reference hardware before release, and the documented pin assignment in AVR2030 aids signal-level troubleshooting on customer boards. With both the board and the AT86RF231 now legacy devices, remaining stock is sourced via independent distributors, so labs should inventory enough units to cover their maintenance horizon.
Được đề xuất
Industrial Low-Power Wireless Sensing Proof of Concept
For industrial proof-of-concept deployments - condition monitoring, metering, and factory-floor sensing - the ATRF231USB-RD demonstrates 2.4 GHz 802.15.4 links in realistic RF environments before productization. Published platform guidance describes the ATRF231 family as suited to Zigbee and mesh sensor networks with extended battery life and compact design, differentiating it from CC2530- and nRF24L01+-based options on protocol compliance. The USB-stick nodes can be quickly scattered across a plant floor to measure packet delivery and mesh self-healing in the presence of metal racks and Wi-Fi interference, producing real range data that informs antenna choice and node density in the final industrial product.
Được đề xuất
Tóm tắt các sản phẩm được đề xuất
Dữ liệu tham khảo kỹ thuật cho ATRF231USB-RD — so sánh, hướng dẫn thiết kế và thông tin tuân thủ.
Hướng dẫn chọn lựa
So sánh với các sản phẩm thay thế
| Tham số | Sản phẩm này | ATSAMR21-XPRO | ATWINC1500-XSTK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product Type | AT86RF231 + ATSAM3S4BA USB-stick evaluation board | ATSAMR21G18A (integrated MCU+radio) Xplained Pro kit | Wi-Fi module starter kit |
| Brand | Microchip Technology (Atmel) | Microchip Technology (Atmel) | Microchip Technology (Atmel) |
| Wireless Standard | IEEE 802.15.4 (2.4 GHz) | IEEE 802.15.4 (2.4 GHz) | Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n) |
| Radio Device | AT86RF231 discrete transceiver | Integrated AT86RF233-class radio in SoC | WINC1500 Wi-Fi module |
| Form Factor | USB stick | Full-size Xplained Pro evaluation board | Starter kit with Xplained Pro boards |
Bảo phân biệt quan trọng
- Discrete radio + external MCU architecture (vsATSAMR21-XPRO)
- USB-stick form factor (vsATSAMR21-XPRO)
- Published reference-design documentation (vsThird-party 802.15.4 kits (e.g. CC2530-class))
Ghi chú thiết kế
Treat the ATRF231USB-RD strictly as a development tool, not a production component. Final products must use the AT86RF231 chip on a custom PCB, which requires redoing antenna matching, RF layout, and regulatory (FCC/ETSI) compliance testing. Measured range and sensitivity from the USB-stick reference design will not transfer directly to a customer PCB because antenna, ground plane, and enclosure all shift RF performance.
Programming requires the correct JTAG chain: connect the board's JTAG connector to a SAM-ICE adapter, which presents a standard 20-pin ARM JTAG interface to the PC, as documented in Atmel application note AVR2031. Do not attempt to program the ATSAM3S4BA via USB alone - the USB interface enumerates as a mass-storage device for host communication, and driver installation (AVR2032) must point at the driver directory on the RF231USB MSD drive.
When evaluating the 2.4 GHz link in a lab, use the board as a golden reference: because the AT86RF231 sits on Atmel's published reference layout, any packet-error-rate difference between the reference board and your custom hardware isolates layout-induced degradation. The AVR2030 Hardware User Manual provides the board's full pin assignment table, which is the baseline for comparing RF decoupling and clock routing on your own design.
Thông tin tuân thủ
Compliance data not stated in the provided web data for this evaluation board. Development tools are typically not AEC-Q100 relevant.