Differential I2C Long Cable Extender PCA9600 Module

Product Datasheet

Overview

This module is designed to enable long-range I2C communications which extend the cable length from several meters to 300 meters. It is ideal for applications that need to run over long wires such as the CAT5E Ethernet cable that is commonly used to make connections between rooms. The signals are transmitted via balanced transmission lines (twisted pairs) which greatly reduces noise and extends the range. NXP PCA9600 I2C bus extender IC is used as the main component of this module. The PCA9600 is designed to isolate I²C-bus capacitance, allowing long buses to be driven in point-to-point or multidrop applications. It can operate at speed up to at least 1 MHz.

There are two variations of this module:
  • The BOOST version has an onboard boost converter that can feed 12V/24V (configurable) power to the VBUS.
  • The BUCK version has an onboard buck converter that can take power from the VBUS and buck it down to 5V. This can be used to power the BUCK module itself and also the connected device(s).

The VBUS wires could provide power to the whole system. This eliminates the need to power every remote module and device separately.

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LoRaGo PORT + RasPi + TTN Setup Guide

Instructions

Introduction

This Guide will walk you through the whole process of setting up a LoRaWAN gateway with a LoRaGo PORT kit and a Raspberry Pi 2/3. For multi-channel LoRaWAN gateway, LoRaGo PORT is a good alternative to the well-known IMST iC880a. The hardware is basically the same as iC880a except it is more compact in size. It has dedicated HAT for Raspberry 2/3 which makes the installation easy and neat. It works with any software that works with iC880a.

Hardware

  • LoRaGo PORT board
  • LoRaGo PORT HAT for Raspberry Pi
  • U.FL to SMA Female pigtail cable
  • Antenna
  • Raspberry Pi 2/3 with MicroSD card
  • 5V >=1.5A micro USB power supply for Raspberry Pi 2/3
  • (Optional) GPS antenna
  • (Optional) U.FL Female to U.FL Female cable for PPS signal
  • (Optional) WiFi dongle

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LoRaGo PORT – SX1301/SX1308 Based LoRaWAN Concentrator Module

Product Datasheet

Overview

This product has an SX1301/SX1308 baseband processor and two SX1257/SX1255 RF frontend chips, and peripheral circuits onboard. and it could listen on multiple channels and decode packets sent with different LoRa spreading factors simultaneously.  This concentrator module is supposed to connect to a host controller via SPI interface. A host controller could either be an MCU with an SPI interface or a PC with a USB to SPI converter located between the concentrator and PC. All the RF jobs are done within this concentrator module and the user could focus on high-level software development. HAL source files are provided by Semtech who is the manufacturer of the baseband processor.

 

Features

  • 4V-12V wide range supply voltage
  • +-1ppm TCXO
  • Compact size 70mm x 34mm
  • 50ohm RF port
  • ESD protected digital IO
  • Plug and play design for Raspberry Pi

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Seeing is believing. We are selling chips with silicon die shots.

Uncategorized

It is not uncommon to see, from time to time, the cries from innocent users that their FT232RL based devices with counterfeit chips are bricked by official driver update. One way to avoid the threat of counterfeits is to purchase from solid vendors, and we want to be one of them. Here are the procedures by which we followed so we can assure that the chips we sell are genuine.

  1. Chips are sourced from vendors who we have been doing business with for years. Some of them are official distributors and some of them are specialized to handle factory surplus.
  2. We visually check each chip to see if they are from the same batch.
  3. We pick 5% percent from the total batch as sampels and decap the epoxy.
  4. We visually check each silicon die of the samples under a microscope to see if they are identical with the known genuine chip.
  5. Seeing is believing. We publish the silicon die shot on the product description page so you can see what is inside the chip and you decide whether to purchase it or not.

Here comes the die shot from 1 sample in 30pcs FT232RL.

IMG_0031 - IMG_0183_6

For those who want to see more details please check out our google drive here:

Google drive link

In the link above you can find die shots in the resolution of 18000×17565, 10000×9758, and 5000×4879.

The most high-resolution picture we took for this product is 32597×31810 and it was stitched from 150 pictures took by a SLR. The most high-resolution picture will not be released to the public. if you are interested in it, please submit a contact form.

If you need a cross reference of the die shot, here is the place to go.

This is just a start. If the first batch sells well, we will continue to offer other chips. If you were a victim of counterfeit chips, please feel free to contact us and see what we can offer.

MAX6675/MAX31855 Digital Thermocouple SPI Adapter with UEXT Interface

Product Datasheet

Overview

Compared to semiconductor temperature sensors, thermocouples have a wide working range, and do not need any external excitation power. They are cost effective and interchangeable. In some high temperature application, they may be the only practical choice with a reasonable price. Signal conditioning is the most tricky part for thermocouple temperature sensors, it deals with micro volts amplification and the cold junction compensation. Thanks to the MAX6675/MAX31855, all the signal conditioning had already been done inside the chip, and the amplified analog voltage is digitized and accessible to external MCU via SPI interface.

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MH-Z16 NDIR CO2 Sensor with I2C/UART Interface Board

Product Datasheet

Overview

Unlike the chemical CO2 sensor(MG811), this NDIR CO2 sensor does not need a constant ON heating element. The heating element inside a chemical CO2 sensor keeps the sensor warm so that the chemical reaction could happen and produce an continuous EMF as the output, which depends on the CO2 concentration.  This NDIR measures the concentration of the CO2 by measure the received IR light strength, it only consume relatively high current during the ON state of the IR emitter.   Also, the manufacturer of the sensor claims a ±(50ppm +5%reading value) initial accuracy of this sensor, and it is factory calibrated. According to the datasheet of the sensor, the re-calibration of the sensor is  recommended over 6 months of use.  The method of the calibration is quite easy compared to the MG811, just put it in fresh air for a couple of minutes and press the “CALI” button on the adapter board or issue a “calibration” command.

NOTE: The USB2.0 port on your PC may not be able to provide sufficient current to power the sensor and your Arduino in the same time. To minimize the supply voltage fluctuation on the sensor, it is recommended to use an external 12V power supply on your Arduino.

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Twin RJ45 Breadkout Board

Product Datasheet

Overview

This module is designed to ease the twisted pair cable wiring for our differential I2C extender and it could be used as a RJ45 breakout board, too.

Technical Details

RJ45_SCHEMATICS

As shown in the picture above, two RJ45 connectors are patched together in parallel, and each of the 8 pins are broke out to P3. 3x2pin 2062 connectors are broke out to P1. The six pins(A,B,C,D,E,F) of 2062 connectors are connected to seven(J1, J2,J3,J4,J5,J6,J7) of the eight pins of the parallel RJ45 connectors via 0ohm 1206 surface mount resistors.

To use as a RJ45 breakout board, user should unmount all the 0ohm resistors and use the P3 to connect his/her device.

 

Dimensions

RJ45_DIMENSION

 

Differential I2C Long Cable Extender PCA9600 Module – BOOST

Product Datasheet

Overview

This module is designed to enable long range I2C communications which extends the cable length from several meters to 300 meters. It is ideal for applications that need to run over long wires such as the CAT5e Ethernet cable that is commonly used to make connections between rooms. The signals are transmitted via balanced transmission lines (twisted pairs) which greatly reduces noise and extends the range. NXP PCA9600 I2C bus extender IC is used as the main component on this module. The PCA9600 is designed to isolate I²C-bus capacitance, allowing long buses to be driven in point-to-point or multipoint applications. It can operate at speeds up to at least 1 MHz.

There is an on-board boost converter that feeds 12V/24V (configurable) to the VBUS. VBUS can be optionally connected to power the remote device(s) across the wire. The BUCK version of this differential I2C long cable extender module can be optionally connected to the other end of the wire and buck the voltage down to 5V.

Continue reading →

Differential I2C Long Cable Extender PCA9600 Module – BUCK

Product Datasheet

Overview

This module is designed to enable long range I2C communications which extends the cable length from several meters to 300 meters. It is ideal for applications that need to run over long wires such as the CAT5e Ethernet cable that is commonly used to make connections between rooms. The signals are transmitted via balanced transmission lines (twisted pairs) which greatly reduces noise and extends the range. NXP PCA9600 I2C bus extender IC is used as the main component on this module. The PCA9600 is designed to isolate I²C-bus capacitance, allowing long buses to be driven in point-to-point or multipoint applications. It can operate at speeds up to at least 1 MHz.

There is an on-board boost converter that feeds 12V/24V (configurable) to the VBUS. VBUS can be optionally connected to power the remote device(s) across the wire. The BUCK version of this differential I2C long cable extender module can be optionally connected to the other end of the wire and buck the voltage down to 5V.

Continue reading →

Brief Introduction to S-Ctrl Framework

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Air Series firmware v2.0 introduces an automation control oriented framework S-Ctrl. This framework allows up to 32767 devices to communicate over the 2.4G RF. The network is multiple-access, which means any device could send data to any device, which is similar to Ethernet or WiFi. The framework also defines the messaging format for different automation control purposes.

The Arduino library for S-Ctrl can be downloaded here.  Arduino libraries can be import by clicking “Sketch->Import Library->Add Library” in the Arduino IDE. Detailed instruction on installing Arduino libraries is here. There are basically 2 ways to use this library. The library contains examples in both ways (Raw and Framework).

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AirDuino and AirDongle Firmware Upgrade

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We are glad to publish v2.0 beta firmware for AirDuino and AirDongle. This is a major upgrade from v1.x. Many improvements has been made to existing functions. An automation control oriented framework S-Ctrl is introduced into this version. This framework allows up to 32767 devices to communicate over the 2.4G RF. The network is multiple-access, which means any device could send data to any device, which is similar to Ethernet or WiFi. The framework also defines the messaging format for different automation control purposes.

This article mainly demonstrates the process of firmware upgrade for AirDuino and AirDongle from v1.x to v2.0. There has been some performance improvements in the RF messaging part. However, compatibility with the 1.x version was sacrificed. This makes the upgrading process complex. The process is not risky, just too many steps to go.

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Breaduino- A Breadboard Power Supply with FT232RL USB to Serial Bridge

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Overview

With the growing popularity of USB3.0 interface on PC and ubiquity of smart phone chargers, we designed this product with a micro USB connector. When use it as a breadboard power supply, user could power the board via his/her cell phone charger; when use it as a Arduino/USB to Serial Convertor, user just need to plug the USB cable to his/her PC. User could use the onboard config switches to select the operating voltage, crystal frequency of the external MCU. Also, the logic level of the onboard USB to Serial Convertor is 3.3V/5V configurable, too.

Features

  • Seperated 1A rating switches for 3.3V and 5V channel
  • Configurable VIO* 3.3V/5V
  • Configurable auto-reset for Arduino
  • Configurable 8M/16M crystal for Arduino
  • Extra headers to accept female connectors
  • Plug and play design

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