ADI Launches Highly Integrated RF Transceiver More Flexible, Easy to Use, Low Power Consumption

Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), the world's leading provider of high-performance signal processing solutions and RF ICs (radio frequency integrated circuits), recently introduced a highly integrated, low-power, global 2.4 GHz ISM (industrial, scientific, and medical) frequency band RF transceiver ADF7241. As the newest member of Analog Devices' RF IC family, this RF transceiver is designed with flexibility, ease of use, and low power consumption.

The ADF7241 RF transceiver is highly integrated to support the 250 kbps IEEE 802.15.4 PHY protocol on a single chip. With a power consumption of 19mA in receive mode and 21.5mA in transmit mode, it can be effectively used in battery-powered systems such as wireless sensor networks, automatic meter reading, industrial wireless control, wireless audio and video, consumer electronics and ZigBee® application.

The receive path of the ADF7241 RF transceiver is based on a zero-IF architecture, providing best-in-class blocking and selection performance; the transmit path is based on a closed-loop VCO (voltage-controlled oscillator) modulation scheme to provide high-quality modulation. It also has a flexible RF port interface that supports switching antenna diversity. To optimize system power consumption, the ADF7241 RF transceiver integrates a reliable, stable, very low power, custom 8-bit processor that supports multiple RF functions including radio control and packet management. The integrated 8-bit processor is firmware that can be programmed to execute firmware modules or system upgrade patches in internal RAM memory to flexibly adapt to the evolution of protocol standards and maintain system stability.

The ADF7241 RF transceiver is equipped with an SPI (serial port interface) that supports high throughput efficiency and a bidirectional SPORT (serial port) interface. The transceiver can be easily integrated with Analog Devices' ADSP-21xx, SHARC, TigerSHARC, and Blackfin processors.

Key Features of the ADF7241 ISM Band RF Transceiver:

Low power consumption: 19 mA in receive mode; 21.5 mA in transmit mode; 1.7 μA in 32 kHz crystal wake-up mode

High sensitivity: -95 dBm (250 kbps)

Programmable Output Power: -20 dBm to +4.8 dBm, 2 dB Step Integrated Voltage Regulator: Input Voltage Range 1.8 V to 3.6 V

Meets a variety of industry standards including EN300 440 Class 2, EN300 328, FCC CFR47 Part 15 and ARIB STD-T66