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TRF6900/MSP430 Chipset - The new Single Chip

RF Transceiver & Microcontroller Solution

Key Features

TRF6900 single-chip UHF transceiver
·

850 - 950 MHz operating range

FSK operating mode

Low power consumption due to ultra-fast turn-off /
turn-on times

On-chip DDS synthesizer, VCO and reference
oscillator enables channelized systems

Easy-to-use due to application reports, evaluation
kit and optional design support from 3rd parties

MSP430 ultra-low-power microcontroller
·

Ultra-low power consumption (350 µA active,
1.3 µA standby, 0.1 µA shutdown mode)

High throughput 16-bit RISC architecture with up to
5 MIPS

Product Bulletin

Easy-to-use TRF6900/MSP430
chipset for a broad range of
applications
The new TRF6900/MSP430 chipset
from Texas Instruments offers an
easy microcontroller system upgrade
by using RF capabilities without the
need for extensive expertise in this
area. The TRF6900/MSP430 chipset
consists of the
TRF6900 single-
chip UHF
transceiver and
the MSP430
ultra-low-power
microcontroller.
It is working in
the new 868/915
MHz ISM bands,
which ensure
excellent data
transmission
reliability

TRF6900
Single-Chip
Transceiver
The TRF6900 is
a single-chip
850-950 MHz
UHF

transceiver with operating modes
including Frequency Shift Keying
(FSK) and narrow-band FM along
with integrated features such as a
Direct Digital Synthesizer (DDS),
Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO),
and data slicer. A transmit power
amplifier is integrated as well to
provide the needed output power.

The TRF6900 is designed for low

power operation, ensuring long
battery life for in-field applications
such as utility metering equipment.
Designers can program the MSP430
to selectively turn on or off each
major functional block. In addition,
the transceiver features ultra-fast
system turn-on and turn-off times in

order to keep battery
drain at a minimum. The
TRF6900 consumes typ.
2 µA in standby mode
and operates from a 2.2
to 3.6-V power supply.

By keeping the

external component
count low, the single-
chip integration makes it
possible to reduce the
system complexity and
cost.

For systems that

do not require a
microcontroller, the
TRF6900 can be used as
a stand-alone device.

TRF6900 key benefits for your application:
·

High performance, channelized system

offering

a bi-directional RF data link in a

reliable frequency

band

FSK modulation mode possible

Single-chip transceiver integration lowers the
total system cost, increases reliability
and simplifies design

Integrated VCO's and power amplifier

Data rates up to 200 Kbits/sec

On-chip Direct Digital Synthesizer provides
precision frequency control and fast
channel hopping (spread spectrum)

Ultra-fast system turn-on and turn-off times
offer a quick response time and low power
consumption as the device can remain longer
in standby mode

No adjustment points which lowers
production costs

Ultra-Low-Power Microcontroller
Family MSP430
The MSP430 generation of
microcontrollers is designed for an
unmatched ratio of ultra-low-power
operation and high performance -
the same performance RF
applications demand. The devices
feature a 16-bit RISC core with up
to five million instructions per
second (MIPS), which is much
more powerful than standard 4- and
8-bit microcontrollers. The MSP430
generation is built with a highly
orthogonal structure that provides
developers with many different
execution resources. The devices
complement this high performance
with ultra-low power consumption
of 350 µA in active mode, 1.3 µA in
standby mode, 0.1 µA in shutdown
mode, and a very fast 6 µs wake-up
time.

MSP430 devices control all of

the settings of the RF device
through a simple universal digital
interface and can process and
generate the received or
transmitted data. The MSP430 can

switch the TRF6900 into
standby/shutdown mode to reduce
power consumption, while
consuming virtually no power of its
own.

In addition to this core

performance, devices in the family
are available with a range of
integrated peripheral options,
including a 14-bit analog to digital
converter (ADC), liquid crystal
display (LCD) driver, universal
synchronous asynchronous receiver
transmitter (USART) and several
different timer configurations.

The complete, easy-to-use
TRF6900/MSP430 chipset
solution
This new two-device chipset is
designed for simplified and cost-
effective implementation across a
broad range of applications, such
as battery-powered security
systems and utility meter reading,
that operate in the increasingly
popular 870 MHz RF band in
Europe and the 915 MHz RF band
in the United States.

Design Ease-of-Use
The TRF6900/MSP430 chipset gives
designers a highly integrated and
cost-effective way to add this value-
added system component. In
addition, the TRF6900 is designed
for simplified implementation, so
even designers who don't have
extensive RF design experience can
easily use it to build RF into their
next system design. The chipset's
high integration together with the
design support from TI and third
party companies takes the fear out
of RF design, which typically took
years to master. Design support
materials include a
TRF6900/MSP430 Evaluation Kit,
schematics, S/W utilities, MSP430
S/W routines and examples to
program the TRF6900 to setup a
complete RF link, datasheets and
application notes.

LNA_GND

DEM_V

RSSI_OUT

AMP_IN

AMP_CAP

AMP_OUT

DATA_OUT

S&H_CAP

LNA_V

PA_V

PA_GND

PLL_GND

PLL_V

DDS_GND

DDS_V

DIG_V

DIG_GND

GND / NC

MIX_V

LNA_OUT

MIX_IN

MIX_OUT

MIX_GND

IF1_IN

IF1_OUT

IF2_IN

DEM_GND

VREF

GND

LNA

Amp.

PD_SET

STDBY

MODE

TXDA

T
A

DATA

CLOCK

STROBE

XOSC1

XOSC2

PD_2

PD_1

LOCKDET

Limiter

Data Slicer

Mixer

Direct Digital Synthesizer
Power Down Logic

IF Amp.

RSSI

Demod.

PLL

VCO

Serial

Interface

TRF6900

TRF6900 internal block diagram

Low external component count to reduce system complexity and system costs

TRF6900/MSP430 Evaluation Kit MSP-EVKTRF6900

Benefits the TRF6900/MSP430
chipset provide include:
·

Operation in the reliable
850-950 MHz ISM
(Instrumentation, Scientific, &
Medical) bands

Easy-to-use because of high
integration resulting in low
external component count

Total system solution for low
system cost

Low power consumption for

longer battery life (2 µA

standby

current for the

TRF6900 and

1.3 µA for

the MSP430)
·

Fully programmable operating
modes and frequency control

Ready to use MSP430 software
routines

Start immediately with the
TRF6900/MSP430 Evaluation Kit,
MSP-EVKTRF6900
For designers who want to begin
application development
immediately, TI offers the
TRF6900/MSP430 chipset
Evaluation Kit (EVK). The easy-to-
use Windows

based software

offers programming of the
evaluation board via the
MSP430P112 in a module oriented
or binary mode. The board
connects directly to a PC's serial
port and can give a first
demonstration of the chipset. The
EVK can also be used to custom
program the TRF6900/MSP430
chipset for individual performance
tests.

The TRF6900/MSP430 Evaluation
Kit (MSP-EVKTRF6900) contains:
·

PC-based Evaluation board
containing the TRF6900 & the
MSP430P112

TRF6900 Windows

based

evaluation software

MSP430 software baseband
subroutines and examples for
programming the TRF6900

Documentation and application
notes for the TRF6900 and
MSP430x11x

Low Total System Cost
The TRF6900/MSP430 chipset
consists of the TRF6900 single-chip
UHF transceiver and one of the
MSP430 ultra-low-power
microcontrollers. Texas
Instruments offers all of this
functionality in these two devices.
This high-level of integration and
functionality, combined with TI's

leading-edge manufacturing
capability allow designers to add
complete RF functionality for low
cost. In addition, the low external
component count of the TRF6900
and no required adjustment points
reduce the production cost even
further.

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SLAT094A

TRF6900/MSP430 Third Party
Support
Designers looking for off-the-shelf
RF solutions can turn to TI's third-
party network for design
implementation support. Digades
(www.digades.com) offers system
solutions based on the
TRF6900/MSP430 as well as custom
developed and manufactured
TRF6900/MSP430 solutions. In
addition, IAR Consulting and
Services (www.iar.de) in Europe

provides consultation on
TRF6900/MSP430 designs.

For More Information
RF is becoming more and more
important to differentiate
applications with value-added
features. The TRF6900/MSP430
chipset from Texas Instruments
gives designers a cost-effective and
simplified way to add this valuable
capability. If you would like to learn
more about how TI and the

TRF6900/MSP430 chipset can set
your system apart, call your
regional TI Product Information
Centre (addresses below).
Or you'll find more information on
the TRF6900/MSP430 chipset at
www.ti.com/sc/trf6900 on the
Internet. For the TRF6900
transceiver as a standalone device,
technical documentation can be
found at www.ti.com/sc/rf

r1.2

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Part Number TRF6900/MSP430