© Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC, 2016
April, 2016 Rev. 4
1Publication Order Number:
AX5042/D
AX5042
Advanced Multi-channel
Single Chip UHF Transceiver
OVERVIEW
The AX5042 is a true single chip lowpower CMOS transceiver
primarily for use in SRD bands. The onchip transceiver consists of a
fully integrated RF frontend with modulator and demodulator. Base
band data processing is implemented in an advanced and flexible
communication controller that enables user friendly communication
via the SPI interface or in direct wire mode.
Features
Advanced Multichannel Single Chip UHF Transceiver
Configurable for Usage in 400470 (510) MHz and
800940 (1020) MHz ISM Bands
Wide Variety of Shaped Modulations Supported in RX and TX
(ASK, PSK, OQPSK, MSK, FSK, GFSK)
Data Rates from 1 to 250 kbps (FSK, MSK, GFSK, GMSK,
OQPSK) and 2 to 600 kbps (ASK, PSK) with Fully Scaling
Narrowband Channel Filtering
4.8 kHz to 600 kHz Programmable Channel Filter
Ultra Fast Settling RF Frequency Synthesizer for Lowpower
Consumption
802.15.4 Compatible
RS232 (UART) Compatible
RF Carrier Frequency and FSK Deviation
Programmable in 1 Hz Steps
Fully Integrated Frequency Synthesizer with VCO
Autoranging and Bandwidth Boost Modes for Fast
Locking
Few External Components
Onchip Communication Controller and Flexible
Digital Modem
Channel Hopping up to 2000 hops/s
Sensitivity down to 123 dBm @ 1.2 kbps FSK
Sensitivity down to 115 dBm @ 10 kbps FSK
Up to +10 dBm (+13 dBm 433 MHz) Programmable
Transmitter Power Amplifier for Long Range
Operation
Crystal Oscillator with Programmable
Transconductance for Low Cost Crystals (a TCXO is
recommended for Channel Filter BW < 40 kHz)
Automatic Frequency Control (AFC)
SPI Microcontroller Interface
Digital RSSI with 0.625 dB Resolution
Fully Integrated Current/Voltage References
Wire and Frame Mode
QFN28 Package
Low Power 17 23 mA at 2.5 V Supply during
Receive and 13 37 mA during Transmit
24 Bit RX/TX FIFO
2.3 V to 2.8 V Supply Range
Programmable Cyclic Redundancy Check
(CRCCCITT, CRC16, CRC32)
Optional Spectral Shaping Using a Self Synchronized
Shift Register
RoHS Compliant
Applications
400470 MHz and 800940 MHz data transmission and
reception in the Short Range Device (SRD) band. The
frequency range up to 510 MHz and 1020 MHz is accessible
with higher VDD limit.
Automatic Meter Reading
FCC Part 90.210 6.25 kHz, 12.5 kHz and 25 kHz
Applications
EN 300 220 V 2.1.1
European Paging Applications
Long Range Sensor Readout
Long Range Remote Controls
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ORDERING INFORMATION
Device Type Qty
AX50421TA05 Tape & Reel 500
AX50421TW30 Tape & Reel 3,000
QFN28 5x5, 0.5P
CASE 485EF
28
1
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BLOCK DIAGRAM
Figure 1. Functional Block Diagram of the AX5042
4
ANTP
5
ANTN
IF Filter &
AGC PGAs
AGC
Crystal
Oscillator
typ.
F
OUT
RF Frequency
Generation
Subsystem
F
XTAL
Communication Controller &
Serial Interface
Forward error
correction
Divider
ADC Digital IF
channel
filter
PA
De
modulator
Encoder
Framing
FIFO
Modulator
Mixer
13
SYSCLK
27
CLK16P
28
Chip configuration
12
RESET_N
23
PWRUP
19
IRQ_TXEN
161514
SEL
CLK
MISO
17
MOSI
21
DCLK
18
DATA
AX5042
RSSI
16 MHz
LNA
CLK16N
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Table 1. PIN FUNCTION DESCRIPTIONS
Symbol Pin(s) Type Description
NC 1 N Not to be connected
VDD 2 P Power supply
GND 3 G Ground
ANTP 4 A Antenna input/output
ANTN 5 A Antenna input/output
GND 6 P Ground
VDD 7 P Power supply
NC 8 N Not to be connected
LPFILT 9 A Pin for optional external synthesizer loop filter; leave unconnected if not used
It is recommended to use the internal loop filter
NC 10 N Not to be connected
GND 11 P Ground
RESET_N 12 I Optional reset input. If not used this pin must be connected to VDD.
SYSCLK 13 I/O Default functionality: Crystal oscillator (or divided) clock output
Can be programmed to be used as a general purpose I/O pin
SEL 14 I Serial peripheral interface select
CLK 15 I Serial peripheral interface clock
MISO 16 O Serial peripheral interface data output
MOSI 17 I Serial peripheral interface data input
DATA 18 I/O In wire mode: Data input/output
Can be programmed to be used as a general purpose I/O pin
IRQ_TXEN 19 I/O In frame mode: Interrupt request output
In wire mode: Transmit enable input
Can be programmed to be used as a general purpose I/O pin
VDD 20 P Power supply
DCLK 21 I/O In wire mode: Clock output
Can be programmed to be used as a general purpose I/O pin
GND 22 P Ground
PWRUP 23 I/O Powerup/down input; activates/deactivates analog blocks
Can be programmed to be used as a general purpose I/O pin
If the powerup/down functionality is handled in software and no usage as
general purpose I/O pin is planned then this pin should be tied to VDD
NC 24 N Not to be connected
NC 25 N Not to be connected
VDD 26 P Power supply
CLK16P 27 A Crystal oscillator input/output
CLK16N 28 A Crystal oscillator input/output
A = analog signal
I = digital input signal
O = digital output signal
I/O = digital input/output signal
N = not to be connected
P = power or ground
All digital inputs are Schmitt trigger inputs, digital input
and output levels are LVCMOS/LVTTL compatible and
3.3 V / 5 V tolerant.
The center pad of the QFN28 package should be
connected to GND.
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Pinout Drawing
Figure 2. Pinout Drawing (Top View)
222325 24262728
141311 121098
7
1
2
3
4
5
6
15
21
20
19
18
17
16
GND
ANTN
VDD
DCLK
VDD
MOSI
CLK
CLK16N
VDD
NC
NC
GND
AX5042
MISO
DATA
IRQ_TXEN
ANTP
GND
VDD
NC
CLK16P
PWRUP
NC
LPFILT
NC
GND
RESET_N
SYSCLK
SEL
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SPECIFICATIONS
Table 2. ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM RATINGS
Symbol Description Condition Min Max Units
VDD Supply voltage 0.5 2.8 V
IDD Supply current 50 mA
Ptot Total power consumption 800 mW
PIAbsolute maximum input power at receiver input 15 dBm
II1 DC current into any pin except ANTP, ANTN 10 10 mA
II2 DC current into pins ANTP, ANTN 100 100 mA
IOOutput current 40 mA
Via Input voltage ANTP, ANTN pins 0.5 VDD + 2.0 V V
Input voltage digital pins 0.5 VDD + 3 V V
Ves Electrostatic handling HBM 2000 2000 V
Tamb Operating ambient temperature 40 85 °C
Tstg Storage temperature 65 150 °C
TjJunction temperature 150 °C
Stresses exceeding those listed in the Maximum Ratings table may damage the device. If any of these limits are exceeded, device functionality
should not be assumed, damage may occur and reliability may be affected.
1. Exposure to absolute maximum rating conditions for extended periods may affect device reliability.
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DC Characteristics
Table 3. SUPPLIES
Symbol Description Condition Min Typ Max Units
TAMB Operational ambient temperature 40 27 85 °C
VDD Power supply voltage 2.3 2.5 2.8 V
IPDOWN Powerdown current 0.5 mA
IRX Current consumption RX 868 MHz; bit rate 10 kBit/s 21 mA
868 MHz; bit rate 10 kBit/s
low power mode, (Note 1)
17
868 MHz; bit rate 600 kBit/s 23
868 MHz; bit rate 600 kBit/s
low power mode, (Note 1)
19
433 MHz; bit rate 10 kBit/s 21
433 MHz; bit rate 10 kBit/s
low power mode, (Note 1)
17
433 MHz; bit rate 600 kBit/s 23
433 MHz; bit rate 600 kBit/s
low power mode, (Note 1)
19
ITX Current consumption TX 868 MHz, 10 dBm 36 mA
868 MHz, 4 dBm 23
868 MHz, 0 dBm 19
868 MHz, 12 dBm 13
433 MHz, 12 dBm 37
433 MHz, 6 dBm 24
433 MHz, 2 dBm 20
433 MHz, 8 dBm 13
1. Low power mode requires reprogramming of the device reference current (REF_I) as well as the synthesizer VCO current (VCO_I) and there
are tradeoffs with the lowest achievable power supply value as well as with sensitivity. Sensitivities and operating conditions in this
datasheet do not refer to low power mode.
Table 4. LOGIC
Symbol Description Condition Min Typ Max Units
Digital Inputs
VT+ Schmitt trigger low to high threshold point 1.9 V
VTSchmitt trigger high to low threshold point 1.2 V
VIL Input voltage, low 0.8 V
VIH Input voltage, high 2 V
ILInput leakage current 10 10 mA
Digital Outputs
IOH Output Current, high VOH = 2.1 V 4 mA
IOL Output Current, low VOL = 0.4 V 4 mA
IOZ Tristate output leakage current 10 10 mA
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AC Characteristics
Table 5. CRYSTAL OSCILLATOR
Symbol Description Condition Min Typ Max Units
fosc Crystal frequency (Note 1) 16 MHz
gmosc Transconductance oscillator XTALOSCGM = 0000 1mS
XTALOSCGM = 0001 2
XTALOSCGM = 0010 default 3
XTALOSCGM = 0011 4
XTALOSCGM = 0100 5
XTALOSCGM = 0101 6
XTALOSCGM = 0110 6.5
XTALOSCGM = 0111 7
XTALOSCGM = 1000 7.5
XTALOSCGM = 1001 8
XTALOSCGM = 1010 8.5
XTALOSCGM = 1011 9
XTALOSCGM = 1100 9.5
XTALOSCGM = 1101 10
XTALOSCGM = 1110 10.5
XTALOSCGM = 1111 11
fext External clock input (Note 2) 16 MHz
RINosc Input impedance 10 kW
CINosc Input capacitance 4 pF
1. Tolerances and startup times will depend on the crystal used. Depending on the RF frequency and channel spacing the IC must be calibrated
to the exact crystal frequency using the readings of the register TRKFREQ
2. External clock should be input via an AC coupling at pin CLK16P with the oscillator powered up
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Table 6. RF FREQUENCY GENERATION SUBSYSTEM (SYNTHESIZER)
Symbol Description Condition Min Typ Max Units
fREF Reference frequency 16 MHz
frange_hi Frequency range BANDSEL = 0 800 930 MHz
frange_low BANDSEL = 1 400 470 MHz
fRESO Frequency resolution 1 Hz
BW1Synthesizer loop bandwidth
Internal loop filter, pin LPFILT
is unconnected
Loop filter configuration: FLT = 01
Charge pump current: PLLCPI = 111
default
100 kHz
BW2Loop filter configuration: FLT = 01
Charge pump current: PLLCPI = 001
50
BW3Loop filter configuration: FLT = 11
Charge pump current: PLLCPI = 111
200
BW4Loop filter configuration: FLT = 10
Charge pump current: PLLCPI = 111
500
Tset1 Synthesizer settling time for
1 MHz step as typically
required for RX/TX switching
Internal loop filter, pin LPFILT
is unconnected
Loop filter configuration: FLT = 01
Charge pump current: PLLCPI = 111
15 ms
Tset2 Loop filter configuration: FLT = 01
Charge pump current: PLLCPI = 001
30
Tset3 Loop filter configuration: FLT = 11
Charge pump current: PLLCPI = 111
7
Tset4 Loop filter configuration: FLT = 10
Charge pump current: PLLCPI = 111
3
Tstart1 Synthesizer startup time if
crystal oscillator and
reference are running
Internal loop filter, pin LPFILT
is unconnected
Loop filter configuration: FLT = 01
Charge pump current: PLLCPI = 111
default
25 ms
Tstart2 Loop filter configuration: FLT = 01
Charge pump current: PLLCPI = 001
50
Tstart3 Loop filter configuration: FLT = 11
Charge pump current: PLLCPI = 111
12
Tstart4 Loop filter configuration: FLT = 10
Charge pump current: PLLCPI = 111
5
PN1868 Synthesizer phase noise
Loop filter configuration:
FLT = 01
Charge pump current:
PLLCPI = 111
Internal loop filter, pin LPFILT
is unconnected
868 MHz; 50 kHz from carrier 77 dBc/Hz
868 MHz; 100 kHz from carrier 75
868 MHz; 300 kHz from carrier 85
868 MHz; 2 MHz from carrier 100
PN1433 433 MHz; 50 kHz from carrier 85
433 MHz; 100 kHz from carrier 80
433 MHz; 300 kHz from carrier 90
433 MHz; 2 MHz from carrier 105
PN2868 Synthesizer phase noise
Loop filter configuration:
FLT = 01
Charge pump current:
PLLCPI = 001
Internal loop filter, pin LPFILT
is unconnected
868 MHz; 50 kHz from carrier 65 dBc/Hz
868 MHz; 100 kHz from carrier 90
868 MHz; 300 kHz from carrier 105
868 MHz; 2 MHz from carrier 110
PN2868 433 MHz; 50 kHz from carrier 75
433 MHz; 100 kHz from carrier 80
433 MHz; 300 kHz from carrier 93
433 MHz; 2 MHz from carrier 115
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Table 7. TRANSMITTER
Symbol Description Condition Min Typ Max Units
SBR Signal bit rate ASK 1 600 kbps
PSK 10 600
FSK, MSK, OQPSK,
GFSK, GMSK
1 200
PTX868 Transmitter power @ 868 MHz TXRNG = 0000 50 dBm
TXRNG = 0001 14
TXRNG = 0010 8
TXRNG = 0011 4
TXRNG = 0100 1
TXRNG = 0101 0.5
TXRNG = 0110 2
TXRNG = 0111 3
TXRNG = 1000 4
TXRNG = 1001 5
TXRNG = 1010 6
TXRNG = 1011 7
TXRNG = 1100 8
TXRNG = 1101 8.5
TXRNG = 1110 9
TXRNG = 1111 10
PTX433 Transmitter power @ 433 MHz TXRNG = 1111 13.5 dBm
PTX868harm2 Emission @ 2nd harmonic (Note 1) 50 dBc
PTX868harm3 Emission @ 3rd harmonic 55
1. Additional lowpass filtering was applied to the antenna interface, see section Application Information.
Table 8. RECEIVER
Datarate [kbps]
Input Sensitivity in dBm TYP. on SMA Connector of AX_mod_73 for BER = 103
868 MHz 433 MHz
ASK FSK PSK ASK FSK PSK
1.2 118 121 119 123
2115 118 117 120
10 111 114 117 113 116 119
100 101 104 107 99 106 109
250 97 98 103 96 100 105
600 93 99 99 102
1. Measured on AX_mod_73 at SMA connector with BER measurement tool of AXEVK software V1.3
2. For all FSK measurements register FREQGAIN = 0x06
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Table 9.
Symbol Description Condition Min Typ Max Units
SBR Signal bit rate 802.15.4 (ZigBee) 99
IL Maximum input level 20 dBm
CP1dB Input referred compression point 2 tones separated by 100 kHz 35 dBm
IIP3 Input referred IP3 25
RSSIR RSSI control range 85 dB
RSSIS1RSSI step size Before digital channel filter;
calculated from register AGCCOUNTER
0.625 dB
RSSIS2RSSI step size Behind digital channel filter;
calculated from registers AGCCOUNTER,
TRKAMPL
0.1 dB
SEL868 Adjacent channel suppression FSK 4.8 kbps; (Notes 1 & 2) 22 dB
Alternate channel suppression 22
Adjacent channel suppression FSK 12.5 kbps ; (Notes 1 & 3) 20 dB
Alternate channel suppression 22
Adjacent channel suppression FSK 50 kbps; (Notes 1 & 4) 18 dB
Alternate channel suppression 19
Adjacent channel suppression FSK 100 kbps ; (Notes 1 & 5) 16 dB
Alternate channel suppression 30
Adjacent channel suppression PSK 200 kbps; (Notes 1 & 6) 17 dB
Alternate channel suppression 28
BLK868 Blocking at ± 1 MHz offset FSK 4.8 kbps, (Notes 2 & 7) 43 dB
Blocking at 2 MHz offset 51
Blocking at ± 10 MHz offset 74
Blocking at ± 100 MHz offset 82
IMRR868 Image rejection 25 dB
1. Interferer/Channel @ BER = 103, channel level is +10 dB above the typical sensitivity, the interfering signal is a random data signal (except
PSK200); both channel and interferer are modulated without shaping
2. FSK 4.8 kbps: 868 MHz, 20 kHz channel spacing, 2.4 kHz deviation, programming as recommended in Programming Manual
3. FSK 12.5 kbps: 868 MHz, 50 kHz channel spacing, 6.25 kHz deviation, programming as recommended in Programming Manual
4. FSK 50 kbps: 868 MHz, 200 kHz channel spacing, 25 kHz deviation, programming as recommended in Programming Manual
5. FSK 100 kbps: 868 MHz, 400 kHz channel spacing, 50 kHz deviation , programming as recommended in Programming Manual
6. PSK 200 kbps: 868 MHz, 400 kHz channel spacing, programming as recommended in Programming Manual, interfering signal is a constant
wave
7. Channel/Blocker @ BER = 103, channel level is +10 dB above the typical sensitivity, the blocker signal is a constant wave; channel signal
is modulated without shaping, the image frequency lies 2 MHz above the wanted signal
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Table 10. SPI TIMING
Symbol Description Condition Min Typ Max Units
Tss SEL falling edge to CLK rising edge 10 ns
Tsh CLK falling edge to SEL rising edge 10 ns
Tssd SEL falling edge to MISO driving 0 10 ns
Tssz SEL rising edge to MISO highZ 0 10 ns
Ts MOSI setup time 10 ns
Th MOSI hold time 10 ns
Tco CLK falling edge to MISO output 10 ns
Tck CLK period 50 ns
Tcl CLK low duration 40 ns
Tch CLK high duration 40 ns
For a figure showing the SPI timing parameters see section Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI).
Table 11. WIRE MODE INTERFACE TIMING
Symbol Description Condition Min Typ Max Units
Tdck DCLK period Depends on bit
rate programming
1.6 10,000 ms
Tdcl DCLK low duration 25 75 %
Tdch DCLK high duration 25 75 %
Tds DATA setup time relative to active DCLK edge 10 ns
Tdh DATA hold time relative to active DCLK edge 10 ns
Tdco DATA output change relative to active DCLK edge 10 ns
For a figure showing the wire mode interface timing parameters see section Wire Mode Interface.
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CIRCUIT DESCRIPTION
The AX5042 is a true single chip lowpower CMOS
transceiver primarily for use in SRD bands. The onchip
transceiver consists of a fully integrated RF frontend with
modulator and demodulator. Base band data processing is
implemented in an advanced and flexible communication
controller that enables user friendly communication via the
SPI interface or in direct wire mode.
AX5042 can be operated from 2.3 V to 2.8 V power
supply over a temperature range from 40°C to 85°C, it
consumes 13 37 mA for transmitting depending on data
mode and output power and 17 23 mA for receiving.
The AX5042 features make it an ideal interface for
integration into various battery powered SRD solutions such
as ticketing or as transceiver for telemetric applications e.g.
in sensors. As primary application, the transceiver is
intended for UHF radio equipment in accordance with the
European Telecommunication Standard Institute (ETSI)
specification EN 300 2201 and the US Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) standard CFR47, part
15. The use of AX5042 in accordance to FCC Par 15.247,
allows for improved range in the 915 MHz band.
Additionally AX5042 is compatible with the low frequency
standards of 802.15.4 (ZigBee).
The AX5042 can be operated in two fundamentally
different modes.
In wire mode the IC behaves as an extension of any wire.
The internal communication controller is disabled and the
modem data is directly available on a dedicated pin (DATA).
The bit clock is also output on a dedicated pin (DCLK). In
this mode the user can connect the data pin to any port of a
microcontroller or to a UART, but has to control coding,
checksums, pre and post ambles. The user can choose
between synchronous and asynchronous wire mode,
asynchronous wire mode performs RS232 start bit
recognition and resynchronization for transmit.
In frame mode data is sent and received via the SPI port
in frames. Pre and postambles as well as checksums can be
generated automatically. Interrupts control the data flow
between a microcontroller and the AX5042.
Both modes can be used both for transmit and receive. In
both cases the AX5042 behaves as a SPI slave interface.
Configuration of the AX5042 is always done via the SPI
interface.
AX5042 supports any data rate from 1.2 kbps to 250 kbps
for FSK, GFSK, GMSK , MSK and from 2 kbps to 600 kbps
for ASK and PSK. To achieve optimum performance for
specific data rates and modulation schemes several register
settings to configure the AX5042 are necessary, they are
outlined in the following, for details see the AX5042
Programming Manual.
Spreading and despreading is possible on all data rates and
modulation schemes. The net transfer rate is reduced by a
factor of 15 in this case. For 802.15.4 either 600 or 300 kbps
modes have to be chosen.
The receiver supports multichannel operation for all data
rates and modulation schemes.
Crystal Oscillator
The onchip crystal oscillator allows the use of an
inexpensive quartz crystal as the RF generation subsystem’s
timing reference. Although a wider range of crystal
frequencies can be handled by the crystal oscillator circuit,
it is recommended to use 16 MHz as reference frequency
since this choice allows all the typical SRD band RF
frequencies to be generated.
The oscillator circuit is enabled by programming the
PWRMODE register. After reset the oscillator is enabled.
To adjust the circuit’s characteristics to the quartz crystal
being used without using additional external components
the transconductance of the crystal oscillator can be
programmed.
The transconductance is programmed via register bits
XTALOSCGM[3:0] in register XTALOSC.
The recommended method to synchronize the receiver
frequency to a carrier signal is to make use of the high
resolution RF frequency generation subsystem together
with the Automatic Frequency Control, both are described
further down.
Alternatively a single ended reference (TXCO, CXO)
may be used. The CMOS levels should be applied to pin
CLK16P via an AC coupling with the crystal oscillator
enabled.
SYSCLK Output
The SYSCLK pin outputs the reference clock signal
divided by a programmable integer. Divisions from 1 to
2048 are possible. For divider ratios > 1 the duty cycle is
50%. Bits SYSCLK[3:0] in the PINCFG1 register set the
divider ratio. The SYSCLK output can be disabled.
Outputting a frequency that is identical to the IF frequency
(default 1 MHz) on the SYSCLK pin is not recommended
during receive operation, since it requires extensive
decoupling on the PCB to avoid interference.
PWRUP Input
The PWRUP pin disables all analog blocks when it is
pulled low. If the pin is pulled high, then the powerup state
of the analog blocks can be handled fully in software by
programming register PWRMODE. It is recommended to
connect PWRUP to VDD.
RESET_N Input
The AX5042 can be reset in two ways:
1. By SPI accesses: the bit RST in the PWRMODE
register is toggled.
2. Via the RESET_N pin: A low pulse is applied at
the RESET_N pin. With the rising edge of
RESET_N the device goes into its operational
state.
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A reset must be applied after powerup. It is safe to
perform this poweron reset using a SPI access, so using the
RESET_N pin is strictly optional. If the RESET_N pin is not
used it must be tied to VDD.
DATA Input/Output and DCLK Output
The DATA input/output pin is used for data transfer from
and to AX5042 in wire mode.
The transfer direction of data is set by programming the
PWRMODE register or by the level applied to the pin
IRQ_TXEN (1 = TX, then DATA is an input pin; 0 = RX,
then DATA is an output pin).
The DCLK output pin supplies the corresponding data
clock which depends on the datarate settings programmed
to AX5042. In synchronous wire mode a connected
microcontroller must receive or supply data on the DATA
pin synchronous to the clock available the DCLK pin. In
asynchronous wire mode, the receive/transmit clock is still
available on the DCLK pin, but its usage is optional.
If frame mode is used for data communication, the pins
DCLK and DATA can optionally be used as general purpose
I/O pins.
RF Frequency Generation Subsystem
The RF frequency generation subsystem consists of a
fully integrated synthesizer, which multiplies the reference
frequency from the crystal oscillator to get the desired RF
frequency. The advanced architecture of the synthesizer
enables frequency resolutions of 1 Hz, as well as fast settling
times of 5 – 50 ms depending on the settings (see section:
AC Characteristics). Fast settling times mean fast startup,
which enables lowpower system design.
For receive operation the RF frequency is fed to the mixer,
for transmit operation to the poweramplifier.
The frequency must be programmed to the desired carrier
frequency. The RF frequency shift by the IF frequency that
is required for RX operation, is automatically set when the
receiver is activated and does not need to be programmed by
the user. The default IF frequency is 1 MHz. It can be
programmed to other values. Changing the IF frequency and
thus the center frequency of the digital channel filter can be
used to adapt the blocking performance of the device to
specific system requirements.
The synthesizer loop bandwidth can be programmed, this
serves three purposes:
1. Startup time optimization, startup is faster for
higher synthesizer loop bandwidths.
2. TX spectrum optimization, phasenoise at
300 kHz to 1 MHz distance from the carrier
improves with lower synthesizer loop bandwidths.
3. Adaptation of the bandwidth to the datarate. For
transmission of FSK, GFSK and MSK it is
required that the synthesizer bandwidth must be in
the order of the datarate.
VCO
An onchip VCO converts the control voltage generated
by the charge pump and loop filter into an output frequency.
This frequency is used for transmit as well as for receive
operation. The frequency can be programmed in 1 Hz steps
in the FREQ registers. For operation in the 433 MHz band,
the BANDSEL bit in the PLLLOOP register must be
programmed.
VCO AutoRanging
The AX5042 has an integrated autoranging function,
which allows to set the correct VCO range for specific
frequency generation subsystem settings automatically.
Typically it has to be executed after powerup. The function
is initiated by setting the RNG_START bit in the
PLLRANGING register. The bit is readable and a 0 indicates
the end of the ranging process. If the bit RNGERR is 0, then
the autoranging has been executed successfully.
Loop Filter and Charge Pump
The AX5042 internal loop filter configuration together
with the charge pump current sets the synthesizer loop band
width. The loopfilter has three configurations that can be
programmed via the register bits FLT[1:0] in register
PLLLOOP, the charge pump current can be programmed
using register bits PLLCPI[2:0] also in register PLLLOOP.
Synthesizer bandwidths are typically 50 – 500 kHz
depending on the PLLLOOP settings, for details see the
section: AC Characteristics.
Registers
Table 12. REGISTERS
Register Bits Purpose
PLLLOOP FLT[1:0] Synthesizer loop filter bandwidth, recommended usage is to increase the bandwidth for faster
settling time, bandwidth increases of factor 2 and 5 are possible.
PLLCPI[2:0] Synthesizer charge pump current, recommended usage is to decrease the bandwidth (and
improve the phasenoise) for low datarate transmissions.
BANDSEL Switches between 868 MHz / 915 MHz and 433 MHz bands
FREQ Programming of the carrier frequency
IFFREQHI, IFFREQLO Programming of the IF frequency
PLLRANGING Initiate VCO autoranging and check results
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RF Input and Output Stage (ANTP/ANTN)
The AX5042 uses fully differential antenna pins. RX/TX
switching is handled internally, an external RX/TX switch
is not required.
LNA
The LNA amplifies the differential RF signal from the
antenna and buffers it to drive the I/Q mixer. An external
matching network is used to adapt the antenna impedance to
the IC impedance. A DC feed to the supply voltage VDD
must be provided at the antenna pins. For recommendations
see section: Application Information.
I/Q Mixer
The RF signal from the LNA is mixed down to an IF of
typically 1 MHz. I and QIF signals are buffered for the
analog IF filter.
PA
In TX mode the PA drives the signal generated by the
frequency generation subsystem out to the differential
antenna terminals. The output power of the PA is
programmed via bits TXRNG[3:0] in the register TXPWR.
Output power as well as harmonic content will depend on the
external impedance seen by the PA, recommendations are
given in the section: Application Information.
Analog IF Filter
The mixer is followed by a complex bandpass IF filter,
which suppresses the downmixed image while the wanted
signal is amplified. The centre frequency of the filter is
1 MHz, with a passband width of 1 MHz. The RF frequency
generation subsystem must be programmed in such a way
that for all possible modulation schemes the IF frequency
spectrum fits into the passband of the analog filter.
Digital IF Channel Filter and Demodulator
The digital IF channel filter and the demodulator extract
the data bitstream from the incoming IF signal. They must
be programmed to match the modulation scheme as well as
the bit rate. Inaccurate programming will lead to loss of
sensitivity.
The channel filter offers bandwidths of 4.8 kHz up to
600 kHz. Datarates down to 1.2 kbit/s can be demodulated,
but sensitivities will not increase significantly vs. 4.8 kbit/s.
For detailed instructions how to program the digital
channel filter and the demodulator see the AX5042
Programming Manual, an overview of the registers involved
is given in the following table. The register setups typically
must be done once at powerup of the device.
Table 13. REGISTERS
Register Remarks
CICDECHI, CICDECLO This register programs the bandwidth of the digital channel filter.
DATARATEHI, DATARATELO These registers specify the receiver bit rate, relative to the channel filter bandwidth.
TMGGAINHI, TMGGAINLO These registers specify the aggressiveness of the receiver bit timing recovery. More aggressive
settings allow the receiver to synchronize with shorter preambles, at the expense of more timing
jitter and thus a higher bit error rate at a given signaltonoise ratio.
MODULATION This register selects the modulation to be used by the transmitter and the receiver, i.e. whether
ASK, PSK , FSK, MSK, GFSK, GMSK or OQPSK should be used.
PHASEGAIN, FREQGAIN,
FREQGAIN2, AMPLGAIN
These registers control the bandwidth of the phase, frequency offset and amplitude tracking loops.
Recommended settings are provided in the Programming Manual.
AGCATTACK, AGCDECAY These registers control the AGC (automatic gain control) loop slopes, and thus the speed of gain
adjustments. The faster the bit rate, the faster the AGC loop should be. Recommended settings
are provided in the Programming Manual.
TXRATE These registers control the bit rate of the transmitter.
FSKDEV These registers control the frequency deviation of the transmitter in FSK mode. The receiver does
not explicitly need to know the frequency deviation, only the channel filter bandwidth has to be set
wide enough for the complete modulation to pass.
Encoder
The encoder is located between the Framing Unit, the
Demodulator and the Modulator. It can optionally transform
the bitstream in the following ways:
It can invert the bit stream.
It can perform differential encoding. This means that a
zero is transmitted as no change in the level, and a one
is transmitted as a change in the level. Differential
encoding is useful for PSK, because PSK transmissions
can be received either as transmitted or inverted, due to
the uncertainty of the initial phase. Differential
encoding / decoding removes this uncertainty.
It can perform Manchester encoding. Manchester
encoding ensures that the modulation has no DC
content and enough transitions (changes from 0 to 1 and
from 1 to 0) for the demodulator bit timing recovery to
function correctly, but does so at a doubling of the data
rate.
It can perform Spectral Shaping. Spectral Shaping
removes DC content of the bit stream, ensures
AX5042
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15
transitions for the demodulator bit timing recovery, and
makes sure that the transmitted spectrum does not have
discrete lines even if the transmitted data is cyclic. It
does so without adding additional bits, i.e. without
changing the data rate. Spectral Shaping uses a self
synchronizing feedback shift register.
The encoder is programmed using the register
ENCODING, details and recommendations on usage are
given in the AX5042 Programming Manual.
Framing and FIFO
Most radio systems today group data into packets. The
framing unit is responsible for converting these packets into
a bitstream suitable for the modulator, and to extract
packets from the continuous bitstream arriving from the
demodulator.
The Framing unit supports three different modes:
HDLC
Raw
802.15.4 Compliant
The microcontroller communicates with the framing
unit through a 3 level × 10 bit FIFO. The FIFO decouples
microcontroller timing from the radio (modulator and
demodulator) timing. The bottom 8 bit of the FIFO contain
transmit or receive data. The top 2 bit are used to convey
meta information in HDLC and 802.15.4 modes. They are
unused in Raw mode. The meta information consists of
packet begin / end information and the result of CRC checks.
The AX5042 contains one FIFO. Its direction is switched
depending on whether transmit or receive mode is selected.
The FIFO can be operated in polled or interrupt driven
modes. In polled mode, the microcontroller must
periodically read the FIFO status register or the FIFO count
register to determine whether the FIFO needs servicing.
In interrupt mode EMPTY, NOT EMPTY, FULL, NOT
FULL and programmable level interrupts are provided. The
AX5042 signals interrupts by asserting (driving high) its
IRQ_TXEN line. The interrupt line is level triggered, active
high. The IRQ line polarity can be inverted by programming
register PINCFG2. Interrupts are acknowledged by
removing the cause for the interrupt, i.e. by emptying or
filling the FIFO.
Basic FIFO status (EMPTY, FULL, Overrun, Underrun,
and the top two bits of the top FIFO word) are also provided
during each SPI access on MISO while the microcontroller
shifts out the register address on MOSI. See the SPI interface
section for details. This feature significantly reduces the
number of SPI accesses necessary during transmit and
receive.
HDLC Mode
NOTE: HDLC mode follows HighLevel Data Link
Control (HDLC, ISO 13239) protocol.
HDLC Mode is the main framing mode of the AX5042. In
this mode, the AX5042 performs automatic packet
delimiting, and optional packet correctness check by
inserting and checking a cyclic redundancy check (CRC)
field.
The packet structure is given in the following table.
Table 14.
Flag Address Control Information FCS (Optional Flag)
8 bit 8 bit 8 or 16 bit Variable length, 0 or more bits in multiples of 8 16 / 32 bit 8 bit
HDLC packets are delimited with flag sequences of
content 0x7E.
In AX5042 the meaning of address and control is user
defined. The Frame Check Sequence (FCS) can be
programmed to be CRCCCITT, CRC16 or CRC32.
The receiver checks the CRC, the result can be retrieved
from the FIFO, the CRC is appended to the received data.
For details on implementing a HDLC communication see
the AX5042 Programming Manual.
Raw Mode
In Raw mode, the AX5042 does not perform any packet
delimiting or byte synchronization. It simply serialises
transmit bytes and deserializes the received bitstream and
groups it into bytes.
This mode is ideal for implementing legacy protocols in
software.
802.15.4 (ZigBee) DSSS
802.15.4 uses binary phase shift keying (PSK) with
300 kbit/s (868 MHz band) or 600 kbit/s (915 MHz band) on
the radio. The usable bit rate is only a 15th of the radio bit
rate, however. A spreading function in the transmitter
expands the user bit rate by a factor of 15, to make the
transmission more robust. The despreader function of the
receiver undoes that.
In 802.15.4 mode, the AX5042 framing unit performs the
spreading and despreading function according to the
802.15.4 specification. In receive mode, the framing unit
will also automatically search for the 802.15.4 preamble,
meaning that no interrupts will have to be serviced by the
microcontroller until a packet start is detected.
The 802.15.4 is a universal DSSS mode, which can be
used with any modulation or data rate as long as it does not
violate the maximum data rate of the modulation being used.
Therefore the maximum DSSS data rate is 16 kbps for FSK
and 40 kbps for ASK and PSK.
AX5042
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16
RX AGC and RSSI
AX5042 features two receiver signal strength indicators
(RSSI):
1. RSSI before the digital IF channel filter.
The gain of the receiver is adjusted in order to
keep the analog IF filter output level inside the
working range of the ADC and demodulator. The
register AGCCOUNTER contains the current
value of the AGC and can be used as an RSSI. The
step size of this RSSI is 0.625 dB. The value can
be used as soon as the RF frequency generation
subsystem has been programmed.
2. RSSI behind the digital IF channel filter.
The demodulator also provides amplitude
information in the TRKAMPL register. By
combining both the AGCCOUNTER and the
TRKAMPL registers, a high resolution (better than
0.1 dB) RSSI value can be computed at the
expense of a few arithmetic operations on the
microcontroller. Formulas for this computation
can be found in the AX5042 Programming
Manual.
Modulator
Depending on the transmitter settings the modulator
generates various inputs for the PA (see Table 15):
Table 15.
Modulation Bit = 0 Bit = 1 Main Lobe Bandwidth Max. Bit Rate
ASK PA off PA on BW = BITRATE 600 kBit/s
FSK/MSK/GFSK Df = fdeviation Df = +fdeviation BW = (1 + h) BITRATE 250 kBit/s
PSK DF = 0°DF = 180°BW = BITRATE 600 kBit/s
h = modulation index. It is the ratio of the
deviation compared to the bitrate;
fdeviation = 0.5hBITRATE, AX5042 can
demodulate signals with h < 4
ASK = amplitude shift keying
FSK = frequency shift keying
MSK = minimum shift keying; MSK is a special case
of FSK, where h = 0.5, and therefore
fdeviation = 0.25BITRATE; the advantage of
MSK over FSK is that it can be demodulated
more robustly.
GFSK = gaussian frequency shift keying, same as FSK
but shaped, BT = 0.3
GMSK = GFSK with h = 0.5
PSK = phase shift keying
OQPSK = offset quadrature shift keying. The AX5042
supports OQPSK. However, unless
compatibility to an existing system is required,
MSK should be preferred.
All modulation schemes are binary.
Automatic Frequency Control (AFC)
The AX5042 has a frequency tracking register
TRKFREQ to synchronize the receiver frequency to a
carrier signal. For AFC adjustment, the frequency offset can
be computed with the following formula:
Df+TRKFREQ
216
@BITRATE
PWRMODE Register
The operation sequencies of the chip can be controlled
using the PWRMODE and APEOVER registers.
Table 16. PWRMODE REGISTER
PWRMODE
Register
APEOVER
Register Name Description Typical Idd
0x00 0x80 POWERDOWN All digital and analog functions, except the register file, are disabled.
SPI registers are still accessible.
0.5 mA
0x60 0x00 STANDBY The crystal oscillator is powered on; receiver and transmitter are off. 650 mA
0x00
0x61 0x00 PWRUPPIN The mode is determined by the state of the PWRUP and IRQ_TXEN
pins.
PWRUP = 0: Same function as POWERDOWN
PWRUP = 1, IRQ_TXEN = 0: Same function as FULLRX
PWRUP = 1, IRQ_TXEN = 1: Same function as FULLTX
0.5 mA
17 21 mA
13 37 mA
0x01
0x68 0x00 SYNTHRX The synthesizer is running on the receive frequency. Transmitter and
receiver are still off. This mode is used to let the synthesizer settle
on the correct frequency for receive.
12 mA
AX5042
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17
Table 16. PWRMODE REGISTER
PWRMODE
Register Typical IddDescriptionName
APEOVER
Register
0x69 0x00 FULLRX Synthesizer and receiver are running 17 21 mA
0x6C 0x00 SYNTHTX The synthesizer is running on the transmit frequency. Transmitter
and receiver are still off. This mode is used to let the synthesizer
settle on the correct frequency for transmit.
11 mA
0x6D 0x00 FULLTX Synthesizer and transmitter are running. Do not switch into this
mode before the synthesizer has completely settled on the transmit
frequency (in SYNTHTX mode), otherwise spurious spectral
transmissions will occur.
13 37 mA
Table 17. A TYPICAL PWRMODE AND APEOVER SEQUENCE FOR A TRANSMIT SESSION
Step
PWRMODE
APEOVER Remarks
1 POWERDOWN
2 STANDBY The settling time is dominated by the crystal used, typical value 3 ms.
3 SYNTHTX The synthesizer settling time is 5 – 50 ms depending on settings, see section AC Characteristics
4 FULLTX Data transmission
5 POWERDOWN
Table 18. A TYPICAL PWRMODE AND APEOVER SEQUENCE FOR A RECEIVE SESSION
Step
PWRMODE
APEOVER Remarks
1 POWERDOWN
2 STANDBY The settling time is dominated by the crystal used, typical value 3 ms.
3 SYNTHRX The synthesizer settling time is 5 – 50 ms depending on settings, see section AC Characteristics
4 FULLRX Data reception
5 POWERDOWN
Serial Peripheral Interface
The AX5042 can be programmed via a four wire serial
interface according SPI using the pins CLK, MOSI, MISO
and SEL. Registers for setting up the AX5042 are
programmed via the serial peripheral interface in all device
modes.
When the interface signal SEL is pulled low, a 16 bit
configuration data stream is expected on the input signal pin
MOSI, which is interpreted as D0...D7, A0...A6, R_N/W.
Data read from the interface appears on MISO.
Figure 3 shows a write/read access to the interface. The
data stream is built of an address byte including read/write
information and a data byte. Depending on the R_N/W bit
and address bits A[6..0] the data D[7..0] can be written via
MOSI or read at the pin MISO.
R_N/W = 0 means read mode, R_N/W = 1 means write
mode.
The read sequence starts with 7 bits of status information
S[6..0] followed by 8 data bits.
The status bits contain the following information:
Table 19.
S6 S5 S4 S3 S2 S1 S0
PLL LOCK FIFO OVER FIFO UNDER FIFO FULL FIFO EMPTY FIFOSTAT(1) FIFOSTAT(0)
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SPI Timing
Figure 3. Serial Peripheral Interface Timing
Tsh
R/ W
SS
SCK
MOSI
MISO
A6 A5 A4 A3 A2 A1 D7
A0 D6 D5 D4 D0D1D2D3
D7 D6 D5 D4 D3 D2 D1 D0S6 S5 S4 S3 S2 S1 S0
Tssd Tco
Tss Tck TchTcl ThTs
Tssz
Wire Mode Interface
In wire mode the transmitted or received data are
transferred from and to the AX5042 using the pins DATA
and DCLK. DATA is an input when transmitting and an
output when receiving.
The direction can be chosen by programming the
PWRMODE register (recommended), or by using the
IRQ_TXEN pin.
Wire mode offers two variants: synchronous or
asynchronous.
In synchronous wire mode the, the AX5042 always drives
DCLK. Transmit data must be applied to DATA
synchronously to DCLK, and receive data must be sampled
synchronously to DCLK. Timing is given in Figure 4.
Setting the bit DCLKI in register PINCFG2 inverts the
DCLK signal.
In asynchronous wire mode, a low voltage RS232 type
UART can be connected to DATA. DCLK is optional in this
mode. The UART must be programmed to send two stop
bits, but must be able to accept only one stop bit. Both the
UART data rate and the AX5042 transmit and receive bit
rate must match. The AX5042 synchronizes the RS232
signal to its internal transmission clock, by inserting or
deleting a stop bit.
Registers for setting up the AX5042 are programmed via
the serial peripheral interface (SPI).
Wire Mode Timing
Figure 4. Wire Mode Interface Timing
Tdh
DCLK (DCLKI=0)
DATA (RX)
DCLK (DCLKI=1)
Tdco
DATA (TX)
Tdch Tdcl
Tdck
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REGISTER BANK DESCRIPTION
This section describes the bits of the register bank in
detail. The registers are grouped by functional block to
facilitate programming.
No checks are made whether the programmed
combination of bits makes sense! Bit 0 is always the LSB.
NOTES: Whole registers or register bits marked as
reserved should be kept at their default values.
All addresses not documented here must not be
accessed, neither in reading nor in writing.
Table 20. CONTROL REGISTER MAP
Addr Name Dir Reset
Bit
Description
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Revision & Interface Probing
0REVISION R 00000010 SILICONREV(7:0) Silicon Revision
1 SCRATCH RW 11000101 SCRATCH(7:0) Scratch Register
Operating Mode
2PWRMODE RW 0110000 RST REFEN XOEN PWRMODE(3:0) Power Mode
3 XTALOSC RW −−−−0010 XTALOSCGM(3:0) GM of Crystal
Oscillator
FIFO
4FIFOCTRL RW −−−−−−11 FIFOSTAT(1:0) FIFO
OVER
FIFO
UNDER
FIFO
FULL
FIFO
EMPTY
FIFOCMD(1:0) FIFO Control
5 FIFODATA RW −−−−−−−− FIFODATA(7:0) FIFO Data
Interrupt Control
6IRQMASK RW −−−−0000 IRQMASK(3:0) IRQ Mask
7 IRQREQUEST R −−−−−−−− IRQREQUEST(3:0) IRQ Request
Interface & Pin Control
8IFMODE RW −−−−0011 IFMODE(3:0) Interface Mode
0C PINCFG1 RW 11111000 DATAZ DCLKZ IRQ_TXENZ PWRUPZ SYSCLK(3:0) Pin Configuration 1
0D PINCFG2 RW 00000000 DATAE DCLKE PWRUP_IRQ_TXENE DATAI DCLKI IRQPTTI PWRUPI Pin Configuration 2
0E PINCFG3 R −−−−−−−− SYSCLKR DATAR DCLKR IRQPTTR PWRUPR Pin Configuration 3
0F IRQINVERSION RW −−−−0000 IRQINVERSION(3:0) IRQ Inversion
Modulation & Framing
10 MODULATION RW −−−−0010 MODULATION(3:0) Modulation
11 ENCODING RW −−−−0010 ENC
MANCH
ENC
SCRAM
ENC
DIFF
ENC INV Encoder/Decoder
Settings
12 FRAMING RW 0000000 HSUPP CRCMODE(1:0) FRMMODE(2:0) FABORT Framing settings
14 CRCINIT3 RW 11111111 CRCINIT(31:24) CRC Initialisation
Data
15 CRCINIT2 RW 11111111 CRCINIT(23:16) CRC Initialisation
Data
16 CRCINIT1 RW 11111111 CRCINIT(15:8) CRC Initialisation
Data
17 CRCINIT0 RW 11111111 CRCINIT(7:0) CRC Initialisation
Data
Synthesizer
20 FREQ3 RW 00111001 FREQ(31:24) Synthesizer
Frequency
21 FREQ2 RW 00110100 FREQ(23:16) Synthesizer
Frequency
22 FREQ1 RW 11001100 FREQ(15:8) Synthesizer
Frequency
AX5042
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Table 20. CONTROL REGISTER MAP
Addr Description
Bit
ResetDirNameAddr Description
01234567
ResetDirName
23 FREQ0 RW 11001101 FREQ(7:0) Synthesizer
Frequency
25 FSKDEV2 RW 00000010 FSKDEV(23:16) FSK Frequency
Deviation
26 FSKDEV1 RW 01100110 FSKDEV(15:8) FSK Frequency
Deviation
27 FSKDEV0 RW 01100110 FSKDEV(7:0) FSK Frequency
Deviation
28 IFFREQHI RW 00100000 IFFREQ(15:8) 2nd LO / IF
Frequency
29 IFFREQLO RW 00000000 IFFREQ(7:0) 2nd LO / IF
Frequency
2C PLLLOOP RW 0011101 Reserved BANDSEL PLLCPI(2:0) FLT(1:0) Synthesizer Loop
Filter Settings
2D PLLRANGING RW −−−01000 STICKY
LOCK
PLL
LOCK
RNGERR RNG
START
VCOR(3:0) Synthesizer VCO
AutoRanging
Transmitter
30 TXPWR RW −−−−1000 TXRNG(3:0) Transmit Power
31 TXRATEHI RW 00001001 TXRATE(23:16) Transmitter Bit
Rate
32 TXRATEMID RW 10011001 TXRATE(15:8) Transmitter Bit
Rate
33 TXRATELO RW 10011010 TXRATE(7:0) Transmitter Bit
Rate
34 MODMISC RW ––––––11 reserved PTTCLK
GATE
Misc RF Flags
Receiver
39 AGCTARGET RW –––01010 AGCTARGET(4:0) AGC Target
Must be set to
0x0E
3A AGCATTACK RW 00010110 reserved AGCATTACK(4:0) AGC Attack
3B AGCDECAY RW 0–010011 reserved reserved AGCDECAY(4:0) AGC Decay
3C AGCCOUNTER R –––––––– AGCCOUNTER(7:0) AGC Current
Value
3D CICshift R −−000100 reserved CICSHIFT(4:0) CIC Shifter
3E CICDECHI RW ––––––00 CICDEC(9:8) CIC Decimation
Factor
3F CICDECLO RW 00000100 CICDEC(7:0) CIC Decimation
Factor
40 DATARATEHI RW 00011010 DATARATE(15:8) Data rate
41 DATARATELO RW 10101011 DATARATE(7:0) Data rate
42 TMGGAINHI RW 00000000 TIMINGGAIN(15:8) Timing Gain
43 TMGGAINLO RW 11010101 TIMINGGAIN(7:0) Timing Gain
44 PHASEGAIN RW 00––0011 reserved PHASEGAIN(3:0) Phase Gain
45 FREQGAIN RW ––––1010 FREQGAIN(3:0) Frequency Gain
46 FREQGAIN2 RW ––––1010 FREQGAIN2(3:0) Frequency Gain 2
47 AMPLGAIN RW –––00110 reserved AMPLGAIN(3:0) Amplitude Gain
48 TRKAMPLHI R –––––––– TRKAMPL(15:8) Amplitude Tracking
49 TRKAMPLLO R –––––––– TRKAMPL(7:0) Amplitude Tracking
4A TRKPHASEHI R –––––––– TRKPHASE(11:8) Phase Tracking
4B TRKPHASELO R –––––––– TRKPHASE(7:0) Phase Tracking
AX5042
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Table 20. CONTROL REGISTER MAP
Addr Description
Bit
ResetDirNameAddr Description
01234567
ResetDirName
4C TRKFREQHI R –––––––– TRKFREQ(15:8) Frequency
Tracking
4D TRKFREQLO R –––––––– TRKFREQ(7:0) Frequency
Tracking
Misc
70 APEOVER R 00000000 APEOVER OSCAPE REFAPE reserved APE Overrride
72 PLLVCOI RW −−000100 reserved VCO_I(2:0) Synthesizer VCO
current
Leave at default
74 PLLRNG RW 00−−−000 reserved reserved PLLARNG Autoranging
internal settings
PLLARNG must
be set to 1
7C REF RW −−100011 reserved REF_I(2:0) Reference adjust
Leave at default
7D RXMISC RW −−110110 reserved RXIMIX(1:0) Misc RF settings
RXIMIX(1:0) must
be set to 01
AX5042
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APPLICATION INFORMATION
Typical Application Diagram
Figure 5. Typical Application Diagram
LPFILT
RESET_N
N1
VDD
GND
ANTP
ANTN
GND
VDD CLK
MISO
MOSI
DATA
IRQ_TXEN
VDD
DCLK
AX5042
VDD
VDD
GND
GND
ANTENNA
TO/FROM MICRO CONTROLLER
GND GND
N2
N3
GND
SYSCLK
SEL
CLK16N
CLK16P
VDD
N5
N4
PWRUP
GND
Decoupling capacitors are not drawn. It is recommended
to add 100 nF decoupling capacitor for every VDD pin. In
order to reduce noise on the antenna inputs it is
recommended to add 27 pF on the VDD pins close to the
antenna interface.
AX5042
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23
Antenna Interface Circuitry
The ANTP and ANTN pins provide RF input to the LNA
when AX5042 is in receive mode, and RF output from the
PA when AX5042 is in transmit mode. A small antenna can
be connected with an optional matching network. The
network must provide DC power to the PA and LNA. A
biasing to VDD is necessary.
Beside biasing and impedance matching, the proposed
networks also provide low pass filtering to limit spurious
emission.
Singleended Antenna Interface
Figure 6. Structure of the Antenna Interface to 50 W Singleended Equipment or Antenna
CC1 CB1
LT2
IC Antenna
Pins
VRE
G
VREG
LT1
LC2
LC1
CM1
LB1
CB2
LB2
CF1 CF2
LF1
CT1
CT2
CC2
CM2
50 W singleended
equipment or
antenna
Optional filter stage
to suppress TX
harmonics
Table 21.
Frequency Band
LC1,2
[nH]
CC1,2
[pF]
LT1,2
[nH]
CT1,2
[pF]
CM1,2
[pF]
LB1,2
[nH]
CB1,2
[pF]
LF1
[nH]
CF1,2
[pF]
868 / 915 MHz 68 NC 12 18 2.4 12 2.7 0 WNC
433 MHz 120 1.5 39 7.5 6.0 27 5.2 0 WNC
AX5042
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QFN28 PACKAGE INFORMATION
QFN28 5x5, 0.5P
CASE 485EF
ISSUE A
SEATING
NOTE 4
0.15 C
(A3)
A
A1
D2
b
1
8
15
28
E2
28X
L
28X
BOTTOM VIEW
TOP VIEW
SIDE VIEW
DA
B
E
0.15 C
ÉÉ
ÉÉ
PIN ONE
REFERENCE
0.10 C
0.08 C
C
22
e
NOTES:
1. DIMENSIONS AND TOLERANCING PER
ASME Y14.5M, 1994.
2. CONTROLLING DIMENSION: MILLIMETERS.
3. DIMENSION b APPLIES TO PLATED
TERMINAL AND IS MEASURED BETWEEN
0.15 AND 0.30MM FROM THE TERMINAL TIP.
4. COPLANARITY APPLIES TO THE EXPOSED
PAD AS WELL AS THE TERMINALS.
PLANE
*For additional information on our PbFree strategy and soldering
details, please download the ON Semiconductor Soldering and
Mounting Techniques Reference Manual, SOLDERRM/D.
SOLDERING FOOTPRINT*
0.50
3.80
0.32
3.80
28X
0.60
28X
5.30
5.30
L1
DETAIL A
L
ALTERNATE TERMINAL
CONSTRUCTIONS
L
ÉÉ
ÇÇ
ÇÇ
DETAIL B
MOLD CMPDEXPOSED Cu
ALTERNATE
CONSTRUCTION
DETAIL B
DETAIL A
DIM
A
MIN
MILLIMETERS
0.80
A1 0.00
A3 0.20 REF
b0.18
D5.00 BSC
D2 3.45
E5.00 BSC
3.45
E2
e0.50 BSC
0.35
L
1.00
0.05
0.30
3.75
3.75
0.45
MAX
−−−
L1 0.15
NOTE 3
PITCH
DIMENSION: MILLIMETERS
RECOMMENDED
A
M
0.10 BC
M
0.05 C
1
AX5042
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QFN28 Soldering Profile
Figure 7. QFN28 Soldering Profile
Preheat Reflow Cooling
TP
TL
TsMAX
TsMIN
ts
tL
tP
T25°C to Peak
Temperature
Time
25°C
Table 22.
Profile Feature PbFree Process
Average RampUp Rate 3°C/s max.
Preheat Preheat
Temperature Min TsMIN 150°C
Temperature Max TsMAX 200°C
Time (TsMIN to TsMAX) ts60 – 180 sec
Time 25°C to Peak Temperature T25°C to Peak 8 min max.
Reflow Phase
Liquidus Temperature TL217°C
Time over Liquidus Temperature tL60 – 150 s
Peak Temperature tp260°C
Time within 5°C of actual Peak Temperature Tp20 – 40 s
Cooling Phase
Rampdown rate 6°C/s max.
1. All temperatures refer to the top side of the package, measured on the the package body surface.
AX5042
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QFN28 Recommended Pad Layout
1. PCB land and solder masking recommendations
are shown in Figure 8.
Figure 8. PCB Land and Solder Mask Recommendations
A = Clearance from PCB thermal pad to solder mask opening, 0.0635 mm minimum
B = Clearance from edge of PCB thermal pad to PCB land, 0.2 mm minimum
C = Clearance from PCB land edge to solder mask opening to be as tight as possible
to ensure that some solder mask remains between PCB pads.
D = PCB land length = QFN solder pad length + 0.1 mm
E = PCB land width = QFN solder pad width + 0.1 mm
2. Thermal vias should be used on the PCB thermal
pad (middle ground pad) to improve thermal
conductivity from the device to a copper ground
plane area on the reverse side of the printed circuit
board. The number of vias depends on the package
thermal requirements, as determined by thermal
simulation or actual testing.
3. Increasing the number of vias through the printed
circuit board will improve the thermal
conductivity to the reverse side ground plane and
external heat sink. In general, adding more metal
through the PC board under the IC will improve
operational heat transfer, but will require careful
attention to uniform heating of the board during
assembly.
Assembly Process
Stencil Design & Solder Paste Application
1. Stainless steel stencils are recommended for solder
paste application.
2. A stencil thickness of 0.125 – 0.150 mm
(5 6 mils) is recommended for screening.
3. For the PCB thermal pad, solder paste should be
printed on the PCB by designing a stencil with an
array of smaller openings that sum to 50% of the
QFN exposed pad area. Solder paste should be
applied through an array of squares (or circles) as
shown in Figure 9.
4. The aperture opening for the signal pads should be
between 5080% of the QFN pad area as shown in
Figure 10.
5. Optionally, for better solder paste release, the
aperture walls should be trapezoidal and the
corners rounded.
6. The fine pitch of the IC leads requires accurate
alignment of the stencil and the printed circuit
board. The stencil and printed circuit assembly
should be aligned to within + 1 mil prior to
application of the solder paste.
7. Noclean flux is recommended since flux from
underneath the thermal pad will be difficult to
clean if watersoluble flux is used.
Figure 9. Solder Paste Application on Exposed Pad
AX5042
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27
Figure 10. Solder Paste Application on Pins
Minimum 50% coverage 62% coverage Maximum 80% coverage
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