AT86RF231-ZUR

The AT86RF231-ZUR from Microchip Technology is a high-performance RF-CMOS 2.4 GHz radio transceiver targeted for IEEE 802.15.4, ZigBee, 6LoWPAN, RF4CE, SP100, and WirelessHART applications. It features an industry-leading link budget of 104 dB, with a receiver sensitivity of -101 dBm and programmable output power from -17 dBm up to +3 dBm.

This transceiver operates with ultra-low current consumption and supports a supply voltage range of 1.8V to 3.6V. It is optimized for low Bill of Materials (BoM) cost, requiring few external components such as a crystal, capacitors, and an antenna. The device offers an easy-to-use interface with registers, frame buffer, and AES accessible through a fast SPI connection, requiring only two microcontroller GPIO lines and one interrupt pin.

Key features include a 128-byte FIFO for data buffering, an integrated RX/TX switch, a fast settling PLL for frequency hopping, and a battery monitor. It provides special hardware support for IEEE 802.15.4-2006, including FCS computation, clear channel assessment, RSSI measurement, and energy detection. A MAC hardware accelerator automates acknowledgments, CSMA-CA, and retransmissions, along with automatic address filtering and FCS checking. An AES 128-bit hardware accelerator and true random number generation enhance security applications.

The AT86RF231-ZUR is available in a 32-pin low-profile QFN package measuring 5 x 5 x 0.9 mm³. It operates within an industrial and extended temperature range of -40°C to +85°C and -40°C to +125°C. The device is compliant with IEEE 802.15.4-2006 and IEEE 802.15.4-2003 standards, as well as EN 300 328/440, FCC-CFR-47 Part 15, ARIB STD-T66, and RSS-210.