RAK2245 Pi HAT WisLink LPWAN Concentrator Datasheet
Overview
Description
The RAK2245 Pi HAT WisLink LPWAN Concentrator is a module with Raspberry PI form factor. It can be plugged into Raspberry PI such as Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ as a complete RF front end of gateway. It supports eight channels and is available for LoRaWAN global frequency bands. The board is the smallest gateway concentrator which integrates the Ublox MAX-7Q GPS Module and heat sink.
The board can provide low data rate LoRa radio links at ultra-fast speed. It is powered by a Semtech SX1301 transceiver concentrator that is capable of managing packets from many remotely dispersed end-points. Two Semtech SX125X are integrated for RF front end I/Q transceivers.
The RAK2245 Pi HAT is a complete and cost efficient gateway solution that can help you develop a full LoRa system. This is an economical way to create different solutions like smart grids, intelligent farms and other IoT applications. It is also ideal for manufacturing small series that can expand into more applications.
Features
- Compatible with Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ edition
- Integrated Ublox MAX-7Q GPS Module and heat sink
- SX1301 base band processor, emulates 49 x LoRa demodulators, 10 parallel demodulation paths, supports 8 uplink / 1 downlink channels
- Two (2) units of SX125x Tx/Rx front-ends for high/ low frequency
- Supports 5 V power supply, integrated level conversion circuit
- TX power up to 27 dBm, RX sensitivity down to -139 dBm @ SF12, BW 125 kHz
- Supports latest LoRaWAN 1.0.2 protocol
- Supports global license-free frequency band (EU433, CN470, EU868, US915, AS923, AU915, KR920 and IN865)
- Supports SPI, UART, I2C interface
Specifications
Overview
The overview shows the top view of the RAK2245 Pi HAT board and its corresponding outer dimension. It also presents the block diagram that shows how the board works.
Board Overview
RAK2245 Pi HAT Module with Raspberry Pi connector is shown above, it has outer dimensions of 56 x 65 x 22 mm (±2 mm).
Figure 1: RAK2245 Pi HAT WisLink LPWAN Concentrator DimensionsBlock Diagram
Figure 1: RAK2245 Pi Hat Block DiagramHardware
The hardware is categorized into five parts. It discusses the interfacing, pinouts and its corresponding functions and diagrams. It also covers the parameters and standard values of the board in terms of electrical and environmental.
Interface
The SX1301 digital baseband chip contains ten (10) programmable reception paths. Those paths have differentiated levels of programmability and allow different use cases. It is important to understand the differences between those demodulation paths to make the best possible use of the system.
Power Supply
RAK2245 Pi HAT module is powered through 5 V or 3.3 V power pins.
SPI Interface
The pin connector provides an SPI connection which allows direct access to the SX1301 SPI interface. This gives the target system the possibility to use existing SPI interfaces to communicate with the module.
Reset SX1301 via Pin 11 after turning on RAK2245 Pi HAT.
UART and I²C
UART and I2C connections are also included on the pin connector. These connections allow direct access to the GPS module. The 1PPS is connected internally to SX1301.
Digital IOs
There are two (2) digital IO PINs, which give the user an interface to reset the GPS module or set it into standby mode.
LEDs
There are three (3) Green LED that indicate the status of PWR, TX, RX.
Antenna RF Interface
The modules have two RF interfaces for LoRa and GPS antennas over the standard UFL connectors (Hirose U. FL-R-SMT). It has a characteristic impedance of 50 Ω and supports both Tx and Rx via RF ports, providing the antenna interface.
Pin Definition
The pin connector of RAK2245 Pi HAT is located at the bottom side. Refer to the diagram and table below for the description and numbering of each pins.
Figure 1: Pinout Diagram| Pin | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3.3V | 3.3 V Supply Voltage |
| 2 | 5V | 5 V Supply Voltage |
| 3 | SDA | I²C SDA (Connect to GPS Module I²C_SDA) |
| 4 | 5V | 5 V Supply Voltage |
| 5 | SCL | I²C SCL (Connect to GPS Module I²C_SCL) |
| 6 | GND | Ground |
| 7 | NC | No Connection |
| 8 | UART_RXD | It should be connected to RASPBERRY PI’s UART_TXD. This pin is connected to GPS Module’s UART_RXD internally. |
| 9 | GND | Ground |
| 10 | UART_TXD | It should be connected to RASPBERRY PI’s UART_RXD. This pin is connected to GPS Module’s UART_TXD internally |
| 11 | RESET | SX1301 RESET (GPIO17 of Raspberry Pi) |
| 12 | NC | No Connection |
| 13 | NC | No Connection |
| 14 | GND | Ground |
| 15 | NC | No Connection |
| 16 | NC | No Connection |
| 17 | 3.3V | 3.3 V Supply Voltage |
| 18 | NC | No Connection |
| 19 | SPI_MOSI | It should be connected to RASPBERRY PI’s SPI_MOSI. This pin is connected to SX1301’s SPI_MOSI internally. |
| 20 | GND | Ground |
| 21 | SPI_MISO | It should be connected to RASPBERRY PI’s SPI_MISO. This pin is connected to SX1301’s SPI_MISO internally. |
| 22 | NC | No Connection |
| 23 | SPI_CLK | It should be connected to RASPBERRY PI’s SPI_SCLK. This pin is connected to SX1301’s SPI_CLK internally. |
| 24 | SPI_CS | It should be connected to RASPBERRY PI’s SPI_CE0. This pin is connected to SX1301’s SPI_CS internally. |
| 25 | GND | Ground |
| 26 | NC | No Connection |
| 27 | ID_SD | I²C_SDA for HAT ID EEPROM |
| 28 | ID_SC | I²C_SCL for HAT ID EEPROM |
| 29 | NC | No Connection |
| 30 | GND | Ground |
| 31 | NC | No Connection |
| 32 | NC | No Connection |
| 33 | RESET_GPS | GPS Module Reset Pin (GPIO 13 of Raspberry Pi) |
| 34 | GND | Ground |
| 35 | STANDBY_GPS | GPS Module standby PIN (GPIO19 of Raspberry Pi) |
| 36 | NC | No Connection |
| 37 | NC | No Connection |
| 38 | NC | No Connection |
| 39 | GND | Ground |
| 40 | NC | No Connection |
RF Characteristics
Operating Frequencies
The board supports all LoRaWAN frequency channels as below. Which is easy to configure while building the firmware from the source code.
| Region | Frequency (MHz) |
|---|---|
| Europe | EU433, EU868 |
| China | CN470 |
| North America | US915 |
| Asia | AS923 |
| Australia | AU915 |
| Korea | KR920 |
| Indian | IN865 |
Transmitter RF
The RAK2245 Pi HAT has an excellent transmitter performance. It is highly recommended to use an optimized configuration for the power level configuration, which is part of the HAL. This results in a mean RF output power level and current consumption.
| PA Control | DAC Control | MIX Control | DIG Gain | Normal RF Power Level (dbm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | -6 |
| 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | -3 |
| 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 4 |
| 1 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 1 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 10 |
| 1 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 12 |
| 1 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 14 |
| 1 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 16 |
| 2 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 17 |
| 2 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 19 |
| 2 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 20 |
| 3 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 25 |
| 3 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 26 |
| 3 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 27 |
- At T=25° C, Vdd = 5 V (Typical) if nothing else stated
| Parameter | Condition | Min | Typ. | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency Range | 863 MHz | 870 MHz | ||
| Modulation Techniques | FSK/LoRa | |||
| TX Frequency Variation vs Temperature | Power Level Setting: 20 | -3 kHz | +3 kHz | |
| TX Power Variation vs Temperature | Power Level Setting: 20 | -5 dBm | +5 dbm | |
| TX Power Variation | -1.5 dBm | +1.5 dBm |
Receiver RF
We recommended that you to use optimized RSSI calibration values which are part of HAL v3.1. For both Radio 1 and 2, the RSSI-offset should be set to -169. The following table gives the typical sensitivity level of RAK2245 Pi HAT.
| Signal Bandwidth (kHz) | Spreading Factor | Sensitivity (dBm) |
|---|---|---|
| 125 | 12 | -139 |
| 125 | 7 | -126 |
| 250 | 12 | -136 |
| 250 | 7 | -123 |
| 500 | 12 | -134 |
| 500 | 7 | -120 |
Electrical Characteristics
The following are the electrical characteristics of RAK2245 Pi HAT. Contact the RAK support if you need other details for your project.
Absolute Maximum Rating
The values and range given below are all in accordance with the Absolute Maximum Rating System (IEC 134).
| Parameter | Description | Min. | Typ. | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supply Voltage (VDD) | Input DC Voltage | -0.3 V | 5.0 V | 5.5 V |
| Operating Temperature | Temperature Range | -40° C | - | +85° C |
| RF Input Power | - | - | -15 dBm |
With RF output power level above +15 dBm a minimum distance to a transmitter should be 1 m for avoiding too large input level.
Maximum ESD
The table below lists the maximum ESD.
| Parameter | Min | Typical | Max | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESD sensitivity for all pins except ANT1 | 1 kV | Human Body Model according to JESD22-A114 | ||
| ESD sensitivity for ANT1 | 1 kV | Human Body Model according to JESD22-A114 | ||
| ESD immunity for ANT1 | 4 kV | Contact Discharge according to IEC 61000-4-2 | ||
| 8 kV | Air Discharge according to IEC 61000-4-2 |
The module is an Electrostatic Sensitive Device and requires special precautions when handling.
Power Consumption
| Mode | Condition | Min | Typical | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active-Mode (TX) | TX Enabled and RX Disabled | 336 mA | ||
| Active-Mode (RX) | TX Disabled and RX Enabled | 360 mA |
Environmental Requirements
Operating Conditions
The table below lists the operation temperature range.
| Parameter | Min. | Typical | Max | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal Operating Temperature | -40° C | +25° C | +85° C | Fully functional and meets 3GPP specifications |
Firmware
Download the latest firmware of RAK2245 Pi HAT in the table provided below.
| Model | Raspberry Pi Board | Firmware Version | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| RAK2245 Pi Hat | Raspberry Pi 3B+ and 4 | V4.2.5R | Download |
Models / Bundles
Ordering Information
| Part Number | Package | Description |
|---|---|---|
| RAK2243-0X-R01 | 1x board, 1x LoRa Antenna and 1x GPS Active Antenna retail package | Supports 433 / 470 / 868 / 915 / 923 / 920 / 865 MHz |
| RAK2243-0X-C10 | 10-piece board and Antennas carton package | Supports 433 / 470 / 868 / 915 / 923 / 920 / 865 MHz |
