RFD900x Multipoint User Manual

RFD900x Peer to peer User Manual Main - RFD900x Multipoint User Manual

RFD900x Multipoint User Manual​

Multipoint firmware User Manual

For use on the RFD x/ux/ux-SMT modems, Multipoint Firmware versions 2.86+

Features

  • Synchronous firmware for 2 or more modems
  • User settable data rates
  • Diversity antenna support

Download:RFD900x Multipoint User Manual V1.1(in PDF)

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Introduction

The RFD x and ux radio modems can be loaded with three official firmware releases to achieve different communication architectures and node topologies. So far, the available firmware versions are:

  • Peer-to-peer (P2P)
  • Multipoint network
  • Asynchronous mesh

This document describes the configuration of the Multipoint firmware. This firmware version is not loaded in the RFD900x radio modem by default. This means, you must download it from the website and flash it to the radio. The download link can be found in section “Useful links”.

The modems feature a boot loader to facilitate field upgrade of the modem firmware via the serial port. This is most easily performed by using the latest version RFD Modem tools (see “Useful links”)

Figure 1-1 pictures a generic multipoint network. The network requires that one of the devices assumes a master role to control the timeslot distribution of the surrounding modems.

RFD900x Multipoint User Manual V1 - RFD900x Multipoint User Manual

Figure 1- 1: Multipoint network architecture

As depicted in Figure 1-1, the multipoint network allows each node to be addressed individually. However, after receiving data it is not possible to identify which node it came from.

Note: Multipoint firmware is not compatible with -EU modems due to limitations the of certificated modes.

Note: Due to the limited number of channels available on the 868 MHz band the maximum number  of nodes that can be operated may be reduced.

Note: Use of flow control is strongly recommended to prevent data loss or corruption.

Software/GCS Support

Multipoint firmware settings, other than master node settings, can be managed by the modem tools GUI. All settings can also be configured by AT commands.

Default serial port settings are as follows:

  • 57600 baud
  • No parity
  • 8 data bits
  • 1 stop bit

The RFD x and ux series radio modem have many software features including:

  • Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum
  • Transparent Serial Link
  • Configuration by simple AT commands for local radio, RT Commands for remote radio
  • User configurable serial data rates and air data rates
  • Error correction routines, MAVLink protocol framing (user selectable)
  • MAVLink radio status reporting (Local RSSI, Remote RSSI, Local Noise, Remote Noise)
  • Automatic antenna diversity switching on a packet basis in real-time
  • Automatic duty cycle throttling based on radio temperature to avoid overheating

Note: Due to limitations of addressability in the firmware SiK features such as RC pass through and GPIO pin mirroring are not available.

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