The ZWIR4512 from Renesas is a Programmable Wireless IPv6 communication Module for sensors and small devices. This low-power module consists of an STM32F103RC ARM® Cortex™-M3 microcontroller from ST Microelectronics and a ZWIR4502 transceiver from IDT, and provides a rich set of GPIO and peripheral interfaces. It features a serial command interface with built-in security and over-the-air update (OTAU) functionality. The communication of this module is based on 6LoWPAN, a free and open communication standard developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). This standard specifies how to transmit IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) packets over low-power wireless personal area networks. It has a low current consumption of 3.7 μA in Standby Mode, 13.5 mA in Receive Mode, and 18.5 mA in Transmit Mode at 0 dBm. In Tx mode, it transmits an output power of up to 10 dB, whereas, it has a receive sensitivity of up to -110 dBm on the Rx side. The device provides a hardware-programmed 64-bit MAC address that is guaranteed to be globally unique.
Radio Transceiver
The module includes IDT’s ZWIR4502 radio transceiver. This circuit performs modulation and demodulation of outgoing and incoming data, respectively. The modulation scheme is configurable according to the IEEE802.15.4 standard. The radio transceiver is never accessed directly by application code. This task is performed by the communication stack, which encapsulates such low-level functionality in abstract functions.
Microcontroller
The protocol stack and the user application are executed on an STM32F103RC microcontroller (MCU) from ST Microelectronics. It provides 256 kB flash and 48 kB SRAM memory. The MCU provides a rich set of peripherals and several general-purpose input/output (GPIO) ports. The GPIO ports of the module are directly connected to the GPIOs of the MCU
MCU Core
The MCU core is an ARM® Cortex™-M3. This is a 32-bit RISC core with a performance of 1.25 DMIPS/MHz. Using IDT’s software stack, the maximum operating frequency is 64 MHz. This allows for computational intensive applications. To save power, the core can be shut off completely, waking up only on external activity.
Peripherals and Interfaces
The module was designed to make maximum use of the controller’s internal peripherals. Up to 21 digital general-purpose I/Os can be used by the application. Most of these I/Os have alternative functions. Some of them are 5V-tolerant. In addition to communication interfaces, the module also provides signal conversion peripherals. Three analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), two digital-to-analog converters (DACs), and two pulse-width modulation (PWM) peripherals are available.
This module comes with a preprogrammed command interface, allowing modem-like communication based on simple commands sent over a serial interface. Alternatively, the module is freely programmable based on an application programming interface (API) that exposes abstract communication functionality to the programmer. This device is rated over an operating temperature range of -40°C to +85°C and is available in a surface-mount package with various pins and size options.
The ZWIR4512 module has been tested and found to comply with Annex IV of the R&TTE Directive 1999/5/EC and is subject to a notified body opinion. The module has been approved for antennas with gains of 4 dBi or less.
