10-08-2020 | Rutronik | Subs & Systems
Available at Rutronik UK, the 2.4GHz RF front end module (FEM) nRF21540 from Nordic Semiconductor is a 'plug and play' range extender that increases range and connection robustness, when coupled with the multiprotocol wireless SoCs of nRF52 and nRF53 Series or other radios. It needs only a minimal amount of external components.
Due to the integrated power amplifier for output and the low noise amplifier for input (PA/LNA) the FEM improves the link robustness of the low power short-range wireless solutions from the company. When combined with an nRF52 Series SoC, the output power is +21dBm, the RX gain 13dB and the low noise figure 2.5dB. Therefore, there is a better link budget for up to 16x longer range. When coupled with an nRF52840 SoC running BLE at 1Mbps, for example, the module improves the RX sensitivity by 5dBm to -100dBm. Together with the increased output power, the link budget is increased by 18dBm.
The device can perform across a -40C to +105C temperature range, enabling it to complement the company's high temperature qualified nRF52833 and nRF5340 SoCs in industrial applications such as professional lighting. Other target applications are asset tracking, agricultural technology, remote-controlled toys, drones, audio and smart home use cases.
