Use the DNT900 in place of an XBee -- open source adapter board
Hello All!
I am working on a interface board that will allow the DNT900 radio to plug in to XBee sockets (specifically the XBee900 pro, and those of the same pinout). The DNT900 is cheap, ($70 per radio), 900 Mhz, up to 1 watt @ 115200 baud [or greater speeds at lower output power], and very highly configurable with encryption, multiple network topologies, and more options.
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FEATURES::
-Plugs in to XBee Sockets
-Uses RFM DNT900 1watt capable radio
-Powered by ATmega128 processor (manages radio)
-Easily accessible SPI connections for quick programming
-4.5-22v input, sources up to 500mA @ 3.3v for other devices
-1.5" x 2.5" board with SMA connector for an antenna
-Tri-color LED for status indication including power on, link, and tx/rx
-Configuration button (press to set mode / pair radios / etc)
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I am interested in seeing if there is a market for this interface board. Boards should cost ~ $65 per pair not including the dnt900 radios. This is a ballpark on the pricing, but it makes for a very competitively priced option to the digi xtreme 900 1watt (at ~350 per pair + tricky connector). please let me know your thoughts and ideas to this!
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For those of you interested in the integration manual for the radio - this is the good one
http://www.rfm.com/products/data/dnt900dk_manual.pdf
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Here is an image of the gerber files:
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I will NOT however have the time to write all the code for the atmega128 chip - but will make the SPI connections (for programming) very connectable via pin header. I intend it to be programmed from AVRstudio.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Brad Smith on -
sounds like a winner to me ,,,what did they say in that movie "if you build it they will come " . gotta check and see if the power supply on my xbee boards will handle the dnt if not might need to add a voltage regulator on the board
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Permalink Reply by andy j on -
for sure! this is a beast, and if you intend to communicate at 1 watt, make sure you have some good power behind it :-)
(refer to data sheet for power requirements - i just added it to the above)
Also, i'm down grading the processor to the atmega324 which will still be overqualified, but hopefully a little less ridiculous than the big 64 pin one
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Permalink Reply by Brad Smith on
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DNT 900 Peak Transmit Mode Current, 1 W Output= 1200 mA
ardufruit xbee adapter Onboard 3.3V regulator to cleanly power your XBee, up to 250mA
houston we have a problem !
looks like its gonna need its own power supply and high enough pins to clear the capacitor on the ardufruit xbee board not sure about DYI adapters, my usb adapter would be fine
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Permalink Reply by Brad Smith on
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i think the adufruit board is the hardest to get to fit i had to mount the cap at an angle to get a xbee pro to fit , did you find a 1.5 watt power supply for it yet ? now to find a 40 mile video transmitter !
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Permalink Reply by WhiteRabbit on -
it sounds like long range telemetry,congrats Andy.
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Permalink Reply by andy j on
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I'd be more than happy to get a pair of prototype boards made for you :-) PM me if you are interested!
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Permalink Reply by Jake Stew on -
I don't understand... You're making an adapter board to make a more powerful radio attach to a less powerful radio? WTF?
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Permalink Reply by andy j on
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""an interface board that will allow the DNT900 radio to plug in to XBee sockets""
Meaning that if you have a board with a XBee socket (allowing an xbee radio to plug in), you could plug this in.
aka: this will give you the capability to use a more powerful and configurable radio in place of the xbee radio.
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Permalink Reply by Brad Smith on
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Hey Andy,, did you add a power supply yet and have you decided on a price i,m ready for a pair too !! and what will be needed to configure these ?
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Permalink Reply by andy j on
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Yep, Its up and running! I can get a few boards for ya! I will PM you wih the price once I get the boards done. Personally I have been using AVR Studio, but will not have the time to actually program this. For simple operation, a simple RX0->TX0 and RX1->TX1 will suffice, along with pulling a few pins high and low to "enable" the radio. I have a list of functions that should be programmed in to it for "complete" operation if you are interested in helping me with the programming.
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Permalink Reply by Brad Smith on
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for my purposes transparent serial would suffice (thats what the APM uses) and thats what the 900 outputs. I dont know how much help i would be, getting old and the brain dont work too well,, what do you need to program ?
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