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Permalink Reply by Jake Stew on July 2, 2012 at 3:33pm

This module only has the chip radio, not the Si100X MCU+radio.  It has good specs, but they really should be more clear in the description about how much it takes to get this working.

You will need a microcontroller to interface with the radio.  The APM does not have enough processing power to properly run this radio, and you'd have to do a lot of programming to get it running in any case.  This is not a ready to go module.

If you want to invest the time to get this working check out the openLRS project at...

http://blog.flytron.com/category/openlrs-project

Otherwise maybe you can give or sell it to one of the people there.

If you want the best radio option with no work then get one of the 3DR radios.  If you're wanting to do some electronics work with a module then check out the HopeRF modules that the 3DR radios are based on.  They use the Si100X chip which is the chip radio in your modules plus an integrated microcontroller.

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Permalink Reply by Todd Hill on July 3, 2012 at 10:50pm

Jake, I am aware that I will need a MCU, crystal, and passives, which I have.  This is for learning.  The modules had good specs for the price, so why not.  Just curious if anyone else has attempted to use this brand, or model with an APM yet.  

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Permalink Reply by Jake Stew on July 7, 2012 at 3:54pm

Well, if you want to use an 8051 core MCU then check out the 3DR code.  If you're going to use an Atmel MCU then check out OpenLRS.  If you want to use a STM32 MCU then you're probably breaking new ground AFAIK.

It might even be possible to get the APM code to interface with the module directly.  To me, the extra $2 that the Si100X costs over the Si4431 and a cheap MCU, combined with the existing code that makes it essentially plug-n-play, makes it a no brainer to go with the integrated solution.

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