CML Microcircuits Ltd, a global supplier of Wireless Data solutions, has recently released a new product that compliments their existing range of data modems targeting licensed VHF/UHF data modems. An evolution of the highly successful CMX7164, the new device supports double the radio channel bandwidth of its predecessor and incorporates additional power-saving features.
The CMX7364 can support over air data rates up to 200kb/s in 50kHz channels and is suitable for channel bandwidths up to 75kHz. This makes it ideal for Industrial IoT applications such as SCADA and Real Time Kinematics where well-controlled response times, communications links robust to interference and Quality of Service are key demands. These requirements cannot be guaranteed by cellular-based or unlicensed solutions.
The CMX7364 enables engineers with little or no DSP programming skills to engineer high performance narrowband modem solutions and get products to market extremely quickly. This is becoming more relevant today as companies downsize their design teams and engineers are expected to have a more broad knowledge of multiple disciplines rather than a deep technical knowledge in a single area. The product leverages CML’s many years of expertise in narrowband radio systems and the digital signal processing required to provide robust radio solutions meeting professional radio standards such as ETSI EN 300 113.
The IC integrates the modem’s physical radio interface to the RF and partial MAC functionality: it is configured by downloading a Function Image™, provided free of charge by CML, which configures the device to support particular modulation types (QAM, FSK, etc.). Each modulation type supports a number of options, for example the QAM Function Image™ supports 4, 16, 32 and 64-QAM types with variable payload length and forward error correction, allowing the user to trade link robustness with throughput. As well as handling the physical signal demodulation and modulation the CMX7364 includes lower level MAC functions, leaving the developer to concentrate on higher protocol and application development. The CMX7364 also supports a raw mode of operation where developers can have the maximum flexibility to implement their own customised air interfaces.
The device integrates seamlessly with CML’s CMX994 RF Direct Conversion Receiver and CMX998 Cartesian Feedback Loop Transmitter devices enabling the development of flexible software defined radios operating up to 1GHz, supporting channel bandwidths from 6.25 to 75 kHz.
Packaged in a 64-lead VQFN requiring a single 3.3V supply the CMX7364 is available from February 2020 at $14.46 in 10Ku quantities. CML also offers the PE0602-7364 Evaluation Kit to aid product evaluation.