Description
This 900 MHz radio version can be used for either 868 MHz or 915 MHz transmission/reception – the exact radio frequency is determined when you load the software since it can be tuned around dynamically.
At the Feather 32u4's heart is at ATmega32u4 clocked at 8 MHz and at 3.3 V logic. This chip has 32 K of flash and 2 K of RAM, with built in USB so not only does it have a USB-to-Serial program & debug capability built in with no need for an FTDI-like chip, it can also act like a mouse, keyboard, USB MIDI device, etc.
To make it easy to use for portable projects, we added a connector for any 3.7 V Lithium polymer batteries and built in battery charging. You don't need a battery, it will run just fine straight from the micro USB connector. But, if you do have a battery, you can take it on the go, then plug in the USB to recharge. The Feather will automatically switch over to USB power when its available. We also tied the battery thru a divider to an analog pin, so you can measure and monitor the battery voltage to detect when you need a recharge.
Features
- Measures 2.0' x 0.9' x 0.28' (51 x 23 x 8 mm) without headers soldered in
- Light as a (large?) feather – 5.5 grams
- ATmega32u4 @ 8 MHz with 3.3 V logic/power
- 3.3 V regulator with 500 mA peak current output
- USB native support, comes with USB bootloader and serial port debugging
- You also get tons of pins – 20 GPIO pins
- Hardware Serial, hardware I²C, hardware SPI support
- 7x PWM pins
- 10x analog inputs
- Built in 100 mA lipoly charger with charging status indicator LED
- Pin #13 red LED for general purpose blinking
- Power/enable pin
- 4 mounting holes
- Reset button
The Feather 32u4 Radio uses the extra space left over to add an RFM69HCW 868/915 MHz radio module. These radios are not good for transmitting audio or video, but they do work quite well for small data packet transmission when you ned more range than 2.4 GHz (BT, BLE, WiFi, ZigBee)
- SX1231 based module with SPI interface
- Packet radio with ready-to-go Arduino libraries
- Uses the license-free ISM band ('European ISM' @ 868 MHz or 'American ISM' @ 915 MHz)
- +13 to +20 dBm up to 100 mW Power Output Capability (power output selectable in software)
- 50 mA (+13 dBm) to 150 mA (+20 dBm) current draw for transmissions
- Range of approx. 350 meters, depending on obstructions, frequency, antenna and power output
- Create multipoint networks with individual node addresses
- Encrypted packet engine with AES-128
- Simple wire antenna or spot for uFL connector
Comes fully assembled and tested, with a USB bootloader that lets you quickly use it with the Arduino IDE. Headrs are also included so you can solder it in and plug into a solderless breadboard. You will need to cut and solder on a small piece of wire (any solid or stranded core is fine) in order to create your antenna.
Lipoly battery and USB cable not included.
