SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET SX1231 Transceiver Low Power Integrated UHF Transceiver VBAT1&2 VR_ANA VR_DIG Power Distribution System OscRilClator LNA Single to Mixers ModΣu/lΔators VRRG_FNPIDOA PRACa0omntpro &l DifferenILFtniToidlatoauepnlcrktor SFDry2iavn,c its4h-Ni eoo snrP i z6bLeyLr RDecimation andInterpolationS& Filtering& FilteringSI Demodulator &AModulatorFBit SynchronizerC Packet Engine & 66 Bytes FIFO Control Registers - Shift Registers - SPI Interface RDDDDSDRPXIIIIIEOOOOOITS12340XET PA_BOOST PA1&2 32X MOHz DIO5 XTAL GND GENERAL DESCRIPTION KEY PRODUCT FEATURES The SX1231 is a highly integrated RF transceiver capable of  High Sensitivity: down to -120 dBm at 1.2 kbps operation over a wide frequency range, including the 433,  High Selectivity: 16-tap FIR Channel Filter 868 and 915 MHz license-free ISM (Industry Scientific and Medical) frequency bands. Its highly integrated architecture  Bullet-proof front end: IIP3 = -18 dBm, IIP2 = +35 dBm, allows for a minimum of external components whilst 80 dB Blocking Immunity, no Image Frequency response maintaining maximum design flexibility. All major RF  Low current: Rx = 16 mA, 100nA register retention communication parameters are programmable and most of  Programmable Pout: -18 to +17 dBm in 1dB steps them can be dynamically set. The SX1231 offers the unique advantage of programmable narrow-band and wide-band  Constant RF performance over voltage range of chip communication modes without the need to modify external  FSK Bit rates up to 300 kb/s components. The SX1231 is optimized for low power  consumption while offering high RF output power and Fully integrated synthesizer with a resolution of 61 Hz channelized operation. TrueRF™ technology enables a low-  FSK, GFSK, MSK, GMSK and OOK modulations cost external component count (elimination of the SAW  Built-in Bit Synchronizer performing Clock Recovery filter) whilst still satisfying ETSI and FCC regulations.  Incoming Sync Word Recognition APPLICATIONS  115 dB+ Dynamic Range RSSI   Automatic RF Sense with ultra-fast AFC Automated Meter Reading   Packet engine with CRC, AES-128 and 66-byte FIFO Wireless Sensor Networks   Built-in temperature sensor and Low Battery indicator Home and Building Automation  Wireless Alarm and Security Systems ORDERING INFORMATION  Industrial Monitoring and Control  Wireless M-BUS Part Number Package Delivery MOQ / Multiple MARKETS SX1231IMLTRT QFN24 3000 pieces Tape &  Europe: EN 300-220-1 SX1231ITSTRT TSSOP28 Reel 2500 pieces  North America: FCC Part 15.247, 15.249, 15.231  Narrow Korean and Japanese bands, Arib STD-T108  Pb-free, Halogen free, RoHS/WEEE compliant product  TSSOP: NiPdAu plated Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 1 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET Table of contents Section Page 1. General Description............................................................................................................................................... 10 1.1. Simplified Block Diagram............................................................................................................................... 10 1.2. Pin and Marking Diagram ..............................................................................................................................11 1.3. Pin Description ...............................................................................................................................................12 2. Electrical Characteristics....................................................................................................................................... 13 2.1. ESD Notice.................................................................................................................................................... 13 2.2. Absolute Maximum Ratings........................................................................................................................... 13 2.3. Operating Range............................................................................................................................................ 13 2.4. Chip Specification ..........................................................................................................................................14 2.4.1. Power Consumption.................................................................................................................................. 14 2.4.2. Frequency Synthesis................................................................................................................................. 14 2.4.3. Receiver.................................................................................................................................................... 15 2.4.4. Transmitter................................................................................................................................................ 16 2.4.5. Digital Specification ...................................................................................................................................17 3. Chip Description.................................................................................................................................................... 18 3.1. Power Supply Strategy.................................................................................................................................. 18 3.2. Low Battery Detector..................................................................................................................................... 18 3.3. Frequency Synthesis..................................................................................................................................... 18 3.3.1. Reference Oscillator.................................................................................................................................. 18 3.3.2. CLKOUT Output ........................................................................................................................................19 3.3.3. PLL Architecture........................................................................................................................................ 19 3.3.4. Lock Time ..................................................................................................................................................20 3.3.5. Lock Detect Indicator................................................................................................................................. 20 3.4. Transmitter Description ..................................................................................................................................21 3.4.1. Architecture Description............................................................................................................................ 21 3.4.2. Bit Rate Setting......................................................................................................................................... 21 3.4.3. FSK Modulation......................................................................................................................................... 22 3.4.4. OOK Modulation........................................................................................................................................ 23 3.4.5. Modulation Shaping................................................................................................................................... 23 3.4.6. Power Amplifiers....................................................................................................................................... 23 3.4.7. Over Current Protection............................................................................................................................ 24 3.5. Receiver Description ......................................................................................................................................25 3.5.1. Block Diagram........................................................................................................................................... 25 3.5.2. LNA - Single to Differential Buffer............................................................................................................. 25 3.5.3. Automatic Gain Control............................................................................................................................. 26 3.5.4. Continuous-Time DAGC............................................................................................................................ 27 3.5.5. Quadrature Mixer - ADCs - Decimators ....................................................................................................28 3.5.6. Channel Filter............................................................................................................................................ 28 3.5.7. DC Cancellation........................................................................................................................................ 29 Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 2 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET Table of contents Section Page 3.5.8. Complex Filter - OOK................................................................................................................................ 29 3.5.9. RSSI.......................................................................................................................................................... 29 3.5.10. Cordic...................................................................................................................................................... 30 3.5.11. FSK Demodulator ....................................................................................................................................31 3.5.12. OOK Demodulator................................................................................................................................... 31 3.5.13. Bit Synchronizer...................................................................................................................................... 33 3.5.14. Frequency Error Indicator........................................................................................................................ 33 3.5.15. Automatic Frequency Correction............................................................................................................. 34 3.5.16. Optimized Setup for Low Modulation Index Systems.............................................................................. 35 3.5.17. Temperature Sensor ...............................................................................................................................36 3.5.18. Timeout Function..................................................................................................................................... 36 4. Operating Modes................................................................................................................................................... 37 4.1. Basic Modes.................................................................................................................................................. 37 4.2. Automatic Sequencer and Wake-Up Times................................................................................................... 37 4.2.1. Transmitter Startup Time ...........................................................................................................................38 4.2.2. Tx Start Procedure.................................................................................................................................... 38 4.2.3. Receiver Startup Time............................................................................................................................... 38 4.2.4. Rx Start Procedure.................................................................................................................................... 40 4.2.5. Optimized Frequency Hopping Sequences............................................................................................... 40 4.3. Listen Mode ...................................................................................................................................................41 4.3.1. Timings...................................................................................................................................................... 41 4.3.2. Criteria....................................................................................................................................................... 42 4.3.3. End of Cycle Actions................................................................................................................................. 42 4.3.4. Stopping Listen Mode................................................................................................................................ 43 4.3.5. RC Timer Accuracy................................................................................................................................... 43 4.4. AutoModes .....................................................................................................................................................44 5. Data Processing.................................................................................................................................................... 45 5.1. Overview........................................................................................................................................................ 45 5.1.1. Block Diagram........................................................................................................................................... 45 5.1.2. Data Operation Modes.............................................................................................................................. 45 5.2. Control Block Description............................................................................................................................... 46 5.2.1. SPI Interface.............................................................................................................................................. 46 5.2.2. FIFO.......................................................................................................................................................... 47 5.2.3. Sync Word Recognition............................................................................................................................. 48 5.2.4. Packet Handler.......................................................................................................................................... 49 5.2.5. Control....................................................................................................................................................... 49 5.3. Digital IO Pins Mapping................................................................................................................................. 49 5.3.1. DIO Pins Mapping in Continuous Mode.................................................................................................... 50 5.3.2. DIO Pins Mapping in Packet Mode........................................................................................................... 50 Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 3 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET Table of contents Section Page 5.4. Continuous Mode ...........................................................................................................................................51 5.4.1. General Description................................................................................................................................... 51 5.4.2. Tx Processing............................................................................................................................................ 51 5.4.3. Rx Processing........................................................................................................................................... 52 5.5. Packet Mode.................................................................................................................................................. 52 5.5.1. General Description................................................................................................................................... 52 5.5.2. Packet Format........................................................................................................................................... 53 5.5.3. Tx Processing (without AES)..................................................................................................................... 55 5.5.4. Rx Processing (without AES).................................................................................................................... 56 5.5.5. AES........................................................................................................................................................... 56 5.5.6. Handling Large Packets............................................................................................................................ 58 5.5.7. Packet Filtering.......................................................................................................................................... 58 5.5.8. DC-Free Data Mechanisms....................................................................................................................... 60 6. Configuration and Status Registers....................................................................................................................... 62 6.1. General Description....................................................................................................................................... 62 6.2. Common Configuration Registers ..................................................................................................................65 6.3. Transmitter Registers .....................................................................................................................................68 6.4. Receiver Registers .........................................................................................................................................69 6.5. IRQ and Pin Mapping Registers ....................................................................................................................71 6.6. Packet Engine Registers ................................................................................................................................73 6.7. Temperature Sensor Registers...................................................................................................................... 76 6.8. Test Registers................................................................................................................................................ 76 7. Application Information.......................................................................................................................................... 77 7.1. Crystal Resonator Specification..................................................................................................................... 77 7.2. Reset of the Chip........................................................................................................................................... 77 7.2.1. POR........................................................................................................................................................... 77 7.2.2. Manual Reset ............................................................................................................................................78 7.3. Reference Design.......................................................................................................................................... 78 8. Packaging Information........................................................................................................................................... 81 8.1. QFN 24 Encapsulation................................................................................................................................... 81 8.2. TSSOP 28 Encapsulation ..............................................................................................................................82 8.3. Thermal Impedance....................................................................................................................................... 82 8.4. Tape & Reel Specification.............................................................................................................................. 83 9. Chip Revisions....................................................................................................................................................... 84 9.1. RC Oscillator Calibration................................................................................................................................ 84 9.2. Listen Mode ...................................................................................................................................................85 9.2.1. Resolutions................................................................................................................................................ 85 9.2.2. Exiting Listen Mode................................................................................................................................... 85 9.3. OOK Floor Threshold Default Setting............................................................................................................ 85 Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 4 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET Table of contents Section Page 9.4. OCP Block..................................................................................................................................................... 86 9.5. AFC Control................................................................................................................................................... 86 9.5.1. AfcAutoClearOn........................................................................................................................................ 86 9.5.2. AfcLowBetaOn and LowBetaAfcOffset...................................................................................................... 86 9.6. ContinuousDagc............................................................................................................................................ 86 10. Revision History..................................................................................................................................................... 87 Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 5 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET FIGURES Figure 1. Block Diagram ..............................................................................................................................................10 Figure 2. Pin Diagram (not to scale) ............................................................................................................................11 Figure 3. Marking Diagram ..........................................................................................................................................11 Figure 4. TCXO Connection ........................................................................................................................................18 Figure 5. Transmitter Block Diagram ...........................................................................................................................21 Figure 6. Output Power Curves ...................................................................................................................................24 Figure 7. Receiver Block Diagram ...............................................................................................................................25 Figure 8. AGC Thresholds Settings .............................................................................................................................26 Figure 9. RSSI Dynamic Curve ....................................................................................................................................30 Figure 10. Cordic Extraction ........................................................................................................................................30 Figure 11. OOK Peak Demodulator Description ..........................................................................................................31 Figure 12. Floor Threshold Optimization .....................................................................................................................32 Figure 13. Bit Synchronizer Description ......................................................................................................................33 Figure 14. FEI Process ................................................................................................................................................34 Figure 15. Optimized AFC (AfcLowBetaOn=1) ............................................................................................................35 Figure 16. Temperature Sensor Response .................................................................................................................36 Figure 17. Tx Startup, FSK and OOK ..........................................................................................................................38 Figure 18. Rx Startup - No AGC, no AFC ....................................................................................................................39 Figure 19. Rx Startup - AGC, no AFC .........................................................................................................................39 Figure 20. Rx Startup - AGC and AFC ........................................................................................................................39 Figure 21. Listen Mode Sequence (no wanted signal is received) ..............................................................................41 Figure 22. Listen Mode Sequence (wanted signal is received) ...................................................................................43 Figure 23. Auto Modes of Packet Handler ...................................................................................................................44 Figure 24. SX1231 Data Processing Conceptual View ...............................................................................................45 Figure 25. SPI Timing Diagram (single access) ..........................................................................................................46 Figure 26. FIFO and Shift Register (SR) .....................................................................................................................47 Figure 27. FifoLevel IRQ Source Behavior ..................................................................................................................48 Figure 28. Sync Word Recognition ..............................................................................................................................49 Figure 29. Continuous Mode Conceptual View ...........................................................................................................51 Figure 30. Tx Processing in Continuous Mode ............................................................................................................51 Figure 31. Rx Processing in Continuous Mode ...........................................................................................................52 Figure 32. Packet Mode Conceptual View ...................................................................................................................53 Figure 33. Fixed Length Packet Format ......................................................................................................................54 Figure 34. Variable Length Packet Format ..................................................................................................................54 Figure 35. Unlimited Length Packet Format ................................................................................................................55 Figure 36. CRC Implementation ..................................................................................................................................60 Figure 37. Manchester Encoding/Decoding .................................................................................................................60 Figure 38. Data Whitening ...........................................................................................................................................61 Figure 39. POR Timing Diagram .................................................................................................................................77 Figure 40. Manual Reset Timing Diagram ...................................................................................................................78 Figure 41. +13dBm Schematic ....................................................................................................................................78 Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 6 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET Figure 42. +17dBm Schematic ....................................................................................................................................79 Figure 43. QFN 24 Package Outline Drawing and Land Pattern .................................................................................81 Figure 44. TSSOP 28 Package Outline Drawing and Land Pattern ............................................................................82 Figure 45. Tape & Reel Specification, QFN Package ..................................................................................................83 Figure 46. Tape & Reel Specification, TSSOP Package .............................................................................................83 Figure 47. Listen Mode Resolutions, V2a ...................................................................................................................85 Figure 48. Listen Mode Resolution, V2b .....................................................................................................................85 Figure 49. Exiting Listen Mode in SX1231 V2a ...........................................................................................................85 Figure 50. RegTestOok Description ............................................................................................................................85 Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 7 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET TABLES Table 1. SX1231 Pinouts ..............................................................................................................................................12 Table 2. Absolute Maximum Ratings ............................................................................................................................13 Table 3. Operating Range ............................................................................................................................................13 Table 4. Power Consumption Specification ..................................................................................................................14 Table 5. Frequency Synthesizer Specification ..............................................................................................................14 Table 6. Receiver Specification ....................................................................................................................................15 Table 7. Transmitter Specification ................................................................................................................................16 Table 8. Digital Specification ........................................................................................................................................17 Table 9. Bit Rate Examples ..........................................................................................................................................22 Table 10. Power Amplifier Mode Selection Truth Table ...............................................................................................23 Table 11. LNA Gain Settings ........................................................................................................................................25 Table 12. Receiver Performance Summary ..................................................................................................................27 Table 13. Available RxBw Settings ...............................................................................................................................28 Table 14. Available DCC Cutoff Frequencies ...............................................................................................................29 Table 15. Basic Transceiver Modes .............................................................................................................................37 Table 16. Range of Durations in Listen Mode ..............................................................................................................41 Table 17. Signal Acceptance Criteria in Listen Mode ...................................................................................................42 Table 18. End of Listen Cycle Actions ..........................................................................................................................42 Table 19. Status of FIFO when Switching Between Different Modes of the Chip .........................................................48 Table 20. DIO Mapping, Continuous Mode ..................................................................................................................50 Table 21. DIO Mapping, Packet Mode .........................................................................................................................50 Table 22. Registers Summary ......................................................................................................................................62 Table 23. Common Configuration Registers .................................................................................................................65 Table 24. Transmitter Registers ...................................................................................................................................68 Table 25. Receiver Registers .......................................................................................................................................69 Table 26. IRQ and Pin Mapping Registers ...................................................................................................................71 Table 27. Packet Engine Registers ..............................................................................................................................73 Table 28. Temperature Sensor Registers .....................................................................................................................76 Table 29. Test Registers ..............................................................................................................................................76 Table 30. Crystal Specification .....................................................................................................................................77 Table 31. +13dBm BOM ...............................................................................................................................................79 Table 32. +17dBm BOM ...............................................................................................................................................80 Table 33. Chip Identification .........................................................................................................................................84 Table 34. Revision History ............................................................................................................................................87 Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 8 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET Acronyms BOM Bill Of Materials LSB Least Significant Bit BR Bit Rate MSB Most Significant Bit BW Bandwidth NRZ Non Return to Zero CCITT Comité Consultatif International OOK On Off Keying Téléphonique et Télégraphique - ITU CRC Cyclic Redundancy Check PA Power Amplifier DAC Digital to Analog Converter PCB Printed Circuit Board ETSI European Telecommunications Standards PLL Phase-Locked Loop Institute FCC Federal Communications Commission POR Power On Reset Fdev Frequency Deviation RBW Resolution BandWidth FIFO First In First Out RF Radio Frequency FIR Finite Impulse Response RSSI Received Signal Strength Indicator FS Frequency Synthesizer Rx Receiver FSK Frequency Shift Keying SAW Surface Acoustic Wave GUI Graphical User Interface SPI Serial Peripheral Interface IC Integrated Circuit SR Shift Register ID IDentificator Stby Standby IF Intermediate Frequency Tx Transmitter IRQ Interrupt ReQuest uC Microcontroller ITU International Telecommunication Union VCO Voltage Controlled Oscillator LFSR Linear Feedback Shift Register XO Crystal Oscillator LNA Low Noise Amplifier XOR eXclusive OR LO Local Oscillator Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 9 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET This product datasheet contains a detailed description of the SX1231 performance and functionality. Please consult the Semtech website for the latest updates or errata. Refer to section 9 of this document to identify chip revisions. 1. General Description The SX1231 is a single-chip integrated circuit ideally suited for today's high performance ISM band RF applications. The SX1231's advanced features set, including state of the art packet engine greatly simplifies system design whilst the high level of integration reduces the external BOM to a handful of passive decoupling and matching components. It is intended for use as high-performance, low-cost FSK and OOK RF transceiver for robust frequency agile, half-duplex bi-directional RF links, and where stable and constant RF performance is required over the full operating range of the device down to 1.8V. The SX1231 is intended for applications over a wide frequency range, including the 433 MHz and 868 MHz European and the 902-928 MHz North American ISM bands. Coupled with a link budget in excess of 135 dB, the advanced system features of the SX1231 include a 66 byte TX/RX FIFO, configurable automatic packet handler, listen mode, temperature sensor and configurable DIOs which greatly enhance system flexibility whilst at the same time significantly reducing MCU requirements. The SX1231 complies with both ETSI and FCC regulatory requirements and is available in a 5x 5 mm QFN 24 lead package, or a 9.7 x 4.4 mm TSSOP 28 package. 1.1. Simplified Block Diagram VBAT1&2 VR_ANA VR_DIG RC Power Distribution System Oscillator LNA Σ/Δ Single to Mixers Modulators Differential VRRG_FNPIDOA PRACa0omntpro &l ILFnToidltoauepncrktor SFDry2iavn,c its4h-Ni eoo snrP i z6bLeyLr RDecimation andnterpolationS& Filtering& FilteringSI Demodulator &AModulatorFBit SynchronizerC Packet Engine & 66 Bytes FIFO Control Registers - Shift Registers - SPI Interface RSDDDDDRPXIIIIIEOOOOOITS01234XET I DIO5 PA_BOOST XO 32 MHz PA1&2 XTAL GND Frequency Synthesis Transmitter Blocks Primarily Analog Receiver Blocks Control Blocks Primarily Digital Figure 1. Block Diagram Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 10 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 1.2. Pin and Marking Diagram The following diagram shows the pin arrangement of the QFN and TSSOP packages, top view. 1 MISO 28 SCK 2 MOSI 27 GND 3 NSS 26 VBAT2 4 RXTX 25 GND 5 GND 24 DIO5 6 RFIO 23 DIO4 7 GND 22 DIO3 8 PA_BOOST 21 DIO2 9 GND 20 DIO1 10 VR_PA 19 DIO0 11 GND 18 GND 12 VBAT1 17 RESET 13 VR_ANA 16 XTB 14 VR_DIG 15 XTA Figure 2. Pin Diagram (not to scale) Figure 3. Marking Diagram Notes yyww refers to the date code xxxxxx refers to the lot number Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 11 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 1.3. Pin Description Table 1 SX1231 Pinouts Pin Number Name Type Description QFN TSSOP 0 - GROUND - Exposed ground pad 1 12 VBAT1 - Supply voltage 2 13 VR_ANA - Regulated supply voltage for analogue circuitry 3 14 VR_DIG - Regulated supply voltage for digital blocks 4 15 XTA I/O XTAL connection 5 16 XTB I/O XTAL connection 6 17 RESET I/O Reset trigger input - 18 GND - Ground 7 19 DIO0 I/O Digital I/O, software configured 8 20 DIO1/DCLK I/O Digital I/O, software configured 9 21 DIO2/DATA I/O Digital I/O, software configured 10 22 DIO3 I/O Digital I/O, software configured 11 23 DIO4 I/O Digital I/O, software configured 12 24 DIO5 I/O Digital I/O, software configured - 25 GND - Ground 13 26 VBAT2 - Supply voltage 14 27 GND - Ground 15 28 SCK I SPI Clock input 16 1 MISO O SPI Data output 17 2 MOSI I SPI Data input 18 3 NSS I SPI Chip select input 19 4 RXTX O Rx/Tx switch control: high in Tx 20 5 GND - Ground 21 6 RFIO I/O RF input / output 22 7 GND - Ground 23 8 PA_BOOST O Optional high-power PA output - 9 GND - Ground 24 10 VR_PA - Regulated supply for the PA - 11 GND - Ground Note PA_BOOST can be left floating if unused Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 12 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 2. Electrical Characteristics 2.1. ESD Notice The SX1231 is a high performance radio frequency device. It satisfies:  Class 2 of the JEDEC standard JESD22-A114-B (Human Body Model) on all pins.  Class B of the JEDEC standard JESD22-A115-A (Machine Model) on all pins.  Class IV of the JEDEC standard JESD22-C101C (Charged Device Model) on pins VR_ANA, VR_DIG, RFIO, PA_BOOST, VR_PA, Class III on all other pins. It should thus be handled with all the necessary ESD precautions to avoid any permanent damage. 2.2. Absolute Maximum Ratings Stresses above the values listed below may cause permanent device failure. Exposure to absolute maximum ratings for extended periods may affect device reliability. Table 2 Absolute Maximum Ratings Symbol Description Min Max Unit VDDmr Supply Voltage -0.5 3.9 V Tmr Temperature -55 +115 ° C Tj Junction temperature - +125 ° C Pmr RF Input Level - +6 dBm 2.3. Operating Range Table 3 Operating Range Symbol Description Min Max Unit VDDop Supply voltage 1.8 3.6 V Top Operational temperature range -40 +85 °C Clop Load capacitance on digital ports - 25 pF ML RF Input Level - 0 dBm Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 13 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 2.4. Chip Specification The tables below give the electrical specifications of the transceiver under the following conditions: Supply voltage VBAT1= VBAT2=VDD=3.3 V, temperature = 25 °C, FXOSC = 32 MHz, F = 915 MHz, Pout = +13dBm, 2-level FSK modulation RF without pre-filtering, FDA = 5 kHz, Bit Rate = 4.8 kb/s and terminated in a matched 50 Ohm impedance, unless otherwise specified. Note Unless otherwise specified, the performances in the other frequency bands are similar or better. 2.4.1. Power Consumption Table 4 Power Consumption Specification Symbol Description Conditions Min Typ Max Unit IDDSL Supply current in Sleep mode - 0.1 1 uA IDDIDLE Supply current in Idle mode RC oscillator enabled - 1.2 - uA IDDST Supply current in Standby mode Crystal oscillator enabled - 1.25 1.5 mA IDDFS Supply current in Synthesizer - 9 - mA mode IDDR Supply current in Receive mode - 16 - mA IDDT Supply current in Transmit mode RFOP = +17 dBm, on PA_BOOST - 95 - mA with appropriate matching, stable RFOP = +13 dBm, on RFIO pin - 45 - mA across VDD range RFOP = +10 dBm, on RFIO pin - 33 - mA RFOP = 0 dBm, on RFIO pin - 20 - mA RFOP = -1 dBm, on RFIO pin - 16 - mA 2.4.2. Frequency Synthesis Table 5 Frequency Synthesizer Specification Symbol Description Conditions Min Typ Max Unit FR Synthesizer Frequency Range Programmable 290 - 340 MHz 424 - 510 MHz 862 - 1020 MHz FXOSC Crystal oscillator frequency See section 7.1 - 32 - MHz TS_OSC Crystal oscillator wake-up time - 250 500 us TS_FS Frequency synthesizer wake-up From Standby mode - 80 150 us time to PllLock signal TS_HOP Frequency synthesizer hop time 200 kHz step - 20 - us at most 10 kHz away from the 1 MHz step - 20 - us target 5 MHz step - 50 - us 7 MHz step - 50 - us 12 MHz step - 80 - us 20 MHz step - 80 - us 25 MHz step - 80 - us FSTEP Frequency synthesizer step FSTEP = FXOSC/219 - 61.0 - Hz Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 14 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET FRC RC Oscillator frequency After calibration - 62.5 - kHz BRF Bit rate, FSK Programmable 1.2 - 300 kbps BRO Bit rate, OOK Programmable 1.2 - 32.768 kbps FDA Frequency deviation, FSK Programmable 0.6 - 300 kHz FDA + BRF/2 =< 500 kHz 2.4.3. Receiver All receiver tests are performed with RxBw = 10 kHz (Single Side Bandwidth) as programmed in RegRxBw, receiving a PN15 sequence with a BER of 0.1% (Bit Synchronizer is enabled), unless otherwise specified. The LNA impedance is set to 200 Ohms, by setting bit LnaZin in RegLna to 1. Blocking tests are performed with an unmodulated interferer. The wanted signal power for the Blocking Immunity, ACR, IIP2, IIP3 and AMR tests is set 3 dB above the nominal sensitivity level. Table 6 Receiver Specification Symbol Description Conditions Min Typ Max Unit RFS_F FSK sensitivity, highest LNA gain FDA = 5 kHz, BR = 1.2 kb/s - -118 - dBm FDA = 5 kHz, BR = 4.8 kb/s - -114 - dBm FDA = 40 kHz, BR = 38.4 kb/s - -105 - dBm FDA = 5 kHz, BR = 1.2 kb/s * - -120 - dBm RFS_O OOK sensitivity, highest LNA gain BR = 4.8 kb/s - -112 -109 dBm CCR Co-Channel Rejection -13 -10 - dB ACR Adjacent Channel Rejection Offset = +/- 25 kHz - 42 - dB Offset = +/- 50 kHz 37 42 - dB BI Blocking Immunity Offset = +/- 1 MHz - 66 - dB Offset = +/- 2 MHz - 71 - dB Offset = +/- 10 MHz - 79 - dB Blocking Immunity Offset = +/- 1 MHz - 62 - dB Wanted signal at sensitivity Offset = +/- 2 MHz - 65 - dB +16dB Offset = +/- 10 MHz - 73 - dB AMR AM Rejection, AM modulated Offset = +/- 1 MHz - 66 - dB interferer with 100% modulation Offset = +/- 2 MHz - 71 - dB depth, fm = 1 kHz, square Offset = +/- 10 MHz - 79 - dB IIP2 2nd order Input Intercept Point Lowest LNA gain - +75 - dBm Unwanted tones are 20 MHz Highest LNA gain - +35 - dBm above the LO IIP3 3rd order Input Intercept point Lowest LNA gain - +20 - dBm Unwanted tones are 1MHz and Highest LNA gain -23 -18 - dBm 1.995 MHz above the LO BW_SSB Single Side channel filter BW Programmable 2.6 - 500 kHz Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 15 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET IMR_OOK Image rejection in OOK mode Wanted signal level = -106 dBm 27 30 - dB TS_RE Receiver wake-up time, from PLL RxBw = 10 kHz, BR = 4.8 kb/s - 1.7 - ms locked state to RxReady RxBw = 200 kHz, BR = 100 kb/s - 96 - us TS_RE_AGC Receiver wake-up time, from PLL RxBw= 10 kHz, BR = 4.8 kb/s - 3.0 ms locked state, AGC enabled RxBw = 200 kHz, BR = 100 kb/s 163 us TS_RE_AGC Receiver wake-up time, from PLL RxBw= 10 kHz, BR = 4.8 kb/s 4.8 ms &AFC lock state, AGC and AFC enabled RxBw = 200 kHz, BR = 100 kb/s 265 us TS_FEI FEI sampling time Receiver is ready - 4.T - - bit TS_AFC AFC Response Time Receiver is ready - 4.T - - bit TS_RSSI RSSI Response Time Receiver is ready - 2.T - - bit DR_RSSI RSSI Dynamic Range AGC enabled Min - -115 - dBm Max - 0 - dBm * Set SensitivityBoost in RegTestLna to 0x2D to reduce the noise floor in the receiver 2.4.4. Transmitter Table 7 Transmitter Specification Symbol Description Conditions Min Typ Max Unit RF_OP RF output power in 50 ohms Programmable with 1dB steps Max - +13 - dBm On RFIO pin Min - -18 - dBm RF_OPH Max RF output power, on PA_- With external match to 50 ohms - +17 - dBm BOOST pin ΔRF_OP RF output power stability From VDD=1.8V to 3.6V - +/-0.3 - dB PHN Transmitter Phase Noise 50 kHz Offset from carrier 868 / 915 MHz bands - -95 - dBc/ 434 / 315 MHz bands - -99 - Hz ACP Transmitter adjacent channel BT=0.5 . Measurement conditions as - - -37 dBm power (measured at 25 kHz off- defined by EN 300 220-1 V2.1.1 set) TS_TR Transmitter wake up time, to the Frequency Synthesizer enabled, PaR- - 120 - us first rising edge of DCLK amp = 10 us, BR = 4.8 kb/s. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 16 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 2.4.5. Digital Specification Conditions: Temp = 25°C, VDD = 3.3V, FXOSC = 32 MHz, unless otherwise specified. Table 8 Digital Specification Symbol Description Conditions Min Typ Max Unit V Digital input level high 0.8 - - VDD IH V Digital input level low - - 0.2 VDD IL V Digital output level high Imax = 1 mA 0.9 - - VDD OH V Digital output level low Imax = -1 mA - - 0.1 VDD OL F SCK frequency - - 10 MHz SCK t SCK high time 50 - - ns ch t SCK low time 50 - - ns cl t SCK rise time - 5 - ns rise t SCK fall time - 5 - ns fall t MOSI setup time from MOSI change to SCK rising 30 - - ns setup edge t MOSI hold time from SCK rising edge to MOSI 60 - - ns hold change t NSS setup time from NSS falling edge to SCK rising 30 - - ns nsetup edge t NSS hold time from SCK falling edge to NSS rising 100 - - ns nhold edge, normal mode t NSS high time between SPI 20 - - ns nhigh accesses T_DATA DATA hold and setup time 250 - - ns Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 17 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 3. Chip Description This section describes in depth the architecture of the SX1231 low-power, highly integrated transceiver. 3.1. Power Supply Strategy The SX1231 employs an advanced power supply scheme, which provides stable operating characteristics over the full temperature and voltage range of operation. This includes the full output power of +17dBm which is maintained from 1.8 to 3.6 V. The SX1231 can be powered from any low-noise voltage source via pins VBAT1 and VBAT2. Decoupling capacitors should be connected, as suggested in the reference design, on VR_PA, VR_DIG and VR_ANA pins to ensure a correct operation of the built-in voltage regulators. 3.2. Low Battery Detector A low battery detector is also included allowing the generation of an interrupt signal in response to passing a programmable threshold adjustable through the register RegLowBat. The interrupt signal can be mapped to any of the DIO pins, through the programmation of RegDioMapping. 3.3. Frequency Synthesis The LO generation on the SX1231 is based on a state-of-the-art fractional-N PLL. The PLL is fully integrated with automatic calibration. 3.3.1. Reference Oscillator The crystal oscillator is the main timing reference of the SX1231. It is used as a reference for the frequency synthesizer and as a clock for the digital processing. The XO startup time, TS_OSC, depends on the actual XTAL being connected on pins XTA and XTB. When using the built- in sequencer, the SX1231 optimizes the startup time and automatically triggers the PLL when the XO signal is stable. To manually control the startup time, the user should either wait for TS_OSC max, or monitor the signal CLKOUT which will only be made available on the output buffer when a stable XO oscillation is achieved. An external clock can be used to replace the crystal oscillator, for instance a tight tolerance TCXO. To do so, bit 4 at address 0x59 should be set to 1, and the external clock has to be provided on XTA (pin 4). XTB (pin 5) should be left open. The peak-peak amplitude of the input signal must never exceed 1.8 V. Please consult your TCXO supplier for an appropriate value of decoupling capacitor, C . D XTA XTB NC TCXO OP 32 MHz Vcc Vcc GND C D Figure 4. TCXO Connection Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 18 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 3.3.2. CLKOUT Output The reference frequency, or a fraction of it, can be provided on DIO5 (pin 12) by modifying bits ClkOut in RegDioMapping2. Two typical applications of the CLKOUT output include:  To provide a clock output for a companion processor, thus saving the cost of an additional oscillator. CLKOUT can be made available in any operation mode except Sleep mode and is automatically enabled at power on reset.  To provide an oscillator reference output. Measurement of the CLKOUT signal enables simple software trimming of the initial crystal tolerance. Note to minimize the current consumption of the SX1231, please ensure that the CLKOUT signal is disabled when not required. 3.3.3. PLL Architecture The frequency synthesizer generating the LO frequency for both the receiver and the transmitter is a fractional-N sigma- delta PLL. The PLL incorporates a third order loop capable of fast auto-calibration, and it has a fast switching-time. The VCO and the loop filter are both fully integrated, removing the need for an external tight-tolerance, high-Q inductor in the VCO tank circuit. 3.3.3.1. VCO The VCO runs at 2, 4 or 6 times the RF frequency (respectively in the 915, 434 and 315 MHz bands) to reduce any LO leakage in receiver mode, to improve the quadrature precision of the receiver, and to reduce the pulling effects on the VCO during transmission. The VCO calibration is fully automated. A coarse adjustment is carried out at power on reset, and a fine tuning is performed each time the SX1231 PLL is activated. Automatic calibration times are fully transparent to the end-user, as their processing time is included in the TS_TE and TS_RE specifications. 3.3.3.2. PLL Bandwidth The bandwidth of the SX1231 Fractional-N PLL is wide enough to allow for:  High speed FSK modulation, up to 300 kb/s, inside the PLL bandwidth  Very fast PLL lock times, enabling both short startup and fast hop times required for frequency agile applications 3.3.3.3. Carrier Frequency and Resolution The SX1231 PLL embeds a 19-bit sigma-delta modulator and its frequency resolution, constant over the whole frequency range, and is given by: F F = ----X----O---S---C-- STEP 19 2 The carrier frequency is programmed through RegFrf, split across addresses 0x07 to 0x09: F = F ×Frf(23,0) RF STEP Note The Frf setting is split across 3 bytes. A change in the center frequency will only be taken into account when the least significant byte FrfLsb in RegFrfLsb is written. This allows for more complex modulation schemes such as m- ary FSK, where frequency modulation is achieved by changing the programmed RF frequency. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 19 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 3.3.4. Lock Time PLL lock time TS_FS is a function of a number of technical factors, such as synthesized frequency, frequency step, etc. When using the built-in sequencer, the SX1231 optimizes the startup time and automatically starts the receiver or the transmitter when the PLL has locked. To manually control the startup time, the user should either wait for TS_FS max given in the specification, or monitor the signal PLL lock detect indicator, which is set when the PLL has is within its locking range. When performing an AFC, which usually corrects very small frequency errors, the PLL response time is approximately: 5 T = -------------------- PLLAFC PLLBW In a frequency hopping scheme, the timings TS_HOP given in the table of specifications give an order of magnitude for the expected lock times. 3.3.5. Lock Detect Indicator A lock indication signal can be made available on some of the DIO pins, and is toggled high when the PLL reaches its locking range. Please refer to Table 20 and Table 21 to map this interrupt to the desired pins. Note The lock detect block may indicate an unlock condition (signal toggling low) when the transmitter is FSK modulated with large frequency deviation settings. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 20 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 3.4. Transmitter Description The transmitter of SX1231 comprises the frequency synthesizer, modulator and power amplifier blocks. 3.4.1. Architecture Description LNA RFIO Receiver Chain PA0 Local Oscillator PA1 PA_BOOST PA2 Figure 5. Transmitter Block Diagram 3.4.2. Bit Rate Setting When using the SX1231 in Continuous mode, the data stream to be transmitted can be input directly to the modulator via pin 9 (DIO2/DATA) in an asynchronous manner, unless Gaussian filtering is used, in which case the DCLK signal on pin 10 (DIO1/DCLK) is used to synchronize the data stream. See section 3.4.5 for details on the Gaussian filter. In Packet mode or in Continuous mode with Gaussian filtering enabled (refer to section 5.5 for details), the Bit Rate (BR) is controlled by bits BitRate in RegBitrate: F BR = ------X---O----S---C---- BitRate Amongst others, the following Bit Rates are accessible: Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 21 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET Table 9 Bit Rate Examples BitRate BitRate (G)FSK Actual BR Type OOK (15:8) (7:0) (G)MSK (b/s) Classical modem baud rates 0x68 0x2B 1.2 kbps 1.2 kbps 1200.015 (multiples of 1.2 kbps) 0x34 0x15 2.4 kbps 2.4 kbps 2400.060 0x1A 0x0B 4.8 kbps 4.8 kbps 4799.760 0x0D 0x05 9.6 kbps 9.6 kbps 9600.960 0x06 0x83 19.2 kbps 19.2 kbps 19196.16 0x03 0x41 38.4 kbps 38415.36 0x01 0xA1 76.8 kbps 76738.60 0x00 0xD0 153.6 kbps 153846.1 Classical modem baud rates 0x02 0x2C 57.6 kbps 57553.95 (multiples of 0.9 kbps) 0x01 0x16 115.2 kbps 115107.9 Round bit rates 0x0A 0x00 12.5 kbps 12.5 kbps 12500.00 (multiples of 12.5, 25 and 50 kbps) 0x05 0x00 25 kbps 25 kbps 25000.00 0x02 0x80 50 kbps 50000.00 0x01 0x40 100 kbps 100000.0 0x00 0xD5 150 kbps 150234.7 0x00 0xA0 200 kbps 200000.0 0x00 0x80 250 kbps 250000.0 0x00 0x6B 300 kbps 299065.4 Watch Xtal frequency 0x03 0xD1 32.768 kbps 32.768 kbps 32753.32 3.4.3. FSK Modulation FSK modulation is performed inside the PLL bandwidth, by changing the fractional divider ratio in the feedback loop of the PLL. The large resolution of the sigma-delta modulator, allows for very narrow frequency deviation. The frequency deviation FDEV is given by: F = F ×Fdev(13,0) DEV STEP To ensure a proper modulation, the following limit applies: BR F +-------≤500kHz DEV 2 Note no constraint applies to the modulation index of the transmitter, but the frequency deviation must exceed 600 Hz. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 22 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 3.4.4. OOK Modulation OOK modulation is applied by switching on and off the Power Amplifier. Digital control and smoothing are available to improve the transient power response of the OOK transmitter. 3.4.5. Modulation Shaping Modulation shaping can be applied in both OOK and FSK modulation modes, to improve the narrowband response of the transmitter. Both shaping features are controlled with PaRamp bits in RegPaRamp.  In FSK mode, a Gaussian filter with BT = 0.3, 0.5 or 1 is used to filter the modulation stream, at the input of the sigma- delta modulator. If the Gaussian filter is enabled when the SX1231 is in Continuous mode, DCLK signal on pin 10 (DIO1/DCLK) will trigger an interrupt on the uC each time a new bit has to be transmitted. Please refer to section 5.4.2 for details.  When OOK modulation is used, the PA bias voltages are ramped up and down smoothly when the PA is turned on and off, to reduce spectral splatter. Note the transmitter must be restarted if the ModulationShaping setting is changed, in order to recalibrate the built-in filter. 3.4.6. Power Amplifiers Three power amplifier blocks are embedded in the SX1231. The first one, herein referred to as PA0, can generate up to +13 dBm into a 50 Ohm load. PA0 shares a common front-end pin RFIO (pin 21) with the receiver LNA. PA1 and PA2 are both connected to pin PA_BOOST (pin 23), allowing for two distinct power ranges:  A low power mode, where -18 dBm < Pout < 13 dBm, with PA1 enabled  A higher power mode, when PA1 and PA2 are combined, providing up to +17 dBm to a matched load. When PA1 and PA2 are combined to deliver +17 dBm to the antenna, a specific impedance matching / harmonic filtering design is required to ensure impedance transformation and regulatory compliance. All PA settings are controlled by RegPaLevel, and the truth table of settings is given in Table 10. Table 10 Power Amplifier Mode Selection Truth Table Pout OutputPower Pa0On Pa1On Pa2On Mode Power Range Formula Range 1 0 0 PA0 output on pin RFIO -18 to +13 dBm -18 dBm + OutputPower 0 to 31 0 1 0 PA1 enabled on pin PA_BOOST -18 to +13 dBm -18 dBm + OutputPower 0 1 1 PA1 and PA2 combined on pin PA_BOOST +2 to +17 dBm -14 dBm + 16 to 31 OutputPower Other combinations Reserved Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 23 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET Notes - To ensure correct operation at the highest power levels, please make sure to adjust the Over Current Protection Limit accordingly in RegOcp. - If PA_BOOST pin is not used (+13dBm applications and less), the pin can be left floating. - With PA1 and PA2 enabled, 16dB of output power dynamic are available. Pout vs. Programmed Power 18 14 10 6 2 m] B Pout [d -2 -6 Pout on PA0 [dBm] -10 Pout on PA1 [dBm] -14 Pout on PA1+PA2 [dBm] -18 -22 -18 -14 -10 -6 -2 2 6 10 14 Programmed Power [dBm] Figure 6. Output Power Curves 3.4.7. Over Current Protection An over current protection block is built-in the chip. It helps preventing surge currents required when the transmitter is used at its highest power levels, thus protecting the battery that may power the application. The current clamping value is controlled by OcpTrim bits in RegOcp, and is calculated with the following formula: Imax = 45+5×OcpTrim(mA) Note Imax sets the maximum current drawn by the final PA stage, and does not account for the PA drivers and frequency synthesizer. Global current drain on Vbat will be higher. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 24 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 3.5. Receiver Description The SX1231 features a digital receiver with the analog to digital conversion process being performed directly following the LNA-Mixers block. The zero-IF receiver is able to handle (G)FSK and (G)MSK modulation. ASK and OOK modulation is, however, demodulated by a low-IF architecture. All the filtering, demodulation, gain control, synchronization and packet handling is performed digitally, which allows a very wide range of bit rates and frequency deviations to be selected. The receiver is also capable of automatic gain calibration in order to improve precision on RSSI measurements. 3.5.1. Block Diagram Rx Calibration Reference LNA Σ/Δ CORDIC Single to Mixers Modulators Channel DC Complex Differential Filter Cancellation Filter Phase FSK RFIO or Output Demodulator ng Decimat Module OOK Processi From RSSI Output Demodulator PA1 Bypassed in FSK Local Oscillator AFC AGC Figure 7. Receiver Block Diagram The following sections give a brief description of each of the receiver blocks. 3.5.2. LNA - Single to Differential Buffer The LNA uses a common-gate topology, which allows for a flat characteristic over the whole frequency range. It is designed to have an input impedance of 50 Ohms or 200 Ohms (as selected with bit LnaZin in RegLna), and the parasitic capacitance at the LNA input port is cancelled with the external RF choke. A single to differential buffer is implemented to improve the second order linearity of the receiver. The LNA gain, including the single-to-differential buffer, is programmable over a 48 dB dynamic range, and control is either manual or automatic with the embedded AGC function. Note In the specific case where the LNA gain is manually set by the user, the receiver will not be able to properly handle FSK signals with a modulation index smaller than 2 at an input power greater than the 1dB compression point, tabulated in section 3.5.3. Table 11 LNA Gain Settings LnaGainSelect LNA Gain Gain Setting 000 Any of the below, set by the AGC loop - 001 Max gain G1 010 Max gain - 6 dB G2 011 Max gain - 12 dB G3 100 Max gain - 24 dB G4 101 Max gain - 36 dB G5 110 Max gain - 48 dB G6 111 Reserved - Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 25 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 3.5.3. Automatic Gain Control By default (LnaGainSelect = 000), the LNA gain is controlled by a digital AGC loop in order to obtain the optimal sensitivity/ linearity trade-off. Regardless of the data transfer mode (Packet or Continuous), the following series of events takes place when the receiver is enabled:  The receiver stays in WAIT mode, until RssiValue exceeds RssiThreshold for two consecutive samples. Its power consumption is the receiver power consumption.  When this condition is satisfied, the receiver automatically selects the most suitable LNA gain, optimizing the sensitivity/ linearity trade-off.  The programmed LNA gain, read-accessible with LnaCurrentGain in RegLna, is carried on for the whole duration of the packet, until one of the following conditions is fulfilled:  Packet mode: if AutoRxRestartOn = 0, the LNA gain will remain the same for the reception of the following packet. If AutoRxRestartOn = 1, after the controller has emptied the FIFO the receiver will re-enter the WAIT mode described above, after a delay of InterPacketRxDelay, allowing for the distant transmitter to ramp down, hence avoiding a false RSSI detection. In both cases (AutoRxRestartOn=0 or AutoRxRestartOn=1), the receiver can also re-enter the WAIT mode by setting RestartRx bit to 1. The user can decide to do so, to manually launch a new AGC procedure.  Continuous mode: upon reception of valid data, the user can decide to either leave the receiver enabled with the same LNA gain, or to restart the procedure, by setting RestartRx bit to 1, resuming the WAIT mode of the receiver, described above. Notes - the AGC procedure must be performed while receiving preamble in FSK mode - in OOK mode, the AGC will give better results if performed while receiving a constant “1” sequence The following figure illustrates the AGC behavior: -T1o2w5 adrBdms  AGC Reference  AgcThresh1  AgcThresh2  AgcThresh3  AgcThresh4  AgcThresh5 16dB 7dB 11dB 9dB 11dB Pin [dBm] G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 Higher Sensitivity Lower Sensitivity Lower Linearity Higher Linearity Lower Noise Figure Higher Noise Figure Figure 8. AGC Thresholds Settings The following table summarizes the performance (typical figures) of the complete receiver: Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 26 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET Table 12 Receiver Performance Summary Receiver Performance (typ) Input Power Gain P NF IIP3 IIP2 Pin Setting -1dB [dBm] [dB] [dBm] [dBm] Pin < AgcThresh1 G1 -37 7 -18 +35 AgcThresh1 < Pin < AgcThresh2 G2 -31 13 -15 +40 AgcThresh2 < Pin < AgcThresh3 G3 -26 18 -8 +48 AgcThresh3 < Pin < AgcThresh4 G4 -14 27 -1 +62 AgcThresh4 < Pin < AgcThresh5 G5 >-6 36 +13 +68 AgcThresh5 < Pin G6 >0 44 +20 +75 3.5.3.1. RssiThreshold Setting For correct operation of the AGC, RssiThreshold in RegRssiThresh must be set to the sensitivity of the receiver. The receiver will remain in WAIT mode until RssiThreshold is exceeded. Note When AFC is enabled and performed automatically at the receiver startup, the channel filter used by the receiver during the AFC and the AGC is RxBwAfc instead of the standard RxBw setting. This may impact the sensitivity of the receiver, and the setting of RssiThreshold accordingly 3.5.3.2. AGC Reference The AGC reference level is automatically computed in the SX1231, according to: AGC Reference [dBm] = -174 + NF + DemodSnr +10.log(2*RxBw) + FadingMargin [dBm] With:  NF = 7dB : LNA’s Noise Figure at maximum gain  DemodSnr = 8 dB : SNR needed by the demodulator  RxBw : Single sideband channel filter bandwidth  FadingMargin = 5 dB : Fading margin 3.5.4. Continuous-Time DAGC In addition to the automatic gain control described in section 3.5.3, the SX1231 is capable of continuously adjusting its gain in the digital domain, after the analog to digital conversion has occured. This feature, named DAGC, is fully transparent to the end user. The digital gain adjustment is repeated every 2 bits, and has the following benefits:  Fully transparent to the end user  Improves the fading margin of the receiver during the reception of a packet, even if the gain of the LNA is frozen  Improves the receiver robustness in fast fading signal conditions, by quickly adjusting the receiver gain (every 2 bits)  Works in Continuous, Packet, and unlimited length Packet modes The DAGC is enabled by setting RegTestDagc to 0x20 for low modulation index systems (i.e. when AfcLowBetaOn=1, refer to section 3.5.16), and 0x30 for other systems. See section 9.6 for details. It is recommended to always enable the DAGC. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 27 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 3.5.5. Quadrature Mixer - ADCs - Decimators The mixer is inserted between output of the RF buffer stage and the input of the analog to digital converter (ADC) of the receiver section. This block is designed to translate the spectrum of the input RF signal to base-band, and offer both high IIP2 and IIP3 responses. In the lower bands of operation (290 to 510 MHz), the multi-phase mixing architecture with weighted phases improves the rejection of the LO harmonics in receiver mode, hence increasing the receiver immunity to out-of-band interferers. The I and Q digitalization is made by two 5th order continuous-time Sigma-Delta Analog to Digital Converters (ADC). Their gain is not constant over temperature, but the whole receiver is calibrated before reception, so that this inaccuracy has no impact on the RSSI precision. The ADC output is one bit per channel. It needs to be decimated and filtered afterwards. This ADC can also be used for temperature measurement, please refer to section 3.5.17 for more details. The decimators decrease the sample rate of the incoming signal in order to optimize the area and power consumption of the following receiver blocks. 3.5.6. Channel Filter The role of the channel filter is to filter out the noise and interferers outside of the channel. Channel filtering on the SX1231 is implemented with a 16-tap Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filter, providing an outstanding Adjacent Channel Rejection performance, even for narrowband applications. Note to respect oversampling rules in the decimation chain of the receiver, the Bit Rate cannot be set at a higher value than 2 times the single-side receiver bandwidth (BitRate < 2 x RxBw) The single-side channel filter bandwidth RxBw is controlled by the parameters RxBwMant and RxBwExp in RegRxBw:  When FSK modulation is enabled: FXOSC RxBw = ------------------------------------------------------------------ RxBwMant×2RxBwExp+2  When OOK modulation is enabled: FXOSC RxBw = ------------------------------------------------------------------ RxBwMant×2RxBwExp+3 The following channel filter bandwidths are accessible (oscillator is mandated at 32 MHz): Table 13 Available RxBw Settings RxBw (kHz) RxBwMant RxBwExp FSK OOK (binary/value) (decimal) ModulationType=00 ModulationType=01 10b / 24 7 2.6 1.3 01b / 20 7 3.1 1.6 00b / 16 7 3.9 2.0 10b / 24 6 5.2 2.6 01b / 20 6 6.3 3.1 00b / 16 6 7.8 3.9 10b / 24 5 10.4 5.2 01b / 20 5 12.5 6.3 00b / 16 5 15.6 7.8 10b / 24 4 20.8 10.4 Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 28 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 01b / 20 4 25.0 12.5 00b / 16 4 31.3 15.6 10b / 24 3 41.7 20.8 01b / 20 3 50.0 25.0 00b / 16 3 62.5 31.3 10b / 24 2 83.3 41.7 01b / 20 2 100.0 50.0 00b / 16 2 125.0 62.5 10b / 24 1 166.7 83.3 01b / 20 1 200.0 100.0 00b / 16 1 250.0 125.0 10b / 24 0 333.3 166.7 01b / 20 0 400.0 200.0 00b / 16 0 500.0 250.0 3.5.7. DC Cancellation DC cancellation is required in zero-IF architecture transceivers to remove any DC offset generated through self-reception. It is built-in the SX1231 and its adjustable cutoff frequency fc is controlled in RegRxBw: Table 14 Available DCC Cutoff Frequencies DccFreq fc in in RegRxBw % of RxBw 000 16 001 8 010 (default) 4 011 2 100 1 101 0.5 110 0.25 111 0.125 The default value of DccFreq cutoff frequency is typically 4% of the RxBw (channel filter BW). The cutoff frequency of the DCC can however be increased to slightly improve the sensitivity, under wider modulation conditions. It is advised to adjust the DCC setting while monitoring the receiver sensitivity. 3.5.8. Complex Filter - OOK In OOK mode the SX1231 is modified to a low-IF architecture. The IF frequency is automatically set to half the single side bandwidth of the channel filter (F = 0.5 x RxBw). The Local Oscillator is automatically offset by the IF in the OOK receiver. IF A complex filter is implemented on the chip to attenuate the resulting image frequency by typically 30 dB. Note this filter is automatically bypassed when receiving FSK signals (ModulationType = 00 in RegDataModul). 3.5.9. RSSI The RSSI block evaluates the amount of energy available within the receiver channel bandwidth. Its resolution is 0.5 dB, and it has a wide dynamic range to accommodate both small and large signal levels that may be present. Its acquisition Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 29 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET time is very short, taking only 2 bit periods. The RSSI sampling must occur during the reception of preamble in FSK, and constant “1” reception in OOK. Notes - RssiValue can only be read when it exceeds RssiThreshold - RssiStart command and RssiDone flags are not usable when DAGC is turned on, see section 3.5.4. - The receiver is capable of automatic gain calibration, in order to improve the precision of its RSSI measurements. This function injects a known RF signal at the LNA input, and calibrates the receiver gain accordingly. This calibration is automatically performed during the PLL start-up, making it a transparent process to the end-user - RSSI accuracy depends on all components located between the antenna port and pin RFIO, and is therefore limited to a few dB. Board-level calibration is advised to further improve accuracy RSSI Chart - With AGC 0.0 -20.0 -40.0 m] B d ue [ -60.0 al V si s R -80.0 -100.0 -120.0 -120 -110 -100 -90 -80 -70 -60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 Pin [dBm] Figure 9. RSSI Dynamic Curve 3.5.10. Cordic The Cordic task is to extract the phase and the amplitude of the modulation vector (I+j.Q). This information, still in the digital domain is used:  Phase output: used by the FSK demodulator and the AFC blocks.  Amplitude output: used by the RSSI block, for FSK demodulation, AGC and automatic gain calibration purposes. Q(t) Real-time Magnitude Real-time Phase I(t) Figure 10. Cordic Extraction Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 30 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 3.5.11. FSK Demodulator The FSK demodulator of the SX1231 is designed to demodulate FSK, GFSK, MSK and GMSK modulated signals. It is most efficient when the modulation index of the signal is greater than 0.5 and below 10: 2×F 0.5≤β = --------------D---E----V-≤10 BR The output of the FSK demodulator can be fed to the Bit Synchronizer (described in section 3.5.13), to provide the companion processor with a synchronous data stream in Continuous mode. 3.5.12. OOK Demodulator The OOK demodulator performs a comparison of the RSSI output and a threshold value. Three different threshold modes are available, configured through bits OokThreshType in RegOokPeak. The recommended mode of operation is the "Peak" threshold mode, illustrated in Figure 11: RSSI [dBm] ‘’Peak -6dB’’ Threshold ‘’Floor’’ threshold defined by OokFixedThresh Noise floor of receiver Time ZZoooomm Decay in dB as defined in OokPeakThreshStep Fixed 6dB difference Period as defined in OokPeakThreshDec Figure 11. OOK Peak Demodulator Description In peak threshold mode the comparison threshold level is the peak value of the RSSI, reduced by 6dB. In the absence of an input signal, or during the reception of a logical "0", the acquired peak value is decremented by one OokPeakThreshStep every OokPeakThreshDec period. When the RSSI output is null for a long time (for instance after a long string of "0" received, or if no transmitter is present), the peak threshold level will continue falling until it reaches the "Floor Threshold", programmed in OokFixedThresh. The default settings of the OOK demodulator lead to the performance stated in the electrical specification. However, in applications in which sudden signal drops are awaited during a reception, the three parameters should be optimized accordingly. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 31 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 3.5.12.1. Optimizing the Floor Threshold OokFixedThresh determines the sensitivity of the OOK receiver, as it sets the comparison threshold for weak input signals (i.e. those close to the noise floor). Significant sensitivity improvements can be generated if configured correctly. Note that the noise floor of the receiver at the demodulator input depends on:  The noise figure of the receiver.  The gain of the receive chain from antenna to base band.  The matching - including SAW filter if any.  The bandwidth of the channel filters. It is therefore important to note that the setting of OokFixedThresh will be application dependant. The following procedure is recommended to optimize OokFixedThresh. Set SX1231 in OOK Rx mode Adjust Bit Rate, Channel filter BW Default OokFixedThresh setting No input signal Continuous Mode Monitor DIO2/DATA pin Increment OokFixedThresh Glitch activity on DATA? Optimization complete Figure 12. Floor Threshold Optimization The new floor threshold value found during this test should be used for OOK reception with those receiver settings. 3.5.12.2. Optimizing OOK Demodulator for Fast Fading Signals A sudden drop in signal strength can cause the bit error rate to increase. For applications where the expected signal drop can be estimated, the following OOK demodulator parameters OokPeakThreshStep and OokPeakThreshDec can be optimized as described below for a given number of threshold decrements per bit. Refer to RegOokPeak to access those settings. 3.5.12.3. Alternative OOK Demodulator Threshold Modes In addition to the Peak OOK threshold mode, the user can alternatively select two other types of threshold detectors:  Fixed Threshold: The value is selected through OokFixedThresh  Average Threshold: Data supplied by the RSSI block is averaged, and this operation mode should only be used with DC-free encoded data. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 32 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 3.5.13. Bit Synchronizer The Bit Synchronizer is a block that provides a clean and synchronized digital output, free of glitches. Its output is made available on pin DIO1/DCLK in Continuous mode and can be disabled through register settings. However, for optimum receiver performance its use when running Continuous mode is strongly advised. The Bit Synchronizer is automatically activated in Packet mode. Its bit rate is controlled by BitRateMsb and BitRateLsb in RegBitrate. Raw demodulator output (FSK or OOK) DATA BitSync Output To pin DATA and DCLK in continuous mode DCLK Figure 13. Bit Synchronizer Description To ensure correct operation of the Bit Synchronizer, the following conditions have to be satisfied:  A preamble (0x55 or 0xAA) of at least 12 bits is required for synchronization, the longer the synchronization the better the packet success rate  The subsequent payload bit stream must have at least one transition form '0' to '1' or '1' to '0 every 16 bits during data transmission  The bit rate matching between the transmitter and the receiver must be better than 6.5%. 3.5.14. Frequency Error Indicator This function provides information about the frequency error of the local oscillator (LO) compared with the carrier frequency of a modulated signal at the input of the receiver. When the FEI block is launched, the frequency error is measured and the signed result is loaded in FeiValue in RegFei, in 2’s complement format. The time required for an FEI evaluation is 4 times the bit period. To ensure a proper behavior of the FEI:  The operation must be done during the reception of preamble  The sum of the frequency offset and the 20 dB signal bandwidth must be lower than the base band filter bandwidth Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 33 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET The 20 dB bandwidth of the signal can be evaluated as follows (double-side bandwidth): BW = 2×F +B----R--- 20dB  DEV 2  The frequency error, in Hz, can be calculated with the following formula: FEI = F ×FeiValue STEP SX1231 in Rx mode Preamble-modulated input signal Signal level > Sensitivity Set FeiStart = 1 No FeiDone = 1 Yes Read FeiValue Figure 14. FEI Process 3.5.15. Automatic Frequency Correction The AFC is based on the FEI block, and therefore the same input signal and receiver setting conditions apply. When the AFC procedure is done, AfcValue is directly subtracted to the register that defines the frequency of operation of the chip, F . The AFC can be launched: RF  Each time the receiver is enabled, if AfcAutoOn = 1  Upon user request, by setting bit AfcStart in RegAfcFei, if AfcAutoOn = 0 Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 34 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET When the AFC is automatically triggered (AfcAutoOn = 1), the user has the option to:  Clear the former AFC correction value, if AfcAutoClearOn = 1  Start the AFC evaluation from the previously corrected frequency. This may be useful in systems in which the LO keeps on drifting in the “same direction”. Ageing compensation is a good example. The SX1231 offers an alternate receiver bandwidth setting during the AFC phase, to accommodate large LO drifts. If the user considers that the received signal may be out of the receiver bandwidth, a higher channel filter bandwidth can be programmed in RegAfcBw, at the expense of the receiver noise floor, which will impact upon sensitivity. 3.5.16. Optimized Setup for Low Modulation Index Systems  For wide band systems, where AFC is usually not required (XTAL inaccuracies do not typically impact the sensitivity), it is recommended to offset the LO frequency of the receiver to avoid desensitization. This can be simply done by modifying Frf in RegFrfLsb. A good rule of thumb is to offset the receiver’s LO by 10% of the expected transmitter frequency deviation.  For narrow band systems, it is recommended to perform AFC. The SX1231 has a dedicated AFC, enabled when AfcLowBetaOn in RegAfcCtrl is set to 1. A frequency offset, programmable through LowBetaAfcOffset in RegTestAfc, is added and is calculated as follows: Offset = LowBetaAfcOffset x 488 Hz The user should ensure that the programmed offset exceeds the DC canceller’s cutoff frequency, set through DccFreqAfc in RegAfcBw. RX TX RX&TX FeiValue Standard AFC AfcValue AfcLowBetaOn= 0 f f RX TX TX RX FeiValue Optimized AFC AfcValue LowBetaAfcOffset AfcLowBetaOn= 1 f f Before AFC After AFC Figure 15. Optimized AFC (AfcLowBetaOn=1) As shown on Figure 15, a standard AFC sequence uses the result of the FEI to correct the LO frequency and align both local oscillators. When the optimized AFC is enabled (AfcLowBetaOn=1), the receiver’s LO is corrected by “FeiValue + LowBetaAfcOffset”. When the optimized AFC routine is enabled, the receiver startup time can be computed as follows (refer to section 4.2.3): TS_RE_AGC&AFC (optimized AFC) = Tana + 4.Tcf + 4.Tdcc + 3.Trssi + 2.Tafc + 2.Tpllafc Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 35 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 3.5.17. Temperature Sensor When temperature is measured, the receiver ADC is used to digitize the sensor response. Most receiver blocks are disabled, and temperature measurement can only be triggered in Standby or Frequency Synthesizer modes. The response of the temperature sensor is -1°C / Lsb. A CMOS temperature sensor is not accurate by nature, therefore it should be calibrated at ambient temperature for precise temperature readings. TempValue -1°C/Lsb TempValue(t) TempValue(t)-1 Returns 150d (typ.) Needs calibration -40°C t t+1 Ambient +85°C Figure 16. Temperature Sensor Response It takes less than 100 microseconds for the SX1231 to evaluate the temperature (from setting TempMeasStart to 1 to TempMeasRunning reset). 3.5.18. Timeout Function The SX1231 includes a Timeout function, which allows it to automatically shut-down the receiver after a receive sequence and therefore save energy.  Timeout interrupt is generated TimeoutRxStart x 16 x Tbit after switching to RX mode if RssiThreshold flag does not raise within this time frame  Timeout interrupt is generated TimeoutRssiThresh x 16 x Tbit after RssiThreshold flag has been raised. This timeout interrupt can be used to warn the companion processor to shut down the receiver and return to a lower power mode. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 36 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 4. Operating Modes 4.1. Basic Modes The circuit can be set in 5 different basic modes which are described in Table 15. By default, when switching from a mode to another one, the sub-blocks are woken up according to a pre-defined and optimized sequence. Alternatively, these operating modes can be selected directly by disabling the automatic sequencer (SequencerOff in RegOpMode = 1). Table 15 Basic Transceiver Modes ListenOn Mode Selected mode Enabled blocks in RegOpMode in RegOpMode 0 0 0 0 Sleep Mode None 0 0 0 1 Stand-by Mode Top regulator and crystal oscillator 0 0 1 0 FS Mode Frequency synthesizer 0 0 1 1 Transmit Mode Frequency synthesizer and transmitter 0 1 0 0 Receive Mode Frequency synthesizer and receiver 1 x Listen Mode See Listen Mode, section 4.3 4.2. Automatic Sequencer and Wake-Up Times By default, when switching from one operating mode to another, the circuit takes care of the sequence of events in such a way that the transition timing is optimized. For example, when switching from Sleep mode to Transmit mode, the SX1231 goes first to Standby mode (XO started), then to frequency synthesizer mode, and finally, when the PLL has locked, to transmit mode. Entering transmit mode is also made according to a predefined sequence starting with the wake-up of the PA regulator before applying a ramp-up on the PA and generating the DCLK clock.  The crystal oscillator wake-up time, TS_OSC, is directly related to the time for the crystal oscillator to reach its steady state. It depends notably on the crystal characteristics.  The frequency synthesizer wake-up time, TS_FS, is directly related to the time needed by the PLL to reach its steady state. The signal PLL_LOCK, provided on an external pin, gives an indication of the lock status. It goes high when the PLL reaches its locking range. Four specific cases can be highlighted:  Transmitter Wake Up time from Sleep mode = TS_OSC + TS_FS + TS_TR  Receiver Wake Up time from Sleep mode = TS_OSC + TS_FS + TS_RE  Receiver Wake Up time from Sleep mode, AGC enabled = TS_OSC + TS_FS + TS_RE_AGC  Receiver Wake Up time from Sleep mode, AGC and AFC enabled = TS_OSC + TS_FS + TS_RE_AGC&AFC These timings are detailed in sections 4.2.1 and 4.2.3. In applications where the target average power consumption, or the target startup time, do not require setting the SX1231 in the lowest power modes (Sleep or Standby), the respective timings TS_OSC and TS_FS in the former equations can be omitted. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 37 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 4.2.1. Transmitter Startup Time The transmitter wake-up time, TS_TR, is given by the sequence controlled by the digital part. It is a pure digital delay which depends on the bit rate and the ramp-up time. In FSK mode, this time can be derived from the following equation: 1 TS _TR =5μs+1.25×PaRamp+ ×Tbit 2 , where PaRamp is the ramp-up time programmed in RegPaRamp and Tbit is the bit time. In OOK mode, this equation can be simplified to the following: 1 TS _TR =5μs+ ×Tbit 2 Tx startup request (sequencer or user) TS_TR 1.25 x PaRamp Analog XO Started and PLL is locked 0.5 x Tbit (only in FSK Transmission of Packet group delay mode) 5 us ModeReady TxReady Figure 17. Tx Startup, FSK and OOK 4.2.2. Tx Start Procedure As described in the former section, ModeReady and TxReady interrupts warn the uC that the transmitter is ready to transmit data  In Continuous mode, the preamble bits preceding the payload can be applied on the DIO2/DATA pin immediately after any of these interrupts have fired. The DCLK signal, activated on pin DIO1/DCLK can also be used to start toggling the DATA pin, as described on Figure 30.  In Packet mode, the SX1231 will automatically modulate the RF signal with preamble bytes as soon as TxReady or ModeReady happen. The actual packet transmission (starting with the number of preambles specified in PreambleSize) will start when the TxStartCondition is fulfilled. 4.2.3. Receiver Startup Time It is highly recommended to use the built-in sequencer of the SX1231, to optimize the delays when setting the chip in receive mode. It guarantees the shortest startup times, hence the lowest possible energy usage, for battery operated systems. The startup times of the receiver can be calculated from the following: Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 38 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET Rx startup request (sequencer or user) TS_RE Analog FE’s Channel Filter’s DC Cutoff’s RSSI RSSI XO Started and PLL is locked Reception of Packet group delay group delay group delay sampling sampling Tana Tcf Tdcc Trssi Trssi ModeReady RxReady Received Packet Preamble may start Figure 18. Rx Startup - No AGC, no AFC The LNA gain is adjusted by Rx startup request the AGC, according to the (sequencer or user) TS_RE_AGC RSSI result Analog FE’s Channel Filter’s DC Cutoff’s RSSI RSSI Channel Filter’s DC Cutoff’s RSSI XO Started and PLL is locked Reception of Packet group delay group delay group delay sampling sampling group delay group delay sampling Tana Tcf Tdcc Trssi Trssi Tcf Tdcc Trssi ModeReady RxReady Received Packet Preamble may start Figure 19. Rx Startup - AGC, no AFC The LNA gain is adjusted by Rx startup request Carrier Frequency is adjusted the AGC, according to the (sequencer or user) TS_RE_AGC&AFC RSSI result by the AFC XO Started and Analog FE’s Channel Filter’s DC Cutoff’s RSSI RSSI Channel Filter’s DC Cutoff’s RSSI PLL Channel Filter’s DC Cutoff’s AFC Reception of Packet PLL is locked group delay group delay group delay sampling sampling group delay group delay sampling lock group delay group delay Tana Tcf Tdcc Trssi Trssi Tcf Tdcc Trssi Tafc Tpllafc Tcf Tdcc ModeReady RxReady Received Packet Preamble may start Figure 20. Rx Startup - AGC and AFC The different timings shown above are as follows:  Group delay of the analog front end: Tana = 20 us  Channel filter’s group delay in FSK mode: Tcf = 21 / (4.RxBw)  Channel filter’s group delay in OOK mode: Tcf = 34 / (4.RxBw)  DC Cutoff’s group delay: Tdcc = max(8 , 2^(round(log2(8.RxBw.Tbit)+1)) / (4.RxBw)  PLL lock time after AFC adjustment: Tpllafc = 5 / PLLBW (PLLBW = 300 kHz)  AFC sample time: Tafc = 4 x Tbit (also denoted TS_AFC in the general specification)  RSSI sample time: Trssi = 2 x int(4.RxBw.Tbit)/(4.RxBw) (see TS_RSSI in section 2) Note The above timings represent maximum settling times Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 39 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 4.2.4. Rx Start Procedure As described in the former sections, the RxReady interrupt warns the uC that the receiver is ready.  In Continuous mode with Bit Synchronizer, the receiver will start locking its Bit Synchronizer on a minimum or 12 bits of received preamble (see section 3.5.13 for details), before the reception of correct Data, or Sync Word (if enabled) can occur.  In Continuous mode without Bit Synchronizer, valid data will be available on DIO2/DATA right after the RxReady interrupt.  In Packet mode, the receiver will start locking its Bit Synchronizer on a minimum or 12 bits of received preamble (see section 3.5.13 for details), before the reception of correct Data, or Sync Word (if enabled) can occur. 4.2.5. Optimized Frequency Hopping Sequences In a frequency hopping-like application, it is required to turn off the transmitter when hopping from one channel to another, to avoid spectral splatter and obtain the best spectral purity.  Transmitter hop from Ch A to Ch B: it is advised to step through the Rx mode: (0) SX1231 is in Tx mode in Ch A (1) Program the SX1231 in Rx mode (2) Change the carrier frequency in the RegFrf registers (3) Turn the transceiver back to Tx mode (4) Respect the Tx start procedure, described in section 4.2.2  Receiver hop from Ch A to Ch B: (0) SX1231 is in Rx mode in Ch A (1) Change the carrier frequency in the RegFrf registers (2) Program the SX1231 in FS mode (3) Turn the transceiver back to Rx mode (4) Respect the Rx start procedure, described in section 4.2.4 Note all sequences described above are assuming that the sequencer is turned on (SequencerOff=0 in RegOpMode). Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 40 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 4.3. Listen Mode The circuit can be set to Listen mode, by setting ListenOn in RegOpMode to 1 while in Standby mode. In this mode, SX1231 spends most of the time in Idle mode, during which only the RC oscillator runs. Periodically the receiver is woken up and listens for an RF signal. If a wanted signal is detected, the receiver is kept on and the data is demodulated. Otherwise, if a wanted signal hasn't been detected after a pre-defined period of time, the receiver is disabled until the next time period. This periodical Rx wake-up requirement is very common in low power applications. On SX1231 it is handled locally by the Listen mode block without using uC resources or energy. The simplified timing diagram of this procedure is illustrated in Figure 21. t ListenIdle Rx Idle Rx time t t ListenRx ListenRx Figure 21. Listen Mode Sequence (no wanted signal is received) 4.3.1. Timings The duration of the Idle phase is given by t . The time during which the receiver is on and waits for a signal is given ListenIdle by t . t includes the wake-up time of the receiver, described in section 4.2.3. This duration can be ListenRx ListenRx programmed in the configuration registers via the serial interface. Both time periods t and t (denoted t in the following text) are fixed by two parameters from the ListenRx ListenIdle ListenX configuration register and are calculated as follows: t = ListenCoefX ⋅ListenResolX ListenX where ListenResolX is the Rx or Idle resolution and is independently programmable on three values (64us, 4.1ms or 262ms), whereas ListenCoefX is an integer between 1 and 255. All parameters are located in RegListen registers. The timing ranges are tabulated in Table 16 below. Table 16 Range of Durations in Listen Mode Min duration Max duration ListenResolX ( ListenCoef = 1 ) ( ListenCoef = 255 ) 01 64 us 16 ms 10 4.1 ms 1.04 s 11 0.26 s 67 s Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 41 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET Notes - the accuracy of the typical timings given in Table 16 will depend in the RC oscillator calibration - RC oscillator calibration is required, and must be performed at power up. See section 4.3.5 for details 4.3.2. Criteria The criteria taken for detecting a wanted signal and hence deciding to maintain the receiver on is defined by ListenCriteria in RegListen1. Table 17 Signal Acceptance Criteria in Listen Mode Input Signal Power ListenCriteria SyncAddressMatch >= RssiThreshold 0 Required Not Required 1 Required Required 4.3.3. End of Cycle Actions The action taken after detection of a packet, is defined by ListenEnd in RegListen3, as described in the table below. Table 18 End of Listen Cycle Actions ListenEnd Description 00 Chip stays in Rx mode. Listen mode stops and must be disabled. 01 Chip stays in Rx mode until PayloadReady or Timeout interrupt occurs. It then goes to the mode defined by Mode. Listen mode stops and must be disabled. 10 Chip stays in Rx mode until PayloadReady or Timeout interrupt occurs. Listen mode then resumes in Idle state. FIFO content is lost at next Rx wakeup. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 42 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET Upon detection of a valid packet, the sequencing is altered, as shown below: PayloadReady ListenCriteria passed Idle Rx ListenEnd = 00 Listen Mode Idle Rx Mode ListenEnd = 01 Listen Mode Idle Rx Idle Rx ListenEnd = 10 Listen Mode Figure 22. Listen Mode Sequence (wanted signal is received) 4.3.4. Stopping Listen Mode To abort Listen mode operation, the following procedure must be respected:  Program RegOpMode with ListenOn=0, ListenAbort=1, and the desired setting for the Mode bits (Sleep, Stdby, FS, Rx or Tx mode) in a single SPI access  Program RegOpMode with ListenOn=0, ListenAbort=0, and the desired setting for the Mode bits (Sleep, Stdby, FS, Rx or Tx mode) in a second SPI access 4.3.5. RC Timer Accuracy All timings of the Listen Mode rely on the accuracy of the internal low-power RC oscillator. This oscillator is automatically calibrated at the device power-up, and it is a user-transparent process. For applications enduring large temperature variations, and for which the power supply is never removed, RC calibration can be performed upon user request. RcCalStart in RegOsc1 can be used to trigger this calibration, and the flag RcCalDone will be set automatically when the calibration is over. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 43 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 4.4. AutoModes Automatic modes of packet handler can be enabled by configuring the related parameters in RegAutoModes. The intermediate mode of the chip is called IntermediateMode and the enter and exit conditions to/from this intermediate mode can be configured through the parameters EnterCondition & ExitCondition. The enter and exit conditions cannot be used independently of each other i.e. both should be enabled at the same time. The initial and the final state is the one configured in Mode in RegOpMode. The initial & final states can be different by configuring the modes register while the chip is in intermediate mode. The pictorial description of the auto modes is shown below. Intermediate State defined by IntermediateMode EnterCondition ExitCondition Initial state defined Final state defined By Mode in RegOpMode By Mode in RegOpMode Figure 23. Auto Modes of Packet Handler Some typical examples of AutoModes usage are described below:  Automatic transmission (AutoTx) : Mode = Sleep, IntermediateMode = Tx, EnterCondition = FifoLevel, ExitCondition = PacketSent  Automatic reception (AutoRx) : Mode = Rx, IntermediateMode = Sleep, EnterCondition = CrcOk, ExitCondition = falling edge of FifoNotEmpty  Automatic reception of acknowledge (AutoRxAck): Mode = Tx, IntermediateMode = Rx, EnterCondition = PacketSent, ExitCondition = CrcOk  ... Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 44 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 5. Data Processing 5.1. Overview 5.1.1. Block Diagram Figure below illustrates the SX1231 data processing circuit. Its role is to interface the data to/from the modulator/ demodulator and the uC access points (SPI and DIO pins). It also controls all the configuration registers. The circuit contains several control blocks which are described in the following paragraphs. Tx/Rx DIO0 DIO1 DIO2 CONTROL DIO3 DIO4 DIO5 Data Rx SYNC RECOG. PACKET FIFO SPI HANDLER (+SR) Tx NSS SCK MOSI MISO Potential datapaths (data operation mode dependant) Figure 24. SX1231 Data Processing Conceptual View The SX1231 implements several data operation modes, each with their own data path through the data processing section. Depending on the data operation mode selected, some control blocks are active whilst others remain disabled. 5.1.2. Data Operation Modes The SX1231 has two different data operation modes selectable by the user:  Continuous mode: each bit transmitted or received is accessed in real time at the DIO2/DATA pin. This mode may be used if adequate external signal processing is available.  Packet mode (recommended): user only provides/retrieves payload bytes to/from the FIFO. The packet is automatically built with preamble, Sync word, and optional AES, CRC, and DC-free encoding schemes The reverse operation is performed in reception. The uC processing overhead is hence significantly reduced compared to Continuous mode. Depending on the optional features activated (CRC, AES, etc) the maximum payload length is limited to FIFO size, 255 bytes or unlimited. Each of these data operation modes is described fully in the following sections. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 45 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 5.2. Control Block Description 5.2.1. SPI Interface The SPI interface gives access to the configuration register via a synchronous full-duplex protocol corresponding to CPOL = 0 and CPHA = 0 in Motorola/Freescale nomenclature. Only the slave side is implemented. Three access modes to the registers are provided:  SINGLE access: an address byte followed by a data byte is sent for a write access whereas an address byte is sent and a read byte is received for the read access. The NSS pin goes low at the begin of the frame and goes high after the data byte.  BURST access: the address byte is followed by several data bytes. The address is automatically incremented internally between each data byte. This mode is available for both read and write accesses. The NSS pin goes low at the beginning of the frame and stay low between each byte. It goes high only after the last byte transfer.  FIFO access: if the address byte corresponds to the address of the FIFO, then succeeding data byte will address the FIFO. The address is not automatically incremented but is memorized and does not need to be sent between each data byte. The NSS pin goes low at the beginning of the frame and stay low between each byte. It goes high only after the last byte transfer. Figure below shows a typical SPI single access to a register. Figure 25. SPI Timing Diagram (single access) MOSI is generated by the master on the falling edge of SCK and is sampled by the slave (i.e. this SPI interface) on the rising edge of SCK. MISO is generated by the slave on the falling edge of SCK. A transfer always starts by the NSS pin going low. MISO is high impedance when NSS is high. The first byte is the address byte. It is made of:  wnr bit, which is 1 for write access and 0 for read access  7 bits of address, MSB first The second byte is a data byte, either sent on MOSI by the master in case of a write access, or received by the master on MISO in case of read access. The data byte is transmitted MSB first. Proceeding bytes may be sent on MOSI (for write access) or received on MISO (for read access) without rising NSS and re-sending the address. In FIFO mode, if the address was the FIFO address then the bytes will be written / read at the FIFO address. In Burst mode, if the address was not the FIFO address, then it is automatically incremented at each new byte received. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 46 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET The frame ends when NSS goes high. The next frame must start with an address byte. The SINGLE access mode is actually a special case of FIFO / BURST mode with only 1 data byte transferred. During the write access, the byte transferred from the slave to the master on the MISO line is the value of the written register before the write operation. 5.2.2. FIFO 5.2.2.1. Overview and Shift Register (SR) In packet mode of operation, both data to be transmitted and that has been received are stored in a configurable FIFO (First In First Out) device. It is accessed via the SPI interface and provides several interrupts for transfer management. The FIFO is 1 byte wide hence it only performs byte (parallel) operations, whereas the demodulator functions serially. A shift register is therefore employed to interface the two devices. In transmit mode it takes bytes from the FIFO and outputs them serially (MSB first) at the programmed bit rate to the modulator. Similarly, in Rx the shift register gets bit by bit data from the demodulator and writes them byte by byte to the FIFO. This is illustrated in figure below. FIFO byte1 byte0 8 Data Tx/Rx SR (8bits) 1 MSB LSB Figure 26. FIFO and Shift Register (SR) Note When switching to Sleep mode, the FIFO can only be used once the ModeReady flag is set (quasi immediate from all modes except from Tx) 5.2.2.2. Size The FIFO size is fixed to 66 bytes. 5.2.2.3. Interrupt Sources and Flags  FifoNotEmpty: FifoNotEmpty interrupt source is low when byte 0, i.e. whole FIFO, is empty. Otherwise it is high. Note that when retrieving data from the FIFO, FifoNotEmpty is updated on NSS falling edge, i.e. when FifoNotEmpty is updated to low state the currently started read operation must be completed. In other words, FifoNotEmpty state must be checked after each read operation for a decision on the next one (FifoNotEmpty = 1: more byte(s) to read; FifoNotEmpty = 0: no more byte to read).  FifoFull: FifoFull interrupt source is high when the last FIFO byte, i.e. the whole FIFO, is full. Otherwise it is low.  FifoOverrunFlag: FifoOverrunFlag is set when a new byte is written by the user (in Tx or Standby modes) or the SR (in Rx mode) while the FIFO is already full. Data is lost and the flag should be cleared by writing a 1, note that the FIFO will also be cleared.  PacketSent: PacketSent interrupt source goes high when the SR's last bit has been sent.  FifoLevel: Threshold can be programmed by FifoThreshold in RegFifoThresh. Its behavior is illustrated in figure below. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 47 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET FifoLevel 1 0 B B+1 # of bytes in FIFO Figure 27. FifoLevel IRQ Source Behavior Notes - FifoLevel interrupt is updated only after a read or write operation on the FIFO. Thus the interrupt cannot be dynamically updated by only changing the FifoThreshold parameter - FifoLevel interrupt is valid as long as FifoFull does not occur. An empty FIFO will restore its normal operation 5.2.2.4. FIFO Clearing Table below summarizes the status of the FIFO when switching between different modes Table 19 Status of FIFO when Switching Between Different Modes of the Chip From To FIFO status Comments Stdby Sleep Not cleared Sleep Stdby Not cleared Stdby/Sleep Tx Not cleared To allow the user to write the FIFO in Stdby/Sleep before Tx Stdby/Sleep Rx Cleared Rx Tx Cleared Rx Stdby/Sleep Not cleared To allow the user to read FIFO in Stdby/Sleep mode after Rx Tx Any Cleared 5.2.3. Sync Word Recognition 5.2.3.1. Overview Sync word recognition (also called Pattern recognition) is activated by setting SyncOn in RegSyncConfig. The bit synchronizer must also be activated in continuous mode (automatically done in Packet mode) . The block behaves like a shift register; it continuously compares the incoming data with its internally programmed Sync word and sets SyncAddressMatch when a match is detected. This is illustrated in Figure 28 below. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 48 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET Rx DATA Bit N-x = Bit N-1 = Bit N = (NRZ) Sync_value[x] Sync_value[1] Sync_value[0] DCLK SyncAddressMatch Figure 28. Sync Word Recognition During the comparison of the demodulated data, the first bit received is compared with bit 7 (MSB) of RegSyncValue1 and the last bit received is compared with bit 0 (LSB) of the last byte whose address is determined by the length of the Sync word. When the programmed Sync word is detected the user can assume that this incoming packet is for the node and can be processed accordingly. SyncAddressMatch is cleared when leaving Rx or FIFO is emptied. 5.2.3.2. Configuration  Size: Sync word size can be set from 1 to 8 bytes (i.e. 8 to 64 bits) via SyncSize in RegSyncConfig. In Packet mode this field is also used for Sync word generation in Tx mode.  Error tolerance: The number of errors tolerated in the Sync word recognition can be set from 0 to 7 bits to via SyncTol.  Value: The Sync word value is configured in SyncValue(63:0). In Packet mode this field is also used for Sync word generation in Tx mode. Note SyncValue choices containing 0x00 bytes are not allowed 5.2.4. Packet Handler The packet handler is the block used in Packet mode. Its functionality is fully described in section 5.5. 5.2.5. Control The control block configures and controls the full chip's behavior according to the settings programmed in the configuration registers. 5.3. Digital IO Pins Mapping Six general purpose IO pins are available on the SX1231, and their configuration in Continuous or Packet mode is controlled through RegDioMapping1 and RegDioMapping2. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 49 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 5.3.1. DIO Pins Mapping in Continuous Mode Table 20 DIO Mapping, Continuous Mode Mode Diox DIO5 DIO4 DIO3 DIO2 DIO1 DIO0 Mapping Sleep 00 - - - - - - 01 - - - - - - 10 LowBat LowBat AutoMode - LowBat LowBat 11 ModeReady - - - - ModeReady Stdby 00 ClkOut - - - - - 01 - - - - - - 10 LowBat LowBat AutoMode - LowBat LowBat 11 ModeReady - - - - ModeReady FS 00 ClkOut - - - - PllLock 01 - - - - - - 10 LowBat LowBat AutoMode - LowBat LowBat 11 ModeReady PllLock - - PllLock ModeReady Rx 00 ClkOut Timeout Rssi Data Dclk SyncAddress 01 Rssi RxReady RxReady Data RxReady Timeout 10 LowBat SyncAddress AutoMode Data LowBat Rssi 11 ModeReady PllLock Timeout Data SyncAddress ModeReady Tx 00 ClkOut TxReady TxReady Data Dclk PllLock 01 ClkOut TxReady TxReady Data TxReady TxReady 10 LowBat LowBat AutoMode Data LowBat LowBat 11 ModeReady PllLock TxReady Data PllLock ModeReady 5.3.2. DIO Pins Mapping in Packet Mode Table 21 DIO Mapping, Packet Mode Mode Diox DIO5 DIO4 DIO3 DIO2 DIO1 DIO0 Mapping Sleep 00 - - FifoFull FifoNotEmpty FifoLevel - 01 - - - - FifoFull - 10 LowBat LowBat LowBat LowBat FifoNotEmpty LowBat 11 ModeReady - - AutoMode - - Stdby 00 ClkOut - FifoFull FifoNotEmpty FifoLevel - 01 - - - - FifoFull - 10 LowBat LowBat LowBat LowBat FifoNotEmpty LowBat 11 ModeReady - - AutoMode - - FS 00 ClkOut - FifoFull FifoNotEmpty FifoLevel - 01 - - - - FifoFull - 10 LowBat LowBat LowBat LowBat FifoNotEmpty LowBat 11 ModeReady PllLock PllLock AutoMode PllLock PllLock Rx 00 ClkOut Timeout FifoFull FifoNotEmpty FifoLevel CrcOk 01 Data Rssi Rssi Data FifoFull PayloadReady 10 LowBat RxReady SyncAddress LowBat FifoNotEmpty SyncAddress 11 ModeReady PllLock PllLock AutoMode Timeout Rssi Tx 00 ClkOut ModeReady FifoFull FifoNotEmpty FifoLevel PacketSent 01 Data TxReady TxReady Data FifoFull TxReady 10 LowBat LowBat LowBat LowBat FifoNotEmpty LowBat 11 ModeReady PllLock PllLock AutoMode PllLock PllLock Note Received Data is only shown on the Data signal between RxReady and PayloadReady’s rising edges Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 50 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 5.4. Continuous Mode 5.4.1. General Description As illustrated in Figure 29, in Continuous mode the NRZ data to (from) the (de)modulator is directly accessed by the uC on the bidirectional DIO2/DATA pin. The FIFO and packet handler are thus inactive. Tx/Rx DIO0 DIO1/DCLK DIO2/DATA CONTROL DIO3 DIO4 DIO5 Data Rx SYNC RECOG. SPI NSS SCK MOSI MISO Figure 29. Continuous Mode Conceptual View 5.4.2. Tx Processing In Tx mode, a synchronous data clock for an external uC is provided on DIO1/DCLK pin. Clock timing with respect to the data is illustrated in Figure 30. DATA is internally sampled on the rising edge of DCLK so the uC can change logic state anytime outside the grayed out setup/hold zone. T_DATA T_DATA DATA (NRZ) DCLK Figure 30. Tx Processing in Continuous Mode Note the use of DCLK is required when the modulation shaping is enabled (see section 3.4.5). Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 51 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 5.4.3. Rx Processing If the bit synchronizer is disabled, the raw demodulator output is made directly available on DATA pin and no DCLK signal is provided. Conversely, if the bit synchronizer is enabled, synchronous cleaned data and clock are made available respectively on DIO2/DATA and DIO1/DCLK pins. DATA is sampled on the rising edge of DCLK and updated on the falling edge as illustrated below. DATA (NRZ) DCLK Figure 31. Rx Processing in Continuous Mode Note in Continuous mode it is always recommended to enable the bit synchronizer to clean the DATA signal even if the DCLK signal is not used by the uC (bit synchronizer is automatically enabled in Packet mode). 5.5. Packet Mode 5.5.1. General Description In Packet mode the NRZ data to (from) the (de)modulator is not directly accessed by the uC but stored in the FIFO and accessed via the SPI interface. In addition, the SX1231 packet handler performs several packet oriented tasks such as Preamble and Sync word generation, CRC calculation/check, whitening/dewhitening of data, Manchester encoding/decoding, address filtering, AES encryption/decryption, etc. This simplifies software and reduces uC overhead by performing these repetitive tasks within the RF chip itself. Another important feature is ability to fill and empty the FIFO in Sleep/Stdby mode, ensuring optimum power consumption and adding more flexibility for the software. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 52 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET DIO0 DIO1 DIO2 CONTROL DIO3 DIO4 DIO5 Data Rx SYNC RECOG. PACKET FIFO SPI HANDLER (+SR) NSS Tx SCK MOSI MISO Figure 32. Packet Mode Conceptual View Note The Bit Synchronizer is automatically enabled in Packet mode. 5.5.2. Packet Format 5.5.2.1. Fixed Length Packet Format Fixed length packet format is selected when bit PacketFormat is set to 0 and PayloadLength is set to any value greater than 0. In applications where the packet length is fixed in advance, this mode of operation may be of interest to minimize RF overhead (no length byte field is required). All nodes, whether Tx only, Rx only, or Tx/Rx should be programmed with the same packet length value. The length of the payload is limited to 255 bytes if AES is not enabled else the message is limited to 64 bytes (i.e. max 65 bytes payload if Address byte is enabled). The length programmed in PayloadLength relates only to the payload which includes the message and the optional address byte. In this mode, the payload must contain at least one byte, i.e. address or message byte. An illustration of a fixed length packet is shown below. It contains the following fields:  Preamble (1010...)  Sync word (Network ID)  Optional Address byte (Node ID)  Message data  Optional 2-bytes CRC checksum Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 53 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET DC free Data encoding CRC checksum calculation AES Enc/Dec Preamble Sync Word Address Message CRC 0 to 65535 0 to 8 bytes byte Up to 255 bytes 2-bytes bytes Payload (min 1 byte) Fields added by the packet handler in Tx and processed and removed in Rx Optional User provided fields which are part of the payload Message part of the payload Figure 33. Fixed Length Packet Format 5.5.2.2. Variable Length Packet Format Variable length packet format is selected when bit PacketFormat is set to 1. This mode is useful in applications where the length of the packet is not known in advance and can vary over time. It is then necessary for the transmitter to send the length information together with each packet in order for the receiver to operate properly. In this mode the length of the payload, indicated by the length byte, is given by the first byte of the FIFO and is limited to 255 bytes if AES is not enabled else the message is limited to 64 bytes i.e. max 66 bytes payload if Address byte is enabled. Note that the length byte itself is not included in its calculation. In this mode, the payload must contain at least 2 bytes, i.e. length + address or message byte. An illustration of a variable length packet is shown below. It contains the following fields:  Preamble (1010...)  Sync word (Network ID)  Length byte  Optional Address byte (Node ID)  Message data  Optional 2-bytes CRC checksum DC free Data encoding CRC checksum calculation AES Enc/Dec Preamble Sync Word Length Address Message CRC 0 to 65535 0 to 8 bytes byte byte Up to 255 bytes 2-bytes bytes Payload (min 2 bytes) Fields added by the packet handler in Tx and processed and removed in Rx Optional User provided fields which are part of the payload Message part of the payload Figure 34. Variable Length Packet Format Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 54 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 5.5.2.3. Unlimited Length Packet Format Unlimited length packet format is selected when bit PacketFormat is set to 0 and PayloadLength is set to 0. The user can then transmit and receive packet of arbitrary length and PayloadLength register is not used in Tx/Rx modes for counting the length of the bytes transmitted/received. This mode is a replacement for the legacy buffered mode in SX1211/SX1212 transceivers. In Tx the data is transmitted depending on the TxStartCondition bit. On the Rx side the data processing features like Address filtering, Manchester encoding and data whitening are not available if the sync pattern length is set to zero (SyncOn = 0). The filling of the FIFO in this case can be controlled by the bit FifoFillCondition. The CRC detection in Rx is also not supported in this mode of the packet handler, however CRC generation in Tx is operational. The interrupts like CrcOk & PayloadReady are not available either. An unlimited length packet shown in figure 35 is made up of the following fields:  Preamble (1010...).  Sync word (Network ID).  Optional Address byte (Node ID).  Message data  Optional 2-bytes CRC checksum (Tx only) DC free Data encoding 0 P trobe ya6tme5s5b 3le5 0S toy n8c b Wytoersd A dbdyrtees s unliM meitsesda lgeength Pa ylo ad Fields ad ded by the packet handl er in Tx and processed and removed in Rx Message part of the payloa d O ptional User provided field s whic h are part of the payload Figure 35. Unlimited Length Packet Format 5.5.3. Tx Processing (without AES) In Tx mode the packet handler dynamically builds the packet by performing the following operations on the payload available in the FIFO:  Add a programmable number of preamble bytes  Add a programmable Sync word  Optionally calculating CRC over complete payload field (optional length byte + optional address byte + message) and appending the 2 bytes checksum.  Optional DC-free encoding of the data (Manchester or whitening) Only the payload (including optional address and length fields) is required to be provided by the user in the FIFO. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 55 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET The transmission of packet data is initiated by the Packet Handler only if the chip is in Tx mode and the transmission condition defined by TxStartCondition is fulfilled. If transmission condition is not fulfilled then the packet handler transmits a preamble sequence until the condition is met. This happens only if the preamble length /= 0, otherwise it transmits a zero or one until the condition is met to transmit the packet data. The transmission condition itself is defined as:  if TxStartCondition = 1, the packet handler waits until the first byte is written into the FIFO, then it starts sending the preamble followed by the sync word and user payload  If TxStartCondition = 0, the packet handler waits until the number of bytes written in the FIFO is equal to the number defined in RegFifoThresh + 1  If the condition for transmission was already fulfilled i.e. the FIFO was filled in Sleep/Stdby then the transmission of packet starts immediately on enabling Tx 5.5.4. Rx Processing (without AES) In Rx mode the packet handler extracts the user payload to the FIFO by performing the following operations:  Receiving the preamble and stripping it off  Detecting the Sync word and stripping it off  Optional DC-free decoding of data  Optionally checking the address byte  Optionally checking CRC and reflecting the result on CrcOk. Only the payload (including optional address and length fields) is made available in the FIFO. When the Rx mode is enabled the demodulator receives the preamble followed by the detection of sync word. If fixed length packet format is enabled then the number of bytes received as the payload is given by the PayloadLength parameter. In variable length mode the first byte received after the sync word is interpreted as the length of the received packet. The internal length counter is initialized to this received length. The PayloadLength register is set to a value which is greater than the maximum expected length of the received packet. If the received length is greater than the maximum length stored in PayloadLength register the packet is discarded otherwise the complete packet is received. If the address check is enabled then the second byte received in case of variable length and first byte in case of fixed length is the address byte. If the address matches to the one in the NodeAddress field, reception of the data continues otherwise it's stopped. The CRC check is performed if CrcOn = 1 and the result is available in CrcOk indicating that the CRC was successful. An interrupt (PayloadReady) is also generated on DIO0 as soon as the payload is available in the FIFO. The payload available in the FIFO can also be read in Sleep/Standby mode. If the CRC fails the PayloadReady interrupt is not generated and the FIFO is cleared. This function can be overridden by setting CrcAutoClearOff = 1, forcing the availability of PayloadReady interrupt and the payload in the FIFO even if the CRC fails. 5.5.5. AES AES is the symmetric-key block cipher that provides the cryptographic capabilities to the transceiver. The system proposed can work with 128-bit long fixed keys. The fixed key is stored in a 16-byte write only user configuration register, which retains its value in Sleep mode. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 56 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET As shown in Figure 33 and Figure 34 above the message part of the Packet can be encrypted and decrypted with the cipher 128- cipher key stored in the configuration registers. 5.5.5.1. Tx Processing 1. User enters the data to be transmitted in FIFO in Stdby/Sleep mode and gives the transmit command. 2. On Tx command the Packet handler state machine takes over the control and If encryption is enabled then the message inside the FIFO is read in blocks of 16 bytes (padded with 0s if needed), encrypted and stored back to FIFO. All this processing is done in Tx mode before enabling the packet handling state machine. Only the Message part of the packet is encrypted and preamble, sync word, length byte, address byte and CRC are not encrypted. 3. Once the encryption is done the Packet handling state machine is enabled to transmit the data. 5.5.5.2. Rx Processing 1. The data received is stored in the FIFO, The address, CRC interrupts are generated as usual because these parameters were not encrypted. 2. Once the complete packet has been received. The data is read from the FIFO, decrypted and written back to FIFO. The PayloadReady interrupt is issued once the decrypted data is ready in the FIFO for reading via the SPI interface. The AES encryption/decryption cannot be used on the fly i.e. while transmitting and receiving data. Thus when AES encryption/decryption is enabled, the FIFO acts as a simple buffer. This buffer is filled before initiating any transmission. The data in the buffer is then encrypted before the transmission can begin. On the receive side the decryption is initiated only once the complete packet has been received in the buffer. The encryption/decryption process takes approximately 7.0 us per 16-byte block. Thus for a maximum of 4 blocks (i.e. 64 bytes) it can take up to 28 us for completing the cryptographic operations. The receive side sees the AES decryption time as a sequential delay before the PayloadReady interrupt is available. The Tx side sees the AES encryption time as a sequential delay in the startup of the Tx chain, thus the startup time of the Tx will increase according to the length of data. In Fixed length mode the Message part of the payload that can be encrypted/decrypted can be 64 bytes long. If the address filtering is enabled, the length of the payload should be at max 65 bytes in this case. In Variable length mode the Max message size that can be encrypted/decrypted is also 64 bytes when address filtering is disabled, else it is 48 bytes. Thus, including length byte, the length of the payload is max 65 or 50 bytes (the latter when address filtering is enabled). If the address filtering is expected then AddressFiltering must be enabled on the transmitter side as well to prevent address byte to be encrypted. Crc check being performed on encrypted data, CrcOk interrupt will occur "decryption time" before PayloadReady interrupt. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 57 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 5.5.6. Handling Large Packets When Payload length exceeds FIFO size (66 bytes) whether in fixed, variable or unlimited length packet format, in addition to PacketSent in Tx and PayloadReady or CrcOk in Rx, the FIFO interrupts/flags can be used as described below:  For Tx: FIFO can be prefilled in Sleep/Standby but must be refilled "on-the-fly" during Tx with the rest of the payload. 1) Prefill FIFO (in Sleep/Standby first or directly in Tx mode) until FifoThreshold or FifoFull is set 2) In Tx, wait for FifoThreshold or FifoNotEmpty to be cleared (i.e. FIFO is nearly empty) 3) Write bytes into the FIFO until FifoThreshold or FifoFull is set. 4) Continue to step 2 until the entire message has been written to the FIFO (PacketSent will fire when the last bit of the packet has been sent).  For Rx: FIFO must be unfilled "on-the-fly" during Rx to prevent FIFO overrun. 1) Start reading bytes from the FIFO when FifoNotEmpty or FifoThreshold becomes set. 2) Suspend reading from the FIFO if FifoNotEmpty clears before all bytes of the message have been read 3) Continue to step 1 until PayloadReady 4) Read all remaining bytes from the FIFO either in Rx or Sleep/Standby mode Note AES encryption is not feasible on large packets, since all Payload bytes need to be in the FIFO at the same time to perform encryption 5.5.7. Packet Filtering SX1231's packet handler offers several mechanisms for packet filtering, ensuring that only useful packets are made available to the uC, reducing significantly system power consumption and software complexity. 5.5.7.1. Sync Word Based Sync word filtering/recognition is used for identifying the start of the payload and also for network identification. As previously described, the Sync word recognition block is configured (size, error tolerance, value) in RegSyncValue registers. This information is used, both for appending Sync word in Tx, and filtering packets in Rx. Every received packet which does not start with this locally configured Sync word is automatically discarded and no interrupt is generated. When the Sync word is detected, payload reception automatically starts and SyncAddressMatch is asserted. Note Sync Word values containing 0x00 byte(s) are forbidden Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 58 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 5.5.7.2. Address Based Address filtering can be enabled via the AddressFiltering bits. It adds another level of filtering, above Sync word (i.e. Sync must match first), typically useful in a multi-node networks where a network ID is shared between all nodes (Sync word) and each node has its own ID (address). Two address based filtering options are available:  AddressFiltering = 01: Received address field is compared with internal register NodeAddress. If they match then the packet is accepted and processed, otherwise it is discarded.  AddressFiltering = 10: Received address field is compared with internal registers NodeAddress and BroadcastAddress. If either is a match, the received packet is accepted and processed, otherwise it is discarded. This additional check with a constant is useful for implementing broadcast in a multi-node networks Please note that the received address byte, as part of the payload, is not stripped off the packet and is made available in the FIFO. In addition, NodeAddress and AddressFiltering only apply to Rx. On Tx side, if address filtering is expected, the address byte should simply be put into the FIFO like any other byte of the payload. As address filtering requires a Sync word match, both features share the same interrupt flag SyncAddressMatch. 5.5.7.3. Length Based In variable length Packet mode, PayloadLength must be programmed with the maximum payload length permitted. If received length byte is smaller than this maximum then the packet is accepted and processed, otherwise it is discarded. Please note that the received length byte, as part of the payload, is not stripped off the packet and is made available in the FIFO. To disable this function the user should set the value of the PayloadLength to 255. 5.5.7.4. CRC Based The CRC check is enabled by setting bit CrcOn in RegPacketConfig1. It is used for checking the integrity of the message.  On Tx side a two byte CRC checksum is calculated on the payload part of the packet and appended to the end of the message  On Rx side the checksum is calculated on the received payload and compared with the two checksum bytes received. The result of the comparison is stored in bit CrcOk. By default, if the CRC check fails then the FIFO is automatically cleared and no interrupt is generated. This filtering function can be disabled via CrcAutoClearOff bit and in this case, even if CRC fails, the FIFO is not cleared and only PayloadReady interrupt goes high. Please note that in both cases, the two CRC checksum bytes are stripped off by the packet handler and only the payload is made available in the FIFO. The CRC is based on the CCITT polynomial as shown below. This implementation also detects errors due to leading and trailing zeros. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 59 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET data input CRC Polynomial =X16 + X12 + X5 + 1 X15 X14 X13 X12 X11 * * * X5 X4 * * * X0 Figure 36. CRC Implementation 5.5.8. DC-Free Data Mechanisms The payload to be transmitted may contain long sequences of 1's and 0's, which introduces a DC bias in the transmitted signal. The radio signal thus produced has a non uniform power distribution over the occupied channel bandwidth. It also introduces data dependencies in the normal operation of the demodulator. Thus it is useful if the transmitted data is random and DC free. For such purposes, two techniques are made available in the packet handler: Manchester encoding and data whitening. Note Only one of the two methods should be enabled at a time. 5.5.8.1. Manchester Encoding Manchester encoding/decoding is enabled if DcFree = 01 and can only be used in Packet mode. The NRZ data is converted to Manchester code by coding '1' as "10" and '0' as "01". In this case, the maximum chip rate is the maximum bit rate given in the specifications section and the actual bit rate is half the chip rate. Manchester encoding and decoding is only applied to the payload and CRC checksum while preamble and Sync word are kept NRZ. However, the chip rate from preamble to CRC is the same and defined by BitRate in RegBitRate (Chip Rate = Bit Rate NRZ = 2 x Bit Rate Manchester). Manchester encoding/decoding is thus made transparent for the user, who still provides/retrieves NRZ data to/from the FIFO. 1/BR ...Sync 1/BR Payload... RF chips @ BR ... 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 ... User/NRZ bits t ... 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 ... Manchester OFF User/NRZ bits ... 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 ... Manchester ON Figure 37. Manchester Encoding/Decoding Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 60 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 5.5.8.2. Data Whitening Another technique called whitening or scrambling is widely used for randomizing the user data before radio transmission. The data is whitened using a random sequence on the Tx side and de-whitened on the Rx side using the same sequence. Comparing to Manchester technique it has the advantage of keeping NRZ data rate i.e. actual bit rate is not halved. The whitening/de-whitening process is enabled if DcFree = 10. A 9-bit LFSR is used to generate a random sequence. The payload and 2-byte CRC checksum is then XORed with this random sequence as shown below. The data is de-whitened on the receiver side by XORing with the same random sequence. Payload whitening/de-whitening is thus made transparent for the user, who still provides/retrieves NRZ data to/from the FIFO. LFSR Polynomial =X9 + X5 + 1 X8 X7 X6 X5 X4 X3 X2 X1 X0 Transmit data Whitened data Figure 38. Data Whitening Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 61 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 6. Configuration and Status Registers 6.1. General Description Table 22 Registers Summary Default Reset Address Register Name (recom Description (built-in) mended) 0x00 RegFifo 0x00 FIFO read/write access 0x01 RegOpMode 0x04 Operating modes of the transceiver 0x02 RegDataModul 0x00 Data operation mode and Modulation settings 0x03 RegBitrateMsb 0x1A Bit Rate setting, Most Significant Bits 0x04 RegBitrateLsb 0x0B Bit Rate setting, Least Significant Bits 0x05 RegFdevMsb 0x00 Frequency Deviation setting, Most Significant Bits 0x06 RegFdevLsb 0x52 Frequency Deviation setting, Least Significant Bits 0x07 RegFrfMsb 0xE4 RF Carrier Frequency, Most Significant Bits 0x08 RegFrfMid 0xC0 RF Carrier Frequency, Intermediate Bits 0x09 RegFrfLsb 0x00 RF Carrier Frequency, Least Significant Bits 0x0A RegOsc1 0x41 RC Oscillators Settings 0x0B RegAfcCtrl 0x00 AFC control in low modulation index situations 0x0C RegLowBat 0x02 Low Battery Indicator Settings 0x0D RegListen1 0x92 Listen Mode settings 0x0E RegListen2 0xF5 Listen Mode Idle duration 0x0F RegListen3 0x20 Listen Mode Rx duration 0x10 RegVersion 0x23 Semtech ID relating the silicon revision 0x11 RegPaLevel 0x9F PA selection and Output Power control 0x12 RegPaRamp 0x09 Control of the PA ramp time in FSK mode 0x13 RegOcp 0x1A Over Current Protection control 0x14 Reserved14 0x40 - 0x15 Reserved15 0xB0 - 0x16 Reserved16 0x7B - 0x17 Reserved17 0x9B - 0x18 RegLna 0x08 0x88 LNA settings 0x19 RegRxBw 0x86 0x55 Channel Filter BW Control Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 62 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET Default Reset Address Register Name (recom Description (built-in) mended) 0x1A RegAfcBw 0x8A 0x8B Channel Filter BW control during the AFC routine 0x1B RegOokPeak 0x40 OOK demodulator selection and control in peak mode 0x1C RegOokAvg 0x80 Average threshold control of the OOK demodulator 0x1D RegOokFix 0x06 Fixed threshold control of the OOK demodulator 0x1E RegAfcFei 0x10 AFC and FEI control and status 0x1F RegAfcMsb 0x00 MSB of the frequency correction of the AFC 0x20 RegAfcLsb 0x00 LSB of the frequency correction of the AFC 0x21 RegFeiMsb 0x00 MSB of the calculated frequency error 0x22 RegFeiLsb 0x00 LSB of the calculated frequency error 0x23 RegRssiConfig 0x02 RSSI-related settings 0x24 RegRssiValue 0xFF RSSI value in dBm 0x25 RegDioMapping1 0x00 Mapping of pins DIO0 to DIO3 0x26 RegDioMapping2 0x05 0x07 Mapping of pins DIO4 and DIO5, ClkOut frequency 0x27 RegIrqFlags1 0x80 Status register: PLL Lock state, Timeout, RSSI > Threshold... 0x28 RegIrqFlags2 0x00 Status register: FIFO handling flags, Low Battery detection... 0x29 RegRssiThresh 0xFF 0xE4 RSSI Threshold control 0x2A RegRxTimeout1 0x00 Timeout duration between Rx request and RSSI detection 0x2B RegRxTimeout2 0x00 Timeout duration between RSSI detection and PayloadReady 0x2C RegPreambleMsb 0x00 Preamble length, MSB 0x2D RegPreambleLsb 0x03 Preamble length, LSB 0x2E RegSyncConfig 0x98 Sync Word Recognition control 0x2F-0x36 RegSyncValue1-8 0x00 0x01 Sync Word bytes, 1 through 8 0x37 RegPacketConfig1 0x10 Packet mode settings 0x38 RegPayloadLength 0x40 Payload length setting 0x39 RegNodeAdrs 0x00 Node address 0x3A RegBroadcastAdrs 0x00 Broadcast address 0x3B RegAutoModes 0x00 Auto modes settings 0x3C RegFifoThresh 0x0F 0x8F Fifo threshold, Tx start condition 0x3D RegPacketConfig2 0x02 Packet mode settings Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 63 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET Default Reset Address Register Name (recom Description (built-in) mended) 0x3E-0x4D RegAesKey1-16 0x00 16 bytes of the cypher key 0x4E RegTemp1 0x01 Temperature Sensor control 0x4F RegTemp2 0x00 Temperature readout 0x58 RegTestLna 0x1B Sensitivity boost 0x59 RegTestTcxo 0x09 XTAL or TCXO input selection 0x5F RegTestllBw 0x08 PLL Bandwidth setting 0x6F RegTestDagc 0x00 0x30 Fading Margin Improvement 0x71 RegTestAfc 0x00 AFC offset for low modulation index AFC 0x50 + RegTest - Internal test registers Notes - Reset values are automatically refreshed in the chip at Power On Reset - Default values are the Semtech recommended register values, optimizing the device operation - Registers for which the Default value differs from the Reset value are denoted by a * in the tables of section 6 Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 64 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 6.2. Common Configuration Registers Table 23 Common Configuration Registers Name Default Bits Variable Name Mode Description (Address) Value RegFifo 7-0 Fifo rw 0x00 FIFO data input/output (0x00) RegOpMode 7 SequencerOff rw 0 Controls the automatic Sequencer (see section 4.2 ): (0x01) 0  Operating mode as selected with Mode bits in RegOpMode is automatically reached with the Sequencer 1  Mode is forced by the user 6 ListenOn rw 0 Enables Listen mode, should be enabled whilst in Standby mode: 0  Off (see section 4.3) 1  On 5 ListenAbort w 0 Aborts Listen mode when set together with ListenOn=0 See section 4.3.4 for details Always reads 0. 4-2 Mode rw 001 Transceiver’s operating modes: 000  Sleep mode (SLEEP) 001  Standby mode (STDBY) 010  Frequency Synthesizer mode (FS) 011  Transmitter mode (TX) 100  Receiver mode (RX) others  reserved Reads the value corresponding to the current chip mode 1-0 - r 00 unused RegDataModul 7 - r 0 unused (0x02) 6-5 DataMode rw 00 Data processing mode: 00  Packet mode 01  reserved 10  Continuous mode with bit synchronizer 11  Continuous mode without bit synchronizer 4-3 ModulationType rw 00 Modulation scheme: 00  FSK 01  OOK 10 - 11  reserved 2 - r 0 unused 1-0 ModulationShaping rw 00 Data shaping: in FSK: 00  no shaping 01  Gaussian filter, BT = 1.0 10  Gaussian filter, BT = 0.5 11  Gaussian filter, BT = 0.3 in OOK: 00  no shaping 01  filtering with f = BR cutoff 10  filtering with f = 2*BR cutoff 11  reserved RegBitrateMsb 7-0 BitRate(15:8) rw 0x1a MSB of Bit Rate (Chip Rate when Manchester encoding is (0x03) enabled) Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 65 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET RegBitrateLsb 7-0 BitRate(7:0) rw 0x0b LSB of Bit Rate (Chip Rate if Manchester encoding is (0x04) enabled) FXOSC BitRate = ----------------------------------- BitRate(15,0) Default value: 4.8 kb/s RegFdevMsb 7-6 - r 00 unused (0x05) 5-0 Fdev(13:8) rw 000000 MSB of the frequency deviation RegFdevLsb 7-0 Fdev(7:0) rw 0x52 LSB of the frequency deviation (0x06) Fdev = Fstep×Fdev(15,0) Default value: 5 kHz RegFrfMsb 7-0 Frf(23:16) rw 0xe4 MSB of the RF carrier frequency (0x07) RegFrfMid 7-0 Frf(15:8) rw 0xc0 Middle byte of the RF carrier frequency (0x08) RegFrfLsb 7-0 Frf(7:0) rw 0x00 LSB of the RF carrier frequency (0x09) Frf = Fstep×Frf(23;0) Default value: Frf = 915 MHz (32 MHz XO) RegOsc1 7 RcCalStart w 0 Triggers the calibration of the RC oscillator when set. (0x0A) Always reads 0. RC calibration must be triggered in Standby mode. 6 RcCalDone r 1 0  RC calibration in progress 1  RC calibration is over 5-0 - r 000001 unused RegAfcCtrl 7-6 - r 00 unused (0x0B) 5 AfcLowBetaOn rw 0 Improved AFC routine for signals with modulation index lower than 2. Refer to section 3.5.16 for details 0  Standard AFC routine 1  Improved AFC routine 4-0 - r 00000 unused RegLowBat 7-5 - r 000 unused (0x0C) 4 LowBatMonitor rw - Real-time (not latched) output of the Low Battery detector, when enabled. 3 LowBatOn rw 0 Low Battery detector enable signal 0  LowBat off 1  LowBat on 2-0 LowBatTrim rw 010 Trimming of the LowBat threshold: 000  1.695 V 001  1.764 V 010  1.835 V 011  1.905 V 100  1.976 V 101  2.045 V 110  2.116 V 111  2.185 V Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 66 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET RegListen1 7-6 ListenResolIdle rw 10 Resolution of Listen mode Idle time (calibrated RC osc): (0x0D) 00  reserved 01  64 us 10  4.1 ms 11  262 ms 5-4 ListenResolRx rw 01 Resolution of Listen mode Rx time (calibrated RC osc): 00  reserved 01  64 us 10  4.1 ms 11  262 ms 3 ListenCriteria rw 0 Criteria for packet acceptance in Listen mode: 0  signal strength is above RssiThreshold 1  signal strength is above RssiThreshold and SyncAddress matched 2-1 ListenEnd rw 01 Action taken after acceptance of a packet in Listen mode: 00  chip stays in Rx mode. Listen mode stops and must be disabled (see section 4.3). 01  chip stays in Rx mode until PayloadReady or Timeout interrupt occurs. It then goes to the mode defined by Mode. Listen mode stops and must be disabled (see section 4.3). 10  chip stays in Rx mode until PayloadReady or Timeout interrupt occurs. Listen mode then resumes in Idle state. FIFO content is lost at next Rx wakeup. 11  Reserved 0 - r 0 unused RegListen2 7-0 ListenCoefIdle rw 0xf5 Duration of the Idle phase in Listen mode. (0x0E) t = ListenCoefIdle⋅ListenResolIdle ListenIdle RegListen3 7-0 ListenCoefRx rw 0x20 Duration of the Rx phase in Listen mode (startup time (0x0F) included, see section 4.2.3) t = ListenCoefRx⋅ListenResolRx ListenRx RegVersion 7-0 Version r 0x23 Version code of the chip. Bits 7-4 give the full revision (0x10) number; bits 3-0 give the metal mask revision number. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 67 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 6.3. Transmitter Registers Table 24 Transmitter Registers Name Default Bits Variable Name Mode Description (Address) Value RegPaLevel 7 Pa0On * rw 1 Enables PA0, connected to RFIO and LNA (0x11) 6 Pa1On * rw 0 Enables PA1, on PA_BOOST pin 5 Pa2On * rw 0 Enables PA2, on PA_BOOST pin 4-0 OutputPower rw 11111 Output power setting, with 1 dB steps Pout = -18 + OutputPower [dBm] , with PA0 or PA1 Pout = -14 + OutputPower [dBm] , with PA1 and PA2 (limited to the 16 upper values of OutputPower) RegPaRamp 7-4 - r 0000 unused (0x12) 3-0 PaRamp rw 1001 Rise/Fall time of ramp up/down in FSK 0000  3.4 ms 0001  2 ms 0010  1 ms 0011  500 us 0100  250 us 0101  125 us 0110  100 us 0111  62 us 1000  50 us 1001  40 us 1010  31 us 1011  25 us 1100  20 us 1101  15 us 1110  12 us 1111  10 us RegOcp 7-5 - r 000 unused (0x13) 4 OcpOn rw 1 Enables overload current protection (OCP) for the PA: 0  OCP disabled 1  OCP enabled 3-0 OcpTrim rw 1010 Trimming of OCP current: Imax = 45+5×OcpTrim(mA) 95 mA OCP by default Note *Power Amplifier truth table is available in Table 10. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 68 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 6.4. Receiver Registers Table 25 Receiver Registers Name Default Bits Variable Name Mode Description (Address) Value Reserved14 7-0 - r 0x40 unused (0x14) Reserved15 7-0 - r 0xB0 unused (0x15) Reserved16 7-0 - r 0x7B unused (0x16) Reserved17 7-0 - r 0x9B unused (0x17) RegLna 7 LnaZin rw 1 LNA’s input impedance (0x18) * 0  50 ohms 1  200 ohms 6 - r 0 unused 5-3 LnaCurrentGain r 001 Current LNA gain, set either manually, or by the AGC 2-0 LnaGainSelect rw 000 LNA gain setting: 000  gain set by the internal AGC loop 001  G1 = highest gain 010  G2 = highest gain – 6 dB 011  G3 = highest gain – 12 dB 100  G4 = highest gain – 24 dB 101  G5 = highest gain – 36 dB 110  G6 = highest gain – 48 dB 111  reserved RegRxBw 7-5 DccFreq rw 010 Cut-off frequency of the DC offset canceller (DCC): (0x19) * 4×RxBw fc = ------------------------------------------ 2π×2DccFreq+2 ~4% of the RxBw by default 4-3 RxBwMant rw 10 Channel filter bandwidth control: * 00  RxBwMant = 16 10  RxBwMant = 24 01  RxBwMant = 20 11  reserved 2-0 RxBwExp rw 101 Channel filter bandwidth control: * FSK Mode: FXOSC RxBw = ------------------------------------------------------------------ RxBwMant×2RxBwExp+2 OOK Mode: FXOSC RxBw = ------------------------------------------------------------------ RxBwMant×2RxBwExp+3 See Table 13 for tabulated values RegAfcBw 7-5 DccFreqAfc rw 100 DccFreq parameter used during the AFC (0x1A) 4-3 RxBwMantAfc rw 01 RxBwMant parameter used during the AFC 2-0 RxBwExpAfc rw 011 * RxBwExp parameter used during the AFC Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 69 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET RegOokPeak 7-6 OokThreshType rw 01 Selects type of threshold in the OOK data slicer: (0x1B) 00  fixed 10  average 01  peak 11  reserved 5-3 OokPeakTheshStep rw 000 Size of each decrement of the RSSI threshold in the OOK demodulator: 000  0.5 dB 001  1.0 dB 010  1.5 dB 011  2.0 dB 100  3.0 dB 101  4.0 dB 110  5.0 dB 111  6.0 dB 2-0 OokPeakThreshDec rw 000 Period of decrement of the RSSI threshold in the OOK demodulator: 000  once per chip 001  once every 2 chips 010  once every 4 chips 011  once every 8 chips 100  twice in each chip 101  4 times in each chip 110  8 times in each chip 111  16 times in each chip RegOokAvg 7-6 OokAverageThreshFilt rw 10 Filter coefficients in average mode of the OOK (0x1C) demodulator: 00  f ≈ chip rate / 32.π 01  f ≈ chip rate / 8.π C C 10  f ≈ chip rate / 4.π 11 f ≈ chip rate / 2.π C C 5-0 - r 000000 unused RegOokFix 7-0 OokFixedThresh rw 0110 Fixed threshold value (in dB) in the OOK demodulator. (0x1D) (6dB) Used when OokThresType = 00 RegAfcFei 7 - r 0 unused (0x1E) 6 FeiDone r 0 0  FEI is on-going 1  FEI finished 5 FeiStart w 0 Triggers a FEI measurement when set. Always reads 0. 4 AfcDone r 1 0  AFC is on-going 1  AFC has finished 3 AfcAutoclearOn rw 0 Only valid if AfcAutoOn is set 0  AFC register is not cleared before a new AFC phase 1  AFC register is cleared before a new AFC phase 2 AfcAutoOn rw 0 0  AFC is performed each time AfcStart is set 1  AFC is performed each time Rx mode is entered 1 AfcClear w 0 Clears the AfcValue if set in Rx mode. Always reads 0 0 AfcStart w 0 Triggers an AFC when set. Always reads 0. RegAfcMsb 7-0 AfcValue(15:8) r 0x00 MSB of the AfcValue, 2’s complement format (0x1F) RegAfcLsb 7-0 AfcValue(7:0) r 0x00 LSB of the AfcValue, 2’s complement format (0x20) Frequency correction = AfcValue x Fstep RegFeiMsb 7-0 FeiValue(15:8) r - MSB of the measured frequency offset, 2’s complement (0x21) RegFeiLsb 7-0 FeiValue(7:0) r - LSB of the measured frequency offset, 2’s complement (0x22) Frequency error = FeiValue x Fstep RegRssiConfig 7-2 - r 000000 unused (0x23) 1 RssiDone r 1 0  RSSI is on-going 1  RSSI sampling is finished, result available 0 RssiStart w 0 Trigger a RSSI measurement when set. Always reads 0. RegRssiValue 7-0 RssiValue r 0xFF Absolute value of the RSSI in dBm, 0.5dB steps. (0x24) RSSI = -RssiValue/2 [dBm] Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 70 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 6.5. IRQ and Pin Mapping Registers Table 26 IRQ and Pin Mapping Registers Name Default Bits Variable Name Mode Description (Address) Value RegDioMapping1 7-6 Dio0Mapping rw 00 (0x25) 5-4 Dio1Mapping rw 00 Mapping of pins DIO0 to DIO5 3-2 Dio2Mapping rw 00 See Table 20 for mapping in Continuous mode 1-0 Dio3Mapping rw 00 See Table 21 for mapping in Packet mode RegDioMapping2 7-6 Dio4Mapping rw 00 (0x26) 5-4 Dio5Mapping rw 00 3 - r 0 unused 2-0 ClkOut rw 111 Selects CLKOUT frequency: * 000  FXOSC 001  FXOSC / 2 010  FXOSC / 4 011  FXOSC / 8 100  FXOSC / 16 101  FXOSC / 32 110  RC (automatically enabled) 111  OFF RegIrqFlags1 7 ModeReady r 1 Set when the operation mode requested in Mode, is ready (0x27) - Sleep: Entering Sleep mode - Standby: XO is running - FS: PLL is locked - Rx: RSSI sampling starts - Tx: PA ramp-up completed Cleared when changing operating mode. 6 RxReady r 0 Set in Rx mode, after RSSI, AGC and AFC. Cleared when leaving Rx. 5 TxReady r 0 Set in Tx mode, after PA ramp-up. Cleared when leaving Tx. 4 PllLock r 0 Set (in FS, Rx or Tx) when the PLL is locked. Cleared when it is not. 3 Rssi rwc 0 Set in Rx when the RssiValue exceeds RssiThreshold. Cleared when leaving Rx. 2 Timeout r 0 Set when a timeout occurs (see TimeoutRxStart and TimeoutRssiThresh) Cleared when leaving Rx or FIFO is emptied. 1 AutoMode r 0 Set when entering Intermediate mode. Cleared when exiting Intermediate mode. Please note that in Sleep mode a small delay can be observed between AutoMode interrupt and the corresponding enter/exit condition. 0 SyncAddressMatch r/rwc 0 Set when Sync and Address (if enabled) are detected. Cleared when leaving Rx or FIFO is emptied. This bit is read only in Packet mode, rwc in Continuous mode Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 71 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET RegIrqFlags2 7 FifoFull r 0 Set when FIFO is full (i.e. contains 66 bytes), else (0x28) cleared. 6 FifoNotEmpty r 0 Set when FIFO contains at least one byte, else cleared 5 FifoLevel r 0 Set when the number of bytes in the FIFO strictly exceeds FifoThreshold, else cleared. 4 FifoOverrun rwc 0 Set when FIFO overrun occurs. (except in Sleep mode) Flag(s) and FIFO are cleared when this bit is set. The FIFO then becomes immediately available for the next transmission / reception. 3 PacketSent r 0 Set in Tx when the complete packet has been sent. Cleared when exiting Tx. 2 PayloadReady r 0 Set in Rx when the payload is ready (i.e. last byte received and CRC, if enabled and CrcAutoClearOff is cleared, is Ok). Cleared when FIFO is empty. 1 CrcOk r 0 Set in Rx when the CRC of the payload is Ok. Cleared when FIFO is empty. 0 LowBat rwc - Set when the battery voltage drops below the Low Battery threshold. Cleared only when set by the user. RegRssiThresh 7-0 RssiThreshold rw 0xE4 RSSI trigger level for Rssi interrupt : (0x29) * - RssiThreshold / 2 [dBm] RegRxTimeout1 7-0 TimeoutRxStart rw 0x00 Timeout interrupt is generated TimeoutRxStart*16*Tbit (0x2A) after switching to Rx mode if Rssi interrupt doesn’t occur (i.e. RssiValue > RssiThreshold) 0x00: TimeoutRxStart is disabled RegRxTimeout2 7-0 TimeoutRssiThresh rw 0x00 Timeout interrupt is generated TimeoutRssiThresh*16*Tbit (0x2B) after Rssi interrupt if PayloadReady interrupt doesn’t occur. 0x00: TimeoutRssiThresh is disabled Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 72 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 6.6. Packet Engine Registers Table 27 Packet Engine Registers Name Default Bits Variable Name Mode Description (Address) Value RegPreambleMsb 7-0 PreambleSize(15:8) rw 0x00 Size of the preamble to be sent (from TxStartCondition (0x2c) fulfilled). (MSB byte) RegPreambleLsb 7-0 PreambleSize(7:0) rw 0x03 Size of the preamble to be sent (from TxStartCondition (0x2d) fulfilled). (LSB byte) RegSyncConfig 7 SyncOn rw 1 Enables the Sync word generation and detection: (0x2e) 0  Off 1  On 6 FifoFillCondition rw 0 FIFO filling condition: 0  if SyncAddress interrupt occurs 1  as long as FifoFillCondition is set 5-3 SyncSize rw 011 Size of the Sync word: (SyncSize + 1) bytes 2-0 SyncTol rw 000 Number of tolerated bit errors in Sync word RegSyncValue1 7-0 SyncValue(63:56) rw 0x01 1st byte of Sync word. (MSB byte) (0x2f) * Used if SyncOn is set. RegSyncValue2 7-0 SyncValue(55:48) rw 0x01 2nd byte of Sync word (0x30) * Used if SyncOn is set and (SyncSize +1) >= 2. RegSyncValue3 7-0 SyncValue(47:40) rw 0x01 3rd byte of Sync word. (0x31) * Used if SyncOn is set and (SyncSize +1) >= 3. RegSyncValue4 7-0 SyncValue(39:32) rw 0x01 4th byte of Sync word. (0x32) * Used if SyncOn is set and (SyncSize +1) >= 4. RegSyncValue5 7-0 SyncValue(31:24) rw 0x01 5th byte of Sync word. (0x33) * Used if SyncOn is set and (SyncSize +1) >= 5. RegSyncValue6 7-0 SyncValue(23:16) rw 0x01 6th byte of Sync word. (0x34) * Used if SyncOn is set and (SyncSize +1) >= 6. RegSyncValue7 7-0 SyncValue(15:8) rw 0x01 7th byte of Sync word. (0x35) * Used if SyncOn is set and (SyncSize +1) >= 7. RegSyncValue8 7-0 SyncValue(7:0) rw 0x01 8th byte of Sync word. (0x36) * Used if SyncOn is set and (SyncSize +1) = 8. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 73 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET RegPacketConfig1 7 PacketFormat rw 0 Defines the packet format used: (0x37) 0  Fixed length 1  Variable length 6-5 DcFree rw 00 Defines DC-free encoding/decoding performed: 00  None (Off) 01  Manchester 10  Whitening 11  reserved 4 CrcOn rw 1 Enables CRC calculation/check (Tx/Rx): 0  Off 1  On 3 CrcAutoClearOff rw 0 Defines the behavior of the packet handler when CRC check fails: 0  Clear FIFO and restart new packet reception. No PayloadReady interrupt issued. 1  Do not clear FIFO. PayloadReady interrupt issued. 2-1 AddressFiltering rw 00 Defines address based filtering in Rx: 00  None (Off) 01  Address field must match NodeAddress 10  Address field must match NodeAddress or BroadcastAddress 11  reserved 0 - rw 0 unused RegPayloadLength 7-0 PayloadLength rw 0x40 If PacketFormat = 0 (fixed), payload length. (0x38) If PacketFormat = 1 (variable), max length in Rx, not used in Tx. RegNodeAdrs 7-0 NodeAddress rw 0x00 Node address used in address filtering. (0x39) RegBroadcastAdrs 7-0 BroadcastAddress rw 0x00 Broadcast address used in address filtering. (0x3A) RegAutoModes 7-5 EnterCondition rw 000 Interrupt condition for entering the intermediate mode: (0x3B) 000  None (AutoModes Off) 001  Rising edge of FifoNotEmpty 010  Rising edge of FifoLevel 011  Rising edge of CrcOk 100  Rising edge of PayloadReady 101  Rising edge of SyncAddress 110  Rising edge of PacketSent 111  Falling edge of FifoNotEmpty (i.e. FIFO empty) 4-2 ExitCondition rw 000 Interrupt condition for exiting the intermediate mode: 000  None (AutoModes Off) 001  Falling edge of FifoNotEmpty (i.e. FIFO empty) 010  Rising edge of FifoLevel or Timeout 011  Rising edge of CrcOk or Timeout 100  Rising edge of PayloadReady or Timeout 101  Rising edge of SyncAddress or Timeout 110  Rising edge of PacketSent 111  Rising edge of Timeout 1-0 IntermediateMode rw 00 Intermediate mode: 00  Sleep mode (SLEEP) 01  Standby mode (STDBY) 10  Receiver mode (RX) 11  Transmitter mode (TX) Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 74 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET RegFifoThresh 7 TxStartCondition rw 1 Defines the condition to start packet transmission : (0x3C) * 0  FifoLevel (i.e. the number of bytes in the FIFO exceeds FifoThreshold) 1  FifoNotEmpty (i.e. at least one byte in the FIFO) 6-0 FifoThreshold rw 0001111 Used to trigger FifoLevel interrupt. RegPacketConfig2 7-4 InterPacketRxDelay rw 0000 After PayloadReady occurred, defines the delay between (0x3D) FIFO empty and the start of a new RSSI phase for next packet. Must match the transmitter’s PA ramp-down time. - Tdelay = 0 if InterpacketRxDelay >= 12 - Tdelay = (2InterpacketRxDelay) / BitRate otherwise 3 - rw 0 unused 2 RestartRx w 0 Forces the Receiver in WAIT mode, in Continuous Rx mode. Always reads 0. 1 AutoRxRestartOn rw 1 Enables automatic Rx restart (RSSI phase) after PayloadReady occurred and packet has been completely read from FIFO: 0  Off. RestartRx can be used. 1  On. Rx automatically restarted after InterPacketRxDelay. 0 AesOn rw 0 Enable the AES encryption/decryption: 0  Off 1  On (payload limited to 66 bytes maximum) RegAesKey1 7-0 AesKey(127:120) w 0x00 1st byte of cipher key (MSB byte) (0x3E) RegAesKey2 7-0 AesKey(119:112) w 0x00 2nd byte of cipher key (0x3F) RegAesKey3 7-0 AesKey(111:104) w 0x00 3rd byte of cipher key (0x40) RegAesKey4 7-0 AesKey(103:96) w 0x00 4th byte of cipher key (0x41) RegAesKey5 7-0 AesKey(95:88) w 0x00 5th byte of cipher key (0x42) RegAesKey6 7-0 AesKey(87:80) w 0x00 6th byte of cipher key (0x43) RegAesKey7 7-0 AesKey(79:72) w 0x00 7th byte of cipher key (0x44) RegAesKey8 7-0 AesKey(71:64) w 0x00 8th byte of cipher key (0x45) RegAesKey9 7-0 AesKey(63:56) w 0x00 9th byte of cipher key (0x46) RegAesKey10 7-0 AesKey(55:48) w 0x00 10th byte of cipher key (0x47) RegAesKey11 7-0 AesKey(47:40) w 0x00 11th byte of cipher key (0x48) RegAesKey12 7-0 AesKey(39:32) w 0x00 12th byte of cipher key (0x49) RegAesKey13 7-0 AesKey(31:24) w 0x00 13th byte of cipher key (0x4A) Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 75 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET RegAesKey14 7-0 AesKey(23:16) w 0x00 14th byte of cipher key (0x4B) RegAesKey15 7-0 AesKey(15:8) w 0x00 15th byte of cipher key (0x4C) RegAesKey16 7-0 AesKey(7:0) w 0x00 16th byte of cipher key (LSB byte) (0x4D) 6.7. Temperature Sensor Registers Table 28 Temperature Sensor Registers Name Default Bits Variable Name Mode Description (Address) Value RegTemp1 7-4 - r 0000 unused (0x4E) 3 TempMeasStart w 0 Triggers the temperature measurement when set. Always reads 0. 2 TempMeasRunning r 0 Set to 1 while the temperature measurement is running. Toggles back to 0 when the measurement has completed. The receiver can not be used while measuring temperature 1-0 - r 01 unused RegTemp2 7-0 TempValue r - Measured temperature (0x4F) -1°C per Lsb Needs calibration for accuracy 6.8. Test Registers Table 29 Test Registers Name Default Bits Variable Name Mode Description (Address) Value RegTestLna 7-0 SensitivityBoost rw 0x1B High sensitivity or normal sensitivity mode: (0x58) 0x1B  Normal mode 0x2D  High sensitivity mode RegTestTcxo 7-5 reserved rw 0x00 reserved (0x59) 4 TcxoInputOn rw 0x00 Controls the crystal oscillator 0  Crystal Oscillator with external Crystal 1  External clipped sine TCXO ac coupled to XTA pin 3-0 reserved rw 0x09 reserved RegTestPIIBW 3-2 PIIBW rw 0x02 PLL 3dB BW setting (0x5F) 0x00 75kHz 0x01 150kHz 0x10 300kHz 0x11 600kHz RegTestDagc 7-0 ContinuousDagc rw 0x30 Fading Margin Improvement, refer to 3.5.4 (0x6F) * 0x00  Normal mode 0x20  Improved margin, use if AfcLowBetaOn=1 0x30  Improved margin, use if AfcLowBetaOn=0 RegTestAfc 7-0 LowBetaAfcOffset rw 0x00 AFC offset set for low modulation index systems, used if (0x71) AfcLowBetaOn=1. Offset = LowBetaAfcOffset x 488 Hz Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 76 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 7. Application Information 7.1. Crystal Resonator Specification Table 30 shows the crystal resonator specification for the crystal reference oscillator circuit of the SX1231. This specification covers the full range of operation of the SX1231 and is employed in the reference design. Table 30 Crystal Specification Symbol Description Conditions Min Typ Max Unit FXOSC XTAL Frequency 26 - 32 MHz RS XTAL Serial Resistance - 30 140 ohms C0 XTAL Shunt Capacitance - 2.8 7 pF CLOAD External Foot Capacitance On each pin XTA and XTB 8 16 22 pF Notes - the initial frequency tolerance, temperature stability and ageing performance should be chosen in accordance with the target operating temperature range and the receiver bandwidth selected. - the loading capacitance should be applied externally, and adapted to the actual Cload specification of the XTAL. - A minimum XTAL frequency of 28 MHz is required to cover the 863-870 MHz band, 29 MHz for the 902-928 MHz band 7.2. Reset of the Chip A power-on reset of the SX1231 is triggered at power up. Additionally, a manual reset can be issued by controlling pin 6. 7.2.1. POR If the application requires the disconnection of VDD from the SX1231, despite of the extremely low Sleep Mode current, the user should wait for 10 ms from of the end of the POR cycle before commencing communications over the SPI bus. Pin 6 (Reset) should be left floating during the POR sequence. VDD Pin 6 Undefined (output) Wait for Chip is ready from 10 ms this point on Figure 39. POR Timing Diagram Please note that any CLKOUT activity can also be used to detect that the chip is ready. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 77 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 7.2.2. Manual Reset A manual reset of the SX1231 is possible even for applications in which VDD cannot be physically disconnected. Pin 6 should be pulled high for a hundred microseconds, and then released. The user should then wait for 5 ms before using the chip. VDD Wait for Chip is ready from >100us 5 ms this point on Pin 6 High-Z ’’1’’ High-Z (input) Figure 40. Manual Reset Timing Diagram Note whilst pin 6 is driven high, an over current consumption of up to ten milliamps can be seen on VDD. 7.3. Reference Design Please contact your Semtech representative for evaluation tools, reference designs and design assistance. Note that all schematics shown in this section are full schematics, listing ALL required components, including decoupling capacitors. Figure 41. +13dBm Schematic Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 78 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET Table 31 +13dBm BOM Designator 315 MHz 433 MHz 868 MHz 915 MHz Type C8, C9, C10, C13 100 nF X7R C1 10 nF X7R C11, C12 15 pF COG L1 1.5 nH 10 nH 4.7 nH 3.9 nH L2 33 nH 33 nH 33 nH 33 nH Wirewound air core L3 22 nH 12 nH 6.8 nH 6.8 nH or multilayer* L4 18 nH 10 nH 6.8 nH 6.8 nH C2 15 pF 15 pF 5.6 pF 4.7 pF C3 33 pF 22 pF 47 pF 8.2 pF C4 - 2.7 pF - - COG C5 15 pF 15 pF 8.2 pF 6.8 pF C6 - - - - C7 12 pF 8.2 pF 6.8 pF 5.6 pF Figure 42. +17dBm Schematic Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 79 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET Table 32 +17dBm BOM Designator 315 MHz 433 MHz 868 MHz 915 MHz Type C8, C9, C10, C13 100 nF X7R C1 10 nF X7R C11, C12 15 pF COG L1 1.5 nH 1.5 nH 2.2 nH 2.7 nH L2 33 nH 22 nH 22 nH 22 nH Wirewound air core L3 22 nH 12 nH 5.6 nH 5.6 nH or multilayer (1) L4 33 nH 15 nH 5.6 nH 5.6 nH L5 39 nH 33 nH 120 nH 120 nH C2 22 pF 18 pF 8.2 pF 8.2 pF C3 68 pF 33 pF 22 pF 22 pF C4 - 2.7 pF - - C5 22 pF 15 pF 6.8 pF 6.8 pF C6 - - - - COG C7 12 pF 8.2 pF 3.3 pF 3.3 pF C14 - - 5.6 pF 5.6 pF C15 12 pF 12 pF 6.8 nH 5.6 nH (2) (2) Notes - Complete details on selected components are available in the reference design package, down-loadable from the Semtech website - (1) Inductor values may change when using multilayer type components - (2) An additional DC-cut capacitor (typ. 47pF) might be required with this matching topology and certain RF switches Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 80 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 8. Packaging Information 8.1. QFN 24 Encapsulation The SX1231 is available in a 24-lead QFN package as show in Figure 43. A D B DIMENSIONS MILLIMETERS DIM MINNOMMAX A 0.80 - 1.00 A1 0.00 - 0.05 A2 - (0.20) - b 0.25 0.30 0.35 PIN 1 E D 4.90 5.00 5.10 (LAINSDEIRC AMTAORRK) DE1 43..9200 53..0205 53..1300 K DIMENSIONS E1 3.20 3.25 3.30 DIM MILLIMETERS e 0.65 BSC L 0.35 0.40 0.45 C (4.90) A A1 A2SEATING abNabab 002..10408 (C) H G Z GHK 334...331000 P 0.65 aaa C PLANE X 0.35 C Y Y 0.80 Z 5.70 D1 LxN X P E/2 E1 NOTES: 2 1. CONTROLLING DIMENSIONS ARE IN MILLIMETERS (ANGLES IN DEGREES). 1 2. THIS LAND PATTERN IS FOR REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY. N bxN CONSULT YOUR MANUFACTURING GROUP TO ENSURE YOUR COMPANY'S MANUFACTURING GUIDELINES ARE MET. e/2 bbb C A B 3. THERMAL VIAS IN THE LAND PATTERN OF THE EXPOSED PAD e SHALL BE CONNECTED TO A SYSTEM GROUND PLANE. D/2 FAILURE TO DO SO MAY COMPROMISE THE THERMAL AND/OR NOTES: FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE OF THE DEVICE. 1.CONTROLLING DIMENSIONS ARE IN MILLIMETERS (ANGLES IN DEGREES). 4. SQUARE PACKAGE-DIMENSIONS APPLY IN BOTH X AND Y DIRECTIONS. 2.COPLANARITY APPLIES TO THE EXPOSED PAD AS WELL AS THE TERMINALS. Figure 43. QFN 24 Package Outline Drawing and Land Pattern Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 81 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 8.2. TSSOP 28 Encapsulation SX1231 is also delivered in a 28-pin TSSOP package as shown in Figure 44. Figure 44. TSSOP 28 Package Outline Drawing and Land Pattern Note TSSOP package leads are NiPdAu plated 8.3. Thermal Impedance The thermal impedance of this package, calculated from a package in still air, on a 4-layer FR4 PCB, as per the Jedec standard, is:  Theta ja = 23.8° C/W typ. for the QFN package  Theta ja = 70° C/W typ. for the TSSOP package Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 82 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 8.4. Tape & Reel Specification Figure 45. Tape & Reel Specification, QFN Package Figure 46. Tape & Reel Specification, TSSOP Package Note Single Sprocket holes Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 83 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 9. Chip Revisions Three distinct chip populations exist and can be identified as follows: Table 33 Chip Identification Chip Register Value Lot Codes Comment Version @ address 0x10 (see Figure 3) V2a 0x21 W6A114.0B ¦ W6A114.00 ¦ W0K976.00 Limited supply V2b 0x22 W6A114.0A ¦ W0N382.00 ¦ W0N386.00 Limited supply W0P044.00 ¦ W0P051.00 ¦ W0P578.00 W0S264.00 ¦ W0S928.00 ¦ W0N382.00 W0S934.00 ¦ W0T726.00 ¦ W0T724.00 W0V381.00 ¦ W0V379.00 V2c 0x23 W0S934.01 and all others Running production This document describes the behavior and characteristics of the SX1231 V2c. Minor differences can be observed between the three versions, and they are listed in the following sub sections. 9.1. RC Oscillator Calibration On the SX1231 V2a, RC calibration at power-up needs to be performed according to the following routine: /////// RC CALIBRATION (Once at POR) /////// SetRFMode(RF_STANDBY); WriteRegister(0x57, 0x80); WriteRegister(REG_OSC1, ReadRegister(REG_OSC1) | 0x80); while (ReadRegister(REG_OSC1) & 0x40 == 0x00); WriteRegister(REG_OSC1, ReadRegister(REG_OSC1) | 0x80); while (ReadRegister(REG_OSC1) & 0x40 == 0x00); WriteRegister(0x57, 0x00); //////////////////////////////////////////// This is not required in the version V2b any more, where the calibration is fully automatic. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 84 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 9.2. Listen Mode 9.2.1. Resolutions On the SX1231 V2a, the Listen mode resolutions were identical for the Idle phase and the Rx phase. They are now independently configurable, adding flexibility in the setup of the Listen mode. Figure 47. Listen Mode Resolutions, V2a Figure 48. Listen Mode Resolution, V2b 9.2.2. Exiting Listen Mode In the SX1231 V2a, the following procedure was requested to exit Listen mode: For all three ListenEnd settings (i.e. even for 00 and 01) disabling Listen mode can be done anytime by writing all together in a single SPI write command (same register):  ListenOn to 0  ListenAbort to 1 Mode to the wanted operation mode Figure 49. Exiting Listen Mode in SX1231 V2a Listen mode can simply be exited on the SX1231 V2b by resetting bit ListenOn to 0 in RegListen. 9.3. OOK Floor Threshold Default Setting The following default value modification was required on the V2a silicon: Figure 50. RegTestOok Description It is not required to modify this register any more on the SX1231 V2b. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 85 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 9.4. OCP Block The Over Current Protection block is enabled at Reset state with 95mA of current limit on the V2b silicon. It is disabled at Reset state with 100mA of current limit on silicon V2a. 9.5. AFC Control The following differences are observed between silicon revisions V2a and V2b: 9.5.1. AfcAutoClearOn On the SX1231 V2a, it is required to manually clear AfcValue in RegAfcFei, when the device is in Rx mode. AfcAutoClear function is fully functional on the silicon version V2b. 9.5.2. AfcLowBetaOn and LowBetaAfcOffset Those two bits enable a functionality that was not available on the silicon version V2a. 9.6. ContinuousDagc This register enables a functionality that is only available in the silicon version V2c. Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 86 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET 10. Revision History Table 34 Revision History Revision Date Comment 1 Oct 2009 First FINAL datasheet version Clarification and adjustment on the specification 2 Nov 2009 Corrections throughout the document Improve AGC setting description, Temp sensor description Update DIOx mapping tables Simplify and clarify the description of the AGC Add temperature sensor’s approximate measurement time Optimize suggested frequency hopping sequences, section 4.2.5 Modify Listen mode resolution description List in Section 9 the differences between chip versions V2a and V2b 3 April 2010 Describe handling method for Packets larger than the FIFO size Document AFC for low modulation index, timing diagrams, adjust Tana Correct OCP default configuration Document RegTestAfc at address 0x71 Add section describing setup for low modulation index systems Add application schematics Adjust Thermal Impedance value 4 Nov 2010 Add description for the Continuous-time DAGC Update Section 9 to reflect improvements of the chip V2c Insert TSSOP package information Improve PA dynamic Range description in section 3.4.6 Add RSSI linearity curve Correction of DAGC setting when AfcLowBetaOn=1 5 Sept 2011 Improve startup times description on section 4.2.3 State all Blocking and AM Rejection figures in dB Provide table with Dcc cutoff frequencies Add note on the behavior of PLL Lock indicator for wideband modulations Add Bill Of Material information Band extension down to 424 MHz Clarification of RssiStart and RssiDone status when DAGC enabled, section 3.5.9 6 Sept 2012 Clarification of packet handling procedure in RX mode for large packets, section 5.5.6 Add RegTestTcxo register description at address 0x59 BOM modification, section 7.3 Improve and update section 3.5.13 Bit Synchronizer description 7 March 2013 PLL Bandwidth register description Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 87 www.semtech.com

SX1231 WIRELESS & SENSING PRODUCTS DATASHEET © Semtech 2013 All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without the prior written consent of the copyright owner. The information presented in this document does not form part of any quotation or contract, is believed to be accurate and reliable and may be changed without notice. No liability will be accepted by the publisher for any consequence of its use. Publication thereof does not convey nor imply any license under patent or other industrial or intellectual property rights. Semtech assumes no responsibility or liability whatsoever for any failure or unexpected operation resulting from misuse, neglect improper installation, repair or improper handling or unusual physical or electrical stress including, but not limited to, exposure to parameters beyond the specified maximum ratings or operation outside the specified range. SEMTECH PRODUCTS ARE NOT DESIGNED, INTENDED, AUTHORIZED OR WARRANTED TO BE SUITABLE FOR USE IN LIFE-SUPPORT APPLICATIONS, DEVICES OR SYSTEMS OR OTHER CRITICAL APPLICATIONS. INCLUSION OF SEMTECH PRODUCTS IN SUCH APPLICATIONS IS UNDERSTOOD TO BE UNDERTAKEN SOLELY AT THE CUSTOMER’S OWN RISK. Should a customer purchase or use Semtech products for any such unauthorized application, the customer shall indemnify and hold Semtech and its officers, employees, subsidiaries, affiliates, and distributors harmless against all claims, costs damages and attorney fees which could arise. Contact information Semtech Corporation Wireless & Sensing Products Division 200 Flynn Road, Camarillo, CA 93012 Phone: (805) 498-2111 Fax: (805) 498-3804 E-mail: sales@semtech.com support_rf@semtech.com Internet: http://www.semtech.com Rev. 7 - June 2013 Page 88 www.semtech.com