Si4432
16 Preliminary Rev. 0.4
2. Functional Description
The Si4432 is a 100% CMOS ISM wireless transceiver
with continuous frequency tuning over the complete
240–930 MHz band. The wide operating voltage range
of 1.8–3.6 V and low current consumption makes the
Si4432 and ideal solution for battery powered
applications.
The Si4432 operates as a time division duplexing (TDD)
transceiver where the device alternately transmits and
receives data packets. The device uses a single-
conversion, image-reject mixer to downconvert the 2-
level FSK/GFSK/OOK modulated receive signal to a low
IF frequency. Following a programmable gain amplifier
(PGA) the signal is converted to the digital domain by a
high performance ADC allowing filtering,
demodulation, slicing, error correction, and packet
handling to be performed in the built-in DSP increasing
the receiver’s performance and flexibility versus analog
based architectures. The demodulated signal is then
output to the system MCU through a programmable
GPIO or via the standard SPI bus by reading the 64-
byte RX FIFO.
A single high precision local oscillator (LO) is used for
both transmit and receive modes since the transmitter
and receiver do not operate at the same time. The LO is
generated by an integrated VCO and Fractional-N
PLL synthesizer. The synthesizer is designed to support
configurable data rates, output frequency, frequency
deviation, and Gaussian filtering at any frequency
between 240–930 MHz. The transmit FSK data is
modulated directly into the data stream and can be
shaped by a Gaussian low-pass filter to reduce
unwanted spectral content.
The PA output power can be configured between +11
and +20 dBm in 3 dB steps. The PA is single-ended to
allow for easy antenna matching and low BOM cost.
The PA incorporates automatic ramp-up and ramp-
down control to reduce unwanted spectral spreading.
The Si4432 supports frequency hopping, TX/RX switch
control, and antenna diversity switch control to extend
the link range and improve performance. Antenna
diversity is completely integrated into the Si4432 and
can improve the system link budget by 8–10 dB,
resulting in substantial range increases depending on
the environmental conditions. The +20 dBm power
amplifier can also be used to compensate for the
reduced performance of a lower cost antenna or
antenna with size constraints due to a small form-factor.
Competing solutions require large and expensive
external PAs to achieve comparable performance.
The Si4432 is designed to work with a microcontroller,
crystal, and a few passives to create a very low cost
system as shown Figure 1. Voltage regulators are
integrated on-chip which allow for a wide range of
operating supply voltage conditions from +1.8 to +3.6 V.
A standard 4-pin SPI bus is used to communicate with
the microcontroller. Three configurable general purpose
I/Os are available for use to tailor towards the needs of
the system. A more complete list of the available GPIO
functions is shown in "8. Auxiliary Functions" on page
55 but just to name a few, microcontroller clock output,
Antenna Diversity, TRSW control, POR, and specific
interrupts. A limited number of passive components are
needed to match the LNA and PA. Refer to Figure 32,
“Split RF I/Os with Separated TX and RX Connectors—
Schematic,” on page 70 for the required component
values at different frequency ranges.
The application shown in Figure 1 is designed for a
system with Antenna Diversity. The Antenna Diversity
Control Algorithm is completely integrated into the chip
and is discussed further in "Figure 30. GPIO Usage
Examples" on page 67.
For a simpler application example not using Antenna
Diversity see Figure 32, “Split RF I/Os with Separated
TX and RX Connectors—Schematic,” on page 70.