Simple breakout board for RN2483/RN2903 LoRa transciever

This breakout board offers an affordable solution for makers working with the popular RN2483 and RN2903 LoRa transceivers from Microchip, widely used for LoRaWAN. The layout of this breakout board is based on the the datasheet reference designs. This board breaks out all 14 GPIO pins to a row of 0.1" pin header, and the power and serial communication pins to a second row of 0.1" pin header.

NEW Assembled Boards Available

The RN2483 and RN2903 are identical except for their transmission frequency and which world regions they are approved for use in. The RN2483 operates at 433mhz and 868mhz, and is approved for use in Europe, while The RN2903 operates at 915mhz, and is approved for use in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The markings on these breakout boards correspond to the RN2483; if using with RN2903, use the antenna marked 868mhz (the low frequency antenna is not used).

The pin layout for the serial and power pins is designed such that it can be plugged into breadboard alongside an Espruino Pico, and the pins will line up - see the Espruino RN2483 module guide for details.

We are now shipping the Rev. E version of this board, which replaces the 1206 capacitor on the top of the board (which has been found to be unnecessary) with a pair of headers exposing pins 30 and 31 (PGC and PGD) to allow for reprogramming of the on-board PIC. This version also uses V-Groove panelization, so the boards are easy to separate and have smooth edges.

Bad-silkscreen buy-1-get-1-free sale

The second-most-recent version of the board, the Rev. D, shown below, is missing much of the silkscreen on the front (as shown in below image). The boards are otherwise fine, and the pin labels are present on the bottom. These boards are available buy-1-get-1-free while supply lasts! There's no coupon code - just choose to get the Rev. D version, and you'll get twice as many as you ordered for the same price. (Note - Buy-1-get-1-free only applies to the boards themselves, not optional level shifters!)

Optional Level Shifter

Since many of our customers are using these with 5v microcontrollers (such as Arduino), we now offer a level shifter as an add-on. These level shifters are mass produced 4-channel bidirectional fet-based level shifters. See the diagrams below for wiring examples.

Parts List

Required:

• RN2483 (or RN2903, depending on your region)
• 1x8 pin 0.1" pin header (or other connector) for power and serial connections.
• 2 SMA antenna connectors, 1.6mm/0.063" board edge launch (Only one for the RN2903, SMA connector for 433mhz on RN2493 is optional, depending on your needs). Example SMA connectors include the Linx CONSMA003.062 (available from digikey) and Adafruit part no. 1865.

Optional:

• 1117-series (or pin compatible) 3.3v voltage regulator in SOT-223 package. The ZLDO1117G33TA is suitable if powering from external 5~12V (as are many other 1117-series regulators). For operation off a single cell LiPo battery, a 1117-series is not sufficient (too much dropout), but the AP2114H-3.3TRG is suitable in these cases (it is no
• 2 Capacitors (if using regulator) per regulator specifications, in 0805, 1206, 6032, or Kemet E package. For example, if using the ZLDO1117G33TA or AP2114H-3.3TRG regulator, a 4.7~22uF ceramic capacitor (X5R or X7R dielectric) is suitable for both input and output.
• 1x2 pin 0.1" pin header for programming connections
• 1x14 pin 0.1" pin header for GPIO connections

Don't forget prototyping board!

Wiring

Suitable Connectors

https://www.adafruit.com/products/1865

Bulk orders and Stencils

We typically have several hundred of these boards in stock. Tindie has a maximum purchase quantity of 99 boards; if you need more, message me immediately after ordering, or mention it in the order instructions, and I'll get in touch and make sure we can combine shipping.

The gerbers for the stencil (front and back) can be downloaded here: RN2483 Stencil

The boards are made in panels of 6 - if you order a multiple of 6 boards, you'll get full panels.

Why did you make it?

A number of Espruino users in Europe working with LoRaWAN requested an affordable, minimalist board design for use with the RN2483 modules. The design of these modules makes use without a purpose made breakout board virtually impossible, however, such boards were not available.

See this thread for additional background: http://forum.espruino.com/conversations/277687/

Need a breakout board for some other part with an unusual package like this? Contact me.

Useful Resources

The Things Network is a thriving community dedicated to LoRaWAN which has a great deal of useful information available to makers experimenting with these sort of devices:The Things Network

For use with Espruino, see the Espruino RN2483 module documentation

For use with a Raspberry Pi, Michael Honaker of Beach Cities Software has written some demo code that can be valuable to help get started, available from his Github:

Interfacing with C

Interfacing with Python