News - June 21, 2010

For all of those interested, I have been working on an SDK for the nRF24LE1 chip to use with SDCC. I mainly wrote it for my purposes, but I want to release what I have written. The code is public domain, but I would definitely appreciate it if you linked back to the site if you use it in a project! The nRF24LE1 SDCC SDK lives here.

As it stands, not all of the hardware systems have been implemented (the most glaring omission is probably I2C). Also, some of the subsystems have not been fully tested (the power control block being one of them). If there are any bugs, feel free to let me know.

For those interested, there is a second SDK that I'm releasing (currently set up to build with SDCC for the 24LE1, but can be reconfigured). I have fully implemented AES in this SDK, as well as ported my ARC4 implementation (and made it object-oriented, as well). That library can be found here. It is released under the same terms as the nRF24LE1 SDK.

The AES library can be configured to use the nRF24LE1's built-in AES hardware accelerator or to use an included library function that does the Galois multiplication in software. This means that you can also use the same AES implementation with other microcontrollers than the 24LE1, since it doesn't tie you to using the hardware accelerator. This should make it easier if you're using the 24LE1 as a data collection node that reports information wirelessly to a more powerful central microcontroller, but you want the central microcontroller to also be able to encrypt/decrypt AES data.

If youIf you want to use these libraries, you have to let SDCC know where to find the header files and libraries. For the compile step, you should add "-I [PathToLibrary]/include" (without quotes) to your command line. For the link step, you should add "-L [PathToLibrary]/lib" (without quotes) to your command line. Replace "[PathToLibrary]" with whatever the path is to the top level of the library on your system (including the top level folder, which would be either nrf24le1_sdk or cryptography).

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News - November 30, 2009

We're pleased to announce a 10% discount off your entire order for Cyber Monday! There is no minimum or maximum order total, but the coupon is limited to one redemption per customer and in-stock items. Just enter coupon code "DECM" (without the quotes) at the end of your checkout to redeem!

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News - November 16, 2009

So it's been a really long time since I posted anything, so I figured what better way than with some new goodies




This is the breakout for Nordic's nRF24LE1 microcontroller. It's got an 8051 core and a 24L01+ radio on the chip, in addition to 15 GPIO, 11 ADC inputs, PWM, SPI, UART, 2-wire, and a bunch of other goodies!




And, as usual, there is the RP-SMA version for those who need more range than the chip antenna version can offer.

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News - September 8, 2009

After a few months of toying with the nRF24Z1 boards, I haven't been able to get any consistency. So after really digging into the schematic and layout, it appears that I made the footprint of the package too small. A few pins aren't making sufficient contact, though it can vary from board to board. This will be corrected when I get my next spin of them, which should be shortly.

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News - March 2, 2009

All products now have at least some quantity. As an update on other projects, the FOB layout is complete, and I'm going to start work on the 24LE1 stamp soon. I'm also trying to get a schematic for a hardware programmer for the 24LU1/24LE1 chips up and running. I have built two 24Z1 breakouts so far, but one of the boards turned out to be a dud. I haven't gotten to test the other one besides verifying that it powers up without letting out the smoke, but it already looks better than the first. :)

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News - February 10, 2009

All apologies for all that are expecting new products. I'm trying to perfect reflow soldering of the boards right now, and it's taking me more time than expected. I am hoping to have boards for the 24LU1 variants by tomorrow. The 24L01+ boards may take a little longer because I haven't received the stencil for them yet.

For those interested, I currently am testing boards for the Nordic nRF24Z1 audio streamer and the Wolfson WM8737 audio ADC. Hopefully those will be online in the coming weeks if they work correctly.

I currently am in the planning phase for adding breakouts for at least one of the 3 nRF24LE1 chips (probably the one with the most IO pins). I also am looking intodeveloping a small programming/serial interface board for the 24LU1 Stamp boards. Another project in planning is a FOB module with the smallest of the 24LE1 chips mounted on it. It has also been suggested that there should be a variant with a PIC or some other micro on it, and I'm taking that into consideration.

-BB