ARGOS ARTIC R2 Satellite Transceiver Shield Hookup Guide

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Introduction

ARGOS Satellite Transceiver Shield - ARTIC R2

SPX-17236

Looking for a satellite communication board for your next project? This could be the one!

We offer three ARGOS ARTIC R2 satellite transceiver products:

ARGOS Satellite Transceiver Shield - ARTIC R2

SPX-17236

SparkFun IOTA - Satellite Communication Module (ARTIC R2)

SPX-17984
Retired

smôl ARTIC R2

SPX-18618
Retired

This board, the ARGOS Satellite Transceiver Shield - ARTIC R2, is the biggest of the three and the easiest to get your fingers around! It has the same footprint as our Feather-compatible Thing Plus boards and is designed to stack directly on top of a Thing Plus for easy development. If you are looking for a board to allow you to get to know how ARGOS satellite communication works, or are just starting out on your product development, or want a board you can plug into breadboard, or are not worried about making your tracking system as compact as possible, then this is the board for you!

The IOTA - the Integrated Open source Transceiver for ARGOS - is ideal if you are ready to incorporate an ARGOS transceiver into your design. Its castellated pads can be reflowed or hand-soldered as required. It also has slots for an RF screening can, should your certification process require one. The antenna connection is available on both a castellated pad and a u.FL connector.

The smôl ARTIC R2 is the baby of the three, but it still packs the same punch as its larger siblings. If you are developing a compact dart for whale tracking, or a small backpack for avian tracking, or a very discrete satellite tracker, then the smôl ARTIC R2 is the one for you.

Pictured are the three Spark Fun satellite boards
Having a hard time seeing? Click the image for a closer look.

Pictured are the dimensions of the three Spark Fun satellite boards

All three boards use the same ARTIC R2 satellite transceiver chip. All three have the same power amplifier, with the same maximum output power and adjustable gain. All three have the same receive sensitivity. All three have on-board flash memory containing the ARTIC R2 firmware and Platform ID. All three are supported by our comprehensive Arduino Library which includes a full set of tried-and-tested examples.

If you would like to know more about the ARGOS satellite network itself, head on over to our ARGOS (ARTIC R2) Satellite Communication Guide:

ARGOS & ARTIC R2

The ARGOS satellite system has been around for quite a while. It was created in 1978 by the French Space Agency (CNES), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), originally as a scientific tool for collecting and relaying meteorological and oceanographic data around the world. Today, ARGOS is revolutionising satellite communication, adding a constellation of 25 nanosatellites to complement the 7 traditional satellites carrying ARGOS instrumentation. The first of these, ANGELS, is already in operation and SparkFun were among the first users to transmit data to ANGELS in October 2020. When the constellation is complete, there will be a maximum of 10-15 minutes between satellite passes.

The ARTIC R2 is an integrated, low-power, small-size ARGOS 2/3/4 single chip transceiver. ARTIC implements a message based wireless interface. For satellite uplink communication, ARTIC will encode, modulate and transmit provided user messages. For downlink communication, ARTIC will lock to the downstream, demodulate and decode and extract the satellite messages. The ARTIC can transmit signals in frequency bands around 400MHz and receive signals in the bands around 466MHz, in accordance with the ARGOS satellite system specifications.

Our ARTIC R2 Satellite Transceiver Shield has been tested and certified by Kinéis. Compared to other satellite communication systems, the ARTIC R2 has a much lower current draw and will work with a very simple, very lightweight quarter-wave wire antenna. The ARTIC R2 chipset on our board operates from 3.3V and the on-board flash memory enables fast boot times. If you don’t need the full transmit power, or want to conserve your battery life, you can transmit at reduced power too thanks to opto-isolated gain control.

Our Arduino Library makes it really easy to get up and running with ARGOS. We’ve provided a full set of examples which will let you: configure the ARTIC R2 chipset; predict the next satellite pass; receive allcast and individually-coded messages; transmit messages using ARGOS 2, 3 and 4 encoding.


The ARGOS satellite system is currently restricted to specific programs and applications. Please check that your project meets these requirements before buying hardware. CLS (France) and the Woods Hole Group (America) will be able to advise if your project meets the requirements. "To meet system use requirements, all programs using Argos have to be related in some way or other to environmental protection, awareness or study, or to protecting human life." Please see our ARGOS ARTIC R2 Communication Guide for more details.

Hardware Overview

In this section we'll cover what's included on the ARGOS ARTIC R2 Satellite Transceiver Shield.

ARTIC R2

The heart of the ARGOS ARTIC R2 Satellite Transceiver Shield is, of course, the ARTIC R2 transceiver itself. This is a clever chip containing a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) which modulates transmit messages and demodulates received messages. The DSP can boot from on-board flash memory or from an external microcontroller via SPI. When transmitting, it produces a 1mW (0dBm) output signal which is fed to a separate power amplifier.

Pictured is the ARTIC R2 chip

Our Arduino Library does all of the heavy lifting for you. By default, the library will tell the ARTIC R2 DSP to boot from the on-board flash memory. However, by changing one line of code, you can instead boot via SPI with your microcontroller providing the firmware for the DSP.

RF Amplifier

During transmit, the RFPA0133 power amplifier boosts the 0dBm (1mW) signal from the ARTIC R2.

Pictured is the RFPA0133 amplifier chip

Using full gain, the amplifier boosts the signal to approximately 25.8dBm (380mW). If you are using ARGOS 2 or 3 modulation and are transmitting from a 'noisy' environment, like a city, then you are probably going to need to use full power to ensure your messages get through. However, if you are using ARGOS 4 modulation and/or are transmitting from a 'quiet' environment, like the tundra or the ocean, then you will be able to transmit at reduced power.

Gain Control

You can adjust the transmit gain through software and the on-board opto-isolated gain control circuit.

Pictured is the opto-isolated gain control

Our Arduino Library can reduce the gain for you. If you call:

language:c
myARTIC.attenuateTXgain(true);

from inside your code, the opto-isolator will pull the RFPA0133's G8 pin low, reducing the gain by approximately 5dB. This also has the advantage of reducing the transmit current by approximately 80mA.

Flash Memory

By default, the DSP inside the ARTIC R2 will boot from the on-board flash memory. (But, as mentioned above, you also have the option of booting via SPI.)

Pictured is the flash memory chip

During production testing at SparkFun, we program the flash memory with the ARTIC R2 firmware (ARTIC006) and a Platform ID allocated by CLS. You will need to register the Platform ID on your ARGOS account to activate it. The Arduino Library reads the Platform ID from memory and uses it in the transmissions.

The original batch of boards we manufactured do not have the Platform ID pre-programmed into flash memory. For these boards - and only these boards - you will need to use v1.0.9 of the Arduino Library, request a Platform ID from CLS and include that ID in your code. Please see the ARGOS ARTIC R2 Satellite Communication Guide for more details.

Antenna

The antenna connection for the ARTIC R2 is u.FL.

Pictured is the u dot f l antenna connector


Warning: Always connect a 401MHz antenna to your shield before connecting the power. Transmitting with no antenna attached will damage the RF power amplifier.

Check out our tutorial if you haven't used u.FL before:

Three Quick Tips About Using U.FL

Quick tips regarding how to connect, protect, and disconnect U.FL connectors.

Power Circuit

The ARGOS ARTIC R2 Satellite Transceiver Shield can draw power from the standard Thing Plus / Feather VUSB and/or VBATT pins. The shield will preferentially draw 5V power from VUSB if connected, but can also be powered by a standard 3.6V LiPo battery via VBATT.

The power circuit comprises: an automatic switching circuit to select VUSB or VBATT; 3.3V, 3.0V and 1.8V regulators.

Pictured are the components of the power circuit

LEDs

The ARGOS ARTIC R2 Satellite Transceiver Shield has four LEDs which indicate if the board is powered and if it is transmitting or receiving.

Pictured are the four light emitting diodes

When lit, the LEDs indicate:

  • RF: RF amplifier is powered on
  • RX: ARTIC R2 is receiving
  • TX: ARTIC R2 is transmitting
  • PWR: ARTIC R2 shield power circuit is on

If you want to save power, you can disable the LEDs by cutting the jumper links on the back of the board:

Pictured are the four jumper links

If you haven't worked with jumpers before, please check out our tutorial.

How to Work with Jumper Pads and PCB Traces

Handling PCB jumper pads and traces is an essential skill. Learn how to cut a PCB trace, add a solder jumper between pads to reroute connections, and repair a trace with the green wire method if a trace is damaged.

Breakout Pins

The table below describes the function of each of the ARGOS ARTIC R2 Satellite Transceiver Shield breakout pins:

Pictured are the ARTIC R2 Shield breakout pins

Pin NameFunctionDescriptionNotes
CIPOOutputSPI interface: Controller In Peripheral Out.Logic level is 3.3V.
COPIInputSPI interface: Controller Out Peripheral In.Logic level is 3.3V.
SCLKInputSPI interface clock signal.Logic level is 3.3V. Typically 1MHz. See the ARTIC R2 datasheet for the permitted clock speeds.
CSInputSPI interface chip select.Logic level is 3.3V.
GNDPower ground / 0V.
G8InputGain control.Logic level is 3.3V. Pull high to set the RFPA0133 transmit power to maximum. The transmit power will be reduced by approximately 5dB if this pin is pulled low or left open.
BOOTInputConnected to the ARTIC R2 BOOT pin.Logic level is 3.3V. Pulled high via a 100k resistor. When high, the ARTIC boots from the on-board flash memory. Pull low if the ARTIC firmware will be downloaded by the MCU via SPI.
INT1OutputConnected to the ARTIC INT1 pin.Logic level is 3.3V. Will be pulled high by the ARTIC to indicate (e.g.) an RX_VALID_MESSAGE.
INT2OutputConnected to the ARTIC INT2 pin.Logic level is 3.3V. Will be pulled high by the ARTIC to indicate (e.g.) an RX_BUFFER_OVERFLOW.
RESETBInputConnected to the ARTIC reset pin.Logic level is 3.3V. Pulled high via a 100k resistor. Pull low to reset the ARTIC.
PWR ENInputShield power circuit enable.Logic level is 3.3V. Pulled low via a 100k resistor. Pull high to enable power for the ARTIC R2.
RF ENInputRF Amplifier enable.Logic level is 3.3V. Pulled low via a 100k resistor. Pull high to enable power for the RF amplifier.
VUSBPowerPower input from (e.g.) USB.Typically 5V. 6.5V maximum.
VBATTPowerPower input from (e.g.) a LiPo battery.Typically 3.6V - 4.2V. 6.5V maximum.

Power can be provided via the VBATT pin or the VUSB pin, or both. The shield will preferentially draw power from USB if connected. On-board 3.3V and 1.8V regulators regulate USB or battery power for the ARTIC R2 and RF amplifier. See below for the typical VBATT current draw.

Hardware Hookup

The ARGOS ARTIC R2 Satellite Transceiver Shield is designed to be mounted directly on top of one of our Feather-compatible Thing Plus boards. You will find that the examples in the Arduino Library are written for the SparkFun Thing Plus - Artemis but they can be adapted for any board by changing the pin definitions in the code. If you are looking for a works-out-of-the-box solution then the SparkFun Thing Plus - Artemis is the one to go for.

If you are looking for a complete kit to get you started, here are the parts you will need:

ARGOS Satellite Transceiver Shield - ARTIC R2

SPX-17236
Lithium Ion Battery - 2Ah

Lithium Ion Battery - 2Ah

PRT-13855
$13.95
9
SparkFun Thing Plus - Artemis

SparkFun Thing Plus - Artemis

WRL-15574
$22.50
3
Female Headers

Female Headers

PRT-00115
$1.75
8
Break Away Headers - Straight

Break Away Headers - Straight

PRT-00116
$1.75
20
USB 3.1 Cable A to C - 3 Foot

USB 3.1 Cable A to C - 3 Foot

CAB-14743
$5.50
4
ARGOS Omnidirectional Antenna - 401MHz

ARGOS Omnidirectional Antenna - 401MHz

WRL-17523
$9.95

If you want to add GNSS functionality to your kit, so you can transmit your location accurately and/or predict the next satellite pass based on your location, you will also need (e.g.):

SparkFun GPS Breakout - Chip Antenna, SAM-M8Q (Qwiic)

SparkFun GPS Breakout - Chip Antenna, SAM-M8Q (Qwiic)

GPS-15210
$42.95 $30.07
5
Qwiic Cable - 100mm

Qwiic Cable - 100mm

PRT-14427
$1.50

or:

SparkFun GPS Breakout - ZOE-M8Q (Qwiic)

SparkFun GPS Breakout - ZOE-M8Q (Qwiic)

GPS-15193
$49.95
8
Flexible Qwiic Cable - 50mm

Flexible Qwiic Cable - 50mm

PRT-17260
$1.05
Molex Flexible GNSS Antenna - U.FL (Adhesive)

Molex Flexible GNSS Antenna - U.FL (Adhesive)

GPS-15246
$4.50
1

Our favorite way to connect the ARGOS Shield to the Thing Plus Artemis is to use stacking headers. Solder lengths of our Female Headers onto the top of the Thing Plus Artemis. (This will allow you to connect jumper wires to the board if you want to.) Solder lengths of our male Break Away Headers - Straight to the underside of the ARGOS Shield. (This will allow you to mount the shield on breadboard too if you want to.) That's all the soldering done. If you haven't soldered before, you will find our tutorial useful:

How to Solder: Through-Hole Soldering

This tutorial covers everything you need to know about through-hole soldering.

Mate the two boards together and voilà, you're just about ready to rock!

Connect your ARGOS antenna to the shield before you forget!


Warning: Always connect a 401MHz antenna to your shield before connecting the power. Transmitting with no antenna attached will damage the RF power amplifier.

If you connect your LiPo battery to the Thing Plus Artemis now, it will recharge while you have USB power connected.

You won't need the GNSS receiver to begin with, but if you want to hook it up now, go right ahead! For the ZOE-M8Q, the GNSS antenna clips onto the u.FL connector on the GNSS board. Check out our tutorial if you haven't used u.FL before:

Three Quick Tips About Using U.FL

Quick tips regarding how to connect, protect, and disconnect U.FL connectors.

Connect the GNSS board to the Thing Plus using the Qwiic cable (which provides both power and I2C data).

Finally, the USB-C cable connects the Thing Plus to your computer. If you haven't used a CH340 USB interface before, you will want to install the driver first. The following section describes how to do that.

Jumper Wire Connections

If you have used the recommended Thing Plus Artemis and stacking headers, you don't need to worry about which signals to connect. It's all done for you. However, if you want to use a different Arduino board and connect your shield using jumper wires, here are the connections:

  • Power:
    • Connect GND to a GND (Ground) / 0V pin on your Arduino board
    • If you want your Arduino board to provide power to the ARGOS ARTIC R2 Shield, we recommend connecting the Shield's VUSB pin to the 5V pin on your Arduino board
  • SPI:
    • Connect CIPO, COPI and SCLK to the SPI pins on your Arduino board
    • Connect the CS (Chip Select) pin to a suitable I/O pin
  • I/O (Essential):
    • Connect the RESETB, BOOT, PWR EN, RF EN, INT1 and INT2 pins to suitable I/O pins on your Arduino board. Make a note of the pin numbers as you will need to enter them into the code.
  • I/O (Optional):
    • Connect the G8 gain control pin to another I/O pin on your Arduino board if you want to be able to control the transmit gain via software. If you leave this pin floating, the RF amplifier will transmit at reduced gain. Pull this pin up to 3.3V to transmit at maximum gain.

Warning: while the ARGOS ARTIC R2 Satellite Transceiver Shield can operate using 5V (USB) power, all of the SPI and I/O connections are 3.3V. Do not connect these signals directly to an Arduino board with 5V I/O such as the classic Arduino UNO or MEGA.

Note: Feather and Thing Plus Pins

On some Feather and Thing Plus boards, you may find that the pin below the ARGOS Shield's RF EN pin is digital pin 13 and also connected to the board's built-in LED. On some boards, the LED is flashed rapidly while the bootloader is running and code is being uploaded to the board. This will cause the Shield's RF power circuit to be turned on and off rapidly. While this is unlikely to damage the RF amplifier, it is best avoided. SAMD-based boards are the worst offenders.

Note: Molex GNSS Antenna

Our Molex GNSS Antenna is very lightweight and is self-adhesive. It is an ideal choice for miniature satellite tracker projects. However, the antenna works best when located at least 40mm away from a ground plane. Don't be tempted to stick the antenna to a ground plane, metallic case or even your LiPo battery. If you do, you will get little or no GNSS signal. Please consult the application specification for more details.

Software Setup

If you are new to Arduino and the IDE, this guide will get you up and running:

Installing Arduino IDE

A step-by-step guide to installing and testing the Arduino software on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

If you haven't installed an Arduino Library before, this is the guide you need:

Installing an Arduino Library

How do I install a custom Arduino library? It's easy! This tutorial will go over how to install an Arduino library using the Arduino Library Manager. For libraries not linked with the Arduino IDE, we will also go over manually installing an Arduino library.

If you haven't used the Artemis Thing Plus before, this guide will tell you everything you need to know:

Hookup Guide for the SparkFun Artemis Thing Plus

Get started with our SparkFun Artemis Thing Plus - our popular Thing Plus footprint with the powerful Artemis module for ultimate functionality.

You can find more specific information on how to install the Arduino Core for Artemis (Apollo3) in this guide. The section on Arduino Installation is the one to read in detail.

Artemis Development with Arduino

Get our powerful Artemis based boards (Artemis Nano, BlackBoard Artemis, and BlackBoard Artemis ATP) blinking in less than 5 minutes using the SparkFun Artemis Arduino Core!

The Artemis Thing Plus uses a CH340 interface chip to communicate on USB. If you haven't installed drivers for the CH340 previously, this guide will tell you everything you need to know:

How to Install CH340 Drivers

How to install CH340 drivers (if you need them) on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

Checklist

Pictured is the Arduino I D E board selection

  • Click on Tools\Manage Libraries... to open the library manager
  • In the search box, type SparkFun ARGOS ARTIC R2
  • Click the Install button to install the ARGOS ARTIC R2 library
    • If your shield came with an ARGOS Platform ID card showing which ID is pre-programmed into the shield's flash memory, you can install the latest version of the library
The original batch of ARTIC R2 Shields we manufactured do not have the Platform ID pre-programmed into flash memory. For these boards - and only these boards - you will need to use v1.0.9 of the Arduino Library, request a Platform ID from CLS and include that ID in your code. Please see the ARGOS ARTIC R2 Satellite Communication Guide for more details.

Pictured is the Arduino I D E library manager

Alternatively, you can grab the library directly from GitHub or can download it as a zip file by clicking the button below:

If you have a board from the first batch we manufactured, you can download a zip file of v1.0.9 of the library by clicking the link below:


Warning: Ensure you have a 401MHz antenna connected to your shield before connecting the USB cable. Transmitting with no antenna attached will damage the RF power amplifier.

  • Attach the Thing Plus to your computer using a USB-C cable
    • If you are using Windows, you should hear the usual USB-connection chime
  • Click on Tools\Port and select the COM port for the Artemis

Pictured is the Arduino I D E tools port menu

Arduino Example: Satellite Detection

The SparkFun ARGOS ARTIC R2 Arduino Library contains a full set of tried and tested examples which will run on the Artemis Thing Plus when connected to the ARTIC R2 Shield. The examples will run on other Arduino boards, but you will need to change the pin definitions in the code to match your board.

The code below is a stripped-down version of Example4_SatelliteDetection. Copy and paste the code into a new window in the Arduino IDE:

language:c
#include <SPI.h>
#include "SparkFun_ARGOS_ARTIC_R2_Arduino_Library.h" // http://librarymanager/All#SparkFun_ARGOS_ARTIC_R2
ARTIC_R2 myARTIC;

// Pin assignments for the SparkFun Thing Plus - Artemis
// (Change these if required)
int CS_Pin = 24;
int GAIN8_Pin = 3;
int BOOT_Pin = 4;
int INT1_Pin = 5;
int INT2_Pin = 6;
int RESET_Pin = 7;
int ARTIC_PWR_EN_Pin = 8;
int RF_PWR_EN_Pin = 9;

void setup()
{
  Serial.begin(115200);
  Serial.println(F("ARGOS ARTIC R2 Example"));

  Serial.println(F("ARTIC R2 is booting..."));

  SPI.begin();

  //myARTIC.enableDebugging(); // Uncomment this line to enable debug messages on Serial

  // Begin the ARTIC: enable power and boot from flash
  if (myARTIC.begin(CS_Pin, RESET_Pin, BOOT_Pin, ARTIC_PWR_EN_Pin, RF_PWR_EN_Pin, INT1_Pin, INT2_Pin, GAIN8_Pin) == false)
  {
    Serial.println("ARTIC R2 not detected. Freezing...");
    while (1)
      ; // Do nothing more
  }

  Serial.println(F("ARTIC R2 boot was successful."));

  // Read the Platform ID from flash memory
  uint32_t platformID = myARTIC.readPlatformID();
  if (platformID == 0)
  {
    Serial.println(F("You appear to have an early version of the SparkFun board."));
    Serial.println(F("For the transmit examples, you will need to use the Library Manager to select version 1.0.9 of this library."));
  }
  else
  {
    Serial.print(F("Your Platform ID is: 0x"));
    Serial.println(platformID, HEX);
  }

  myARTIC.setTCXOControl(1.8, true); // Set the TCXO voltage to 1.8V and autoDisable to 1

  myARTIC.setSatelliteDetectionTimeout(600); // Set the satellite detection timeout to 600 seconds

  Serial.println(F("Starting satellite detection..."));

  // Start satellite detection
  // The ARTIC will start looking for a satellite for the specified amount of time.
  myARTIC.sendMCUinstruction(INST_SATELLITE_DETECTION);
}

void loop()
{
  delay(1000);

  // Read the ARTIC R2 status register
  ARTIC_R2_Firmware_Status status;
  myARTIC.readStatusRegister(&status);

  // Check the interrupt 2 flag. This will go high if satellite detection times out
  if (status.STATUS_REGISTER_BITS.DSP2MCU_INT2)
  {
    Serial.println(F("INT2 pin is high. Satellite detection has timed out!"));
  }
  // Check the interrupt 1 flag. This will go high when a satellite is detected
  else if (status.STATUS_REGISTER_BITS.DSP2MCU_INT1)
  {
    Serial.println(F("INT1 pin is high. Satellite detected!"));
  }

  // Check the instruction progress
  // checkMCUinstructionProgress will return true if the instruction is complete
  ARTIC_R2_MCU_Instruction_Progress progress;
  boolean instructionComplete = myARTIC.checkMCUinstructionProgress(&progress);

  if (instructionComplete)
  {
    Serial.println(F("Satellite detection is complete! Freezing..."));
    while (1)
      ; // Do nothing more
  }
}

Save the file and click on the Upload button to upload the example onto the Artemis:

Pictured is the Arduino I D E upload button

Open Tools\Serial Monitor to see the serial messages from the Artemis.

Check that the baud rate is set to 115200:

Pictured is the Arduino I D E serial monitor

The two red power LEDs and the yellow RX LED on the Satellite Transceiver Shield will light up when the code is running.

Once the ARTIC R2 has booted, the code will read the pre-programmed Platform ID from flash memory. If it does not find one, you will see a message reminding you to install v1.0.9 of the ARTIC R2 library.

The ARTIC R2 will try to detect a satellite for up to 10 minutes. You may wish to log into the ARGOS website and predict when the next satellite pass will take place before running this example.

Current Draw

Knowing the current drawn by the ARTIC R2 Shield is of course very important when calculating your battery life.

We measured the ARTIC R2 Shield's current draw using the fantastic Otii Arc Power Analyzer. The Otii Arc was configured to output 3.6V and we connected it to the Shield's VBATT pin to replicate a LiPo battery.

  • Current Draw:
    • Sleep (PWR EN and RF EN low): 51µA
    • Idle (power LEDs enabled): 7.2mA (AVG)
    • Receive: 32.9mA
    • Transmit (full power, G8 pin high): 226mA
    • Transmit (reduced gain, G8 pin low): 170mA

Here is the data captured by Otii Arc when transmitting ARGOS 3 ZE data at full power:

Pictured is the current draw at full power
Having a hard time seeing? Click the image for a closer look.

And here is the current draw when transmitting ARGOS 3 ZE data at reduced power:

Pictured is the current draw at reduced power
Having a hard time seeing? Click the image for a closer look.

Certification

The ARGOS ARTIC R2 Satellite Transceiver Shield has been tested and certified by Kinéis, who are responsible for the operation of the ARGOS system. You can find copies of the ARGOS 2, 3 and 4 certificates below.

We are very grateful for the time and effort Kinéis have spent testing the SparkFun ARTIC R2 products.

Troubleshooting

Incorrect Platform ID: We learned recently that some ARTIC R2 boards had been incorrectly programmed with the wrong Platform ID. Each board has two IDs: a decimal one which you use to access your data on ArgosWeb; and a hexadecimal one which is embedded in each satellite uplink message. These boards had been incorrectly programmed with the decimal ID instead of the hexadecimal one. You can tell if your board is affected by calling readPlatformID(). If the true hexadecimal ID is returned, all is well. If the value is the decimal ID - expressed in hexadecimal - then your board requires reprogramming as your messages will not be delivered. Please return your board. We will reprogram it and return it to you quickly. If your project is time-critical, please contact us via the SparkX forum and we will provide a software work-around. We apologise for the error and the inconvenience.

Not working as expected and need help? SparkX products are rapidly produced to bring you the most cutting edge technology as it becomes available. These products are tested but come with no guarantees. Live technical support is not available for SparkX products. Head on over to our forum for support or to ask a question and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Resources and Going Further

For more information about the ARGOS ARTIC R2 Satellite Transceiver Shield, check out the following links:

ARGOS ARTIC R2 Satellite Transceiver Shield Documentation:

ARGOS ARTIC R2 Documentation:


Thanks! The ARTIC R2 circuit is a remix of the reference design kindly provided by the Arribada Initiative and Icoteq Ltd.