SparkFun SAMD21 Pro RF Hookup Guide

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Contributors: Elias The Sparkiest
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Introduction

The SparkFun SAMD21 Pro RF is the fated meeting of a SAMD21 and a long-range RFM95W LoRa®-enabled radio. The outcome is a compact, blazing fast microcontroller with excellent point to point data transmission in the 915MHz ISM radio band with LoRa capabilities. In this tutorial we'll break down the capabilities of the development board, give you a brief introduction to LoRa and get you familiarized with the two Arduino libraries that will get you started with the radio and LoRaWan. If you're familiar with LoRaWan then skip ahead to the Hardware Overview, otherwise let's get started with a brief introduction to LoRaWAN.

SparkFun Pro RF - LoRa, 915MHz (SAMD21)

SparkFun Pro RF - LoRa, 915MHz (SAMD21)

WRL-15836
$33.95
5

Revision Update: In the latest revision of the SAMD21 Pro RF, we have made a few changes to improve the board, listed below. If users are unsure about which version they purchased, please refer to the pictures of the updated changes, shown below.

  • Fixed the VDDCORE pin connection issue
  • Broken out an LED jumper for low power applications
  • Added PTH pins for software debug (SWD)


IO and clock pins for SWD.
led jumper
Jumper for power LED.

Required Materials

To follow along with this tutorial, you will need the following materials. You may not need everything though depending on what you have. Add it to your cart, read through the guide, and adjust the cart as necessary.

Hook-Up Wire - Assortment (Solid Core, 22 AWG)

Hook-Up Wire - Assortment (Solid Core, 22 AWG)

PRT-11367
$21.50
38
USB Micro-B Cable - 6 Foot

USB Micro-B Cable - 6 Foot

CAB-10215
$5.50
15

Pycom LoRa and Sigfox Antenna Kit - 915MHz

WRL-14676
Retired

Single Cell LiPo Batteries

You can power the SAMD21 Pro RF with any of our stocked LiPo Batteries that is above 500mAh.

Lithium Ion Battery - 850mAh

Lithium Ion Battery - 850mAh

PRT-13854
$10.95
2
Lithium Ion Battery - 2Ah

Lithium Ion Battery - 2Ah

PRT-13855
$13.95
9
Lithium Ion Battery - 6Ah

Lithium Ion Battery - 6Ah

PRT-13856
$32.50
7

Lithium Ion Battery - 1Ah

PRT-13813
8 Retired

Tools

Depending on your setup, you may need a soldering iron, solder, and general soldering accessories.

Solder - 1/4lb Spool (0.032") Special Blend

Solder - 1/4lb Spool (0.032") Special Blend

TOL-10243
$26.95
7

Weller WE1010 Soldering Station

TOL-14734
4 Retired

Wire Strippers - 20-30AWG

TOL-14763
3 Retired

Suggested Reading

If you're not familiar with the following topics, or want a more in depth conversation related to the following, please follow the links below.

What is an Arduino?

What is this 'Arduino' thing anyway? This tutorials dives into what an Arduino is and along with Arduino projects and widgets.

Installing Arduino IDE

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

SAMD21 Mini/Dev Breakout Hookup Guide

An introduction to the Atmel ATSAMD21G18 microprocessor and our Mini and Pro R3 breakout boards. Level up your Arduino-skills with the powerful ARM Cortex M0+ processor.

LoRaWAN with ProRF and The Things Network

Learn how to make a LoRaWAN node for your next long range IoT project and connect it to the internet with The Things Network!