AN-1053
Application Note
Silicon Labs RF-to-USB2 Cymbet EH Demos
Introduction
The Cymbet EnerChipTM Energy Harvesting Evaluation kits - EVAL-09, EVAL-10, and EVAL-11 are all designed
to support connectivity and power to the Silicon Labs RF-to-USB2 RD wireless Reference Design development
kit. The combination of Cymbet and Silicon Labs RF-to-USB2 kits enables designers to experiment with the
following:
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•
•
Simple, low cost battery-free analog data collection and a development platform for battery-free wireless
sensing projects using any mode of Energy Harvesting including light, motion/vibration, heat, RF, etc.
Use solar indoor or outdoor energy to power node boards to communicate with a USB dongle which
uploads the data to a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for demonstration purposes.
This Energy Harvesting kit combination replaces primary batteries with a perpetual self-recharging power
source for 15-20+ year applications.
Cymbet EVAL-10 and SiLabs RF-to-USB2 RD Demonstration Equipment
•ꢀ Cymbet CBC-EVAL-10 EnerChip CC Solar Energy Harvesting evaluation kit . CBC-EVAL-10 Data Sheet and
purchasing information can be found here: http://www.cymbet.com/products/evaluation-kits.php.
•ꢀ Silicon Labs RF-to-USB2 RD kit with USB dongle and wireless node board. In order to use the SiLabs
wireless node board with Energy Harvesting, it must be programmed with Cymbet-specific firmware. If
you purchased the RF-to-USB2 kit from SiLabs or Distribution, the Cymbet code is available for download
at: http://www.cymbet.com/products/datasheets-downloads.php. Please download the code for the
appropriate Cymbet Eval Kit - EVAL-09, EVAL-10 or EVAL-11 kit as there are differences in the code.
•ꢀ Adapter for easy connection of CBC-EVAL-10 to RF-to-USB2 RD node. This Adapter is provided free from
Cymbet using the Support Form: http://www.cymbet.com/design-center/support.php.
•ꢀ Watch the EVAL-10/RF-to-USB2 Video here: http://www.cymbet.com/products/videos-products.php
Getting Started with the EVAL-10
The EH demonstration with the EVAL-10 and RF-to-USB2 is shown in Figure 1. This section describes the
procedure for establishing connectivity to the RF node board after you have installed the Silicon Labs RF to USB
Figure 1: PV Cell Attached to CBC-EVAL-10, which is Connected to the RF-to-USB2 Board via the Adapter
©2012 Cymbet Corporation • Tel: +1-763-633-1780 • www.cymbet.com
Doc AN-72-1053 Rev A
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