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CyFi™ Low-Power RF

CyFi (CYRF7936) is a 2.4 GHz ISM radio transceiver, capable of supporting data rates upto 1 Mbps. It features a 1-Mbps GFSK radio front-end, packet data buffering, packet framer, DSSS baseband controller, and RSSI.


CyFi allows implementation of mixed-rate systems in which different devices use different data rates. It also allows the implementation of dynamic data rate systems that use high data rates at shorter distances.


The CYRF7936 IC has a power management unit (PMU), which allows direct connection of the device to any battery voltage in the range 1.8 V to 3.6 V.


CyFi features the CyFi Star Network Protocol Stack that maximizes reliability and power-efficiency in a wireless networkby having up to 250 wireless nodes.


Key Features


  • Multi- Channel& Node Capacity:
    98 discrete 1-MHz Channels supported, capacity of 250 nodes per hub
  • Data Rates:
    125 kbps, 250 kbps and 1Mbps
  • Connectivity:
    4 MHz SPI interface
  • Power Consumption:
    Operating current 21mA, sleep current 1uA, optimized for coin-cell, low impedance batteries and wall-powered devices
  • Package:
    Available in 40 QFN 6x6 mm

Applications


  • Wireless Sensor Networks
  • Wireless Actuator Control
  • Home Automation
  • White Goods
  • Commercial Building Automation
  • Automatic Meter Readers
  • Precision Agriculture
  • Remote Controls
  • Consumer Electronics
  • Personal Health and Fitness
  • Toys


  1. Product Selector
  2. Getting Started with CyFi
  3. Training
  4. CyFi Low-Power RF Products
  5. CyFi Low-Power RF Technology
Enabling Worry-Free Wireless Networking

The CyFi Low-Power RF solution is a highly reliable, easy-to-use 2.4-GHz answer to a wide range of wireless embedded control challenges. It enables designers to create wireless systems without making compromises to overcome the typical risks of unreliable performance, complex implementation, and high power consumption. By combining Cypress's PSoC programmable system-on-chip, a sophisticated yet lightweight network protocol stack, and a Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) transceiver, the CyFi solution achieves levels of reliability, simplicity, and power-efficiency unmatched by other embedded wireless technologies. Download the CyFi Brochure today to learn more about this solution.
CyFi is a RELIABLE Solution.






CyFi is a SIMPLE Solution.

Design Effortlessly and Get to Market Faster

The CyFi solution offers a revolutionary level of simplicity to RF design. The CyFi Star Network Protocol stack is encapsulated into a PSoC Designer firmware user module with a versatile and complete API library literally enabling a drag-and-drop approach to RF design. Setting up the network, reliably transmitting, and receiving data, is a matter of a few simple API calls.

For all its sophistication in maximizing reliability and power-efficiency, the CyFi Star Network Protocol stack is surprisingly lightweight, occupying less than 6KB of code space for a node and less than 8KB for a hub. This frees up more room for building the complete embedded wireless system in a single PSoC device enabling reduced cost from BOM integration and lower flash-size requirements.		 Ultimate Reliability

Reliable transmission is a key challenge in any wireless system. CyFi networks dynamically vary operating channel, data rate, and output power in real-time to maintain reliable communications in the presence of interference. This provides the designer with the benefits of using the 2.4-GHz ISM band (such as worldwide acceptance) without the reliability pitfalls commonly associated with other RF technologies in this congested band.

The combination of DSSS modulation, frequency agility, and a sophisticated link management algorithm gives CyFi Low-Power RF reliability that is simply unmatched by any other 2.4-GHz wireless technology.


Interference Immunity with DSSS Technology

Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum is a radio transmission technology that essentially applies a robust forward error correction scheme to the data-in-transit in order to minimize the effect of data loss due to signal interference. Specifically, DSSS encodes a set of data into a larger bit stream, or chips.

As seen to the left, CyFi solutions encode 8-bits of data into 32 chips. These chips are then modulated onto the RF signal and transmitted. The receiver demodulates the chips off of the received signal and then reverses the DSSS encoding scheme. Even with demodulation errors due to signal noise or interference, the original data can still be recovered. This technique ensures reliable communications without the need of retransmissions due to interference--a two-fold benefit of reliable communications and a boost in power-efficiency.


Reliability Through Frequency Agility

Channel hopping is an often complex technique of moving around the available RF spectrum to avoid interference. Some technologies are designed to constantly hop following an established and shared hopping algorithm while others hop only as needed or when facing overwhelming signal noise or interference. CyFi solutions employ the latter technique and minimize their movement around the spectrum except when absolutely necessary. This method prevents unnecessary hops and hub-searches further boosting performance and power-efficiency.

In addition, with only 1-MHz wide channels, CyFi solutions can easily avoid typical broadband technologies like 802.11b/g/n networks with 80 different channels to choose from--5-times as many than other technologies like 802.15.4.
CyFi is a POWER-EFFICIENT Solution.


 Measure Battery Life in Years, Not Weeks or Months

Besides very low active and sleep currents, CyFi solutions take a systems approach to power-efficiency. CyFi networks minimize periods of peak current consumption and maximize sleep. In some cases that means transmitting data as fast as possible. In others, it means enabling DSSS modulation, and possibly increasing RF output power, to eliminate the need for re-transmissions. CyFi networks automatically make these decisions in real-time and are the only low-power RF technology to do so.

As a battery-powered CyFi node moves closer to the network hub, it reduces its RF output power to minimize current consumption. This ensures that it will always use exactly as much current as needed to successfully transmit the data, and no more. CyFi solutions leverage their ultimate reliability to minimize costly on-air time and sleep more thus systematically reducing their overall power consumption.

CyFi is a PSoC Solution.

A Complete RF Sensor Solution in as few as Two Chips

Cypress's PSoC programmable system-on-chip combine dynamic, configurable analog and digital blocks and an 8-bit MCU on a single chip, replacing many discrete components while delivering the advanced flexibility and functionality designers need to meet aggressive schedules. Together with PSoC development software and kits, they form the industry most complete solution for embedded systems.

Further, a PSoC is uniquely advantageous in CyFi solutions due to their flexibility, integration and programmable analog capabilities which directly enable wireless embedded control solutions--as shown to the right.

Get Started with CyFi Low-Power RF

Everything you need to get started: Training, Kits, Software and Support

Cypress has training available to support you in a variety of formats including on-demand training over the Internet, hands-on workshops as well as live webinars.
Visit www.cypress.com/training to find out more.

Visit the Get Started tab to learn about the kits designed to make evaluating, designing and developing with CyFi extremely easy.

If you are familiar with the PSoC programmable system-on-chip then you should already be familiar with its easy-to-use design environment, PSoC Designer. If not, we have additional training resources specifically for you as well to introduce you to the design environment and get you fast on your way to developing your embedded applications. Download PSoC Designer today and see how simple we have made embedded RF with CyFi.

Finally, Cypress is committed to supporting its most valued clients, you. The support resources we provide include a team of certified professional consultants and designers--our CYPros, phone-based support, electronic-based support via our online knowledge base as well as a variety of forums and environments for you to seek out frequently asked questions or interact with other Cypress developers--both internal and external. Visit www.cypress.com/support for details on how to contact us or visit www.cypress.com/cypros to find a local certified resource.