SWRA370A September   2011  – December 2025 CC1100 , CC1101 , CC2500 , CC2510 , CC2520 , CC2530 , CC2530-RF4CE , CC2540 , CC2540T , CC2541 , CC2541-Q1

 

  1.   1
  2.   Abstract
  3.   Trademarks
  4. 1Introduction
    1. 1.1 Acronyms
  5. 2Standards and System Requirements
    1. 2.1 Standards
    2. 2.2 Test Equipment Suppliers
    3. 2.3 Radio Certification URLs
  6. 3Test Equipment Requirements
    1. 3.1 System Setup
      1. 3.1.1 Conducted Test Systems
      2. 3.1.2 Radiated Test Systems
    2. 3.2 Initial Considerations for Testing
    3. 3.3 Testing Reminders
  7. 4Software Setup
    1. 4.1 SmartRF Studio 7
      1. 4.1.1 SmartRF Studio 7 Start-Up Window
      2. 4.1.2 SmartRF Studio 7 Modes
      3. 4.1.3 SmartRF Studio 7 Device Control Panel
      4. 4.1.4 SmartRF Studio 7 Software User Manual
    2. 4.2 SmartRF Studio 8
      1. 4.2.1 SmartRF Studio 8 Start-Up Window
      2. 4.2.2 SmartRF Studio 8 Radio Control Window
      3. 4.2.3 SmartRF Studio 8 Software User Guide
  8. 5DUT and Test Instrument Information
    1. 5.1 DUT
    2. 5.2 Test Instruments
  9. 6Clock Frequency Tuning
    1. 6.1 HF Clock Tuning Utilizing the Internal Cap Array
    2. 6.2 LF Clock Tuning
  10. 7Transmission Tests
    1. 7.1 Transmission Power
    2. 7.2 Power Spectral Density Mask
    3. 7.3 Error Vector Magnitude
    4. 7.4 Transmission Center Frequency Offset
    5. 7.5 Spurious Emissions
  11. 8Receive Testing
    1. 8.1 Receiver Sensitivity
    2. 8.2 Interference Testing
    3. 8.3 Interference Testing with RF Generator
  12.   Appendix A Offset EVM vs. EVM
  13.   B References
  14.   B Revision History

8.1 Receiver Sensitivity

CAUTION: One issue to remember with the configuration described here is that RF power can reach the receiver outside the path through the coaxial cable and attenuators. This issue is of greater concern if the two boards are placed very close together and the receiver is operated with very good sensitivity (that is, low data rate and receiver bandwidth). This problem is observed if the receiver can decode packets even with very high attenuation, and it is not possible to find the sensitivity threshold correctly. To avoid this problem, one of the boards should be placed in a shielded box where the shield is grounded, and the only opening in the box is a small hole for cables to exit. This configuration reduces radiation to a minimum.

Purpose: To verify that the receiver sensitivity conforms to performance standards.

Pass Condition: See respective standards document for specifications and pass conditions.

Test Environment: Figure 8-1 illustrates the test setup for receiver sensitivity.

Receiver Sensitivity Test Setup Diagram Figure 8-1 Receiver Sensitivity Test Setup Diagram
Receiver Sensitivity Test Bench Setup - Front Figure 8-2 Receiver Sensitivity Test Bench Setup - Front
Receiver Sensitivity Test Bench Setup - Shielded Box Figure 8-3 Receiver Sensitivity Test Bench Setup - Shielded Box
Receiver Sensitivity Test Bench Setup - Top Figure 8-4 Receiver Sensitivity Test Bench Setup - Top

Procedure:

  • Step 1: Connect the instruments as shown on Figure 8-1, Figure 8-2, Figure 8-3, and Figure 8-3.
  • Step 2: Configure both the TX side and the RX side with the appropriate RF settings. Select the packet TX or packet RX tab for the corresponding devices, and select an appropriate packet format.
  • Step 3: Start up the receiver first. Make sure that the Seq number included in payload box is checked (enabled).
  • Step 4: Start the transmitter by clicking Start.
  • Step 5: The RSSI readout on the RX side provides a relative indicator of the signal strength
  • Step 6: The PER is calculated using this formula:
    • PER % = (No. of packets lost/Total number of packets) x 100
  • Step 7: Increase the attenuation until the PER shown on the RX side reaches 1%. This level defines the sensitivity threshold. This is not always the case. It is dependent on the standard/packet size, etc
Table 8-2 Receiver Sensitivity Test Results
Sensitivity (dBm), PER < 1% Design Specification (dBm) Pass/Fail?
Freq 1 (MHz) Freq 2 (MHz) Freq 3 (MHz)
1
2
Test Results: