Mini OEM Integration Guide
The Mini OEM module is supplied WITHOUT any form of compliance or listing. It is the sole responsibility of the OEM equipment manufacturer to ensure compliance.
In relation to Iridium compliance the OEM equipment manufacturer will need to provide details of the surrounding interfaces, antenna and power supply provisioning to Ground Control Technologies. Our team will check these details to ensure the essential requirements of Iridium certification are met.
The Mini OEM module provides the majority of the features found in Mini apart from PoE. It runs the same firmware and device management via CloudLoop is identical.
This guide will assist you in designing the mechanical and electrical interfaces that are required to support this module within your equipment. A CAD model and 2D drawing are provided in the downloads section below.
Certus Antenna and RF cable
One of the most important design considerations is the selection of antenna type and position. The antenna must be designed for Certus 100 services and have the ability to meet all antenna test requirements in the Iridium certification process. Currently, Ground Control has part number IRIS-ANT-9770 which is approved for use with the majority of the RockREMOTE range.
The total RF insertion loss (cables and connectors) between the MMCX connector on the Iridium modem and the IRIS-ANT-9770 antenna needs to be higher than 0.6dB and lower than 2.1dB. These limits will differ according to the type of antenna selected.
We are in the process of adding other antenna types of various form factors. Please contact our support team for more details of smaller and lower form factor antennas that are in the process of being certified for use with the Mini and Mini OEM.
GNSS Antenna
The selection of GNSS antenna will depend on the OEM application. Any suitable antenna can be used. The GNSS antenna cable should be terminated in a female U.FL connector. Active or passive GNSS antenna's can be used but the user configuration must match the selection. The GNSS antenna should be located in a position where it has a clear view of the sky. In most cases it would also be advisable to position the GNSS antenna at least 100mm away from the Iridium antenna.
The GNSS antenna must be connected to "GNSS EXT", "GNSS INT" is not used and will later be unpopulated from the PCBA.
Power supply considerations
During Iridium transmit the current draw can reach some significant peaks (see specification below). It is important that the power supply is suitably rated and that the impedance of power supply wiring is low enough to prevent voltage dips below the minimum supply voltage.
Location within your equipment.
Chose a location that will provide adequate physical access to the reset button and SIM card carrier. Note that the SIM card carrier needs to hinge upwards and the SIM card will need to be gripped with the fingers in order to extract.
Ensure adequate ventilation around the Mini OEM assembly.
In order to allow use of the BLE features (planned additional config option) a non-conducting aperture should be allowed for in the OEM equipment design in order to allow RF connectivity. As a guide this aperture should be at least 60mm x 60mm.
Thermal management
If the Mini OEM gateway is used for high levels of data transfer in scenarios where the ambient temperature can be within 20degC of the maximum for extended periods of time it as advisable to provide heatsinking to the modem power amplifier stage. The suggested heat sink position is shown below.
The temperature and humidity need to be maintained within the limits shown in the table below.
Mechanical interface
The OEM assembly will need to be supported by robust screw fixing at each of the 4 location points. (See GA drawing for dimensions of hole centres.)
The OEM assembly should be protected from excessive shock and vibration.
The MMCX interface to the modem is not designed to withstand forces from cable weight or excessive bending of the cable. It is recommended that additional support is provided directly at the connector. This may take the form of a clamp or some form of non-slump adhesive.
The 30way connector should not be used to provide all the support for any interface PCBA's designed for the OEM application. Additional mechanical fixings should always be provided.
Interfacing to the 30 way connector
All essential non-RF connections are made using the single 30way 2x15 2.0mm pitch header.
In order to make use of the ethernet interface the OEM application will need to provide suitable 10/100 magnetics. The schematic below shows how this is achieved in the OEM development kit interface. Careful attention needs to be paid to length and impedance matching of associated tracks. For this reason it is expected that any 3rd party PCBA used for this interface is directly connected to the 30 way header.
Note that the image above does not represent the current hardware revision. This is rev 1B, we are currently (9 July 2024) at rev 1D. Some component positions have changed significantly
When powering the unit without an Iridium antenna connected it is important to terminate the RF connection with an RF load to reduce the risk of failure in the 9770 modem RF amplifier stage. A suitable load is 202117 from Amphenol.
LED indication
Please refer to the RockREMOTE Mini page for colour/meaning.
Downloads
3D pdf - For indication ONLY refer to STEP file for dimensions
Pinout - 30 way interface header
For orientation of the connector pins the location of pin's 1,2 and 29,30 are marked in the silkscreen of the board.
FEATURES NOT AVAILABLE FOR USE
On some early examples of the Mini OEM PCBA you will see a micro USB connector - This is for Ground Control production use ONLY and does not provide any useful interface for an OEM application.
In future revisions of the Mini OEM PCBA this connector is likely to be depopulated.
OEM connector PCB assembly - for development use only
In order for customers to trial the Mini OEM functionality and to provide a reference design we are able to provide the OEM connector PCBA pictured below. This gives access to all functions brought out on the 30 pin header and includes magnetics and RJ45 connection for Ethernet. The latest revision of this board also includes positions for mounting TNC and SMA connectors.
Note the required orientation of the interface board with the terminals along the upper edge. Inverting the board on the 30 way header WILL DAMAGE the OEM board. See image below.
| OEM connector PCB - Interface for developers | WARNING! Orientation must be as shown below |
|---|---|
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