PRISM1BRD - Harris Semiconductor

SEMICONDUCTOR

July 1997

PRISM1BRD

OEM Wireless Local Area Network PC Card

Features

• FCC Certiﬁed Under Part 15 to Operate in 2.4GHz ISM

Band

• Support for 1 and 2 Megabit Per Second (MBPS) Data

Rates

• Supports the lEEE802.11 Direct Sequence Speciﬁca-

tion

• Windows 95™ NDlS3 and Windows 3.1™ NDIS2 Net-

work Drivers Available (ODI Network Drivers Planned)

• Integrated Microstrip Antenna

• Microcode/BIOS are Contained in Programmable

Nonvolatile Flash Memory

• Radio Range of 300 Feet in an Indoor Environment

(Note 2)

• Completely Covered Assembly is Designed to Fully

Support PCMCIA’s Deﬁned Mechanical and Environ-

mental Stress Conditions

• Intelligent Power Control, Including Low Power

Standby Mode.

Description

The Harris OEM WLAN PC Card

(Note 1) is a complete wireless

high speed modem utilizing the

Harris PrismTM Direct Sequence

Spread Spectrum Wireless Transceiver chip set. This card is

made available to OEM’s (Original Equipment Manufacturers)

intending to private label or integrate the product. It provides a

sophisticated turnkey solution of hardw are and softw are to sys-

tem providers or integrators requiring wireless data communi-

cations capability and is ideal for integration into computer

platforms.

Supporting the IEEE 802.11 network speciﬁcation for Direct

Sequence Spread Spectrum DSSS signaling the card is pack-

aged in a PCMCIA Type II extended cover set and sold in stan-

dard packs of 50 units. Radio design evaluation can be

conducted by using PRISM1KIT-EVAL (PCMCIA card with an

open cov er set and SMA connector output, two cards per kit) or

network performance may be evaluated by using

WLANKITPR1-EVAL (PCMCIA card with cover set and inte-

grated antenna, 2 cards per kit). The card provides data rates

up to 2 MBPS. Outdoor line of sight range in excess of 1000

feet has been demonstrated and indoor range of 300 feet,

depending on environment, is achie v able . Interoperable Access

P oints are a v ailable from a n umber of suppliers, enab ling a total

wireless network solution.

NOTES:

1. Throughout this document, all references to ‘PC Card’, ‘WLAN

adapter’, ‘adapter’, or ‘card’ refer to a covered card assembly con-

forming to the mechanical size speciﬁcations of the PCMCIA Stan-

dard Release 2.0, Type Il Extended (5.0mm) deﬁnition.

2. The range will vary in different operating environments due to effects

such as building construction.

Packaging

Ordering Information

PART NUMBER DESCRIPTION

CARDS

PER

SET

PRISM1BRD OEM WLAN PC CARD 50

WLANKITPR1-EVAL OEM WLAN EVALUATION KIT 2

CAUTION: These devices are sensitive to electrostatic discharge. Users should follow proper IC Handling Procedures.

PRISM™ and the PRISM™ logo are trademarks of Harris Corporation.

File Number 4289

PRISM1BRD

Functional Overview

The WLAN PC Card is designed to operate in the 2.4GHz

ISM frequency band, channels 1 to 11, as speciﬁed by the

FCC in the USA and ETSI in Europe (refer to table 3). The

Card will also operate with reduced performance (due to ﬁl-

ter selection) on channel 12, speciﬁed for use in Japan.

Radio Transmitters must be certiﬁed in a country prior to

use. Refer to table 4 for a list of countries and agencies that

have approved the PRISM1BRD for operation.

The Harris Prism Chip Set and AMD PCNet Mobile allows

for high level integration allowing for reduced size, increased

throughput, improved radio performance and faster time to

market. The WLAN PC card implements Direct Sequence

Spread Spectrum DSSS technology providing superior noise

and signal jamming immunity including less severe impact

from unintentional radiators such as microwave ovens. The

user can connect the PC Card in an ad-hoc peer to peer net-

working scheme, allowing for instant network setup in any

ofﬁce environment. By using an access point, the wireless

LAN can be set up to allow for a greater number of users to

interconnect, and to increase the coverage area. With a por-

tal, the wireless LAN can be easily connected into an exist-

ing wired LAN, allowing for easy expansion of the service.

A good starting place for people who want to know what

IEEE802.11 is, should try Tech Brief TB337 “A Brief Tutorial

on Spread Spectrum and Packet Radio”. For a more detailed

description of radio operation, please refer to “PRISMTM

2.4GHz Chip Set” datasheet File Number 4063 and

“PRISMTM DSSS PC Card Wireless LAN Description” Appli-

cation Note AN9624. For more speciﬁc software questions,

refer to AN3639 “Harris PRISM Wireless LAN Networ k Con-

nectivity and Utility SW” and AN9666 “Wireless LAN Evalua-

tion Kit SW Installation and Usage”.

The MAC Protocol Handler

(AMD PCNetMobile) (AM79C930)

The PCNetMobile device (AM79C930) and its ﬁrmware are

responsible for running the 802.11 protocol in the WLAN

card. This section describes the features of IEEE 802.11 that

are implemented. Further information can be obtained from

the following documents:

1. AMD PCNetMobiIe WLAN Controller, Firmware Overview

(available from AMD)

2. Firmware Interface Specification for IEEE 802.11/D5

(available from AMD)

Contact AMD’s web site:

http://www.amd.com/products/npd/npd.html

select * Available Literature

or * PCnet Family Drivers

The functions supported by the STA (station) Firmware are:

• DCF (Distributed Coordination Function)

• CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision

Avoidance)

• Random Backoff

• RTS/CTS Handshake (Ready To Send/Clear To Send)

and NAV Management (Network Allocation Vector)

• MAC Level Acknowledgments (Media Access Control)

• Re-transmission of Unacknowledged Frames

• Duplicate Detection and Rejection

• Broadcast and Multicast Frames

• Fragmentation and Re-Assembly

• Power Management (Planned)

• Timestamp Synchronization

• Probe Generation

• Beacon Generation in an Ad-Hoc Network

• Probe Response Generation in an Ad-Hoc Network

Card Information Structure

The standard Harris WLAN PC Card will be supplied with the

following information embedded in the CIS. It should be

noted that in most systems this information is displayed

when the card is inser ted. Customization of the CIS for spe-

ciﬁc customer requirements is available upon request, to

enable customer infor mation to be displayed when the card

is inserted.

Network Driver Software

The Harris OEM WLAN PC Card will be supplied with

NDlS2, NDIS3 and ODI network drivers. These drivers will

be tested with the following network operating systems:

Contact the factory for latest software status or visit our

PRISM web site: http://www.semi.harris.com/prism.html

TABLE 1.

FUNCTION NAME CONTENT

Manufacturer’s ID 00

Function ID Network Adapter

Product Revision 5

Manufacturer AMD

Product AM79C930

PROG

LOT

TABLE 2. SOFTWARE COMPATIBILITY TESTING

MANUFACTURER TITLE VERSION DRIVER

Microsoft Windows f or Work

Groups 3.11 NDlS2

Microsoft Windows 95 NDlS3

Microsoft Windows NT NDlS3

Novel Netware ODI

IBM OS2 ODI

IEEE 802.11 International Agreement and

Frequency Assignments

The IEEE802 LAN committee has forged an international

agreement providing for wireless data communication stan-

dards for the frequency range of 2.4GHz to 2.4853GHz, as

allocated by the FCC in the USA, and in the 2.471GHz to

2.497GHz frequency range, as speciﬁed by the regulatory

authority in Japan. These standards are designed to focus

the industr y to develop highly integrated, low cost, interoper-

able WLAN equipment, of which PRISM1BRD is a prime

example.

There are 11 channels speciﬁed by the FCC in the 2.4GHz

to 2.4853GHz range, and one channel in the 2.471GHz to

2.497GHz range, for operation in Japan. The ETSl (Euro-

pean) regulatory body conforms to the USA (FCC) channel

assignments with the exceptions of channels 1 and 2 as

shown in Table 3.

The available channels of operation in the 2.4GHz to

2.4853GHz and 2.471GHz to 2.497GHz ranges are as f ollo ws:

Warranty

The Harris WLAN PC Card product is covered by a one year

manufacturing warranty. Operation of the WLAN PC Card

outside of the maximum ratings detailed above will make the

warranty void.

Agency and Regulatory Body Approvals

The WLAN PC Card will comply to the following standards:

TABLE 3.

CHANNEL

ID FCC CHANNEL

FREQUENCIES ETSI CHANNEL

FREQUENCIES JAPAN

FREQUENCY

1 2412MHz N/A N/A

2 2417MHz N/A N/A

3 2422MHz 2422MHz N/A

4 2427MHz 2427MHz N/A

5 2432MHz 2432MHz N/A

6 2437MHz 2437MHz N/A

7 2442MHz 2442MHz N/A

8 2447MHz 2447MHz N/A

9 2452MHz 2452MHz N/A

10 2457MHz 2457MHz N/A

11 2462MHz 2462MHz N/A

12 N/A N/A 2484MHz

TABLE 4.

COUNTRY APPROVAL NOTES

USA FCC part 15,

Sec. 15.247,

Sec. 15.107 and

15.109

Approved for

Intentional Radiators

Computer Peripheral

Canada ICAN RSS-210 Approved

Europe ETSI 300.328 Nov 96

EMC prETS 300.826 Planned

NOTES:

1. The Harris FCC Identiﬁcation Number is: MRF13316C2

2. The IC Approval Number is: CAN2722102478

PRISM1BRD

Absolute Maximum Ratings Operating Conditions

Supply Voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-0.3V to 6.0V (Max)

Storage Temperature (Note 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -20oC to 65oCOperating Temperature Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0oC≤TA≤ 55oC

Supply Voltage Range. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.75V to 5.25V

NOTE:

3. All temperature references refer to ambient conditions.

Caution: These are the absolute maximum ratings for the PC Card product. Exceeding these limits could cause permanent damage to the card.

Electrical Speciﬁcations Test conditions supply voltage: 5V ±5%, TA = 25oC

PARAMETER SYMBOL(UNIT) MIN TYP MAX COMMENTS

CURRENT CONSUMPTION

Average Current

(Without Power Saving Mode) (Note 4) ICC(mA) - 290 - 2% Transmit 98% Receive

Average Current

(With Power Saving Mode) (Note 4) ICC(mA) - 60 - 2% TX 90% Standby 8% RX

Continuous Transmit Mode ICC(mA) - 488 -

Continuous Receive Mode ICC(mA) - 287 -

Standby (Note 4) ICC(mA) - 30 - Estimated

PC CARD LOGIC LEVELS

Input HIGH Voltage VIH(V) 2.4 - VCC +0.2

Input LOW Voltage VIL(V) 0.0 - 0.8

Output HIGH Voltage VOH(V) 2.8 - VCC -0.4mA lLOAD

Output LOW Voltage VOL(V) - - 0.45 4mA ILOAD

- - 0.45 12mA lLOAD

- - 0.45 24mA ILOAD

PC CARD LEAKAGE CURRENT

Input Leakage Current LIN(µA) -10 - 10

PC CARD LOADING CAPACITANCE

Input Capacitance CIN(pF) - - 12

Output Capacitance COUT(pF) - - 12

ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIFICATIONS

Vibration (G) - - 55

Drop (cm) - - 65

Torque (Lb/Ft2) - - 15 10 to 2000Hz, VCC = 0

ESD (V) - - 75

XRAY (Roentgen) - - 11 10o Max

UV (µW/cm) - - 1500 Non-Operating

Humidity RH(%) - - 10K

EMI (Oersted) - - 15K Wavelength 254nm

NOTE:

4. Refer to Application Note “PRISM™ Power Management Modes” AN9665.

PRISM1BRD

RF SYSTEM SPECIFICATION

Antenna Gain (dBi) - 2.5 - MAX

ElRP (dBm) - 20 -

Receive Sensitivity (dBm) - -88 - 8% PER, 2mB/s

Maximum Receive Level (dBm) - 0 - PER <8%

Third Order Intercept Point (Input) (dBm) - -24 -

Image Rejection (dB) - 65 - PER <8%

IF Rejection (dB) - 80 - PER <8%

Adjacent Channel Rejection (dB) - 63

(Note 5) - PER <8%

Noise Figure RF Front End (dB) - 8 -

Data Rate (Physical Layer) (Mb/s) - 1 and 2 -

Data Rate (PC to PC) (Mb/s) - 1.3 - DQPSK 2Mb mode

NOTE:

5. The adjacent channel measurement is carried out on two channels specially separated by 25MHz (5 channels).

Electrical Speciﬁcations Test conditions supply voltage: 5V ±5%, TA = 25oC (Continued)

PARAMETER SYMBOL(UNIT) MIN TYP MAX COMMENTS

PRISM1BRD

PC Card Labels

The PC Card is offered with generic back label as shown

below. Custom label options are available.

Back PC Card Label

References

Further information can be found in the following documents:

• The PCNetMobile (AM79C930) data sheet.

• Harris PRISM datasheets, web home page,

http://www.semi.harris.com/prism.html

• IEEE 802.11 Standards Project (available from the

IEEE, New York, USA).

• PC Card V2.1 Standard

Warning Label

In compliance with FCC ruling of April 15, 1997 the following

warning message is included in the Users Manual accompa-

nying the WLAN PC Card.

WARNING

FCC radio frequency exposure limits may be exceeded at

distances closer than 6 cm from the antenna of this device.

Biological effects and potential hazards of radio frequency

radiation from the transmitting antenna have not been

tested. Radio frequency radiation ma y be harmful to the user

over an extended period of time. Therefore, direct contact

with the antenna of the device or keeping the antenna of the

device closer than 6 cm from the skin should be avoided.

FIGURE 1. DIMENSIONED MECHANICAL DRAWING OF COVERSET

39.6mm

111.3mm 85.6mm

54mm

3.3mm