Eccel C1 Pepper Module User Manual

: August 18, 2024
: Eccel

Table of Contents

Eccel C1 Pepper Module
Product Usage Instructions
Introduction
Description
Electrical specification
Getting started
Mechanical dimension
Configuration and functional description
Revision history
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

Eccel C1 Pepper Module

Specifications

Model: Pepper C1 Module
Manual version: V1.51 03/07/2024

Product Usage Instructions

Device Overview
The Pepper C1 Module is an ideal choice for users looking to quickly add RFID functionality to their designs.

Electrical Specification

Absolute Maximum Ratings:
Storage Temperature: -40°C to +125°C
Ambient Temperature: -40°C to +85°C
Supply Voltage: 3V to 3.6V
Operating Conditions:
Operating Temperature: -25°C to +85°C
Humidity: 5% to 95%
Supply Voltage: 3.3V to 5.5V

DC Characteristics

Input Voltage:
High-level Input Voltage: 0.75 x VDD to VDD + 0.3V
Low-level Input Voltage: 0 to -0.3 x VDD V
Output Voltage:
High-level Output Voltage: 0.8 x VDD V
Low-level Output Voltage: -0.3 x VDD V

Current Consumption (3.3V on pins 1 and 8)

Symbol	Parameter	Typ.
IPN_RFOFF_AP	RF field off (AP)	135
IPN_RFON_AP	RF field on (AP) (500 ms polling)	145

FAQ
Q: Where can I find the latest version of the user manual?
A: The newest user manual can be found on our website at https://eccel.co.uk/wpcontent/downloads/Pepper_C1/Pepper_C1_Module_user_manual.pdf

Pepper C1 Module User Manual
Manual version: V1.51
03/07/2024

1 The newest User manual can be found on our website: https://eccel.co.uk/wp- content/downloads/Pepper_C1/Pepper_C1_Module_user_manual.pdf

Introduction

Device Overview
Features

Low cost RFID Reader with MIFARE® Classic® in 1K, 4K memory, ICODE, MIFARE Ultralight®, MIFARE DESFire® EV1/EV2, MIFARE Plus® support
Wireless connectivity:
- Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n
- 2.4GHz wireless communication (WPAN)
- can be disabled by the user
Built in Web Interface
Over-the-Air lifetime updates
Command interface via UART and TCP sockets
UART baud rate up to 921600 bps
6 configurable GPIOs
Stand-alone mode (polling)
IoT interfaces: MQTT, WebSocket, REST API, TCP Client/Server
High transponder read and write speed
-25°C to 85°C operating range
Multiple internal reference voltages
RoHS compliant
FCC version available

Applications

Access control
Monitoring goods
Approval and monitoring consumables
Pre-payment systems
Managing resources
Contact-less data storage systems
Evaluation and development of RFID systems

Description

The Pepper C1 module is one of the family of Eccel Technology Ltd (IB Technology) products with wireless connectivity by Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n and WPAN (2.4GHz). Thanks to this, the customer receives free lifetime Over-the-Air updates, and of course the communication protocol can be used over TCP instead of traditional UART/USB interface. Combining these features with standalone mode provides a ready to use device in many applications “straight out of the box.” In standalone mode, the module can be easily integrated with IoT systems thanks to many IoT protocols like MQTT, REST API, TCP sockets and more.
So, this is an ideal design choice if the user wishes to add RFID capability to their design quickly and without requiring extensive RFID and embedded software expertise and time. An advanced and powerful 32-bit microcontroller handles the RFID configuration setup and provides the user with a powerful yet simple command interface to facilitate fast and easy read/write access to the memory and features of the various transponders supported by this module.

Electrical specification

Absolute maximum ratings
Stresses beyond the absolute maximum ratings listed in the table below may cause permanent damage to the device. These are stress ratings only, and do not refer to the functional operation of the device that should follow the recommended operating conditions.

Symbol	Parameter	Min	Max	Unit
TS	Storage temperature	-40	+125	°C
TA	Ambient temperature	-40	+85	°C
VDDMAX	Supply voltage (Pin number 8)	3	3.6	V

Table 2-1. Absolute maximum ratings

Operating conditions

Symbol	Parameter	Min	Typ.	Max	Unit
TS	Operating temperature	-25	25	+85	°C
H	Humidity	5	60	95	%
VDD	Supply voltage (Pin number 8)	3	3.3	3.6	V
VRFID	RFID supply voltage (Pin number 1)	3	3.3/5	5.5	V

Table 2-2. Operating conditions
DC characteristics (VDD = 3.3V, TS = 25 °C)

Symbol	Parameter	Min	Typ.	Max	Unit
VIH	High-level input voltage (Any GPIO)	0.75 x VDD	–	VDD + 0.3	V
VIL	Low-level input voltage (Any GPIO)	0	–	0.3 x VDD	V
VOH	High-level output voltage (Any GPIO)	0.8 x VDD	–	–	V
VOL	Low-level output voltage (Any GPIO)	–	–	0.3 x VDD	V

Table 2-3. DC characteristics

Current consumption (3.3V on pins 1 and 8

Symbol	Parameter	Typ.	Max	Unit
Wi-Fi enabled	Access Point mode	IPN_RFOFF_AP	RF field off (AP)	135

mA

IPN_RFON_AP

| RF field on (AP) (500 ms polling)| 145| 165| mA
RF field on (AP) (200 ms polling)| 155| 175| mA
Station mode| IPN_RFOFF_STA| RF field off (STA)| 60| 80| mA

IPN_RFON_STA

| RF field on (STA) (500 ms polling)| 70| 90| mA
RF field on (STA) (200 ms polling)| 80| 100| mA
Wi-Fi Off| IPN_RFOFF| RF field off| 55| 75| mA

IPN_RFON

| RF field on (500 ms polling)| 60| 80| mA
RF field on (200 ms polling)| 65| 85| mA
IDSM| Deep Sleep Mode| 90| 100| uA

Current consumption (3.3V on pin 8 and 5V on pin 1)

Symbol

|

Parameter

| V DD = 3.3V| V RFID = 5V|

Unit

---|---|---|---|---
Typ.| Max| Typ.| Max
Wi-Fi enabled| Access Point mode| IPN_RFOFF_AP| RF field off (AP)| 135| 155| 0| 0| mA

IPN_RFON_AP

| RF field on (AP) (500 ms polling)| 136| 156| 12| 22| mA
RF field on (AP) (200 ms polling)| 137| 157| 25| 35| mA
Station mode| IPN_RFOFF_STA| RF field off (STA)| 60| 80| 0| 0| mA

IPN_RFON_STA

| RF field on (STA) (500 ms polling)| 62| 82| 12| 22| mA
RF field on (STA) (200 ms polling)| 63| 83| 25| 35| mA
Wi-Fi Off| IPN_RFOFF| RF field off| 55| 75| 0| 0| mA

IPN_RFON

| RF field on (500 ms polling)| 57| 77| 12| 22| mA
RF field on (200 ms polling)| 58| 78| 25| 35| mA
IDSM| Deep Sleep Mode| 90| 100| 0| 0| uA

Getting started

IO and peripherals

R7 – normally not populated because the default antenna connection is to the I-PEX connector for the user to add an external Wi-Fi antenna onto. This resistor is used for connecting an external Wi-Fi antenna to pin nr 10 when on-board I-PEX connector is not used. Recommended value 0 Ohm. When a 0 Ohm resistor is added to R7 by the user, the antenna connection is then routed to pin 10 for simple connection to a track antenna for example on the user’s motherboard.
R8 – normally not populated. Can be used if RFID section will be powered from main 3.3V on pins nr 8 and nr 9. Recommended value 0 Ohm. For best RFID performance, Eccel recommend that the RFID antenna circuit is powered from a separate 5V supply via pin 1 of the module. However, if a 0 Ohm resistor is fitted to R8, then the module will use its 3.3V power supply connection from Pin 8 to also power the RFID antenna circuit. RFID performance will be reduced in this case.

Pinout description

Number	Name	Description

1

|

VRFID

| 5V regulated dc supply recommended. RFID section power supply pin. Can be left unconnected when R8 is populated.

RFID will be then powered from main 3.3V supply applied to pin no. 8

10

|

Wi-Fi ANT

antenna connector is used.

20| RFID ANT1| RFID antenna signal no. 1. Do not use when an on-board antenna connector is used.

Typical connection and usage
The Pepper C1 Module can be connected to a host (computer or another device) using UART0. In order to connect the module to a computer, a USB to UART converter will be required.
By default, this UART0 interface can be used for communication using the binary protocol described below.
The Reader also has UART2 available. Using this connection, the user can view output logs which contain additional information about temporary executing commands. The default configuration is: baud: 115200, Data: 8 bit, Parity: none, Stop bits: 1 bit, Flow Control: none. Data lines can be configured to work using any free GPIO’s available on the module.

Eccel provides the C1 module baseboard for fast prototyping: https://eccel.co.uk/product/pepper-c1-module-baseboard/

Mechanical dimension

All dimensions in mils.

The footprint in the Altium Designer / Circuit Studio format can be downloaded from this link: http://eccel.co.uk/wp- content/downloads/Pepper_C1/Pepper_C1_module_Altium_lib.zip

Configuration and functional description

Here is the document describing configuration, communication protocol, commands and all functions of the Pepper C1 module: https://eccel.co.uk/wp- content/downloads/Pepper_C1/C1_software_manual.pdf
Eccel provides a variety of free tools & libraries ready to be downloaded from this link: https://eccel.co.uk/support-free-libraries/

Revision history

Revision	Date	Changes
1.5	03-Jul-2024	Section 1.1 updated
1.4	20-May-2024	Recommended footprint added
1.3	2-Apr-2024	First release after splitting software and hardware

description
1.2| 29-Mar-2024| Section 2.4 updated, Section 2.5 added
1.1| 9-Mar-2023| Section 1 updated
1.0| 1-Mar-2021| Initial release

MIFARE, MIFARE Ultralight, MIFARE Plus, MIFARE Classic, and MIFARE DESFire are trademarks of NXP B.V.
No responsibility is taken for the method of integration or final use of the C1 modules
More information about the C1 module and other products can be found at the Internet site: http://www.eccel.co.uk or alternatively contact ECCEL Technology (IB Technology) by email at: sales@eccel.co.uk