PAN9520 Series RF Modules

Panasonic’s PAN9520 series RF module is a 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n embedded Wi‑Fi RF module based on Espressif ESP32-S2 that includes the powerful Xtensa® 32-bit LX7 CPU. An integrated chip antenna and QSPI memory enable the PAN9520 series RF module to be used in a variety of stand-alone or host-controlled applications.

The integrated crystal ensures connection performance over the full temperature range and lifetime. The PAN9520 series is one of the smallest RF modules on the market. It offers a rich set of peripherals such as full-speed USB, OTG, SPI, UART, I2C, and others.

The PAN9520 series RF module combines a high performance CPU, high sensitivity wireless radio, baseband (BB) processor, medium access controller (MAC), encryption unit, ROM bootloader, chip-internal SRAM, and module-internal QSPI Flash and PSRAM. Features such as CCMP, TKIP, WAPI, WEP, BIP, and AES accelerator enable the usage of secure data connections.

Parallel support of access point and station mode allows easy setup of simultaneous Wi Fi connections from the RF module to smart devices and home network routers.

Software can be developed for a wide range of applications using the Espressif Integrated Development Framework (ESP-IDF). A vast number of software examples can be used as starting points for the development. The Espressif AT software can be used, which is available as binary, and the AT software sources can be cloned and adapted.

The PAN9520 evaluation kit is an all-inclusive and comprehensive evaluation kit available to support rapid prototyping with the PAN9520 series RF module.

The PAN9520 series evaluation kit is an Arduino form factor board that has a PAN9520 RF module with 4 MB or 1 MB of Flash memory, a 40 MHz crystal oscillator, and a chip antenna onboard. The kit supports the ESP-IDF which can be used to develop software for a wide range of applications by employing numerous software examples for faster application development. The PAN9520 series supports both access and station mode for connection in most Wi-Fi applications. This evaluation kit comes with at least 43 programmable GPIOs that can be set for any preferred functionality, such as sensors.

Block Diagram - Click to Enlarge

Features and Benefits

• Embedded 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n RF module
• Xtensa single-core 32-bit LX7 microprocessor, up to 240 MHz
• Chip internal 128 kB ROM, 320 kB SRAM, and 16 kB low power SRAM
• Integrated QSPI Flash and PSRAM; depends on product version:
• 4 MB Flash/2 MB PSRAM
• 1 MB Flash/ No PSRAM
• All security features required for WPA2 And WPA3 personal
• ESP-IDF with a multitude of examples available for software development
• Supports 20 MHz snd 40 MHz bandwidths in 2.4 GHz band with data rates up to 150 Mbps
• Simultaneous support for infrastructure station, SoftAP, and promiscuous modes
• 802.11mc fine time measurement (FTM)
• 43x programmable GPIOs with a rich set of alternative functionalities
• Surface mount type (SMT): 24 mm × 13 mm × 3.1 mm
• Typical max. output 19.5 dBm at IEEE 802.11b @ 1 Mbps
• Rx sensitivity -97 dBm at IEEE 802.11b @ 1 Mbps
• Current consumption 190 mA Tx (average at 11b, 1 Mbps), 68 mA Rx (40 MHz channel), and 310 mA Tx peak
• Voltage range: 3 V to 3.6 V
• Temperature range: -40°C to +85°C