u-blox has developed the EVK-LEXI-R10 evaluation kits to help engineers test and evaluate their LEXI-R10 LTE Cat 1bis cellular modules. These compact modules support data speeds of up to 10Mbit/s for downloads and 5Mbit/s for uploads, all while using very little power. They also include built-in Wi-Fi to scan indoor hotspots and work with u-blox’s CellLocate service for both indoor and outdoor tracking. Available in regional variants, the boards and kits are certified by major mobile operators, including those in the US.
The LEXI-R10 series by u-blox features the world’s smallest LTE Cat 1bis modules in the LEXI LGA form factor. The EVK-R10 kits simplify the evaluation of these multi-band LTE Cat 1bis modules. The EVK-R10401D kit supports the LEXI-R10401D module for North American operations, the EVK-R10801D kit supports the LEXI-R10801D module for Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific, and the EVK-LEXI-R10001D kit supports the LEXI-R10001D module with global coverage. These modules are data-only and focus on low-power LTE IoT connectivity.
u-blox EVK-R10 evaluation kit includes the EVB-WL3 motherboard, which supplies power and peripherals, the ADP-R10 board with the LEXI-R10 cellular module, and the ADP-GNSS board with the MAX-M10S GNSS module for GPS connectivity. These kits are designed to test both cellular and GNSS functionality.
We haven’t written about this kind of evolution kit yet, but we have previously reviewed u-blox LTE modules, u-blox GNSS modules, and u-blox wireless modules. Feel free to check those out if you’re interested in similar products.
u-blox EVK-LEXI-R10 specifications:
- Modem
- LTE modules – u-blox LEXI-R10 series
- LTE Cat 1bis (10 Mbit/s DL, 5 Mbit/s UL)
- 3GPP Release 14
- LEXI-R10001D (Global)
- LEXI-R10401D (Americas)
- LEXI-R10801D (EMEA, APAC, and Brazil)
- Power saving features – PSM, eDRX, and CDRX
- SMS – MT/MO PDU / Text mode SMS via SMS-C
- Interface – 2x UART, 1x USB2.0, 1x I2C, 10x GPIO and SIM toolkit
- Package – 133-pin LGA
- LTE modules – u-blox LEXI-R10 series
- GNSS – u-blox MAX-M10
- Receiver – u-blox M10 engine GPS L1 C/A, QZSS L1 C/A L1S, GLONASS L1OF BeiDou B1I/B1C, Galileo E1B/C SBAS L1 C/A: WAAS, EGNOS, MSAS, GAGAN
- Nav. update rate
- Up to 25 Hz (single GNSS)
- Up to 10 Hz (4 concurrent GNSS)
- Horizontal position accuracy – 1.5 m CEP
- Security
- Signal integrity – RF interference and jamming detection and reporting Spoofing detection and reporting
- Device integrity – Receiver configuration lock by command
- Secure interface – Signed UBX messages (SHA-256) JTAG debug interface disabled by default
- Interface – 1x UART, 1x I2C, 1X Digital I/O, and raw data output
- Package – 18-pin LCC
- SIM support – mini-SIM 2FF
- Antennas
- SMA connector for the cellular antenna (ANT)
- MAX-M10S GNSS SMA antenna connector
- USB
- ADP-R10
- 1x Mini-USB connector for the cellular native USB interface
- 1x Mini-USB connector for the cellular to UART interfaces
- ADP-GNSS – 1x Mini-USB connector for the GNSS module UART interface
- EVB-WL3 – 1x Mini-USB connector for the cellular UART interface
- ADP-R10
- Interface
- 1x DB9 connector for the cellular UART interface
- 2x 42-pin dual-in-line board-to-board connectors for cellular module
- LED
- ADP-R10
- Green cellular RFCTRL1 indicator
- Red cellular RFCTRL2 indicator
- Blue LED for Cellular native USB
- Blue LED for Cellular two UARTs USB
- ADP-GNSS
- Green LED for GNSS power
- Blue LED for GNSS USB
- Green LED for GNSS time pulse
- Yellow LED for Cellular / GNSS module communication
- EVB-WL3
- Blue power LED
- Green cellular module supply LED
- Blue LED for cellular UART USB
- Cellular USB (UART)
- A green light on when UART is routed to USB
- Red light blinks at UART TX or RX data on USB
- Cellular RS232 (UART)
- A green light on when UART is routed to DB9
- Red light blinks at UART TX or RX data on DB9
- Green cellular UART detach LED
- RED cellular RI indicator (active low)
- Green cellular CTS indicator (active low)
- Green LED for GPIO 1, GPIO 2, GPIO 3, GPIO 4 indicator
- ADP-R10
- Buttons
- Toggle switch for main power on/off
- Push button to switch on / off LEXI-R10 modules
- Push button to reset LEXI-R10 modules
- Slide switch for cellular UART detach
- Slide switch for cellular UART routing
- Slide switch for cellular GPIO detach
- Slide switch for cellular GNSS detach
- Slide switch for GNSS BCKP
- Power Supply – +12 V, 2.5 A via DC jack
The EVK-R10 kits offer multiple jumper settings for various configurations. A jumper socket provides a 3.8V supply to the cellular VCC input. A 3-pin header allows routing of cellular UART interfaces to the USB, RS232 connectors on the EVB-WL3, or the DIL B2B connector on the ADP-R10. Another 3-pin header routes GNSS UART Tx data through the USB connector on the ADP-GNSS or can be used as Tx data ready for the cellular module. These configurations optimize communication and power routing for cellular and GNSS modules.
The u-blox m-center tool is a platform for evaluating, configuring, and testing u-blox cellular products. It includes an AT command terminal for device communication and is available for free on the u-blox m-center page. Example scripts are also provided by the company on GitHub.
The kit includes an evaluation board with a LEXI-R10 LTE Cat 1bis module and a u-blox GNSS module, along with a USB cable, two LTE antennas, a GPS/GLONASS antenna, and a power adapter. It is intended for testing LTE and GNSS capabilities.
As noted in the introduction, the u-blox EVK-LEXI-R10 LTE Cat 1bis evaluation kits are available in three variants, but at the time of writing, only the EVK-R10801D is available on the official u-blox store for $448.88. However, the EVK-R10401D and EVK-R10801D can also be found on Mouser priced at $437.93 each.
Sayantan Nandy, an electronics engineer with over four years of hands-on experience in PCB design, circuit development and power electronics, is proficient in EAGLE CAD, Ki-Cad, and Altium. He has a proven track record of delivering efficient and effective systems. His expertise extends from R&D, and prototyping to production support, making him a valuable asset to any engineering team.
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