SLOA246B January   2018  – March 2019 TRF7964A , TRF7970A

 

  1.   Frequently asked questions for TRF7970A and TRF7964A devices
    1.     Trademarks
    2. 1 General Questions
      1. 1.1 What is the TRF79xxA?
      2. 1.2 What protocols are supported by the TRF7960A, TRF7970A, and variants?
      3. 1.3 What evaluation hardware and firmware should I get to evaluate the TRF79xxA devices?
      4. 1.4 What are the expected read ranges for NFC/RFID tags with TRF79xxA evaluation hardware?
      5. 1.5 The TRF7970AEVM is not available anymore, what is the replacement?
    3. 2 NFC/RFID Operating Mode Questions
      1. 2.1 Reader/Writer Mode
        1. 2.1.1 What is the difference between an NFC tag and an HF RFID tag?
        2. 2.1.2 Why is NDEF used? What advantages does NDEF provide?
        3. 2.1.3 How do I read NFC/RFID tags with the TRF79xxA series of devices?
      2. 2.2 Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Mode
        1. 2.2.1 What is NFC peer-to-peer mode?
        2. 2.2.2 How do I send peer-to-peer messages to NFC devices with the TRF79xxA series of devices?
        3. 2.2.3 What is the difference between passive and active P2P?
      3. 2.3 NFC Card Emulation Mode
        1. 2.3.1 What is NFC tag or card emulation?
        2. 2.3.2 How do I emulate an NFC tag or card with the TRF79xxA series of devices?
    4. 3 Hardware and Design Questions
      1. 3.1 Where can I get schematics and layout files for the TRF79xxA devices?
      2. 3.2 How do I design and tune an antenna to 13.56 MHz for the TRF79xxA devices?
      3. 3.3 Does TI provide FCC certification for the TRF79xxA devices?
      4. 3.4 What TI reference designs are available for the TRF79xxA devices?
    5. 4 Software Questions
      1. 4.1 I need to read a non-NFC compliant tag or transponder, what firmware example should I use?
      2. 4.2 Are there any firmware examples available for TI MCUs other than MSP430 and MSP432 MCUs?
      3. 4.3 Is there support for NFCLink with NCI?
      4. 4.4 Are authentication examples available for the TRF79xxA devices?
      5. 4.5 What are the recommended TRF79xxA register settings or device configuration?
      6. 4.6 What does an IRQ status of 0xC0 mean?
      7. 4.7 Are software examples available to read Topaz-512 (NFC Forum Type 1) tags?
      8. 4.8 Are software examples available to read iCLASS or PicoPass tags?
    6. 5 Miscellaneous Questions
      1. 5.1 Is there any support for RF power amplifiers?
      2. 5.2 Is there any TI training collateral for NFC?
      3. 5.3 Are there Energia or Arduino examples for the TRF79xxA?
      4. 5.4 What IDEs are supported for Texas Instruments TRF79xxA firmware examples?
      5. 5.5 What Android handset interoperability is supported?
      6. 5.6 How do I configure the TRF79xxA to output a continuous or unmodulated RF field?
    7. 6 Comparison of TI NFCLink Standalone Firmware and TI RFID Reader Example Firmware
      1. 6.1 NFCLink Standalone Firmware
      2. 6.2 RFID Reader Example Firmware
      3. 6.3 Memory Footprint Comparison
    8. 7 References
  2.   Revision History

1.1 What is the TRF79xxA?

The TRF7970A and TRF7964A are high-performance 13.56-MHz analog front end (AFE) ICs for Near Field Communication (NFC) and RFID reader/writer applications with integrated data-framing system for ISO/IEC 15693, ISO/IEC 18000-3, ISO/IEC 14443A/B, and FeliCa. The TRF7970A supports all three NFC operating modes (reader/writer, peer-to-peer and card emulation), whereas the pin-to-pin and firmware compatible TRF7964A supports only the reader/writer mode. The devices have integrated encode, decode, and data framing capability for data rates up to 848 kbps, wide supply voltage range support (2.7 V to 5.5 V), large FIFO buffer for RF communication, and an innovative RF field detector. Relevant NFC or RFID software stack libraries are offered to allow for easy development efforts and robust cost-effective designs. Eight selectable power modes and ultra-low-power operation enable long battery life applications. The devices also offer unparalleled flexibility through the various direct communication modes on the device, which allow implementations of custom and proprietary protocols as well as other 13.56-MHz standards. The receiver system enables AM and PM demodulation using a dual-input architecture to maximize communication robustness.