HWB3163-EVAL Datasheet, PDF (2/6 Pages) Intersil Corporation – PRISM II™ 11Mbps Wireless Local Area Network PC Card

HWB3163-EVAL
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. The Card will also operate on channels 12 through
14, where permitted by local regulatory authorities (refer to
Table 2). Radio equipment must be certified in a country prior to
use. Refer to Table 3 for a list of countries and agencies that
have approved the HWB3163-EVAL for operation.
The Intersil PRISM Chip Set allows for high level integration
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 networking 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 portal (i.e., Access Point),
the wireless LAN can be easily connected into an existing
wired LAN, allowing for easy expansion of the service.
Compared to the first generation PRISM I chip set, the
PRISM II generation offers:
• 3.3V operation for reduced power dissipation
• 50% reduction in current drain for extended battery life
• Transmitter Automatic Level Control (ALC/AGC) to
provide constant RF power output
• Sophisticated RAKE receiver and Automatic Gain
Control (AGC) for improved multipath performance
• Higher level of chip integration and less peripheral
components to yield 30% reduction in material cost
• Support of optional IEEE 802.11 Short Preamble for
significantly increased data throughput
A complete Reference Design CD, the HWB3163-CD is
available to ensure minimum time-to-market. This CD
contains detailed information for manufacturing a PCMCIA
WLAN assembly, including Gerber PC board files, an
accurate Bill of Material with component sourcing and
complete mechanical drawings.
Related Literature
To learn more about what the IEEE 802.11 is, refer to:
• Tech Brief TB337, Intersil Corporation, “A Brief Tutorial
on Spread Spectrum and Packet Radio” [1].
For a more detailed description of radio operation, please
refer to:
• Application Note AN9864, Intersil Corporation,
“HWB3163-EVAL PRISM II 11Mbps WLAN PCMCIA
Card User’s Guide” [2]
The HFA3841 Media Access Controller
(MAC) Protocol Handler
The HFA3841 MAC and its firmware are responsible for
running the IEEE 802.11 protocol in the WLAN card. This
section describes the features of IEEE 802.11 that are
implemented.
The functions supported by the STA (station) Firmware are:
• CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with
Collision Avoidance) with Random Backoff
• WEP Security
• Short/Long Preamble with multirate
• 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
• DCF (Distributed Coordination Function)
• PCF (Point Coordination Function)
• Beacon Generation in an Ad-Hoc Network
• Probe Response Generation in an Ad-Hoc Network
Card Information Structure
The standard Intersil 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 inserted. Customization of the CIS for
specific customer requirements is available upon request, to
enable customer information to be displayed when the card
is inserted.
TABLE 1.
FUNCTION NAME
CONTENT
Manufacturer’s ID
00
Function ID
Network Adapter
Product Revision
1
Manufacturer
Intersil Corporation
Product
HFA3841
PROG
LOT
2