Getting Started with the OM-UBX100-001 Radio Evaluation Board

最終更新日時: Nov 26, 2025 new サポート OM-UBX100/001

このドキュメントの内容

  • 1

    Out of the Box
  • 2

    Get Hardware
  • 3

    Install Software
  • 4

    Configure the Hardware

1. Out of the Box

The NXP analog product development boards provide an easy-to-use platform for evaluating NXP products. The boards support a range of analog, mixed-signal and power solutions. They incorporate monolithic integrated circuits and system-in-package devices that use proven high-volume technology. NXP products offer longer battery life, a smaller form factor, reduced component counts, lower cost and improved performance in powering state-of-the-art systems.

This page will guide you through the process of setting up and using the OM-UBX100-001 radio evaluation board.

1.1 Kit Contents

The OM-UBX100-001 radio evaluation board kit includes the following:

  • Assembled and tested OM-UBX100-001 evaluation board in an antistatic bag
  • RF shield can (assembled on board)
  • Standard pin headers for the J6 and J7 board headers
  • Packing list with a QR code linking to the OM-UBX100-001 product page

1.2 Additional Hardware

In addition to the kit contents, the following hardware is necessary when working with this board.

  • FRDM-MCX MCU development board

1.3 Minimum System Requirements

This radio evaluation board requires meeting the following for operation:

  • PC with Windows 10 or higher
  • USB port (either 3.0, 2.0 or 1.1 compatible)
  • An FRDM-MCX MCU development board
  • UBX100 FreeMASTER evaluation GUI sample application
  • USB cable for power and data connection between the PC and FRDM-MCX board

For basic RF operation, it is recommended to use two sets of FRDM-MCX and OM-UBX100-001 boards. For evaluation of the supported protocols and their stacks, a receiver or sniffer could be required. Different third-party products are available for this purpose. Selection of these products and their use is left to the discretion of the reader and is out of the scope of this document.

2. Get Hardware

2.1 Kit Overview

The OM-UBX100-001 is a mikroBUS add-on board ready for evaluation of the UBX100. The board hosts a 55.2 MHz TCXO, providing the main clock and a stable source over the device lifetime. The OM-UBX100-001 also comes with a wideband matching that allows operation across the 868 MHz to 928 MHz frequencies. The RF matching provides a conducted output power of up to 14 dBm across the frequency range.

The IC is preprogrammed with firmware that allows operation of the device through SPI commands using a proprietary protocol from NXP. In addition, the UBX100 contains a bootloader in ROM memory enabling in-the-field updates of its firmware.

2.2 Board Features

Table 1 describes the features of the OM-UBX100-001 board.

Board feature Description
UBX100 radio The UBX100 is a sub-GHz radio transceiver.
  • Supports different industry standard protocols such as wM-Bus
  • Up to +14 dBm output power at ~34 mA consumption
  • Low RX power at ~13 mA
  • Deep sleep down to ~700 nA
  • SPI communication up to 2.5 Mbit/s (5-wire + notification pin)
For details, refer to the UBX100 data sheet.
Power supply The board is typically powered as follows:
  • The 3V3 pin in the mikroBUS header provides a regulated ~3.3 V supply to the board when plugged to an FRDM-MCX board
  • A dedicated current jumper J5 can be used to measure the current flowing into the UBX100 supply net for energy profiling
  • A green LED D1 indicates that the board is powered
Clock The board has a 55.2 MHz TCXO that provides the reference clock for the UBX100.
RF matching Dedicated matching circuit for the TX and RX paths. The UBX100 has an internal TRX switch used to tie both circuits to the antenna path.
  • TX matching provides stable power and current consumption across 868 MHz to 928 MHz
  • Up to ~14 dBm (CW, conducted)
  • ~50 Ω point at antenna connector
  • Reference design test points
  • RF Shield can mounted via surface mount shield clips (removable if required)
Antenna connector
  • The board provides an SMA antenna connector to attach an external antenna.
  • The antenna used for evaluation was: Amphenol Procom FLX 400/900-SMA, Product No. 140000214
Connectors Connectors for the following features are included:
  • mikroBUS add-on header (compatible with socket connector)
  • GPIO debug header to scope special purpose UBX100 GPIOs
  • MDI header for UBX100 reflashing using an MRKIII-2Link debugger
Firmware updates for the UBX100 are recommended through its bootloader.
Other - RF path selection RX pin selection through 0 Ω resistor in a three-terminal resistor (R5).
Pin RF_IN_B is the default. To verify compatibility or changes, consult the UBX100 SDK software release note.
Other - RF shield Three ground mounting clips for an RF Shield are provided on the board. The shield is not assembled by default.
The board was used without the shield during compliance testing. It is recommended to use the boards without the shield.
Type approval The board has been tested for compliance with the Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU.
PCB dimensions 42.9 mm x 25.4 mm – Compliant with mikroBUS M size add-on board.
Orderable part number OM-UBX100-001

2.3 Kit Featured Components

Figure 1 highlights the main functional elements in the OM-UBX100-001 radio evaluation board. The physical appearance of the board could vary slightly from the final product assembly.

Figure 1. OM-UBX100-001 top side features
Number Name Description
1 Antenna connector SMA connector for an external antenna.
2, 3 mikroBUS add-on connector Provide connectivity to FRDM-MCX boards with mikroBUS socket.
4 RF matching and RF test points Wideband TX and RX matching for the frequency range of 868 MHz to 928 MHz
Test points marked as TX, SWITCH and RX.
5 Current measurement jumper To measure the current consumption of the board (except for power LED).
6 MDI supply jumper Allow the MDI connector to power the device.
7 MDI connector Monitor and Debug Interface.
8 GPIO debug connector Expose the P10, P11, P20, P21, P22 and P23 special purpose GPIOs of the UBX100.
9 Power LED Indicates if the board is powered.
10 TCXO 55.2 MHz clock source for the UBX100.
11, 12, 13 RF Shield Can mounting clips Mounting points for the RF Shield Can.
14 RF Shield can mounting clips RF Shield can be used to improve.
Figure 2. OM-UBX100 bottom side features
Number Name Description
1 MDI connector resistors 0 Ω resistors to enable routing of the MDI signals to the mikroBUS header.
2 MDI MSDA pull-up Pull-up resistor for the MSDA MDI signal.

2.4 Supported Hardware

The UBX100 requires a host controller for operation. For this purpose, an MCU from the MCX family can be used. Software support is offered for the following NXP evaluation board:

  • FRDM-MCXN947

While compatibility could be possible through other platforms, dedicated examples are available only for the listed board. NXP also recommends consulting the UBX100 and OM-UBX100-001 product pages for updates on supported platforms and new software packages.

3. Install Software

3.1 Install Software

The OM-UBX100-001 board is designed to work together with an FRDM-MCX development board equipped with a mikroBUS socket. Details on hardware compatibility can be seen in Supported hardware.

The OM-UBX100-001 boards come preprogrammed with the necessary firmware for operation. When new firmware is released, updates are possible through the UBX100 integrated bootloader. A sample application for this purpose can be found in the UBX100 and OM-UBX100-001 product pages.

For the FRDM-MCX board, the UBX100 FreeMASTER evaluation GUI application must be downloaded and flashed to the board. This application is the main example for evaluation of the FRDM-MCX and OM-UBX100-001 boards. The GUI provides a FreeMASTER-based interface to control the OM-UBX100-001 board for simple RF evaluation. A FreeMASTER Lite installation is required to operate this example. Visit FreeMASTER to download it and for installation instructions.

The UBX100 FreeMASTER evaluation GUI example package contains:

  • The MCUXpresso project for the FRDM-MCXN947 board
  • The binary file of the project in HEX format, ready for flashing to the FRDM board
  • The GUI launcher

To flash the FRDM-MCXN947 board, the included MCUXpresso project can be compiled and flashed. Optionally, the provided HEX file can be programmed directly to the board using the MCUXpresso tool LinkFlash.

Software support for the FRDM-MCX boards, including sample applications and firmware updates for the UBX100, can be downloaded from the UBX100 or OM-UBX100-001 pages.

4. Configure the Hardware

4.1 Configure the Hardware

The basic list of materials required to evaluate the OM-UBX100-001 board are listed below.

  • 1x OM-UBX100-001 board
  • 1x SMA antenna (50 Ω impedance, compatible with the frequency band of 868 MHz to 928 MHz)
  • 1x FRDM-MCX development board
    • See Supported hardware for compatible host MCU boards
    • It is assumed that the FRDM-MCX board has been previously flashed with the UBX100 FreeMASTER evaluation GUI as described in Section 3
  • 1x USB-A to USB-C cable

The UBX100 FreeMASTER evaluation GUI allows testing of up to two FRDM-MCXN and OM-UBX100-001 board pairs with the same host PC. It is also possible to use two individual PCs, each operating a different board pair. This configuration is desirable when using the range testing feature of the application. Figure 3 and Figure 4 show a simplified diagram of the different set-up options.

Figure 3. Single PC Setup

Figure 3. Single PC Setup

Figure 4. Dual PC Setup

Figure 4. Dual PC Setup

The following steps describe the set up process of the boards for testing. The FRDM-MCXN947 is used as a reference for the host microcontroller board.

  1. Configure the power supply jumpers of the OM-UBX100-001 board
    • Populate J5. For current profiling, J5 can be removed and a DMM or energy profiler can be connected instead.
    • Optional: Remove J4
  2. Connect an antenna to the SMA connector
    • Failure to attach an antenna could lead to unexpected behavior during RF operation due to load mismatch. For example, increased current consumption
  3. Connect the OM-UBX100-001 board to the mikroBUS socket on the FRDM-MCXN947
    • Ensure that the mikroBUS socket silkscreen notch aligns with the OM-UBX100-001 notch
  4. Connect the FRDM-MCXN947 board to a host computer using the USB-A to USB-C cable
    • Use the USB-C connector of the FRDM board with the MCU-Link label
  5. The FRDM-MCXN947 is now powered. The device also supplies the OM-UBX100-001 board through the 3V3 pin in the mikroBUS socket
  6. The green LED in the OM-UBX100-001 board lights up, indicating it is powered
  7. The set up is ready to be used together with the UBX100 FreeMASTER evaluation GUI