Schematic of EM DEV KIT 6001173?

IoT Modules MC/EM Series
1

I have a EM DEV KIT 6001173 (PCB is 5302357-2) for testing the EM8695 M.2 module. I see in the module datasheet somewhere that some large-value capacitors are required. I don’t see a schematic for that kit on Sierra’s website. Is that available?

2

Which capacitor are you referring in the dev kit?

3

This is from the Product Technical Specification for the EM8695 module:

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I have no documentation from the 6001173 Dev Kit that tells me this has been implemented on the kit PCB. Initially, I had some issues with the SIM cards that I thought might be failing because of power issues. I also get SIM card warnings at the end of a transmission, so it’s hard to separate the two issues. I’m hesitant to add capacitors to the eval board, but will do that if I need to.

4

Isn’t here says that it can attach to LTE?

5

Yes, I can communicate with the module via AT commands (from a Python script) or by manually typing in AT commands into TeraTerm. I have installed the Windows driver, and that appears to work fine. I’m having two problems:

First, Windows will occasionally pop up a window that says the SIM card has been disconnected and do I want to change SIM cards. I think that is happening because the script sent a reset command to the module. But sometimes, the error message will pop up in the beginning of the script right after turning on the module, and I’m wondering if that’s a power issue - hence, asking about the 6001173 eval board schematic and the capacitors the module docs say are required. I don’t have the hardware with me right now, but I don’t think there were any large capacitors on it. I’ve contacted Digikey for schematic information, but I am still waiting… Seems like a Sierra employee could attach the schematic once, and then everyone would have access to it after that (instead of dozens of people requesting the same thing).

The second issue is getting it to connect to 5G and/or RedCap. I can attach to LTE and upload a 17MB data file. Of the times it’s worked, it attached to B14, B66 or B30. However, when I use my iphone (secret mode 3006#12345#* , which displays tower channels and signal strength), it says n66 and n30 are 4G channels, and sometimes it will show n77 or n5 as 5G channels. AT&T has sent me an email that says "all applicable n2/n66 carrier sites have the correct Reduced Capability (RedCap) settings configured and implemented. " I’m not sure how to interpret that… To test 5G RedCap, do I have to attach to n66 first, and it will bump to 5G? That hasn’t happened so far. I don’t seem to be able to force it to go to 5G, much less RedCap. Is there an apps engineer available who might take a look at my log files (list of commands and replies to/from the EM8965) and tell me why I’m not connecting to RedCap? Shouldn’t I be able to connect directly to 5G RedCap without connecting to LTE first? Ultimately, I’m trying to test RedCap (and get power measurements, etc.), not evaluate 4G/LTE operation. And isn’t connecting to LTE used for 5G-NSA and not 5G-SA? Shouldn’t I be able to do 5G-SA with the EM8965?

Here’s what my cell phone shows:

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Thanks,
Mike.

6
  1. probably you need to go through distributor to get the schematic
  2. you can use AT!SELRAT to force to particular technology. Also there is a command AT!REDCAP to set whether REDCAP feature is enabled
7

Mike, your questions about LTE and RedCap have me thinking. I do not know all the answers yet but I will share what I learned.

I found this statement. See below.

n66 is a 5G band, not an LTE band. So conclusion - if you are using n66, you are using 5G Redcap.

Statement I found,

5G RedCap requires 5G Standalone (SA) network infrastructure. It cannot operate on 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) deployments anchored to LTE. Organizations should verify carrier SA availability in target deployment regions and understand timeline roadmaps for areas where SA coverage is emerging. While major U.S. carriers including T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T have launched SA networks in many markets, coverage density and feature availability vary. Engaging carriers early in planning helps identify coverage gaps, spectrum availability, and any special provisioning requirements for RedCap 5G devices.

end of statement.