SIM928A_Hardware Design_V1.

00
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Document Title SIM928A Hardware Design

Version 1.00

Date 2013-02-25

Status Release

Document Control ID SIM928A_Hardware Design_V1.00

General Notes
SIMCom offers this information as a service to its customers, to support application and engineering efforts that
use the products designed by SIMCom. The information provided is based upon requirements specifically
provided to SIMCom by the customers. SIMCom has not undertaken any independent search for additional
relevant information, including any information that may be in the customer’s possession. Furthermore, system
validation of this product designed by SIMCom within a larger electronic system remains the responsibility of the
customer or the customer’s system integrator. All specifications supplied herein are subject to change.

Copyright
This document contains proprietary technical information which is the property of SIMCom Limited, copying of
this document and giving it to others and the using or communication of the contents thereof, are forbidden
without express authority. Offenders are liable to the payment of damages. All rights reserved in the event of grant
of a patent or the registration of a utility model or design. All specification supplied herein are subject to change
without notice at any time.

Copyright © Shanghai SIMCom Wireless Solutions Ltd. 2013

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Contents

Contents.................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Version History ........................................................................................................................................................ 7

1 Introduction....................................................................................................................................................... 8

2 SIM928A Overview........................................................................................................................................... 8
2.1 SIM928A Key Features ............................................................................................................................ 8
2.2 Operating Modes .....................................................................................................................................11
2.3 SIM928A Functional Diagram ............................................................................................................... 12

3 Package Information ...................................................................................................................................... 13

3.1 Pin out Diagram...................................................................................................................................... 13
3.2 Pin Description ....................................................................................................................................... 13
3.3 Package Dimensions............................................................................................................................... 16

4 GSM Application Interface ............................................................................................................................ 18

4.1 GSM Power Supply ................................................................................................................................ 18
4.1.1 Minimizing Voltage Drop of VBAT ................................................................................................... 19
4.1.2 Monitoring Power Supply ................................................................................................................... 19
4.2 Power on/down Scenarios ...................................................................................................................... 19
4.2.1 Power on SIM928A............................................................................................................................. 19
4.2.2 Power down SIM928A........................................................................................................................ 21
4.2.3 Restart SIM928A by PWRKEY Pin.................................................................................................... 22
4.3 Power Saving Mode................................................................................................................................ 23
4.3.1 Minimum Functionality Mode ............................................................................................................ 23
4.3.2 Sleep Mode 1 (AT+CSCLK=1) .......................................................................................................... 23
4.3.3 Wake Up SIM928A from Sleep Mode 1 (AT+CSCLK=1) ................................................................ 23
4.3.4 Sleep Mode 2 (AT+CSCLK=2) .......................................................................................................... 24
4.3.5 Wake Up SIM928A from Sleep Mode 2 (AT+CSCLK=2) ................................................................ 24
4.4 Charging Interface .................................................................................................................................. 24
4.4.1 Battery Pack Characteristics................................................................................................................ 25
4.4.2 Recommended Battery Pack ............................................................................................................... 25
4.4.3 Implemented Charging Technique ...................................................................................................... 25
4.4.4 Operating Modes during Charging...................................................................................................... 26
4.4.5 Charger Requirements......................................................................................................................... 27
4.5 RTC Backup ........................................................................................................................................... 27
4.6 Serial Interfaces ...................................................................................................................................... 29
4.6.1 Function of Serial Port and Debug Port .............................................................................................. 29
4.6.2 Software Upgrade and Debug ............................................................................................................. 30
4.7 Audio Interfaces ..................................................................................................................................... 31
4.7.1 Speaker Interface Configuration ......................................................................................................... 31
4.7.2 Microphone Interfaces Configuration ................................................................................................. 32
4.7.3 Earphone Interface Configuration....................................................................................................... 32
4.7.4 Audio Electronic Characteristics......................................................................................................... 32
4.8 SIM Card Interface ................................................................................................................................. 33
4.8.1 SIM Card Application ......................................................................................................................... 33
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4.8.2 Design Considerations for SIM Card Holder ...................................................................................... 34
4.9 LCD Display/SPI Interface..................................................................................................................... 36
4.10 Keypad Interface .................................................................................................................................... 36
4.11 ADC........................................................................................................................................................ 37
4.12 RI Behaviors........................................................................................................................................... 37
4.13 Network Status Indication ...................................................................................................................... 38
4.14 General Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) ................................................................................................... 39
4.15 External Reset......................................................................................................................................... 39
4.16 PWM ...................................................................................................................................................... 40
4.17 I2C Bus.................................................................................................................................................... 40
4.18 GSM Antenna Interface.......................................................................................................................... 40

5 GPS Application Interface ............................................................................................................................. 42

5.1 Power Management ................................................................................................................................ 42
5.1.1 GPS Power Input................................................................................................................................. 42
5.1.2 Starting GPS Engine............................................................................................................................ 42
5.1.3 Verification of GPS Engine Start......................................................................................................... 42
5.1.4 Power Saving Modes........................................................................................................................... 42
5.1.5 Operating Mode .................................................................................................................................. 42
5.1.6 GPS_VANT_OUT and GPS_VANT_IN............................................................................................ 43
5.2 UART Interface ...................................................................................................................................... 44
5.3 1PPS Output ........................................................................................................................................... 44
5.4 A-GPS .................................................................................................................................................... 45
5.4.1 EPO ..................................................................................................................................................... 45
5.4.2 EASY MODE...................................................................................................................................... 45
5.4.3 SBAS and RTCM................................................................................................................................ 45
5.5 GPS Antenna Interface ........................................................................................................................... 46
5.5.1 GPS Antenna Interface........................................................................................................................ 46
5.5.2 GPS Antenna Choice Consideration ................................................................................................... 46
5.5.3 Active antenna supervisor ................................................................................................................... 47

6 Electrical, Reliability and Radio Characteristics......................................................................................... 49

6.1 Absolute Maximum Ratings................................................................................................................... 49
6.2 Recommended Operating Conditions..................................................................................................... 49
6.3 Digital Interface Characteristics ............................................................................................................. 49
6.4 SIM Card Interface Characteristics ........................................................................................................ 50
6.5 VDD_EXT Characteristics ..................................................................................................................... 50
6.6 SIM_VDD Characteristics...................................................................................................................... 51
6.7 VRTC Characteristics ............................................................................................................................. 51
6.8 Current Consumption (VBAT = 3.8V) ................................................................................................... 51
6.9 Electro-Static Discharge ......................................................................................................................... 52
6.10 Radio Characteristics.............................................................................................................................. 53
6.10.1 Module RF Output Power................................................................................................................ 53
6.10.2 Module RF Receive Sensitivity ....................................................................................................... 54
6.10.3 Module Operating Frequencies........................................................................................................ 54
6.11 Module label information ....................................................................................................................... 55

Appendix ................................................................................................................................................................ 56
A. Related Documents.......................................................................................................................................... 56
B. Terms and Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................. 57

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C. Safety Caution ................................................................................................................................................. 58

Table Index
TABLE 1: SIM928A GSM/GPRS ENGINE KEY FEATURES......................................................................................... 9
TABLE 2: GPS ENGINE PERFORMANCE ................................................................................................................... 10
TABLE 3: CODING SCHEMES AND MAXIMUM NET DATA RATES OVER AIR INTERFACE ............................ 11
TABLE 4: OVERVIEW OF OPERATING MODES........................................................................................................ 11
TABLE 5: PIN DESCRIPTION ....................................................................................................................................... 13
TABLE 6: THE CURRENT CONSUMPTION OF MINIMUM FUNCTIONALITY MODE ........................................ 23
TABLE 7: SPECIFICATION OF RECOMMENDED BATTERY PACK........................................................................ 25
TABLE 8: CHARGE OPERATING MODES .................................................................................................................. 26
TABLE 9: AT COMMAND USUALLY USED IN CHARGE-ONLY MODE ................................................................ 27
TABLE 10: MICROPHONE INPUT CHARACTERISTICS........................................................................................... 32
TABLE 11: AUDIO OUTPUT CHARACTERISTICS .................................................................................................... 33
TABLE 12: PIN DESCRIPTION (AMPHENOL SIM CARD HOLDER)....................................................................... 35
TABLE 13: PIN DESCRIPTION (MOLEX SIM CARD HOLDER) .............................................................................. 35
TABLE 14: PIN DEFINITION OF THE KEYPAD INTERFACE................................................................................... 36
TABLE 15: ADC SPECIFICATION ................................................................................................................................ 37
TABLE 16: RI BEHAVIORS ........................................................................................................................................... 37
TABLE 17: STATUS OF THE NETLIGHT PIN.............................................................................................................. 38
TABLE 18: PIN DEFINITION OF THE GPIO INTERFACE ......................................................................................... 39
TABLE 19: POWER SUPPLY AND CLOCK STATE ACCORDING TO OPERATION MODE................................... 42
TABLE 20: ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM RATINGS OF GSM ........................................................................................... 49
TABLE 21: ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM RATINGS OF GPS ............................................................................................ 49
TABLE 22: RECOMMENDED OPERATING CONDITIONS ....................................................................................... 49
TABLE 23: DIGITAL INTERFACE CHARACTERISTICS OF GSM............................................................................ 49
TABLE 24: DIGITAL INTERFACE CHARACTERISTICS OF GPS............................................................................. 50
TABLE 25: SIM CARD INTERFACE CHARACTERISTICS........................................................................................ 50
TABLE 26: VDD_EXT CHARACTERISTICS ............................................................................................................... 50
TABLE 27: SIM_VDD CHARACTERISTICS................................................................................................................ 51
TABLE 28: VRTC CHARACTERISTICS ....................................................................................................................... 51
TABLE 29: GSM CURRENT CONSUMPTION*............................................................................................................ 51
TABLE 30: THE ESD CHARACTERISTICS (TEMPERATURE: 25℃, HUMIDITY: 45 %) ....................................... 52
TABLE 31: SIM928A GSM 900 AND GSM 850 CONDUCTED RF OUTPUT POWER.............................................. 53
TABLE 32: SIM928A DCS 1800 AND PCS 1900 CONDUCTED RF OUTPUT POWER ............................................ 53
TABLE 33: SIM928A CONDUCTED RF RECEIVE SENSITIVITY............................................................................. 54
TABLE 34: SIM928A OPERATING FREQUENCIES.................................................................................................... 54
TABLE 35: ILLUSTRATION OF MODULE LABEL .................................................................................................... 55
TABLE 36: RELATED DOCUMENTS ........................................................................................................................... 56
TABLE 37: TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS................................................................................................................ 57
TABLE 38: SAFETY CAUTION..................................................................................................................................... 58

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Figure Index
FIGURE 1: SIM928A FUNCTIONAL DIAGRAM......................................................................................................... 12
FIGURE 2: SIM928A PIN OUT DIAGRAM (TOP VIEW) ............................................................................................ 13
FIGURE 3: DIMENSIONS OF SIM928A（UNIT: MM）............................................................................................. 16
FIGURE 4: RECOMMENDED PCB FOOTPRINT OUTLINE（UNIT: MM）............................................................ 17
FIGURE 5: REFERENCE CIRCUIT OF THE LDO POWER SUPPLY ......................................................................... 18
FIGURE 6: REFERENCE CIRCUIT OF THE DC-DC POWER SUPPLY..................................................................... 18
FIGURE 7: VBAT VOLTAGE DROP DURING TRANSMIT BURST........................................................................... 19
FIGURE 8: THE MINIMAL VBAT VOLTAGE REQUIREMENT AT VBAT DROP .................................................... 19
FIGURE 9: POWERED ON/DOWN MODULE USING TRANSISTOR....................................................................... 19
FIGURE 10: POWERED ON/DOWN MODULE USING BUTTON ............................................................................. 20
FIGURE 11: TIMING OF POWER ON MODULE......................................................................................................... 20
FIGURE 12: TIMING OF POWER DOWN SIM928A BY PWRKEY ........................................................................... 21
FIGURE 13: TIMING OF RESTART SIM928A ............................................................................................................. 22
FIGURE 14: SIM928A WITH BATTERY CHARGER AND PACK CONNECTION.................................................... 24
FIGURE 15: RTC SUPPLY FROM CAPACITOR........................................................................................................... 28
FIGURE 16: RTC SUPPLY FROM NON-CHARGEABLE BATTERY ......................................................................... 28
FIGURE 17: RTC SUPPLY FROM RECHARGEABLE BATTERY .............................................................................. 28
FIGURE 18: SEIKO XH414H-IV01E CHARGE-DISCHARGE CHARACTERISTIC ................................................. 28
FIGURE 19: CONNECTION OF THE SERIAL INTERFACES..................................................................................... 29
FIGURE 20: CONNECTION OF RXD AND TXD ONLY ............................................................................................. 29
FIGURE 21: CONNECTION FOR SOFTWARE UPGRADING AND DEBUGGING.................................................. 30
FIGURE 22: SPEAKER REFERENCE CIRCUIT .......................................................................................................... 31
FIGURE 23: SPEAKER WITH AMPLIFIER REFERENCE CIRCUIT ......................................................................... 31
FIGURE 24 : MICROPHONE REFERENCE CIRCUIT................................................................................................. 32
FIGURE 25: EARPHONE REFERENCE CIRCUIT ....................................................................................................... 32
FIGURE 26: REFERENCE CIRCUIT OF THE 8-PIN SIM CARD HOLDER............................................................... 33
FIGURE 27: REFERENCE CIRCUIT OF THE 6-PIN SIM CARD HOLDER............................................................... 34
FIGURE 28: AMPHENOL C707 10M006 5122 SIM CARD HOLDER......................................................................... 34
FIGURE 29: MOLEX 91228 SIM CARD HOLDER ...................................................................................................... 35
FIGURE 30: REFERENCE CIRCUIT OF THE KEYPAD INTERFACE ....................................................................... 36
FIGURE 31: RI BEHAVIOUR OF VOICE CALLING AS A RECEIVER...................................................................... 37
FIGURE 32: RI BEHAVIOUR OF DATA CALLING AS A RECEIVER........................................................................ 38
FIGURE 33: RI BEHAVIOUR OF URC OR RECEIVE SMS ........................................................................................ 38
FIGURE 34: RI BEHAVIOUR AS A CALLER ............................................................................................................... 38
FIGURE 35: REFERENCE CIRCUIT OF NETLIGHT .................................................................................................. 39
FIGURE 36: RESET TIMING ......................................................................................................................................... 39
FIGURE 37: RESET REFERENCE DESIGN CIRCUIT ................................................................................................ 40
FIGURE 38: THE RF INTERFACE OF MODULE......................................................................................................... 41
FIGURE 39: GSM ANTENNA MATCHING CIRCUIT ................................................................................................. 41
FIGURE 40: INTERNAL SUPPLY ANTENNA BIAS VOLTAGE ................................................................................. 44
FIGURE 41: EXTERNAL SUPPLY ANTENNA BIAS VOLTAGE................................................................................ 44
FIGURE 42: GPS ANTENNA MATCHING CIRCUIT................................................................................................... 46
FIGURE 43: OPEN CIRCUIR DETECTION-A.............................................................................................................. 48
FIGURE 44: OPEN CIRCUIR DETECTION-B .............................................................................................................. 48
FIGURE 45: MODULE LABEL INFORMATION.......................................................................................................... 55

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Version History

Date Version Description of change Author

2013-02-25 1.00 Origin Shengwu.sun，
Xiaohan.jin

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1 Introduction

This document describes SIM928A hardware interface in great detail.

This document can help user to quickly understand SIM928A interface specifications, electrical and mechanical
details. With the help of this document and other SIM928A application notes, user guide, users can use SIM928A
to design various applications quickly.

2 SIM928A Overview

Designed for global market, SIM928A is integrated with a high performance GSM/GPRS engine and a GPS
engine. They are independent with each other. The GSM/GPRS engine is a quad-band, GSM/GPRS module that
works on frequencies GSM 850MHz, EGSM 900MHz, DCS 1800MHz and PCS 1900MHz. SIM928A features
GPRS multi-slot class 10/ class 8 (optional) and supports the GPRS coding schemes CS-1, CS-2, CS-3 and CS-4.

The GPS solution offers best- in-class acquisition and tracing sensitivity, Time-To-First-Fix (TTFF) and accuracy.
With built-in LNA, SIM928A doesn’t need external LNA. SIM928A can track as low as -167dBm signal even
without network assistance. The SIM928A has excellent low power consumption characteristic (acquisition 25mA,
tracking 21mA). SIM928A supports various location and navigation applications, including autonomous GPS,
GALILEO，QZSS, SBAS (WAAS, EGNOS, GAGAN, MSAS), DGPS (RTCM), and A-GPS.

With a tiny configuration of 30*30*3mm, SIM928A can meet almost all the space requirements in user
applications, such as M2M, smart phone, PDA, tracker and other mobile devices.

SIM928A has 80 SMT pads, and provides all hardware interfaces between the module and customers’ boards.
z Serial port and debug port can help user develop their applications easily
z GPS Serial port.
z Audio channels include two inputs and two outputs. These can be easily configured by AT command.
z Charging interface.
z Programmable general purpose input and output.
z The keypad and SPI display interfaces will bring users convenience to develop customized applications.
z RF pad interface.
z Output navigation solution in NMEA protocol format.
z Supports FCC E911 compliance and A-GPS
z 33tracking/99 acquisition-channel GPS receiver
z Accuracy <2.5m CEP
z RoHS compliant
z Active antenna supervisor
SIM928A is designed with power saving technique so that the current consumption is as low as 1.2mA in sleep
mode (GPS engine is powered down).
SIM928A integrates TCP/IP protocol and extended TCP/IP AT commands which are very useful for data transfer
applications. For details about TCP/IP applications, please refer to document [2].

2.1 SIM928A Key Features

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Table 1: SIM928A GSM/GPRS engine key features

Feature Implementation
Power supply 3.2V ~ 4.8V
Typical power consumption in sleep mode is 1.2mA ( BS-PA-MFRMS=9, GPS
Power saving
engine is powered down )
Charging Supports charging control for Li-Ion battery
z SIM928A Quad-band: GSM 850, EGSM 900, DCS 1800, PCS 1900.
SIM928A can search the 4 frequency bands automatically. The frequency
Frequency bands bands also can be set by AT command “AT+CBAND”. For details, please
refer to document [1].
z Compliant to GSM Phase 2/2+
z Class 4 (2W) at GSM 850 and EGSM 900
Transmitting power
z Class 1 (1W) at DCS 1800 and PCS 1900
z GPRS multi-slot class 10（default）
GPRS connectivity
z GPRS multi-slot class 8 (option)
z Normal operation: -30℃ ~ +80℃
Temperature range z Restricted operation: -40℃~ -30℃ and +80℃ ~ +85℃
z Storage temperature -45℃~ +90℃
z GPRS data downlink transfer: max. 85.6 kbps
z GPRS data uplink transfer: max. 42.8 kbps
Data GPRS z Coding scheme: CS-1, CS-2, CS-3 and CS-4
z Integrate the TCP/IP protocol.
z Support Packet Broadcast Control Channel (PBCCH)
CSD z Support CSD transmission
USSD z Unstructured Supplementary Services Data (USSD) support
z MT, MO, CB, Text and PDU mode
SMS
z SMS storage: SIM card
FAX Group 3 Class 1
SIM interface Support SIM card: 1.8V, 3V
External antenna Antenna pad
Speech codec modes:
z Half Rate (ETS 06.20)
z Full Rate (ETS 06.10)
Audio features z Enhanced Full Rate (ETS 06.50 / 06.60 / 06.80)
z Adaptive multi rate (AMR)
z Echo Cancellation
z Noise Suppression
Serial port:
z Full modem interface with status and control lines, unbalanced,
asynchronous.
Serial port and z 1200bps to 115200bps.
debug port z Can be used for AT commands or data stream.
z Support RTS/CTS hardware handshake and software ON/OFF flow control.
z Multiplex ability according to GSM 07.10 Multiplexer Protocol.
z Autobauding supports baud rate from 1200 bps to 57600bps.
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Debug port:
z Null modem interface DBG_TXD and DBG_RXD.
z Can be used for debugging and upgrading firmware.
Phonebook management Support phonebook types: SM, FD, LD, RC, ON, MC.
SIM application toolkit GSM 11.14 Release 99
Real time clock Support RTC
Size: 30*30*3mm
Physical characteristics
Weight: 5.3g
Firmware upgrade Firmware upgradeable by debug port.
*
SIM928A does work at this temperature, but some radio frequency characteristics may deviate from the GSM specification.

Table 2: GPS engine Performance

Performance
Parameter Description
Min Type Max Unit
Horizontal Position Autonomous <2.5 m
Accuracy(1)
Velocity Without Aid 0.1 m/s
Accuracy(2) DGPS 0.05 m/s
Acceleration Without Aid 0.1 m/s2
Accuracy DGPS 0.05 m/s2

Timing Accuracy 10 nS

Dynamic Maximum Altitude 18000 m

Performance Maximum Velocity 515 m/s

Maximum 4 G
Acceleration
Time To First Fix(3) Hot start <1 s
Warm start 26 s
Cold start 28 s
A-GPS TTFF(EPO Hot start 0.7 s
in flash mode) Warm start 1.5 s
Cold start 12.5 s
Sensitivity Autonomous -148 dBm
acquisition(cold start)
Re-acquisition -160 dBm
Tracking -167 dBm
Receiver Channels 132
Update rate 1 10 Hz
Tracking L1, CA
Code
Protocol support
NMEA,PMTK
Power Acquisition 25 mA
consumption(4) Continuous tracking 21 mA
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Sleep current 200 uA

Backup current 14 uA
(1) 50% 24hr static, -130dBm
(2) 50% at 30m/s
(3) –130 dBm, GPS mode
(4) Single Power supply 3.3V under GPS signal

Table 3: Coding schemes and maximum net data rates over air interface

Coding scheme 1 timeslot 2 timeslot 4 timeslot

CS-1 9.05kbps 18.1kbps 36.2kbps
CS-2 13.4kbps 26.8kbps 53.6kbps
CS-3 15.6kbps 31.2kbps 62.4kbps
CS-4 21.4kbps 42.8kbps 85.6kbps

2.2 Operating Modes

The table below summarizes the various operating modes of SIM928A.

Table 4: Overview of operating modes

Mode Function
Module will automatically go into sleep mode if the conditions of sleep
mode are enabling and there is no on air and no hardware interrupt (such as
GSM/GPRS GPIO interrupt or data on serial port).
SLEEP In this case, the current consumption of module will reduce to the minimal
level.
In sleep mode, the module can still receive paging message and SMS.
GSM Software is active. Module registered to the GSM network, and the module
IDLE is ready to communicate.
Normal Connection between two subscribers is in progress. In this case, the power
GSM
operation consumption depends on network settings such as DTX off/on,
TALK
FR/EFR/HR, hopping sequences, antenna.
Module is ready for GPRS data transfer, but no data is currently sent or
GPRS
received. In this case, power consumption depends on network settings and
STANDBY
GPRS configuration.
There is GPRS data transfer (PPP or TCP or UDP) in progress. In this case,
GPRS power consumption is related with network settings (e.g. power control
DATA level); uplink/downlink data rates and GPRS configuration (e.g. used
multi-slot settings).
Normal power down by sending the AT command “AT+CPOWD=1” or using the PWRKEY.
The power management unit shuts down the power supply for the baseband part of the
Power down
module, and only the power supply for the RTC is remained. Software is not active. The
serial port is not accessible. Power supply (connected to VBAT) remains applied.
Minimum AT command “AT+CFUN” can be used to set the module to a minimum functionality mode

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functionality without removing the power supply. In this mode, the RF part of the module will not work or
mode the SIM card will not be accessible, or both RF part and SIM card will be closed, and the
serial port is still accessible. The power consumption in this mode is lower than normal
mode.
Charge-only The module will enter Charge-only mode automatically when a charger and battery are
mode connected to a switched-off SIM928A. In this mode, the module does not search for network
and has limited access to available AT commands available. The module can also enter
Charge-only mode from Charge mode during normal operation by normally powered down
the module.
Charge mode The module will automatically go to this mode when a charger is connected to a Normal
during normal operation mode module when battery voltage is not lower than 3.2V. Normal operation mode
operation includes: SLEEP, IDLE, TALK, GPRS IDLE and GPRS DATA.

2.3 SIM928A Functional Diagram

The following figure shows a functional diagram of SIM928A:

z The GSM baseband engine
z The GPS engine
z Flash
z The GSM radio frequency part
z The antenna interface
z The other interfaces

RTC
Radio
Power Power management unit Frequency
supply

Power Digital Interface

supply SIM
GPS
UART
engine
Analog base Digital base Keypad/
Analog Interface band band GPIOs
PWMs
Audio I2C
LCD/SPI
ADC GPS
UART

FLASH

Figure 1: SIM928A functional diagram

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3 Package Information

3.1 Pin out Diagram

Figure 2: SIM928A pin out diagram (Top view)

3.2 Pin Description

Table 5: Pin description

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Pin name Pin number I/O Description Comment

Power supply
VBAT 62, 63 I GSM power supply 3.2V ~ 4.8V
It is recommended to
VRTC 42 I/O Power supply for GSM RTC connect with a battery or
a capacitor (e.g. 4.7uF).

VDD_EXT 44 O 2.8V output power supply If it is unused, keep open.

GPS_VCC 12 I GPS Power supply 2.8V~4.3V

It is recommended to
V_BACKUP 13 I Power supply for GPS RTC connect with a battery or
LDO

GPS_VANT_OUT 75 O 2.8V output for GPS active antenna If it is unused, keep open.

GPS_VANT_IN 76 I GPS active antenna power supply If it is unused, keep open.

1, 2, 5, 10, 14, 37,

40, 41, 43, 57, 58,
GND Ground
60, 61, 64, 65, 77,
78, 80
Charge interface
VCHG 74 I Charger input
TEMP_BAT 73 I Battery temperature sensor
Power on/down
PWRKEY should be pulled low at
PWRKEY 3 I least 1 second and then released to Pulled up internally.
power on/down the module.
Audio interfaces
MIC1P 23
I Differential audio input
MIC1N 24
SPK1P 22
O Differential audio output
SPK1N 21 If these pins are unused,
MIC2P 27 keep open.
I Differential audio input
MIC2N 28
SPK2N 25
O Differential audio output
SPK2P 26
Status
STATUS 52 O Power on status If these pins are unused,
NETLIGHT 51 O Network status keep open.
Time Mark outputs timing pulse
1PPS 11 O If unused, keep open.
related to receiver time
LCD interface
DISP _CLK 6 O Display interface If these pins are unused,
DISP_DATA 7 I/O keep open.
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DISP _D/C 8 O
DISP _CS 9 O
I2C interface
I2C_SDA 56 O I2C serial bus data If these pins are unused,
I2C_SCL 55 I/O 2
I C serial bus clock keep open.
Keypad interface / GPIOs
GPIO1/KBR0 31 GPIO1/keypad row 0
GPIO2/KBR1 32 GPIO2/keypad row 1
GPIO3/KBR2 33 GPIO3/keypad row 2
If these pins are unused,
GPIO4/KBC0/ I/O GPIO4/keypad column 0/ SIM card
34 keep open.
SIM_PRESENCE detection
GPIO5/KBC1 35 GPIO5/keypad column 1
GPIO6/KBC2 36 GPIO6/keypad column 3
GSM Serial port/ Debug interface
RXD 68 I Receive data
TXD 71 O Transmit data If only TXD and RXD
RTS 66 O Request to send are used, it is suggested
CTS 67 I Clear to send to pull down DTR, and
DCD 70 O Data carrier detect others pins can be kept
open.
RI 69 O Ring indicator
DTR 72 I Data terminal ready
DBG_TXD 38 O For debugging and upgrading If these pins are unused,
DBG_RXD 39 I firmware keep open.
GPS Serial port
GPS_TXD 15 O If these pins are unused,
For GPS NMEA information output
GPS_RXD 16 I keep open.
GPS_TXD1 29 O If these pins are unused,
Serial communication for RTCM
GPS_RXD1 30 I keep open.
SIM interface
Voltage supply for SIM card. Support
SIM_VDD 20 O All signals of SIM
1.8V or 3V SIM card
interface should be
SIM_DATA 17 I/O SIM data input/output
protected against ESD
SIM_CLK 19 O SIM clock
with a TVS diode array.
SIM_RST 18 O SIM reset
ADC
ADC 47 I Input voltage range: 0V ~ 2.8V If it is unused, keep open.
Pulse width modulation( PWM )
PWM1 48 O PWM
If these pins are unused,
PWM2 49 O PWM
keep open.
PWM3 50 O PWM
GSM/GPS RF interface
GSM_ANT 59 I/O GSM radio antenna connection Impendence must be

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controlled to 50Ω.
Impendence must be
GPS_ANT 79 I GPS radio antenna connection
controlled to 50Ω.
RF_SYNS 53 O RF synchronization If unused, keep open
Other interface
RESET 4 I GSM Reset input, active low If unused, keep open.
AADET_N 46 I GPS Active Antenna Detect If unused, keep open.
GPS engine wake up from Backup
GPS_WAKEUP 54 I If unused, keep open.
mode, active High.
This pin should be kept
NC 45 Not Connected
open.

3.3 Package Dimensions

Figure 3: Dimensions of SIM928A（Unit: mm）

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Figure 4: Recommended PCB footprint outline（Unit: mm）

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4 GSM Application Interface

4.1 GSM Power Supply

The GSM power supply range of SIM928A is from 3.2V to 4.8V. The transmitting burst will cause voltage drop
and the power supply must be able to provide sufficient current up to 2A. For the VBAT input, a bypass capacitor
(low ESR) such as a 100 µF is strongly recommended; this capacitor should be placed as close as possible to
SIM928A VBAT pins. The following figure is the reference design of +5V input power supply. The designed
output for the power supply is 4.1V, thus a linear regulator can be used.

GND

Figure 5: Reference circuit of the LDO power supply

If there is a high drop-out between the input and the desired output (VBAT), a DC-DC power supply will be
preferable because of its better efficiency especially with the 2A peak current in burst mode of the module. The
following figure is the reference circuit.

Figure 6: Reference circuit of the DC-DC power supply

The single 3.7V Li-ion cell battery can be connected to SIM928A VBAT pins directly. But the Ni-Cd or Ni-MH
battery must be used carefully, since their maximum voltage can rise over the absolute maximum voltage of the
module and damage it.

When battery is used, the total impedance between battery and VBAT pins should be less than 150mΩ.
The following figure shows the VBAT voltage drop at the maximum power transmit phase, and the test condition
is as following:
VBAT=4.0V,
A VBAT bypass capacitor CA=100µF tantalum capacitor (ESR=0.7Ω),
Another VBAT bypass capacitor CB=1µF.

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Figure 7: VBAT voltage drop during transmit burst

4.1.1 Minimizing Voltage Drop of VBAT

When designing the power supply in user’s application, pay special attention to power losses. Ensure that the
input voltage never drops below 3.1V even when current consumption rises to 2A in the transmit burst. If the
power voltage drops below 3.1V, the module may be shut down automatically. The PCB traces from the VBAT
pins to the power supply must be wide enough (at least 60mil) to decrease voltage drops in the transmit burst. The
power IC and the bypass capacitor should be placed to the module as close as possible.

Figure 8: The minimal VBAT voltage requirement at VBAT drop

4.1.2 Monitoring Power Supply

The AT command “AT+CBC” can be used to monitor the VBAT voltage. For detail, please refer to document [1].

4.2 Power on/down Scenarios

4.2.1 Power on SIM928A

4.2.1.1 Turn on SIM928A Using the PWRKEY Pin (Power on)

User can power on SIM928A by pulling down the PWRKEY pin for at least 1 second and release. This pin is
already pulled up to 3V in the module internal, so external pull up is not necessary. Reference circuit is shown as
below.

Figure 9: Powered on/down module using transistor

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Figure 10: Powered on/down module using button

The power on scenarios is illustrated as following figure.

Figure 11: Timing of power on module

When power on procedure is completed, SIM928A will send following URC to indicate that the module is ready
to operate at fixed baud rate.
RDY
This URC does not appear when autobauding function is active.

Note: User can use AT command “AT+IPR=x” to set a fixed baud rate and save the configuration to non-volatile flash memory.
After the configuration is saved as fixed baud rate, the Code “RDY” should be received from the serial port every time when
SIM928A is powered on. For details, please refer to the chapter “AT+IPR” in document [1].

4.2.1.2 Turn on the SIM928A using the VCHG Signal

The SIM928A will be automatically turned on when a charger is connected to the switched-off SIM928A of
which VBAT pin voltage is greater than 3.2V. SIM928A will go into the Charge-only Mode. In this mode, the
module does not register to the network, and has only a few AT commands available.

When module is powered on using the VCHG signal, SIM928A sends out result code as following when fixed
baud rate set:
RDY
CHARGE-ONLY MODE

When user drives the PWRKEY of Charge-only mode SIM928A to a low level voltage for a period of time
(please refer to Figure 12 Timing of power on module), the SIM928A will power up and go into Charge mode
during normal operation. In this case, SIM928A sends out result code as following:

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From CHARGE-ONLY MODE to NORMAL MODE

In Charge mode during normal operation, all operations and AT commands are available.

4.2.2 Power down SIM928A

SIM928A will be powered down in the following situations：

z Normal power down procedure: power down SIM928A by the PWRKEY pin.
z Normal power down procedure: power down SIM928A by AT command “AT+CPOWD=1”.
z Abnormal power down: over-voltage or under-voltage automatic power down.
z Abnormal power down: over-temperature or under-temperature automatic power down.

4.2.2.1 Power down SIM928A by the PWRKEY Pin

User can power down SIM928A by pulling down the PWRKEY pin for at least 1 second and release. Please refer
to the power on circuit. The power down scenario is illustrated in following figure.

Figure 12: Timing of power down SIM928A by PWRKEY

This procedure makes the module log off from the network and allows the software to enter into a secure state to
save data before completely shut down.

Before the completion of the power down procedure, the module will send URC:
NORMAL POWER DOWN
At this moment, AT commands can not be executed any more, and only the RTC is still active. Power down mode
can also be indicated by STATUS pin, which is at low level at this time.

4.2.2.2 Power down SIM928A by AT Command

SIM928A can be powered down by AT command “AT+CPOWD=1”. This procedure makes the module log off
from the network and allows the software to enter into a secure state to save data before completely shut down.

Before the completion of the power down procedure, the module will send URC:
NORMAL POWER DOWN
At this moment, AT commands can not be executed any more, and only the RTC is still active. Power down mode
can also be indicated by STATUS pin, which is at low level at this time.

For detail about the AT command “AT+CPOWD”, please refer to document [1]
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4.2.2.3 Over-voltage or Under-voltage Power down

The module software monitors the VBAT voltage constantly.

If the voltage ≤ 3.3V, the following URC will be reported:
UNDER-VOLTAGE WARNNING
If the voltage ≥ 4.7V, the following URC will be reported:
OVER-VOLTAGE WARNNING
If the voltage < 3.2V, the following URC will be reported, and the module will be automatically powered down.
UNDER-VOLTAGE POWER DOWN
If the voltage > 4.8V, the following URC will be reported, and the module will be automatically powered down.
OVER-VOLTAGE POWER DOWN
At this moment, AT commands can not be executed any more, and only the RTC is still active. Power down mode
can also be indicated by STATUS pin, which is at low level at this time.

4.2.2.4 Over-temperature or Under-temperature Power down

The module will constantly monitor the temperature of the module,

If the temperature > +80℃, the following URC will be reported:
+CMTE: 1
If the temperature < -30℃, the following URC will be reported:
+CMTE:-1
If the temperature > +85℃, the following URC will be reported, and the module will be automatically powered
down.
+CMTE: 2
If the temperature < -40℃, the following URC will be reported, and the module will be automatically powered
down.
+CMTE:-2
At this moment, AT commands can not be executed any more, and only the RTC is still active. Power down mode
can also be indicated by STATUS pin, which is at low level at this time.

The AT command “AT+CMTE” could be used to read the temperature when the module is running.
For details please refer to document [1].

4.2.3 Restart SIM928A by PWRKEY Pin

When the module works normally, if the user wants to restart the module, follow the procedure below:
1) Power down the module.
2) Wait for at least 800mS after STATUS pin changed to low level.
3) Power on the module.

Figure 13: Timing of restart SIM928A

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4.3 Power Saving Mode

SIM928A have two sleep modes: sleep mode 1 is enabled by hardware pin DTR; sleep mode 2 is only enabled by
serial port regardless of the DTR. In sleep mode, the current of module is very low. The AT command
“AT+CFUN=<fun>” can be used to set SIM928A into minimum functionality. When SIM928A is in sleep mode
and minimum functionality, the current of module is lowest.

4.3.1 Minimum Functionality Mode

There are three functionality modes, which could be set by the AT command “AT+CFUN=<fun>”. The command
provides the choice of the functionality levels <fun>=0,1,4.

z AT+CFUN=0: minimum functionality.

z AT+CFUN=1: full functionality (default).
z AT+CFUN=4: flight mode (disable RF function).

Minimum functionality mode minimizes the current consumption to the lowest level. If SIM928A is set to
minimum functionality by “AT+CFUN=0”, the RF function and SIM card function will be disabled. In this case,
the serial port is still accessible, but all AT commands correlative with RF function and SIM card function will not
be accessible.

For detailed information about the AT Command “AT+CFUN=<fun>”, please refer to document [1].

Table 6: The current consumption of Minimum Functionality Mode

<fun> Current consumption(uA) (sleep mode)

0 651
1 1500
4 715

4.3.2 Sleep Mode 1 (AT+CSCLK=1)

User can control SIM928A module to enter or exit the sleep mode 1 (AT+CSCLK=1) by DTR signal. When DTR
is in high level and without interrupt (on air and hardware such as GPIO interrupt or data in serial port), SIM928A
will enter sleep mode 1 automatically. In this mode, SIM928A can still receive paging or SMS from network but
the serial port is not accessible.

Note: For SIM928A, it requests to set AT command “AT+CSCLK=1” and ensure DTR at high level to enable the sleep mode 1;
the default value is 0, which can not make the module to enter sleep mode. For more details please refer to document [1].

4.3.3 Wake Up SIM928A from Sleep Mode 1 (AT+CSCLK=1)

When SIM928A is in sleep mode 1 (AT+CSCLK=1), the following methods can wake up the module:
z Pull down DTR pin.
The serial port will be active after DTR pin is pulled to low level for about 50ms.

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z Receive a voice or data call from network.

z Receive a SMS from network.

4.3.4 Sleep Mode 2 (AT+CSCLK=2)

AT+CSCLK=2 can set module to the sleep mode 2.

In this mode, SIM928A will continuously monitor the serial port data signal. When there is no data transfer over 5
seconds on the RXD signal and there is no on air and hardware interrupts (such as GPIO interrupt), SIM928A will
enter sleep mode 2 automatically. In this mode, SIM928A can still receive paging or SMS from network but the
serial port is not accessible.

Note: For SIM928A, It is requested to set AT command “AT+CSCLK=2” to enable the sleep mode 2; the default value is 0, which
can not make the module to enter sleep mode. For more details please refer to document [1].

4.3.5 Wake Up SIM928A from Sleep Mode 2 (AT+CSCLK=2)

When SIM928A is in sleep mode 2 (AT+CSCLK=2), the following methods can wake up the module:
z Send data to SIM928A via main serial port. *
z Receive a voice or data call from network.
z Receive a SMS from network.

Note: The first byte of the user’s data will not be recognized.

4.4 Charging Interface

SIM928A has integrated a charging circuit inside the module for Li-Ion batteries charging control, which make it
very convenient for user’s applications that support battery charging. A common connection is shown in the
following figure:
5V

V CHG

V BAT

M o d u le
B attery P ack

T E M P_ B A T

R TEM P
T h erm isto r

Figure 14: SIM928A with battery charger and pack connection

Battery temperature measurement is a customization function which is supported by the software in the module.
In above figure, the RTEMP is a NTC thermistor, and it is recommended to use MURATA NCP15XH103F03RC.
Its impedance is 10Kohm at 25℃. Refer to the above figure for the reference circuit.
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4.4.1 Battery Pack Characteristics

SIM928A has optimized the charging algorithm for the Li-Ion battery that meets the characteristics listed below.
z The maximum charging voltage of the Li-Ion battery pack is 4.2V and the recommended capacity is
1100mAh. The Battery packs with more than 1100 mAh capacity will take more time for charging.
z The battery pack should have a protection circuit to avoid overcharging, deep discharging and over-current,
and the circuit should be insensitive to pulsed current.
z The internal resistance of the battery pack including protection circuit should be as low as possible. Its
recommended value does not exceed 150mΩ.
z The battery pack must be protected from reverse pole connection.

On the SIM928A, the build-in circuit of the power management chipset monitors the supply voltage constantly.
Once the Under-voltage is detected, the SIM928A will be powered down automatically.

4.4.2 Recommended Battery Pack

Following is the specification of recommended battery pack:

Table 7: Specification of recommended battery pack

Items Description
Battery type Li-ion
Manufacturer Jiade Energy Technology
Normal voltage 3.7V
Capacity NORMAL 1100mAh
Charge Voltage 4.200±0.050V
Max Charge Current 1.0C
Charge Method CC / CV (Constant Current / Constant Voltage)
Max Discharge Current 1.0C (for continuous discharging mode)
Discharge Cut-off Voltage 3.0V/ cell
Internal resistance Initial≤130mΩ

4.4.3 Implemented Charging Technique

SIM928A has battery charging function. There are three pins related to the battery charging function: there are
VCHG, VBAT and TEMP_BAT/ADC0 pins. The VCHG Pin is driven by an external voltage, system can use this
Pin to detect a charger supply and provide most charging current through SIM928A module to battery when
charging is in fast charge state. VBAT pin gives charging current to external battery from SIM928A module.
TEMP_BAT Pin is for user to measure the battery temperature. Let this Pin open if battery temperature
measurement is not user’s design concern.

It is very simple to implement charging function, user just needs to connect the charger to the VCHG Pin and
connect the battery to the VBAT Pin.
SIM928A battery charging happens only when detecting both charger supply and the presence of battery. If there

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is no charger supply or no battery present, charging function will not be enabled.

Normally, there are three main states in the whole charging procedure.
z DDLO charge (Pull-up mode) and UVLO charge (Pre-charge mode);
z Fast charge;

DDLO charge and UVLO charge:

DDLO is the state of battery when its voltage is under 1.5V. And UVLO means the battery voltage is less than
3.3V and more than 1.5V. The battery is not suitable for fast charging when its condition is DDLO or UVLO. The
SIM928A provides a small constant current to the battery when the battery is between DDLO and UVLO. In
DDLO charging state, SIM928A gives out 1mA current to the battery. And in UVLO charging state, SIM928A
provides about less than 200mA current to the battery.

DDLO charging terminates when the battery voltage reaches 1.5V. UVLO charging terminates when the battery
voltage is up to 3.3V. Both DDLO and UVLO charge are controlled by the SIM928A hardware only.

Fast charge:
If there is a charger supply and battery present and the battery is not in DDLO and UVLO, SIM928A will enter
fast charge state. Fast charge is controlled by the software to make the current/voltage regulation. The charging
scheme for the Li-Ion battery is constant current (about 550mA) first, followed by constant voltage charging once
4.2V is reached. Charging is stopped when the charging current at constant voltage has decreased to the pre-set
current.

4.4.4 Operating Modes during Charging

The battery can be charged during various operating mode. That means that charging can be in progress while
SIM928A is in Normal mode (SLEEP, IDLE, TALK, GPRS IDLE or GPRS DATA mode). In this case the
voltage supply should be sufficient. Here Charging in Normal mode is named as Charge mode.

If the charger is connected to the module’s VCHG Pin and the battery is connected to the VBAT Pin while
SIM928A is in POWER DOWN mode, SIM928A will go into the Charge-only mode.

The following table gives the difference between Charge mode and Charge-only mode：

Table 8: Charge operating modes

How to activate mode Features

Connect charger to module’s VCHG Pin z GSM remains operational and registers to GSM
and connect battery to VBAT Pin of network while charging is in progress;
Charge Mode

module while SIM928A is in Normal z The serial interfaces are available in IDLE, TALK
operating mode, including: IDLE, TALK mode, the AT command set can be used fully in this
mode; SLEEP mode etc; case;
In SLEEP mode, the serial interfaces are not available.
Once the serial port is connected and there is data in
transferring. SIM928A will exit the SLEEP mode.

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Connect charger to module’s VCHG Pin z Battery can be charged when GSM engine is not
Charge-only Mode
while SIM928A is in POWER DOWN registered to GSM network;
mode. z Only a few AT commands is available, as listed
IMPORTANT: Here Charge-only mode is below.
charging when power is down, it means
that not all software tasks are running.

Note: VBAT can not provide more than 5mA current while SIM928A module is during the DDLO charge state. In other words it
is strongly recommended that VBAT should not be the main power supply in the application subsystem if SIM928A DDLO
charging state occurs.

Table 9: AT command usually used in Charge-only mode

AT command Function
AT+CCLK Set data and time of RTC
AT+CPOWD Power down
AT+CBC Indicated charge state and voltage
AT+CFUN Start or close the protocol
Set AT command “AT+CFUN=1”, module can be
transferred from Charge-only mode to Charging in normal
mode. In Charge-only mode, the default value is 0.

4.4.5 Charger Requirements

Following is the requirements of charger for SIM928A:

z Simple transformer power plug
z Output voltage: 5.0V~6V
z Minimum supply current: 750mA
z A 10V peak voltage is allowed for maximum 1ms when charging current is switched off.
z A 1.6A peak current is allowed for maximum 1ms when charging current is switched on.

4.5 RTC Backup

Current input for RTC when the VBAT is not supplied for the system. Current output for backup battery when
the VBAT power supply is in present and the backup battery is in low voltage state. The RTC power supply of
module can be provided by an external capacitor or a battery (non-chargeable or rechargeable) through the VRTC.
The following figures show various reference circuits for RTC back up.

z External capacitor for RTC

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Figure 15: RTC supply from capacitor 

z Non-chargeable battery for RTC

Figure 16: RTC supply from non-chargeable battery

z Rechargeable battery for RTC

Figure 17: RTC supply from rechargeable battery

Coin-type rechargeable battery is recommended, such as XH414H-IV01E from Seiko can be used.
Typical charge-discharge curves for this battery are shown in the following figure.

Figure 18: Seiko XH414H-IV01E charge-discharge characteristic

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4.6 Serial Interfaces

SIM928A provides two unbalanced asynchronous serial ports. One is the serial port and the other is the debug
port. The module is designed as a DCE (Data Communication Equipment). The following figure shows the
connection between module and client (DTE).

Figure 19: Connection of the serial interfaces

If only RXD and TXD are used in user’s application, other serial pins should be kept open. Please refer to
following figure.

MODULE (DCE) CUSTOMER (DTE)

Serial port Serial port1

TXD TXD
RXD RXD
RTS RTS
CTS CTS
DTR DTR
DCD DCD
RI RING

Debug port Serial port2

DBG_TXD TXD
DBG_RXD RXD

Figure 20: Connection of RXD and TXD only

Note: If user set sleep mode1, the DTR should be connected.

4.6.1 Function of Serial Port and Debug Port

Serial port:
z Full modem device.
z Contains data lines TXD and RXD, hardware flow control lines RTS and CTS, status lines DTR, DCD and
RI.
z Serial port can be used for CSD FAX, GPRS service and AT communication. It can also be used for
multiplexing function. For details about multiplexing function, please refer to document [3].
z Serial port supports the following baud rates:
1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600 and 115200bps
z Autobauding only supports the following baud rates:

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1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400 and 57600bps

z The default setting is autobauding.

Autobauding allows SIM928A to automatically detect the baud rate of the host device. Pay more attention to the
following requirements:
z Synchronization between DTE and DCE:
When DCE powers on with autobauding enabled, user must firstly send character “A” to synchronize the
baud rate. It is recommended to send “AT” until DTE receives the “OK” response, which means DTE and
DCE are correctly synchronized. For more information please refer to the AT command “AT+IPR”.
z Restrictions of autobauding operation:
The DTE serial port must be set at 8 data bits, no parity and 1 stop bit.
The URC such as "RDY", "+CFUN: 1" and "+CPIN: READY” will not be reported.

Note: User can use AT command “AT+IPR=x” to set a fixed baud rate and the setting will be saved to non-volatile flash
memory automatically. After the configuration is set as fixed baud rate, the URC such as "RDY", "+CFUN: 1" and "+CPIN:
READY” will be reported when SIM928A is powered on.

Debug port:
z Used for debugging and upgrading firmware.
z Debug port supports the baud rate of 115200bps for debugging and 460800bps for upgrading firmware.

4.6.2 Software Upgrade and Debug

Refer to the following figure for debugging and upgrading software.

Figure 21: Connection for software upgrading and debugging

The serial port and the debug port support the CMOS level. If user connects the module to the computer, the
level shifter should be added between the DCE and DTE.
For details about software upgrading, please refer to document [4].

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4.7 Audio Interfaces

SIM928A provides two analog inputs, MIC1P/1N and MIC2P/2N, which could be used for electret microphone.
The module also provides two analog outputs, SPK1P/1N and SPK2P/2N. The output can directly drive 32Ω
receiver.
AT command “AT+CMIC” is used to adjust the input gain level of microphone. AT command “AT+SIDET” is
used to set the side-tone level. In addition, AT command “AT+CLVL” is used to adjust the output gain level. For
more details, please refer to document [1] and document [5].
In order to improve audio performance, the following reference circuits are recommended. The audio signals have
to be layout according to differential signal layout rules as shown in following figures. If user needs to use an
amplifier circuit for audio, National Semiconductor Company’s LM4890 is recommended.

4.7.1 Speaker Interface Configuration

These components should

be placed to speaker as
close as possible

The lines in bold type should

be accorded to differential ESD
signal layout rules 10pF 33pF ANTI
SPK1P

MODULE
10pF 33pF
SPK1N

ESD
10pF 33pF ANTI

Figure 22: Speaker reference circuit

Figure 23: Speaker with amplifier reference circuit

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4.7.2 Microphone Interfaces Configuration

These components
should be placed to
microphone as close as
possible

The lines in bold type should

ESD 10pF 33pF
be accorded to differential
ANTI signal layout rules
MIC1P

10pF 33pF
Electret MODULE
Microphone MIC1N

10pF 33pF
ESD
ANTI

Figure 24 : Microphone reference circuit

Microphone input also could be used to LINE-IN input. For details, please refer to document [6].

4.7.3 Earphone Interface Configuration

Figure 25: Earphone reference circuit

4.7.4 Audio Electronic Characteristics

Table 10: Microphone input characteristics

Parameter Min Typ Max Unit

Working Voltage 1.2 1.5 2.0 V
Working Current 200 500 uA
External Microphone Load Resistance 1.2 2.2 kΩ
Internal biasing DC Characteristics 2.5 V
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Differential input THD <1% at F=1KHz; 15.9 mVrms

voltage pre-amp gain = 20 dB;
PGA gain = 14 dB
THD <5% at F=1KHz; 740 mVrms
pre-amp gain = 0 dB;
PGA gain = 0 dB

Table 11: Audio output characteristics

Parameter Conditions Min Typ Max Unit

RL=32Ω
- 91 - mW
THD=0.1%
RL=32Ω
- 96 - mW
Normal THD=1%
Output(SPK) Output swing voltage
1.1 Vpp
(single ended)
Output swing voltage
2.2 Vpp
(differential)

4.8 SIM Card Interface

4.8.1 SIM Card Application

The SIM interface complies with the GSM Phase 1 specification and the new GSM Phase 2+ specification for
FAST 64 kbps SIM card. Both 1.8V and 3.0V SIM card are supported. The SIM interface is powered from an
internal regulator in the module.

It is recommended to use an ESD protection component such as ST (www.st.com ) ESDA6V1W5 or ON SEMI

(www.onsemi.com ) SMF05C.The pull up resistor (15KΩ) on the SIM_DATA line is already added in the module
internal. Note that the SIM peripheral circuit should be close to the SIM card socket. The reference circuit of the
8-pin SIM card holder is illustrated in the following figure.

Figure 26: Reference circuit of the 8-pin SIM card holder

Note: The SIM_Presence pin is multiplexing with KBC0 (PIN 34).

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The SIM_PRESENCE pin is used for detection of the SIM card hot plug in. User can select the 8-pin SIM card
holder to implement SIM card detection function. AT command “AT+CSDT” is used to enable or disable SIM
card detection function. For details of this AT command, please refer to document [1].

If the SIM card detection function is not used, user can keep the SIM_PRESENCE pin open. The reference
circuit of 6-pin SIM card holder is illustrated in the following figure.

Figure 27: Reference circuit of the 6-pin SIM card holder

4.8.2 Design Considerations for SIM Card Holder

For 6-pin SIM card holder, SIMCom recommends to use Amphenol C707 10M006 5122 .User can visit
http://www.amphenol.com for more information about the holder.

Figure 28: Amphenol C707 10M006 5122 SIM card holder

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Table 12: Pin description (Amphenol SIM card holder)

Pin name Signal Description

C1 SIM_VDD SIM card power supply
C2 SIM_RST SIM card reset
C3 SIM_CLK SIM card clock
C5 GND Connect to GND
C6 VPP Not connect
C7 SIM_DATA SIM card data I/O

For 8 pins SIM card holder, SIMCom recommends to use Molex 91228.User can visit http://www.molex.com for
more information about the holder.

Figure 29: Molex 91228 SIM card holder

Table 13: Pin description (Molex SIM card holder)

Pin name Signal Description

C1 SIM_VDD SIM card power supply
C2 SIM_RST SIM card reset
C3 SIM_CLK SIM card clock
C4 GND Connect to GND
C5 GND Connect to GND
C6 VPP Not connect
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C7 SIM_DATA SIM card data I/O

C8 SIM_PRESENCE Detect SIM card presence

4.9 LCD Display/SPI Interface

SIM928A provides a serial LCD display interface. It could also be used as SPI interface in the embedded AT
application. For details about embedded AT application, please refer to document [7].

Note: This function is not supported in the standard firmware. If user wants this function, the firmware must be customized.
Please contact SIMCom for more details.

4.10 Keypad Interface

The keypad interface consists of 3 keypad column outputs and 3 keypad row inputs. The basic configuration is 3
keypad columns and 3 keypad rows, total 9 keys.

Table 14: Pin definition of the keypad interface

Pin name Pin number Default function Second function Default state
GPIO1/ KBR0 31 GPIO1 Output, Pull down
GPIO2/ KBR1 32 GPIO2 Output, Pull down
GPIO3/ KBR2 33 GPIO3 Output, Pull down
Keypad matrix
GPIO4/ KBC0 34 GPIO4 Output, Pull down
GPIO5/ KBC1 35 GPIO5 Output, Pull down
GPIO6/ KBC2 36 GPIO6 Output, Pull down

The keypad interface allows a direct external matrix connection. A typical recommended circuit of the keypad is
shown in the following figure.

Figure 30: Reference circuit of the keypad interface

Note: This function is not supported in the standard firmware. If user wants this function, the firmware must be customized.
Please contact SIMCom for more details.

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4.11 ADC

SIM928A provides an auxiliary ADC, which can be used to measure the voltage. User can use AT command
“AT+CADC” to read the voltage value. For details of this AT command, please refer to document [1].

Table 15: ADC specification

Parameter Min Typ Max Unit

Voltage range 0 - 2.8 V
ADC Resolution - 10 - bits
Sampling rate - - 200K Hz

4.12 RI Behaviors

Table 16: RI behaviors

State RI response
Standby High
The pin is changed to low. When any of the following events occur, the pin will be changed
to high:
Voice call
（1）Establish the call
（2）Hang up the call
The pin is changed to low. When any of the following events occur, the pin will be changed
to high:
Data call
（1）Establish the call
（2）Hang up the call
The pin is changed to low, and kept low for 120ms when a SMS is received. Then it is
SMS
changed to high.
The pin is changed to low, and kept low for 120ms when some URCs are reported. Then it is
URC
changed to high. For more details, please refer to document [8].

The behavior of the RI pin is shown in the following figure when the module is used as a receiver.

Figure 31: RI behaviour of voice calling as a receiver

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RI
HIGH

Establish the call

Hang up the call
LOW
Idle Ring

Figure 32: RI behaviour of data calling as a receiver

Figure 33: RI behaviour of URC or receive SMS

However, if the module is used as caller, the RI will remain high. Please refer to the following figure.

Figure 34: RI behaviour as a caller

4.13 Network Status Indication

The NETLIGHT pin can be used to drive a network status indication LED. The status of this pin is listed in
following table:

Table 17: Status of the NETLIGHT pin

Status SIM928A behavior

Off SIM928A is not running
64ms On/ 800ms Off SIM928A not registered the network
64ms On/ 3000ms Off SIM928A registered to the network
64ms On/ 300ms Off PPP GPRS communication is established

A reference circuit is recommended in the following figure:

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Figure 35: Reference circuit of NETLIGHT

4.14 General Purpose Input/Output (GPIO)

SIM928A provides up to 6 GPIO pins. The output voltage level of the GPIO can be set by the AT command “AT+
SGPIO”. The input voltage level of the GPIO can also be read by the AT command “AT+ SGPIO”. For more
details, please refer to document [1].

Table 18: Pin definition of the GPIO interface

Pin name Pin number Default function Second function Default state
GPIO1/ KBR0 31 GPIO1 KBR0 Output, pull down
GPIO2/ KBR1 32 GPIO2 KBR1 Output, pull down
GPIO3/ KBR2 33 GPIO3 KBR2 Output, pull down
GPIO4/ KBC0 34 GPIO4 KBC0 Output, pull down
GPIO5/ KBC1 35 GPIO5 KBC1 Output, pull down
GPIO6/ KBC2 36 GPIO6 KBC2 Output, pull down

4.15 External Reset

The external NRESET pin is used to reset the module. This function is used as an emergency reset only when AT
command “AT+CPOWD=1” and the PWRKEY pin have no effect. The NRESET pin could be pulled down to
reset the module. The reset timing is illustrated in the following figure.

Figure 36: Reset timing

This pin is already pulled up in the module, so the external pull-up resistor is not necessary. A 100nF capacitor

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close to the NRESET pin is strongly recommended. A reference circuit is shown in the following figure.

Figure 37: Reset reference design circuit

NOTE: It is recommended to cut off the VBAT power supply directly instead of using external reset pin when SIM928A can not
respond to the AT command “AT+CPOWD=1” and PWRKEY pin.

4.16 PWM

SIM928A provides 3 PWMs which can be used to drive a vibrator, and a backlight LED for display or keyboard.
PWM1 and PWM2 output frequency varies from 25.6KHz to 3.25MHz.Two 7-bit unsigned binary parameters are
used for the output period and for the duty cycle. The PWM3 for the buzzer outputs a square wave at the desired
tone frequency. The tone frequencies are programmable from 200 Hz to 5 kHz and can be re-programmed
on-the-fly to generate monophonic audio ring tones or alert tones. The tone level can be adjusted over a 24 dB
range in 4 dB steps, or it can be muted.

The AT command “AT + SPWM” is used to set the output period and duty cycle of the PWM. For details, please
refer to document [1].

4.17 I2C Bus

The SIM928A provides an I2C interface which is only used in the embedded AT application.

Note: This function is not supported in the standard firmware. If user wants this function, the firmware must be customized.
Please contact SIMCom for more details.

4.18 GSM Antenna Interface

The RF interface has an impedance of 50Ω. To suit the physical design of individual applications, SIM928A
offers the interface as GSM_ANT PAD.

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Figure 38: The RF interface of module

The customer’s main board under the GSM_ANT pad should be copper keep out.
The customer’s GSM antenna can be located in the customer’s main board and connect to module’s GSM_ANT
pad through microstrip line or other type RF trace which impendence must be controlled in 50Ω. To facilitate the
antenna tuning and certification test, a RF connector and an antenna matching circuit should be added. The
following figure is the recommended circuit.

Figure 39: GSM antenna matching circuit

In this figure, the components R101,R102,C101 and C102 is used for antenna matching, the components’ value
only can be got after the antenna tuning. Usually, matching components’ value is provided by antenna vendor, the
default value of R101 and R102 are 0Ω, and reserve the place of C101 and C102 without soldering.

The RF test connector in figure 39 is used for conducted RF performance test, and should be placed as close as
possible to the module’s RF_ANT pad. The traces in bold type should be treated as 50Ω impedance controlled
line in PCB layout. For details about radio frequency trace layout, please refer to document [9].

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5 GPS Application Interface

5.1 Power Management

5.1.1 GPS Power Input

The GPS_VCC supply range is from 2.8V to 4.3V, and it should be able to provide sufficient current up to
100mA.

5.1.2 Starting GPS Engine

z When GPS power is first applied, The GPS Engine goes into operation mode.

5.1.3 Verification of GPS Engine Start

System activity indication depends upon the chosen serial interface:

z When it is activated, SIM928A will output messages at the selected UART speed, and message types.

5.1.4 Power Saving Modes

SIM928A supports operating modes for reduced average power consumption like sleep mode, backup mode,
periodic mode, and AlwaysLocateTM mode.
z Sleep mode: In this mode the receiver stays at full on power state. When this mode that can be wake up by
the host sends the command through the communication interface or external interrupt.
z Backup mode: In this mode the SIM928A must be supplied by the backup and it can help to count down the
time for backup mode. Software on host side to send the command through the communication interface
into the backup mode.
z Periodic mode: In this mode the SIM928A enters tracking and sleep modes according to the interval
configured by users in the commands.
z AlwaysLocateTM mode: AlwaysLocateTM is an intelligent controller of SIM928A periodic mode. Depending
on the environment and motion conditions, SIM928A can adaptive adjust the on/off time to achieve balance
of positioning accuracy and power consumption.
Note: the modes mentioned above are operated by PMTK commands, users can refer to document [19] for more information.
SIM928A provides very low leakage battery back up memory, which contains all the necessary GPS information
for quick start up and a small amount of user configuration variables. It needs a 3V power supply for V_BACKUP
pin, and the stable operation region ranges from very light load to about 3mA.

5.1.5 Operating Mode

Table 19: Power supply and clock state according to operation mode

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Mode GPS_VCC V_BACKUP Internal LDO Main clock RTC clock

Full on on On on on on
Sleep on On on off on
Backup on On off off on

5.1.5.1 Full on Mode

The module will enter full on mode after first power up with factory configuration settings. Power consumption
will vary depending on the amount of satellite acquisitions and number of satellites in track. This mode is also
referenced as Full on, Full Power or Navigation mode.

Navigation is available and any configuration settings are valid as long as the GPS_VCC power supply is active.
When the power supply is off, settings are reset to factory configuration and receiver performs a cold start on next
power up.

5.1.5.2 Sleep Mode

Sleep mode means a low quiescent (200uA type.) power state, non-volatile RTC, and backup RAM block is
powered on. Other internal blocks like digital baseband and RF are internally powered off. The power supply
input GPS_VCC shall be kept active all the time, even during sleep mode.
Entering into sleep mode is sent PMTK command through the communication interface by host side.

The GPS engine can be waked up from sleep mode by sent any byte through the communication interface.

5.1.6 GPS_VANT_OUT and GPS_VANT_IN

GPS_VANT_OUT is a 2.8V output for active external antenna, if the active external antenna works at 2.8V
voltage supply domain, user can connect the GPS_VANT_OUT and GPS_VANT_IN through a resistor (for
example 10ohm) in the following picture. If the antenna’s power is not 2.8V, a proper voltage should be provided
to the pin GPS_VANT_IN through a resistor (for example 10ohm) and the pin GPS_VANT_OUT should be kept
open in the following picture.

For passive antennas, both the pin GPS_VANT_OUT and the pin GPS_VANT_IN should be kept open.

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Figure 40: Internal supply Antenna bias voltage

Figure 41: External supply Antenna bias voltage

5.2 UART Interface

SIM928A GPS engine includes two UARTS (UART and UART1) interface for serial communication. The UART
is as NMEA output and PMTK command input. The receiver (GPS_RXD) and transmitter (GPS_TXD) side of
every port contains a 16-byte FIFO and has 256 bytes URAM. The baud rates are selectable and ranging from 4.8
to 921.6kbps through CoreBuilder tool. UART can provide the developers signal or message outputs.
UART1 is as RTCM input.
For details about CoreBuilder information, please refer to document [21]

5.3 1PPS Output

The 1PPS pin outputs pulse-per-second (1PPS) pulse signal for precise timing purposes. It will come out after
successfully positioning .The 1PPS signal can be provided through designated output pin for many external
applications.

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5.4 A-GPS

A-GPS is the meaning of Assisted GPS, which is a system that can improve the startup performance, and
time-to-first-fix (TTFF) of a GPS satellite-based positioning under certain conditions . SIM928 module supports
EPO file, and SBAS/RTCM.

5.4.1 EPO

The SIM928A supports the EPO (Extended Prediction Orbit) data service. The EPO data service is supporting
7/14/30-day orbit predictions to customers. It needs occasional download from EPO server. Supply of aiding
information like ephemeris, almanac, rough last position and time and satellite status and an optional time
synchronization signal will reduce time to first fix significantly and improve the acquisition sensitivity.

The user should update the EPO files from the EPO server daily through the internet. Then the EPO data should
send to the SIM928A by the HOST side. SIM68R has the short cold TTFF and warm TTFF, when the A-GPS is
used.
Note: For more information about EPO, please contact SIMCom sales. users can refer to document [20] for more information

5.4.2 EASY MODE

EASY is the abbreviation of Embedded Assist System, it works as embedded firmware which accelerates TTFF
by predicting satellite navigation messages from received ephemeris.

No additional computing interval for EASY task. EASY is efficiently scheduled and computed in free time of
every second after GPS navigation solution.

EASY function is conceptually designed to automatically engage for predicting after first receiving the broadcast
ephemeris. After a while （generally tens of seconds）, 3-day extensions will be completely generated then all
EASY functions will be maintained at a sleep condition. EASY assistance is going to be engaged when the GPS
requests in new TTFF condition or re-generates again with another new received ephemeris. Meanwhile, TTFF
will be benefited by EASY assistance.
Note: EASY function is default open and can be closed by PMTK command.

5.4.3 SBAS and RTCM

SBAS is the abbreviation of Satellite Based Augmentation System. The SBAS concept is based on the
transmission of differential corrections and integrity messages for navigation satellites that are within sight of a
network of reference stations deployed across an entire continent. SBAS messages are broadcast via geostationary
satellites able to cover vast areas.
Several countries have implemented their own satellite-based augmentation system. Europe has the European
Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) which covers Western Europe and beyond. The USA has
its Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). Japan is covered by its Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation
System (MSAS). India has launched its own SBAS program named GPS and GEO Augmented Navigation
(GAGAN) to cover the Indian subcontinent.

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SIM928A module supports SBAS and RTCM, but only one mode can be applied at one time, and SBAS is the
default feature, customers who want to apply RTCM in the design can contact SIMCom sales for supporting

5.5 GPS Antenna Interface

5.5.1 GPS Antenna Interface

The RF interface has an impedance of 50Ω. To suit the physical design of individual applications, SIM928A
offers the interface as GPS_ANT pad.

The customer’s GPS antenna can be located in the customer’s main board and connect to module’s GPS_ANT
pad through microstrip line or other type RF trace, which impendence must be controlled in 50Ω. The customer’s
main board under the GPS_ANT pad should be copper keep out. To minimize the loss on the PCB RF path, it
must be very careful in layout.

Figure 42: GPS antenna matching circuit

In this figure, the components R101, C101 and C102 is used for antenna matching, the components’ value only
can be got after the antenna tuning. Usually, matching components’ value is provided by antenna vendor, the
default value of R101 is 0Ω, and users need to reserve the place of C101 and C102 without soldering.

The traces in bold type should be treated as 50Ω impedance controlled line in PCB layout.

5.5.2 GPS Antenna Choice Consideration

To obtain excellent GPS reception performance, a good antenna will always be required. The antenna is the most
critical item for successful GPS reception in a weak signal environment. Proper choice and placement of the
antenna will ensure that satellites at all elevations can be seen, and therefore, accurate fix measurements are
obtained.
Most customers contract with antenna design houses to properly measure the radiation pattern of the final
mounted configuration in a plastic housing with associated components near the antenna. Linear antennas are
becoming more popular, and the gain is reasonable, since a smaller ground plane can be used.

User can consider following factors as:

z Choose an antenna that can work both in GPS bands.
z Choose a linear antenna with a reasonably uniform hemispherical gain pattern of >-4dBi.
z Use of an antenna with lower gain then this will give less than desirable results. Please note that a RHCP
antenna with a gain of 3dBi, equates to a linear polarized antenna of 0dBi.
z Proper ground plane sizing is a critical consideration for small GPS antennas.
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z Proper placement of the GPS antenna should always be the FIRST consideration in integrating the SIM928A
GPS Module.

If the customer’s design will allow for a ceramic RHCP patch antenna with an appropriately sized ground plane,
and the patch is normally oriented towards the sky, then that particular solution usually works the best. Note that
if the patch antenna ground plane is less than 60x60mm, then compromises to the beam width and gain pattern
could result. Usually the gain becomes very directional, and looses several dB of performance. Since results can
vary, measuring the antenna radiation pattern in the final housing in an appropriate anechoic chamber is required.

Some customers do not have the size availability to implement a patch antenna approach. In that instance, use of a
Linear Polarized (LP) antenna is the next best alternative. There are new ceramic LP antennas on the market that
exhibit reasonable gain characteristics once properly mounted in the housing, and when matched to an appropriate
sized ground. Generally the ground plane requirements are smaller for a LP antenna when compared to a patch,
but once again, proper testing in an anechoic chamber is a mandatory requirement. These ceramic elements will
need to be located near the end of the ground plane, and will require several millimeters of clearance between the
closest component. It is important to note that use of a LP antenna will result in a minimum of 3dB of gain loss
when compared to a RHCP antenna at a defined elevation. This is due to the right hand gain rule of antenna
propagation.

Use of PIFA antenna is another LP possibility, but the PIFA usually exhibits a considerable amount of gain nulls,
or “holes” in the radiation pattern. This will be undesirable for obtaining a low circular error probability (CEP),
since the antenna may not allow the receiver to capture the desired satellite at the ideal orientation due to these
noted gain nulls. Once again, careful testing in an appropriate anechoic chamber is required.

If the customer’s design is for automotive applications, then an active antenna can be used and located on top of
the car in order for guarantee the best signal quality. GPS antenna choice should be based on the designing
product and other conditions.

For detailed Antenna designing consideration, please refer to related antenna vendor’s design recommendation.
The antenna vendor will offer further technical support and tune their antenna characteristic to achieve successful
GPS reception performance depending on the customer’s design.

5.5.3 Active antenna supervisor

SIM928A Technology provides the means to implement an active antenna supervisor with a minimal number of
parts. The antenna supervisor is highly configurable to suit various different applications.
Note: The standard firmware does not support active antenna supervisor. If user wants this function, the firmware must be
customized. Please contact SIMCom for more details.

5.5.3.1 Short circuit Detection

If a short circuit in the active antenna pulls GPS_VANT_IN to ground, then the module will detect it, and the
module will report $GPTXT,01,01,02,ANTSTATUS=SHORT*6D sentence through the serial port. The customer
should check short circuit.
NOTE: The antenna supply voltage is not derived from GPS_VANT_OUT.

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5.5.3.2 Open circuit Detection

Firmware supports an active antenna supervisor circuit, which is connected to the pin AADET_N. An example of
an open circuit detection circuit is shown in Figure 11and Figure 12.
High (2.85V level) on AADET_N means that an external antenna is not connected, and the module will report
$GPTXT,01,01,02,ANTSTATUS=OPEN*2B sentence through the serial port. Low on AADET_N means that an
external antenna is connected, and the module will report $GPTXT,01,01,02,ANTSTATUS=OK*3B sentence
through the serial port.

Figure 43: Open circuir detection-A

Figure 44: Open circuir detection-B

If the antenna supply voltage is not derived from GPS_VANT_OUT, do not exceed the maximum voltage rating
of AADET_N.(5V)

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6 Electrical, Reliability and Radio Characteristics

6.1 Absolute Maximum Ratings

The absolute maximum ratings stated in following table are stress ratings under non-operating conditions. Stresses
beyond any of these limits will cause permanent damage to SIM928A.

Table 20: Absolute maximum ratings of GSM

Symbol Parameter Min Typ Max Unit

VBAT GSM Power supply voltage - - 5.5 V
VI* Input voltage -0.3 - 3.1 V
*
II Input current - - 10 mA
IO* Output current - - 10 mA
* 2
These parameters are for digital interface pins, such as keypad, GPIO, I C, UART, LCD, PWMs and DEBUG.

Table 21: Absolute maximum ratings of GPS

Symbol Parameter Min Typ Max Unit
GPS_VCC GPS Power supply voltage - - 4.3 V
GPS_VANT_IN GPS active antenna power supply -5.5V - +5.5 V
GPS_ANT GPS radio antenna connection - - 3.08 V
V_BACKUP Power supply for GPS RTC - - 4.6 V
II I/O pin voltage - - 3.6 V

6.2 Recommended Operating Conditions

Table 22: Recommended operating conditions

Symbol Parameter Min Typ Max Unit

VBAT Power supply voltage 3.2 4.0 4.8 V
GPS_VCC GPS Power supply voltage 2.8 3.3 4.3 V
V_BACKUP Power supply for GPS RTC 2 2.8 4.6 V
TOPER Operating temperature -40 +25 +85 ℃
TSTG Storage temperature -45 +90 ℃
Note: Operation in the temperature range –40°C~ –30°C is allowed but Time-to-First-Fix performance and tracking sensitivity
may be degraded.

6.3 Digital Interface Characteristics

Table 23: Digital interface characteristics of GSM 

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Symbol Parameter Min Typ Max Unit

IIH High-level input current -10 - 10 uA
IIL Low-level input current -10 - 10 uA
VIH High-level input voltage 2.4 - - V
VIL Low-level input voltage - - 0.4 V
VOH High-level output voltage 2.7 - - V
VOL Low-level output voltage - - 0.1 V
2
z These parameters are for digital interface pins, such as keypad, GPIO, I C, UART, LCD, PWMs and DEBUG.
Table 24: Digital interface characteristics of GPS
Parameter Symbol Min Typ Max Unit
Low level output voltage Vol
-0.3 0.40 V
Test conditions IOL = 2mA and 4.0mA
High level output voltage Voh
2.4 3.1 V
Test conditions IOL = 2mA and 4.0mA
Low level input voltage Vil -0.3 0.8 V
High level input voltage Vih 2.0 3.6 V
Input Pull-up resistance RPU 40 190 KΩ
Input Pull-dowm resistance RPD 40 190 KΩ
Input capacitance Cin 5 pF
Load capacitance Cload 8 pF
Tri-state leakage current IOZ -10 10 uA

6.4 SIM Card Interface Characteristics

Table 25: SIM card interface characteristics 

Symbol Parameter Min Typ Max Unit

IIH High-level input current -10 - 10 uA
IIL Low-level input current -10 - 10 uA
1.4 - - V
VIH High-level input voltage
2.4 - - V
- - 0.4 V
VIL Low-level input voltage
2.4 V
1.7 - - V
VOH High-level output voltage
2.7 - - V
- - 0.1 V
VOL Low-level output voltage
- - 0.1 V

6.5 VDD_EXT Characteristics

Table 26: VDD_EXT characteristics

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Symbol Parameter Min Typ Max Unit

VO Output voltage 2.70 2.80 2.95 V
IO Output current - - 10 mA

6.6 SIM_VDD Characteristics

Table 27: SIM_VDD characteristics 

Symbol Parameter Min Typ Max Unit

2.75 2.9 3.00
VO Output voltage V
1.65 1.80 1.95
IO Output current - - 10 mA

6.7 VRTC Characteristics

Table 28: VRTC characteristics 

Symbol Parameter Min Typ Max Unit

VRTC-IN VRTC input voltage 2.00 3.00 3.15 V
IRTC-IN VRTC input current - 2 - uA
VRTC-OUT VRTC output voltage - 3.00 - V
IRTC-OUT VRTC output current - 10 - uA

6.8 Current Consumption (VBAT = 3.8V)

Table 29: GSM current consumption* 

Symbol Parameter Conditions Value Unit

IVRTC VRTC current VBAT disconnects. Backup battery is 3 V 2 uA
IVBAT VBAT current Power down mode 50 uA
BS-PA-MFRMS=9 1.2
Sleep mode BS-PA-MFRMS=5 1.5 mA
BS-PA-MFRMS=2 1.7
GSM 850
EGSM 900
Idle mode 21 mA
DCS 1800
PCS 1900
Voice call PCL=5 240 mA
GSM 850
PCL=12 110
EGSM 900
PCL=19 76
DCS 1800 PCL=0 180
PCS 1900 PCL=7 89

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PCL=15 76
PCL=5 240
GSM 850
PCL=12 110 mA
EGSM 900
Data mode PCL=19 83
GPRS(1Rx,1Tx) PCL=0 170
DCS 1800
PCL=7 95 mA
PCS 1900
PCL=15 80
PCL=5 270
GSM 850
PCL=12 150 mA
EGSM 900
Data mode PCL=19 120
GPRS(4Rx,1Tx) PCL=0 210
DCS 1800
PCL=7 130 mA
PCS 1900
PCL=15 115
PCL=5 435
GSM 850
PCL=12 185 mA
EGSM 900
Data mode PCL=19 130
GPRS(3Rx,2Tx) PCL=0 320
DCS 1800
PCL=7 155 mA
PCS 1900
PCL=15 122
IVBAT-peak Peak current During Tx burst 2 A
* In above table the current consumption value is the typical one of the module tested in laboratory. In the mass production stage,
there may be differences among each individual.

6.9 Electro-Static Discharge

SIM928A is an ESD sensitive component, so more attention should be paid to the procedure of handling and
packaging. The ESD test results are shown in the following table.

Table 30: The ESD characteristics (Temperature: 25℃, Humidity: 45 %)

Pin Contact discharge Air discharge

VBAT ±5KV ±10KV
GPS_VCC ±5KV ±10KV
GND ±5KV ±10KV
RXD, TXD ±4KV ±8KV
GPS_RXD,GPS_RXD ±4KV ±8KV
Antenna port ±5KV ±10KV
SPKP/ SPKN
±4KV ±8KV
MICP/ MICN
PWRKEY ±4KV ±8KV

Note: It is suggested that customers in serials with 100ohm resistances on UART lines for ESD consideration.

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6.10 Radio Characteristics

6.10.1 Module RF Output Power

The following table shows the module conducted output power, it is followed by the 3GPP TS 05.05 technical
specification requirement.

Table 31: SIM928A GSM 900 and GSM 850 conducted RF output power

GSM 900 and EGSM 850

Tolerance (dB) for conditions
PCL Nominal output power (dBm)
Normal Extreme
0-2 39 ±2 ±2.5
3 37 ±3 ±4
4 35 ±3 ±4
5 33 ±3 ±4
6 31 ±3 ±4
7 29 ±3 ±4
8 27 ±3 ±4
9 25 ±3 ±4
10 23 ±3 ±4
11 21 ±3 ±4
12 19 ±3 ±4
13 17 ±3 ±4
14 15 ±3 ±4
15 13 ±3 ±4
16 11 ±5 ±6
17 9 ±5 ±6
18 7 ±5 ±6
19-31 5 ±5 ±6

Table 32: SIM928A DCS 1800 and PCS 1900 conducted RF output power

DCS 1800 and PCS 1900

Tolerance (dB) for conditions
PCL Nominal output power (dBm)
Normal Extreme
29 36 ±2 ±2.5
30 34 ±3 ±4
31 32 ±3 ±4
0 30 ±3 ±4
1 28 ±3 ±4
2 26 ±3 ±4

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3 24 ±3 ±4
4 22 ±3 ±4
5 20 ±3 ±4
6 18 ±3 ±4
7 16 ±3 ±4
8 14 ±3 ±4
9 12 ±4 ±5
10 10 ±4 ±5
11 8 ±4 ±5
12 6 ±4 ±5
13 4 ±4 ±5
14 2 ±5 ±6
15-28 0 ±5 ±6

For the module’s output power, the following should be noted:

At GSM900 and GSM850 band, the module is a class 4 device, so the module’s output power should not exceed
33dBm, and at the maximum power level, the output power tolerance should not exceed +/-2dB under normal
condition and +/-2.5dB under extreme condition.

At DCS1800 and PCS1900 band, the module is a class 1 device, so the module’s output power should not exceed
30dBm, and at the maximum power level, the output power tolerance should not exceed +/-2dB under normal
condition and +/-2.5dB under extreme condition.

6.10.2 Module RF Receive Sensitivity

The following table shows the module’s conducted receive sensitivity, it is tested under static condition.

Table 33: SIM928A conducted RF receive sensitivity

Frequency Receive sensitivity（Typical） Receive sensitivity(Max)

GSM850 -109dBm -107dBm
EGSM900 -109dBm -107dBm
DCS1800 -109dBm -107dBm
PCS1900 -109dBm -107dBm

6.10.3 Module Operating Frequencies

The following table shows the module’s operating frequency range; it is followed by the 3GPP TS 05.05 technical
specification requirement.

Table 34: SIM928A operating frequencies

Frequency Receive Transmit

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GSM850 869 ~ 894MHz 824 ~ 849 MHz

EGSM900 925 ~ 960MHz 880 ~ 915MHz
DCS1800 1805 ~ 1880MHz 1710 ~ 1785MHz
PCS1900 1930 ~ 1990MHz 1850 ~ 1910MHz

6.11 Module label information

The following figure marked the information of SIM928A module.

Figure 45: Module label information

Table 35: illustration of module label

Item Description
A Logo of SIMCom

B Module name

C Module part number

Hardware number and software number included;
ex.S2-105E0 is hardware number
0901 is software number
D Module serial number and bar code

E Module IMEI and bar code

F CE authenticated logo

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Appendix

A. Related Documents

Table 36: Related documents

SN Document name Remark

[1] SIM908_AT Command SIM908 AT Command Manual
Manual
[2] AN_SIM900_TCPIP TCP/IP Applications User Manual

[3] SIM900_Multiplexer User SIM928A Multiplexer User Manual Application Note

Manual_Application Note
[4] AN_SIM900 SIM928A Series Update Tool User Guide
Series_Update Tool_UGD
[5] AN_SIM900_AUDIO Applications Note About SIM928A Audio

[6] AN_SIM900_Audio Applications Note About SIM928A LINE-IN Input

LINE-IN input
[7] SIM900_Embedded AT SIM928A Embedded AT Application Note
Application Note
[8] AN_Serial Port Application Note About Serial Port
[9] AN_SIM900-TE PCB Application Note About SIM928A-TE PCB Layout & Schematic
Layout & Schematic for
Reference
[10] Module Module secondary SMT User Guide
secondary-SMT-UGD
[11] ITU-T Draft new Serial asynchronous automatic dialing and control
recommendation V.25ter:
[12] GSM 07.07: Digital cellular telecommunications (Phase 2+); AT command set for GSM
Mobile Equipment (ME)
[13] GSM 07.10: Support GSM 07.10 multiplexing protocol
[14] GSM 07.05: Digital cellular telecommunications (Phase 2+); Use of Data Terminal
Equipment – Data Circuit terminating Equipment (DTE – DCE) interface
for Short Message Service (SMS) and Cell Broadcast Service (CBS)
[15] GSM 11.14: Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+); Specification of
the SIM Application Toolkit for the Subscriber Identity Module – Mobile
Equipment (SIM – ME) interface
[16] GSM 11.11: Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+); Specification of
the Subscriber Identity Module – Mobile Equipment (SIM – ME) interface
[17] GSM 03.38: Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+); Alphabets and
language-specific information
[18] GSM 11.10 Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2)； Mobile Station
(MS) conformance specification； Part 1: Conformance specification
[19] SIM28 ／ 68R ／ 68V
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NMEA Messages
SpecificationV1.00
[20] EPO-II_Format_Protocol EPO-II_Format and Protocol
_Customer
[21] CoreBuilder_User_Manua CoreBuilder User Manual
l_0_4

B. Terms and Abbreviations

Table 37: Terms and Abbreviations

Abbreviation Description
ADC Analog-to-Digital Converter
A-GPS Assisted Global Positioning System
AMR Adaptive Multi-Rate
CS Coding Scheme
CSD Circuit Switched Data
CTS Clear to Send
DTE Data Terminal Equipment (typically computer, terminal, printer)
DTR Data Terminal Ready
DTX Discontinuous Transmission
DGPS Difference Global Positioning System
EFR Enhanced Full Rate
EGSM Enhanced GSM
ESD Electrostatic Discharge
ETS European Telecommunication Standard
EPO Extended Prediction Orbit
EASY Embedded Assist System
EGNOS European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service
FR Full Rate
GPRS General Packet Radio Service
GSM Global Standard for Mobile Communications
GPS Global Positioning System
GAGAN The GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation
HR Half Rate
IMEI International Mobile Equipment Identity
Li-ion Lithium-Ion
MO Mobile Originated
MS Mobile Station (GSM engine), also referred to as TE
MT Mobile Terminated
MSAS Multi-Functional Satellite Augmentation System
NMEA National Marine Electronics Association
PAP Password Authentication Protocol
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PBCCH Packet Broadcast Control Channel

PCB Printed Circuit Board
PCL Power Control Level
PCS Personal Communication System, also referred to as GSM 1900
PDU Protocol Data Unit
PPP Point-to-point protocol
QZSS Quasi-Zenith Satellites System
RF Radio Frequency
RMS Root Mean Square (value)
RTC Real Time Clock
RX Receive Direction
RTCM Radio Technical Commission for Maritime services
SIM Subscriber Identification Module
SMS Short Message Service
SBAS Satellite Based Augmentation Systems
TE Terminal Equipment, also referred to as DTE
TX Transmit Direction
UART Universal Asynchronous Receiver & Transmitter
URC Unsolicited Result Code
USSD Unstructured Supplementary Service Data
WAAS Wide Area Augmentation System
Phonebook abbreviations
FD SIM fix dialing phonebook
LD SIM last dialing phonebook (list of numbers most recently dialed)
MC Mobile Equipment list of unanswered MT calls (missed calls)
ON SIM (or ME) own numbers (MSISDNs) list
RC Mobile Equipment list of received calls
SM SIM phonebook
NC Not connect

C. Safety Caution

Table 38: Safety caution

Marks Requirements
When in a hospital or other health care facility, observe the restrictions about the use of mobiles.
Switch the cellular terminal or mobile off, medical equipment may be sensitive to not operate
normally for RF energy interference.
Switch off the cellular terminal or mobile before boarding an aircraft. Make sure it is switched off.
The operation of wireless appliances in an aircraft is forbidden to prevent interference with
communication systems. Forget to think much of these instructions may lead to the flight safety or
offend against local legal action, or both.

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Do not operate the cellular terminal or mobile in the presence of flammable gases or fumes. Switch
off the cellular terminal when you are near petrol stations, fuel depots, chemical plants or where
blasting operations are in progress. Operation of any electrical equipment in potentially explosive
atmospheres can constitute a safety hazard.
Your cellular terminal or mobile receives and transmits radio frequency energy while switched on.
RF interference can occur if it is used close to TV sets, radios, computers or other electric
equipment.
Road safety comes first! Do not use a hand-held cellular terminal or mobile when driving a
vehicle, unless it is securely mounted in a holder for hands free operation. Before making a call
with a hand-held terminal or mobile, park the vehicle.
GSM cellular terminals or mobiles operate over radio frequency signals and cellular networks and
cannot be guaranteed to connect in all conditions, for example no mobile fee or a invalid SIM card.
While you are in this condition and need emergent help, please remember using emergency calls.
In order to make or receive calls, the cellular terminal or mobile must be switched on and in a
service area with adequate cellular signal strength.
Some networks do not allow for emergency call if certain network services or phone features are in
use (e.g. lock functions, fixed dialing etc.). You may have to deactivate those features before you
can make an emergency call.
Also, some networks require that a valid SIM card be properly inserted in the cellular terminal or
mobile.

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Contact us:
Shanghai SIMCom Wireless Solutions Ltd.
Add: SIM Technology Building, No.633, Jinzhong Road,Changning District,Shanghai P.R. China
200335
Tel: +86 21 3252 3300
Fax: +86 21 3252 3301
URL: www.sim.com/wm

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