OVERVIEW
Arduino MKR FOX 1200 has been designed to offer a practical and cost effective solution for makers seeking to add SigFox connectivity to their projects with minimal previous experience in networking. It is based on the Atmel SAMD21 and a ATA8520 SigFox module.
The design includes the ability to power the board using two 1.5V AA or AAA batteries or external 5V. Switching from one source to the other is done automatically. A good 32 bit computational power similar to the Zero board, the usual rich set of I/O interfaces, low power SigFox communication and the ease of use of the Arduino Software (IDE) for code development and programming. All these features make this board the preferred choice for the emerging IoT battery-powered projects in a compact form factor. The USB port can be used to supply power (5V) to the board. The Arduino MKR FOX 1200 is able to run with or without the batteries connected and has limited power consumption.
Warning: Unlike most Arduino Genuino boards, the MKRFOX1200 runs at 3.3V. The maximum voltage that the I/O pins can tolerate is 3.3V. Applying voltages higher than 3.3V to any I/O pin could damage the board. While output to 5V digital devices is possible, bidirectional communication with 5V devices needs proper level shifting.
You can find here your board warranty informations.
Check your area coverage on the SigFox website
Getting Started
You can find in the Getting Started section all the information you need to configure your board, use the Arduino Software (IDE), and start tinker with coding and electronics. Full details and examples on how to use the SigFox interface are available in the SigFox Library reference page.
TECH SPECS
Microcontroller |
SAMD21 Cortex-M0+ 32bit low power ARM MCU |
Board Power Supply (USB/VIN) |
5V |
Supported Batteries(*) |
2x AA or AAA |
Circuit Operating Voltage |
3.3V |
Digital I/O Pins |
8 |
PWM Pins |
12 (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, A3 - or 18 -, A4 -or 19) |
UART |
1 |
SPI |
1 |
I2C |
1 |
Analog Input Pins |
7 (ADC 8/10/12 bit) |
Analog Output Pins |
1 (DAC 10 bit) |
External Interrupts |
8 (0, 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, A1 -or 16-, A2 - or 17) |
DC Current per I/O Pin |
7 mA |
Flash Memory |
256 KB |
SRAM |
32 KB |
EEPROM |
no |
Clock Speed |
32.768 kHz (RTC), 48 MHz |
LED_BUILTIN |
6 |
Full-Speed USB Device and embedded Host |
|
LED_BUILTIN |
6 |
Antenna power |
2dB |
Carrier frequency |
868 MHz |
Working region |
EU |
Length |
67.64 mm |
Width |
25 mm |
Weight |
32 gr. |
DOCUMENTATION
OSH: Schematics
The MKR FOX 1200 is open-source hardware! You can build your own board using the following files:
EAGLE FILES IN .ZIPSCHEMATICS IN .PDFFRITZING IN .FZPZ
Pinout
Download the pinout in PNG format
Coverage
Check your area coverage on the SigFox website
Data planning
The MKR FOX 1200 price includes a subscription to the SigFox network for two years. The plan will be automatically activated after the fourth message has been sent. You can send up to 120 messages per day.
Antenna
The MKR FOX 1200 is shipped with a GSM antenna that can be attached to the board with the micro UFL connector. If you want to change the antenna please check that it can accept frequencies in the SigFox's range (868 Mhz).
Batteries, Pins and board LEDs
Battery capacityThe connected batteries must have a nominal voltage of 1.5V
Battery connectorIf you want to connect a battery pack (2x AA or AAA) to your MKRFOX1200 use the screw terminal block.Polarity : as reported on the silk in the bottom of the board, positive pin is the closest to the USB connector
VinThis pin can be used to power the board with a regulated 5V source. If the power is fed through this pin, the USB power source is disconnected. This is the only way you can supply 5v (range is 5V to maximum 6V) to the board not using USB. This pin is an INPUT.
5VThis pin outputs 5V from the the board when powered from the USB connector or from the VIN pin of the board. It is unregulated and the voltage is taken directly from the inputs.
VCCThis pin outputs 3.3V through the on-board voltage regulator. This voltage is 3.3V if USB or VIN is used and equal to the series of the two batteries when they are used
LED ONThis LED is connected to the 5V input from either USB or VIN. It is not connected to the battery power. This means that it lits up when power is from USB or VIN, but stays off when the board is running on battery power. This maximizes the usage of the energy stored in the battery. It is therefore normal to have the board properly running on battery power without the LED ON being lit.
Onboard LEDOn MKR FOX 1200 the onboard LED is connected to D6 and not D13 as on the other boards. Blink example or other sketcthes that uses pin 13 for onboard LED may need to be changed to work properly.
FAQ
Q: I plugged the board to my PC / MAC but I cannot see the serial port listed on the IDE, I cannot upload a sketch to the board! I was able to upload but suddenly the board disappeared.
A: The first thing to try is manually put the CPU into bootloader mode, this is accomplished by pressing quickly twice the reset button.
Another try is to change the USB cable: some micro-USB cables are "power only", you'll see the board powered but no data connection to the PC.
Q: I plugged the board, I can see the serial port but I cannot upload sketch
A: If still on, remove the conductive foam that protects the pins.
Q: What's the pin number of the onboard LED Pin 13 seems to not work...
A: The LED is connected to pin 6, but you can use the LED_BUILTIN constant instead of declaring the pin number.
Q: I see that A0 is marked as DAC0. There is a DAC on that pin is usable
A: Yes, there is a DAC and it's usable, you can control the pin with analogWrite(..).
Q: What can I plug to the screw terminal block
A: The screw terminal block is intended to be used with a 3V battery pack. A battery pack is made up of 2 AA or AAA batteries in series. No more tahn 3V must be applied otherwise the board will be damaged.
Q: Can I attach a Li-Po Battery to the board
A: No, the board is designed to run with a 3V battery pack. A battery pack is made up of 2 AA or AAA batteries in series. No more tahn 3V must be applied otherwise the board will be damaged.
Q: Which is the VIN range voltage value
A: VIN Nominal voltage value is 5V, range is from 5V to 6V (6V is the Maximum)
Q: What Vin, 5V and VCC means
- Vin: This pin can be used to power the board with a regulated 5V source. If the power is fed through this pin, the USB power source is disconnected. This is the only way you can supply 5v (range is 5V to maximum 6V) to the board not using USB. This pin is an INPUT.
- 5V: This pin outputs 5V from the board when powered from the USB connector or from the VIN pin of the board. It is unregulated and the voltage is taken directly from the inputs. When powered from a 3V battery pack it supplies around 3V. As an OUTPUT, it should not be used as an input pin to power the board.
- VCC: This pin outputs 3.3V through the onboard voltage regulator. This voltage is the same regardless the power source used (USB and Vin).