TCS600E Module Datasheet

TCS600E is an LTE Cat.1 cellular module. This module consists of a highly integrated LTE Cat.1 chip and peripheral circuits. It has a built-in LTE Cat.1 network communication protocol stack and a rich set of library functions.

Overview

The TCS600E module is built around an Arm Cortex-M3 processor and Cat.1 bis modem and embedded with a NOR flash of 4 MB and a PSRAM of more than 1 MB. It communicates over 4G LTE-TDD/FDD and provides a wide array of interfaces including USB, UART, I2C, I2S, ADC, and USIM card.

Features

• Built-in Arm Cortex-M3 application processor with 204 MHz CPU frequency
• Supply voltage range:
  • Operating voltage range: 3.3V to 4.3V
  • Typical operating voltage: 3.8V
• SIM card: 1.8V and 3V supported
• LTE Cat.1 features:
  • Frequency bands
    • LTE-FDD: bands 1, 3, 5, and 8
    • LTE-TDD: bands 34, 38, 39, 40, and 41
  • Data transmission rate
    • LTE-FDD: Maximum download speed of 10 Mbit/s, and maximum upload speed of 5 Mbit/s
    • LTE-TDD: Maximum download speed of 8.2 Mbit/s, and maximum upload speed of 3.4 Mbit/s
  • Transmit power: 23 dBm ± 2 dBm
  • Receiving sensitivity: less than -99 dBm
  • 50Ω antenna impedance, with an external antenna required
• Interfaces:
  • 1 USB 2.0 interface
  • 3 UART interfaces
  • 2 I2C interfaces^*
  • 1 I2S interface^*
  • 1 SPI display interface^*
  • 1 SPI camera interface^*
  • 2 ADC interfaces
• Operating temperature range: -30°C to +75°C ¹
• Extended temperature range: -40°C to +85°C ²
• Update firmware over the air.

Scope of applications

• Public utilities: smart metering (water, gas, and electricity), smart water management (pipe network, leakage, and quality inspection), smart fire extinguisher, and smart fire hydrant.
• Smart health: medication tracker, remote patient monitoring, blood pressure monitor, blood glucose meter, health-tracking wearables, and baby monitor.
• Smart city: smart street lighting, smart parking, smart waste bin, public security alarm, and environment monitoring (water pollution, noise, air quality PM2.5, and more).
• Consumer electronics: wearable, bicycle, GPS tracker (children, the elderly, pets, and car rental), smart suitcase, and POS machine.
• Agriculture and environment: precision planting (environmental parameters: water, temperature, light, medicine, fertilizer), livestock farming (health and tracking), aquaculture, and food quality monitoring.
• Logistics and warehousing: asset and container tracking, warehouse management, fleet tracking, and courier tracking.
• Smart buildings: access control, smart heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), smoke detector, fire alarm, and elevator repair and maintenance.
• Manufacturing: equipment monitoring, energy monitoring, chemicals plants monitoring, large rental equipment, and predictive maintenance (home appliance and machinery).

Module interfaces

Pin definition

TCS600E is equipped with a total of 96 pins, including LCC pins and LGA pins.

The pinout is as follows:

Pin definition

Pin No.	Pin name	I/O type	Description
1	SPI_CLK*	DO	SPI1 clock signal output. It cannot be used with Pin 71 DBG_TXD simultaneously.
2	SPI_RXD*	DI	SPI1 data input. It cannot be used with Pin 72 DBG_RXD simultaneously.
3	SPI_TXD*	DO	SPI1 data output. It cannot be used with Pin 11 CAM_I2C_SCL simultaneously.
4	SPI_CS*	DO	SPI1 chip select signal. It cannot be used with Pin 12 CAM_I2C_SDA simultaneously.
5	USIM_CLK	DO	USIM card clock signal.
6	USIM_DATA	IO	USIM card data signal.
7	USIM_RST	DO	USIM card reset signal.
8	USIM_VDD	PO	Power supply for the USIM card. Either 1.8V or 3.0V is supported by the module automatically. IOMAX = 50 mA.
9	USIM_CD	DI	USIM card insertion detection.
10	CAM_MCLK*	DO	Camera master clock (MCLK) output.
11	CAM_I2C_SCL*	IO	Camera I2C clock signal, which can also be used as a general-purpose I2C interface.
12	CAM_I2C_SDA*	IO	Camera I2C data signal, which can also be used as a general-purpose I2C interface.
13	CAM_SPI_CLK*	DI	SPI camera clock input. It cannot be used with Pin 145 USIM2_RST simultaneously.
14	CAM_SPI_D0*	DI	SPI camera data input 0. It cannot be used with Pin 146 USIM2_DAT simultaneously.
15	CAM_SPI_D1*	DI	Camera SPI data input 1.
16	CAM_PWDN*	DO	Power down the camera. It cannot be used with Pin 147 USIM2_CLK simultaneously.
17	CAM_VDD*	PO	Analog power supply for the camera, defaulting to 2.8V. IOMAX = 100 mA.
18	GND	-	Ground.
19	ADC0	AI	Analog-to-digital converter (ADC). Input voltage: 0 to 3.4V Channel: 0 Resolution: 12 bits
20	ADC1	AI	Analog-to-digital converter (ADC). Input voltage: 0 to 3.4V Channel: 1 Resolution: 12 bits
21	SPK-*	AO	Negative audio differential output, with no built-in power amplifier. It can drive a 32Ω receiver. An external power amplifier is required to connect to an 8Ω external speaker.
22	SPK+*	AO	Positive audio differential output, with no built-in power amplifier. It can drive a 32Ω receiver. An external power amplifier is required to connect to an 8Ω external speaker.
23	NC	-	Reserved.
24	NC	-	Reserved.
25	NC	-	Reserved.
26	USB_DP	IO	Positive USB differential signal, which should have a 90Ω differential impedance.
27	USB_DM	IO	Negative USB differential signal, which should have a 90Ω differential impedance.
28	USB_VBUS	DI	USB insertion detection, active high. It can work in sleep state.
29	VBAT_BB	PI	Power supply for the module baseband part. Supply voltage range: 3.4V to 4.3V. Nominal voltage: 3.8V. The external power supply should output a 500 mA current. It is recommended to add a surge protector.
30	GND	-	Ground.
31	MAIN_RXD	DI	The main UART interface used for receiving data. It can wake up the module in sleep state.
32	MAIN_TXD	DO	The main UART interface used for transmitting data. It can wake up the module in sleep state.
33	MAIN_CTS	DO	DTE main UART clear to send, connected to DTE’s CTS.
34	MAIN_RTS	DI	DTE main UART request to send, connected to DTE’s RTS.
35	GND	-	Ground.
36	VBAT_RF	PI	Power supply for the module RF part. Supply voltage range: 3.4V to 4.3V. Nominal voltage: 3.8V. The external power supply should output a 1A current. It is recommended to add a surge protector.
37	VBAT_RF	PI	Power supply for the module RF part. Supply voltage range: 3.4V to 4.3V. Nominal voltage: 3.8V. The external power supply should output a 1A current. It is recommended to add a surge protector.
38	GND	-	Ground.
39	MAIN_DTR	DI	Sleep or wake-up control. Pull up this pin, and the module is put into sleep mode. Pull down this pin, and the module in sleep mode can be woken up.
40	MAIN_RI	DO	Main UART ring indicator. It can be used to wake up the AP. It can remain active in sleep mode.
41	GND	-	Ground.
42	IO_SEL	DI	Voltage selection pin. The voltage is 1.8V when the pin is floating, and 3.3V when it is grounded with a 0Ω resistor. This pin affects the level of all I/O ports.
43	GND	-	Ground.
44	GND	-	Ground.
45	GND	-	Ground.
46	LTE_ANT	AIO	LTE antenna output, with 50Ω characteristic impedance.
47	GND	-	Ground.
48	MAIN_DCD	DO	Output carrier detection of main UART.
49	WAKEUP_IN*	DI	Sleep or wake-up control.
50	AP_READY	DI	Detect the sleep state of the application processor.
51	W_DISABLE	DI	Enable or disable the airplane mode.
52	NET_MODE	DO	Indicate the mobile network standard under which the module is registered.
53	SLEEP_IND*	DO	Sleep mode indicator.
54	STATUS	DO	Running status indicator.
55	NET_STATUS/USB_BOOT	DO	Pulling up this pin to VDD_EXT before power-on will make the module enter USB download mode. After power-on, it indicates the network status, and pulling up is prohibited.
56	I2C2_SDA	IO	I2C2 data signal.
57	I2C2_SCL	IO	I2C2 clock signal.
58	I2S_LRCK	DO	Switch the data of the left and right channels. If the value of LRCK is 0, it means that the data of the left channel is being transmitted, and the value of 1 means that the data of the right channel is being transmitted.
59	I2S_DIN	DI	I2S data input.
60	I2S_DOUT	DO	I2S data output.
61	I2S_BCK	DO	I2S bus clock line.
62	LCD_TE*/UART2_RX	DO	SPI LCD frame sync signal, or an extended serial port to receive data.
63	LCD_SPI_RS*	DO	SPI LCD data command selection.
64	LCD_SPI_RST*	DO	SPI LCD reset signal.
65	LCD_CS*	DO	SPI LCD chip select signal.
66	LCD_SPI_DOUT*	DO	SPI LCD data signal.
67	LCD_SPI_CLK*/UART2_TX	DO	SPI LCD clock signal, or an extended serial port to transmit data.
68	CAM_VIO*	PO	Camera I/O power supply, defaulting to 1.8V.
69	I2S_MCLK	DO	I2S interface reference clock.
70	GPIO12*	IO	Normal GPIO pin.
71	DBG_TXD	DO	Debugging interface, used to transmit data.
72	DBG_RXD	DI	Debugging interface, used to receive commands.
73	GND	-	Ground.
74	POWER_KEY	DI	Control the module power on/off, with an internal pull-up to VBAT. Pull down for more than 1.2s in power-off state to power on the module, and pull down for more than 1.5s in power-on state to power off the module.
75	RESET	DI	Reset the module, active low, with an internal pull-up to VBAT.
76	VDD_EXT	PO	LDO output, configured with Pin 42 hardware. This pin outputs 3.3V or 1.8V (the default value is 1.8V), and the maximum current is 200 mA. This pin is disabled in sleep state. High pulse is output frequently in sleep state, so this pin cannot be used as a module wake-up pin or serial port pull-up.
77~92	GND	-	Ground.
145	USIM2_RST	DO	USIM2 card reset signal.
146	USIM2_DATA	IO	USIM2 card data signal.
147	USIM2_CLK	DO	USIM2 card clock signal.
148	USIM2_VDD	PO	USIM2 card power supply

Electrical parameters

Absolute electrical parameters

Parameter	Description	Min value	Max value	Unit
VBAT	Supply voltage	-0.3	4.7	V
VBUS	USB detection	-0.3	5.5	V
Ipk	Power supply peak current	0	1.5	A
Vio	Voltage of digital interface	-0.3	VDDIO + 0.3	V
Vadc	Voltage of analog interface	-0.3	4.7	V

Normal operating conditions

Parameter	Description	Min value	Typical value	Max value	Unit
VBAT	Operating voltage	3.3	3.8	4.3	V
VBATdrop	Voltage drop at maximum power	-	-	400	mV
VBUS	USB detection	3.3	5.0	5.25	V
IVBAT	Peak current	-	1.2	1.5	A

Operating and storage temperature

Parameter	Description	Min value	Max value	Unit
Ts	Storage temperature	-40	90	°C
Ta	Normal operating temperature3	-35	75	°C
Ta	Extended operating temperature4	-40	85	°C

Direct current parameters

Parameter	Description	Min value	Typical value	Max value	Unit
VIL	I/O low-level input	-	-	0.3 × VDDIO	V
VIH	I/O high-level input	0.7 × VDDIO	-	VDDIO	V
VOL	I/O low-level output	-	-	0.2 × VDDIO	V
VOH	I/O high-level output	0.8 × VDDIO	-	VDDIO	V

Power consumption during standby and continuous transmission

• Test instrument: R&S CMW500 wideband radio communication tester, and programmable power supply Agilent 66319D

• Test conditions: VBAT=3.8V, ambient temperature 25°C. Insert a blank card, and connect to R&S CMW500 wideband radio communication tester.

Parameter	Condition	Average value	Unit
Leakage current	A device is powered on for the first time.	1	μA
	Power on and then power off (RTC works properly)	1	μA
Standby current	LTE-TDD paging cycle 64	0.6	mA
	LTE-FDD paging cycle 128	0.45	mA
Continuous transmit current (TX power = 23 dBm)	B1	424	mA
	B3	406	mA
	B5	389	mA
	B8	434	mA
	B34	172	mA
	B38	234	mA
	B39	164	mA
	B40	263	mA
	B41	236	mA

Power consumption of simulated persistent connections over real network

• Test instrument: programmable power supply Agilent 66319D

• Test conditions: VBAT=3.8V, ambient temperature 25°C

Test environment	Real network under normal temperature	China Mobile BAND40	China Unicom BAND1	China Telecom BAND1
Paging cycle		0.64s	1.28s	1.28s
Signal quality	AT + CESQ	60	54	54
Sleep current	AT + CSCLK = 2	0.58 mA	0.45 mA	0.43 mA
TCP keep-alive heartbeat packet	AT + CSCLK = 2, once a minute	2.74 mA	2.71 mA	2.57 mA
	AT + CSCLK = 2, every five minutes	1.05 mA	0.94 mA	0.93 mA
TCP keep-alive heartbeat packet (ultra low power mode)	AT + CSCLK = 3, once a minute (AT + WAKETIM = 1, AT × RTIME = 1)	1.27 mA	0.97 mA	1.13 mA
	AT + CSCLK = 3, every five minutes (AT + WAKETIM = 1, AT × RTIME = 1)	0.74 mA	0.61 mA	0.68 mA

RF parameters

Basic RF features

Parameter	Description
LTE-FDD frequency band	LTE-FDD: bands 1, 3, 5, and 8
LTE-TDD frequency band	LTE-TDD: bands 34, 38, 39, 40, and 41
Wireless standard	3GPP Release 13
LTE-FDD speed	Maximum download speed of 10 Mbit/s Maximum upload speed of 5 Mbit/s
LTE-TDD speed	Maximum download speed of 8.2 Mbit/s Maximum upload speed of 3.4 Mbit/s
Antenna type	50Ω characteristic impedance

Transmission performance

Continuous transmission performance

Frequency bands	Min value	Max value	Unit
LTE-FDD B1	＜-44	23 ± 2	dBm
LTE-FDD B3	＜-44	23 ± 2	dBm
LTE-FDD B5	＜-44	23 ± 2	dBm
LTE-FDD B8	＜-44	23 ± 2	dBm
LTE-TDD B34	＜-42	23 ± 2	dBm
LTE-TDD B38	＜-42	23 ± 2	dBm
LTE-TDD B39	＜-42	23 ± 2	dBm
LTE-TDD B40	＜-42	23 ± 2	dBm
LTE-FDD B41	＜-42	23 ± 2	dBm

Receiving performance

Receiving sensitivity:

Frequency bands	Typical value	Unit
LTE-FDD B1 (10 Mbit/s)	-99	dBm
LTE-FDD B3 (10 Mbit/s)	-99	dBm
LTE-FDD B5 (10 Mbit/s)	-99	dBm
LTE-FDD B8 (10 Mbit/s)	-99	dBm
LTE-FDD B34 (10 Mbit/s)	-99	dBm
LTE-FDD B38 (10 Mbit/s)	-99	dBm
LTE-FDD B39 (10 Mbit/s)	-99	dBm
LTE-FDD B40 (10 Mbit/s)	-99	dBm
LTE-FDD B41 (10 Mbit/s)	-99	dBm

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection

During the application of the module, static electricity is generated by the human body and charged friction between microelectronics and then discharged to the module in various ways. This might damage the module, so ESD protection must be taken seriously. ESD protection measures should be taken in the process of production assembly, testing, research and development, especially in product design. For example, ESD protection is added at the interfaces or ESD-sensitive points in the circuit design, and anti-ESD gloves are worn during production.

Location	Air discharge	Contact discharge
VBAT, GND	±10 kV	±5 kV
Antenna interface	±10 kV	±5 kV
Others	±1 kV	±0.5 kV

Antenna information

Antenna type

This module does not come with an antenna, so an external antenna is required.

You can choose one from the external rubber antenna, helical antenna, FPC antenna with IPEX connector, and PCB antenna. The antenna can typically be a monopole antenna, planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA), inverted-F antenna (IFA), and loop antenna.

• Rubber antenna:

  

• FPC antenna with IPEX connector:

  

• Built-in FPC antenna

  

Antenna design requirements

• Make sure the characteristic impedance of the transmission line is 50Ω.
• The antenna line loss should be less than 0.3 dB. Thus, keep the PCB trace as short as possible.
• The PCB layout should be as straight as possible to avoid vias and layer changes. Also, steer clear of right-angle and sharp-angle traces.
• A good reference ground should be set around the PCB traces, and other signal lines should be kept away from the antenna.
• A complete ground is recommended as a reference ground.
• The ground plane around the antenna must reinforce its connection to the main ground plane of the motherboard.
• The distance between the antenna and other mental components should be at least 10 mm.

Antenna metrics

Parameter	Metrics
VSWR	≤ 2
Efficiency	＞ 30%
Input impedance	50Ω
Insertion loss (＜1 GHz)	＜1 dB
Insertion loss (1 to 2.3 GHz)	＜1.5 dB
Insertion loss (＞ 2.3 GHz)	＜2.0 dB

Packing and production instructions

Mechanical dimensions

TCS600E is equipped with a total of 96 pins, including 76 leadless chip carrier (LCC) pins and 20 land grid array (LGA) pins.

The dimensions are 21.9 mm±0.35 (W) × 22.9 mm±0.35 (L) × 2.4 mm±0.15 (H), as shown below. The PCB thickness is 0.8 mm±0.1 mm.

SMT package

Stencil opening design

1. Stencil thickness: The stencil thickness of the area for the module should be partly stepped up to 0.18 mm–0.2 mm. The stencil thickness in other positions is determined by product design.
2. LCC pins: The stencil openings are shrunk inward by 0.1 mm, and moved outward by 1 mm along the direction of length. Along the width direction, the stencil openings are shrunk inward by 0.16 mm (each side by 0.08 mm) with a length of 1.4 mm (module’s pin length, avoiding solder beads), and are moved outward by 0.2 mm (each side by 0.1 mm) with a length of 2 mm (exposed on the areas outside of the bottom of the module pins must get increased tinning).
3. LGA pins: The total opening area should be 60% of the pad. If it exceeds 60%, you can set a pitch of 0.3 mm.

Production instructions

1. Package the module with the SMT if Tuya’s module is designed to be SMT-packaged. After being unpacked, the module must be soldered within 24 hours. Otherwise, it needs to be put into a drying cupboard with a relative humidity level no greater than 10%, or pack the module in vacuum again. Then, record the packing time and duration of exposure. The total exposure time cannot exceed 168 hours.

   • Instruments or devices required for the SMT process:
     • Surface mount system
     • SPI
     • Reflow soldering machine
     • Thermal profiler
     • AOI
   • Instruments or devices required for the baking process:
     • Cabinet oven
     • Anti-electrostatic and heat-resistant trays
     • Anti-electrostatic and heat-resistant gloves

2. A delivered module must meet the following storage requirements:

   • The moisture-proof bag must be placed in an environment where the temperature is below 40°C and the relative humidity is lower than 90%.

   • The shelf life of a dry-packaged product is 12 months from the date when the product is packaged and sealed.

   • A humidity indicator card (HIC) is put in the sealed package.

     

3. The module needs to be baked in the following cases:

   • The vacuum packaging bag is damaged before unpacking.
   • After unpacking, no HIC is found in the packaging bag.
   • After unpacking, the HIC indicates a humidity level of 10% or higher. In this case, the circle turns pink on the HIC.
   • The total exposure time has lasted for over 168 hours since unpacking.
   • More than 12 months have passed since the first sealing of the bag.

4. The baking parameter settings are described below:

   • Baking temperature: 40°C for reel packaging with relative humidity ≤ 5%. And 125°C for tray packaging with relative humidity ≤ 5% (use the heat-resistant tray, rather than plastic containers).
   • Baking time: 168 hours for reel packaging and 12 hours for tray packaging.
   • Temperature for triggering an alert: 50°C for reel packaging and 135°C for tray packaging.
   • Production can begin after a module has cooled down to below 36°C under natural conditions.
   • If a module remains unused for over 168 hours after being baked, it needs to be baked again.
   • If a batch of modules is not baked after exposure for more than 168 hours, do not use reflow soldering to solder them. Because these modules are level-3 moisture-sensitive devices, they are very likely to get damp when exposed beyond the allowable time. In this case, if they are soldered at high temperatures, device failure or poor soldering performance might occur.

5. In the whole production process, take electrostatic discharge (ESD) protective measures.

6. To guarantee the pass rate, we recommend that you use the SPI and AOI to monitor the quality of solder paste printing and mounting.

Recommended oven temperature curve

Perform the SMT process according to the following temperature curve of reflow soldering. The peak temperature is 245°C.

• A: temperature axis

• B: time axis

• C: alloy liquidus temperature from 217°C to 220°C

• D: ramp-up slope from 1°C/s to 3°C/s

• E: keep a constant temperature from 150°C to 200°C for a time period from 60s to 120s

• F: temperature above liquidus temperature for 50s to 70s

• G: peak temperature from 235°C to 245°C

• H: ramp-down slope from 1°C/s to 4°C/s

  The curve above is based on solder paste SAC305. For more information about other solder pastes, see the recommended oven temperature curve in the specified solder paste specifications.

Storage conditions

MOQ and packaging information

Product model	MOQ (pcs)	Shipping packaging	Modules per reel	Reels per carton
TCS600E	3,500	Tape and reel	700	5