PCS.50.A

AS ~ a“ HA TAOGLAS. 

At 

+ FO Qd ie Y) a) a| © C) 

Universe 

**Part No: PCS.50.A** 

**Description** 

Low Profile LTE/Cellular 5G/4G & GNSS SMD Antenna 

**Features:** 

SMD Dielectric Antenna LTE/5G: 600-6000MHz 

GPS / GLONASS / Galileo / Bei Dou (1561-1602MHz) 

Adjusts the resonance frequency of the antenna to the desired frequency band Dimensions: 38*10*1.6mm 

Smart antenna solution with aperture tuning 

RoHS & REACH Compliant 

SPE-21-8-119-E 

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|**1.**|Introduction|3|
|---|---|---|
|**2.**|Operational Instructions of the PCSD.50.A|6|
|**3.**|Specification for PCSD.50.A|8|
|**4.**|Antenna Characteristics|9|
|**5.**|Radiation Patterns|12|
|**6.**|Mechanical Drawing - Antenna|21|
|**7.**|Mechanical Drawing – Eval Board|22|
|**8.**|Antenna Integration Guide|23|
|**9.**|Operational Instructions of the PCSD.50.B|32|
|**10.**|Specification for PCSD.50.B|34|
|**11.**|Antenna Characteristics for PCSD.50.B|35|
|**12.**|Radiation Patterns|38|
|**13.**|Mechanical Drawing - Antenna|47|
|**14.**|Mechanical Drawing – Eval Board|48|
|**15.**|Antenna Integration Guide|49|
|**16.**|Solder Reflow Profile|58|
|**17.**|Packaging|59|
||Changelog|60|



Taoglas makes no warranties based on the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this document and reserves the right to make changes to specifications and product descriptions at any time without notice. Taoglas reserves all rights to this document and the information contained herein. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties without express permission is strictly prohibited. 

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The Taoglas Universe PCS.50.A is a patent pending active Cellular and GNSS antenna designed specifically for IoT devices with small ground planes. With an unprecedented level of integration, it combines aperture tuning and active switching technologies to provide wideband coverage for GNSS and cellular connectivity. 

The PCS.50.A has an RF switch to adjust the resonance frequency of the antenna depending on the device’s requirements. The aperture tuning technology allows the antenna to cover the whole spectrum of 4G LTE/5G bands by adjusting the resonant frequency of the antenna to the desired frequency band of operation. This allows the device to use the correct frequency band required by the radio module. Additionally, a second active switch can be simply added if either Cellular or GNSS needs to be selected. 

The PCS.50.A is compatible with the radio modules that support the RF front-end control interface (RFFE). The radio module controls the active RF switch to adjust the antenna resonance frequency to operate efficiently on multiple bands and increase the RF capabilities by 3dB compared with standard passive solutions. This will in turn, improve the Total Radiated Power (TRP) and Total Isotropic Sensitivity (TIS). 

The PCS.50.A is easy to integrate using standard SMD technologies, and implementing the active solution is easy thanks to Taoglas’ integration support, providing different design files depending on your requirements. The antenna can be tuned by simply selecting the best switching configuration to achieve the optimum antenna performance. 

Taoglas has developed an evaluation board PCSD.50.A to demonstrate the antenna performance for 4G/LTE applications. The PCSD.50.A is just 40 x 50mm, makes it suitable for even the smallest of IoT and CAT-M devices. Typical applications include IoT devices such as smart sensors requiring cellular and GNSS connectivity, wearables or asset tracking. The antenna itself measures just 38 x 10 x 1.6mm, and as it is manufactured from high-grade FR4 PCB, it is lightweight; yet robust, and it is supplied on tape and reel. 

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Taoglas has developed another evaluation board PCSD.50.B to demonstrate the antenna performance for 5G connectivity. The PCSD.50.B evaluation board is just 40*70mm, it covers the most challenging bands for 600MHz, making it suitable for 5G applications. 

The datasheet consists of two parts mainly. The first part focuses on the 4G/LTE antenna integration and performance on the PCSD.50A evaluation board. The second part focuses on the 5G Antenna integration guidance and performance on the PCSD.50B evaluation board. 

Contact your regional Taoglas customer support team for quick and professional support from our senior engineering team on integration and matching of the antenna to your device. 

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## Part A 

## PCS.50.A Antenna Performance for LTE Applications 700MHz- 3GHz on PCSD.50.A 

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Taoglas developed an evaluation board called PCSD.50.A that includes the PCS.50.A antenna, RF switches and other components to operate this smart antenna solution. This is available to order from Taoglas. Taoglas developed this EVB to help customers in implementing this solution on their applications. The evaluation kit uses a simple RF switch SP4T to select different matching circuits and a SPDT to select GNSS or LTE radios. 

The RF switches used in the evaluation kit are: 

- SP4T: Infineon BGSA14GN10 

- SPDT: Infineon BGS12SN6E6327XTSA1 

In the evaluation kit, both RF switches are controlled by the DIP switch, representing the control interface of the radio module. The DIP switch is connected to a 3V coin battery (CR02032). 

The DIP switch has two states: 1 represents ON, 0 represents OFF. 

The DIP switch is a 10 way switch, numbered 1 to 10. 

Pins 1-3 are used to control the SP4T (U2): 

Pin 1 controls the power to SP4T, Pin 2 connects to the CTRL 1 on the RF switch, Pin 3 connects to the CTRL 2 on the RF switch. 

**==> picture [185 x 80] intentionally omitted <==**

**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
PIN 1=VDD Pin 2=CTRL 1 Pin 3=CTRL 2 RF State<br>1  0  0  S1: M1-ANT<br>1  0  1  S2:M2-ANT<br>1  1  0  S3:M3-ANT<br> 1  1  1  S4:M4-ANT<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


Pins 9-10 are used to control the SPDT (U1): 

Pin 9 is the control input for the SPDT, 0 = GNSS, 1 = LTE, Pin 10 controls the power to SPDT. 

**==> picture [130 x 44] intentionally omitted <==**

**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
PIN 10=VDD PIN 9=CTRL SPDT State<br>1  0  GNSS-ANT<br>1  1  LTE-ANT<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


Pin 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 are not connected and therefore not used. 

The pin definition and control table are shown in the tables above. 

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## Antenna Active Tuning Circuit 

Below is the Schematic of the PCSD.50.A using SP4T and SPDT. 

Four sets of matching circuits are connected to the SP4T RF1-RF4.  The antenna performance is tested and recorded when each of them are connected. 

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|**LTE Electrical**|**LTE Electrical**|**LTE Electrical**|**LTE Electrical**|**LTE Electrical**|**LTE Electrical**|**LTE Electrical**|**LTE Electrical**|**LTE Electrical**|**LTE Electrical**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Band**|Frequency<br>(MHz)|Measurement|Measurement<br>Efficiency (%)|Average Gain<br>(dB)|Peak Gain<br>(dBi)|Impedance|Polarization|Radiation<br>Pattern|Max. input<br>power|
|**5GNR/4G**<br>Band 12,17,28,29,85|698-746|S1|16.6|-7.79|-2.94|50 Ω|Linear|Omni|2W|
|**5GNR/4G**<br>Band 13,14,20,28|746-800|S2|17.7|-7.52|-2.55|||||
|**5GNR/4G**<br>Band<br>5,18,19,20,26,27|800-880|S3|19.6|-7.08|-2.05|||||
|**5GNR/4G**<br>Band 8,19,26|880-960|S4|21.0|-6.79|-1.49|||||
|**GNSS**<br>GPS L1, GLONASS G1,<br>Bei Dou B1,<br>Galileo E1|GPS L1, GLONASS G1,<br>1559-1610|S2|40.6|-3.92|0.62|||||
|**5GNR/4G**<br>Band<br>1,2,3,4,9,23,25,35,39,<br>66|1710-2690|S1|67.0|-1.74|3.23|||||



||**Mechanical**||
|---|---|---|
|**Dimensions**||38mm x 10mm x 1.6mm|
|**Weight**||2.5g|
|**Material**||FR4|
|**Connector**||IPEX MHF1|
|**Cable**||1.13 Mini Coaxial|
|**Soldering Type**||SMD Reflow|



||**Environmental**||
|---|---|---|
|**Operation Temperature**||-40°C ~ +85°C|
|**Storage Temperature**||-40°C ~ +85°C|
|**Moisture Sensitivity**||3|



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## Test Setup 

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- **4.2** Return Loss 

- | Neee 

## **4.3** Efficiency of 

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## Average Gain 

## Peak Gain 

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## Test Setup 

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## Patterns at 700 MHz 

## XZ Plane 

## YZ Plane 

## XY Plane 

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## Patterns at 800 MHz 

## XZ Plane 

## YZ Plane 

## XY Plane 

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## Patterns at 880 MHz 

## XZ Plane 

## YZ Plane 

## XY Plane 

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## Patterns at 960 MHz 

## XZ Plane 

## YZ Plane 

## XY Plane 

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## Patterns at 1710 MHz 

## XZ Plane 

## YZ Plane 

## XY Plane 

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## Patterns at 1880 MHz 

## XZ Plane 

## YZ Plane 

## XY Plane 

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## Patterns at 2100 MHz 

## XZ Plane 

## YZ Plane 

**==> picture [44 x 9] intentionally omitted <==**

**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
XY Plane<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


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## Patterns at 2690 MHz 

## XZ Plane 

## YZ Plane 

**==> picture [44 x 9] intentionally omitted <==**

**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
XY Plane<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


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## Schematic and Symbol Definition 

The circuit symbol for the antenna is shown below. The antenna has 5 pins with only two pins functional (Pin 1 and Pin 2). Pins 3, 4 and 5 are not connected and are only used for mechanical integration only. 

|Pin|Description|
|---|---|
|||
|1|RF Feed|
|2|Tuning|
|3, 4, 5|Not Connected|



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## Antenna Integration 

Depending on the size of the PCB, the antenna should ideally be placed on the PCB’s shorter side, this will allow the antenna to take advantage of a longer ground plane. 

With Top Solder Mask 

Without Top Solder Mask 

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## PCB Layout 

The footprint and clearance on the PCB must meet the antenna specification. Below shows the antenna footprint and clearance through ALL the layers of the PCB. Only the antenna pads and connections to RF Feed and TUNE are present within this clearance area (marked RED). The clearance area extends 3.9mm from the antenna mechanical pads to the ground area. This clearance area includes the bottom side and ALL internal layers of the PCB. 

Top Side 

Bottom Side 

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## Evaluation Board 

Shown below are images of the evaluation PCB used to measure the antenna and generate the results shown in this document. 

Top Side 

Bottom Side 

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## Evaluation Board Ground Plane Length 

Shown below is the PCSD.50.A with solder mask removed to highlight the PCB ground plane length. 

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## Evaluation Board Matching Circuit PCSD.50.A 

The matching components M1-M4 are connected to the SP4T switch. These are used to tune the antenna resonances.  The values for these components are shown in the mapping table below. 

|CTRL1=PIN2|CTRL2=PIN3|SP4T State|Matching Components|Frequency<br>coverage|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|0|0|S1:M1-ANT|5.6nH,<br>MLK1005S5N6ST000|698-746MHz<br>&1710-2690MHz|
|0|1|S2:M2-ANT|2.7nH<br>MLK1005S2N7ST000|746-800MHz<br>&GNSS|
|1|0|S3:M3-ANT|18pF<br>GRM1555C1H180JA01D|800-880MHz|
|1|1|S4:M4-ANT|3.5pF<br>GJM1555C1H3R5BB01D|880-960MHz|



An additional matching circuit at the antenna feed side may be necessary for some applications to provide additional tuning options. Taoglas recommend incorporating extra component footprints, to form an ‘’L’’ or “Pi” matching network between the antenna feed and the radio module. On the PCSD.50.A evaluation board, an L network is reserved but it is not used as there is a zero Ω link fitted in this case. 

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## **8.7** Footprint a 

Below shows the antenna mounting footprint this displays recommended size and layout of the pads on the PCB. These pads are numbered to correspond with the pads on the antenna. 

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## Part B 

## PCS.50.A Antenna Performance for 5G Applications 600MHz- 6GHz on PCSD.50.B 

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Taoglas developed an evaluation board called PCSD.50.B that includes the PCS.50.A antenna, RF switches and 

other components to operate this smart antenna solution for 5G connectivity. 

Taoglas developed this EVB to help customers in implementing this solution on their applications. The evaluation kit uses a simple RF switch SP4T to select different matching circuits. 

The RF switches used in the evaluation kit are: 

- SP4T: Infineon BGSA14GN10 

In the evaluation kit, the RF switch is controlled by the DIP switch, representing the control interface of the radio module. The DIP switch is connected to a 3V coin battery (CR02032). 

The DIP switch has two states: 1 represents ON, 0 represents OFF. 

The DIP switch is a 10 way switch, numbered 1 to 10. 

• Pins 1-3 are used to control the SP4T (U1): Pin 1 controls the power to SP4T, Pin 2 connects to the CTRL 1 on the RF switch, Pin 3 connects to the CTRL 2 on the RF switch. 

|**PIN 1=VDD**|**Pin 2=CTRL 1**|**Pin 3=CTRL 2**|**RF State**|
|---|---|---|---|
|1|0|0|S1: M1-ANT|
|1|0|1|S2:M2-ANT|
|1|1|0|S3:M3-ANT|
|1|1|1|S4:M4-ANT|



- Pin 4 to 10 are not connected and therefore not used. 

The pin definition and control table is shown above. 

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Below is the Schematic of the PCSD.50.B using SP4T. 

Four sets of matching circuits are connected to the SP4T RF1-RF4. The antenna performance is tested and recorded when each of them are connected. 

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## **LTE Electrical** 

|**LTE Electrical**|**LTE Electrical**|**LTE Electrical**|**LTE Electrical**|**LTE Electrical**|**LTE Electrical**|**LTE Electrical**|**LTE Electrical**|**LTE Electrical**|**LTE Electrical**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Band**|Frequency<br>(MHz)|Measurement|Measurement<br>Efficiency (%)|Average Gain<br>(dB)|Peak Gain<br>(dBi)|Impedance|Polarization|Radiation<br>Pattern|Max. input<br>power|
|**5GNR/4G**<br>Band71|617-698|S1|15.3|-8.15|-3.59|50 Ω|Linear|Omni|2W|
|**4G/3G**<br>Band<br>12,13,14,17,28,29|698-806|S2|17.3|-7.62|-2.87|||||
|**4G/3G/NB-IoT/Cat M**<br>Band<br>5,8,18,19,20,26,27|**4G/3G/NB-IoT/Cat M**<br>824-960|S4|20.3|-6.91|-1.88|||||
|**5GNR/4G**<br>Band 21,32,74,75,76|1427-1518|S3|49.3|-3.07|0.67|||||
|**4G/3G**<br>Band<br>1,2,3,4,9,23,25,35,39,<br>66|1710-2200|S4|57.4|-2.41|3.14|||||
|**4G/3G**<br>Band 7,30,38,40,41|2300-2690|S1|63.6|-1.96|4.52|||||
|**5GNR/4G**<br>Band<br>22,42,48,77,78,79|3300-5000|S4|63.5|-1.97|5.21|||||
|**LTE5200/Wi-Fi5800**|5150-5925|S3|64.1|-1.93|4.09|||||



||**Mechanical**||
|---|---|---|
|**Dimensions**||38mm x 10mm x 1.6mm|
|**Weight**||2.5g|
|**Material**||FR4|
|**Connector**||IPEX MHF1|
|**Cable**||1.13 Mini Coaxial|
|**Soldering Type**||SMD Reflow|



||**Environmental**||
|---|---|---|
|**Operation Temperature**||-40°C ~ +85°C|
|**Storage Temperature**||-40°C ~ +85°C|
|**Moisture Sensitivity**||3|



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## Test Setup 

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**==> picture [119 x 21] intentionally omitted <==**

**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
11.2 Return Loss<br>Ee<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


## **11.3** Efficiency a ar 

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## **11.4** Average Gain _ 

## **11.5** Peak Gain _ 

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## Test Setup 

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## Patterns at 650 MHz 

## XZ Plane 

## YZ Plane 

## XY Plane 

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## Patterns at 750 MHz 

## XZ Plane 

## YZ Plane 

## XY Plane 

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## Patterns at 890 MHz 

## XZ Plane 

## YZ Plane 

## XY Plane 

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## Patterns at 1475 MHz 

## XZ Plane 

## YZ Plane 

## XY Plane 

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## Patterns at 1955 MHz 

## XZ Plane 

## YZ Plane 

## XY Plane 

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## Patterns at 2495 MHz 

## XZ Plane 

## YZ Plane 

## XY Plane 

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## Patterns at 4150 MHz 

## XZ Plane 

## YZ Plane 

## XY Plane 

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## Patterns at 5550 MHz 

## XZ Plane 

## YZ Plane 

## XY Plane 

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## **15.1** Schematic and Symbol Definition ee 

The circuit symbol for the antenna is shown below. The antenna has 5 pins with only two pins (Pin 1 and Pin 2) as functional. Pins 3, 4 and 5 are not connected. 

|Pin|Description|
|---|---|
|||
|1|RF Feed|
|2|Tuning|
|3, 4, 5|Not Connected|



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## Antenna Integration 

Whatever the size of the PCB, the antenna should ideally be placed on the PCB’s shortest side, to take advantage of the ground plane. Optimized matching components can be placed as shown. 

With Top Solder Mask 

Without Top Solder Mask 

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## PCB Layout 

The footprint and clearance on the PCB must meet the antenna specification. An example of the PCB layout shows the antenna footprint with clearance. 

With Components 

Without Components 

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## PCB Clearance 

Below shows the antenna footprint and clearance through ALL layers on the PCB. Only the antenna pads and connections to feed and GND are present within this clearance area (marked RED). The clearance area extends to 4.25mm from the antenna mechanical pads to the ground area. This clearance area includes the bottom side and ALL internal layers on the PCB. 

Topside 

Bottom Side 

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## Evaluation Board 

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## Evaluation Board Ground Plane Length 

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## Evaluation Board Matching Circuit 

The matching components M1-M4 are connected to the SP4T switch. These are used to tune the antenna resonances. The values for these components are shown in the mapping table below. 

|CTRL1=PIN2|CTRL2=PIN3|SP4T State|Matching Components|Frequency<br>coverage|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|0|0|S1:M1-ANT|10nH,<br>MLK1005S10NJT000|617-698MHz &<br>2300-2690MHz|
|0|1|S2:M2-ANT|5.1nH<br>MLK1005S5N1ST000|698-806MHz|
|1|0|S3:M3-ANT|0 ohms|1427-1518MHz &<br>5150-5925MHz|
|1|1|S4:M4-ANT|5pF<br>GJM1555C1H5R0BB01D|824-960MHz &<br>1710-2200MHz &<br>3300-5000MHz|



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## **15.8** Footprint ies 

Below shows the antenna mounting footprint for 5G this displays recommended size and layout of the pads on the PCB. These pads are numbered to correspond with the pads on the antenna. 

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The PCS.50 can be assembled by following the recommended soldering temperatures are as follows: 

*Temperatures listed within a tolerance of +/- 10º C 

Smaller components are typically mounted on the first pass, however, we do advise mounting the PCS.50 when placing larger components on the board during subsequent reflows. 

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Changelog for the datasheet **SPE-21-8-119 – PCS.50.A Revision: E (Current Version)** Date: 2023-10-18 Changes: Full datasheet update with addition of PCSD.50.B results. Changes Made by: Gary West 

## **Previous Revisions** 

**Revision: D** Date: 2023-01-18 Changes: Updated PCB Layout Changes Made by: Gavin Mackey **Revision: C** Date: 2023-01-12 Changes: Updated PCB Images and Components Changes Made by: Gavin Mackey **Revision: B** Date: 2022-08-30 Changes: Updated data. Changes Made by: Gary West **Revision: A (First Release)** Date: 2021-12-06 Changes: First Release Changes Made by: Gary West 

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