Hello, I'm David from Pololu Robotics, and we recently released the Wixel, a programmable module based on the versatile CC2511F32 from TI. For $20, and with a built-in USB bootloader requiring no external programming hardware, I think this is a compelling alternative to the CC2511 USB Dongle from TI.
You can jump-start the development of your CC2511 firmware by using the Wixel SDK, a collection of open source libraries and apps for the Wixel that can be compiled with SDCC, a free, open source compiler. Also, several pre-compiled apps are available in the Wixel User's Guide.
The Wixel's 0.1" pin spacing makes it easy to use with breadboards and perfboards.
All pins on Port 0 and Port 1 are free for use by your application. Port 2 is used for controlling the three indicator LEDs, controlling the USB pull-up, and detecting the power source. The schematic diagram is available on our website.
The Wixel's antenna is the Meandered Inverted F Antenna from TI's application note AN043. This is the same antenna that is on TI's CC2511 USB Dongle, but the matching network is different. We think that the Wixel's RF performance is not quite as good as the boards from TI; we had to use a data rate of 350 kbps (instead of the transceiver's maximum of 500 kbps) to keep the packet error rate at a manageable level. Even with that reduction, the Wixel is capable of transmitting 10 KB of payload data per second using our Wireless Serial App.
We welcome any feedback from the TI community!
