Synchronous vs. Asynchronous

Hello,

We probably need a Dynastream person to give advice here on possible issue you may run into , but I wanted make sure you've seen the 

http://www.thisisant.com/images/Resources/PDF/Interfacing_with_ANT_General_Purpose_Chipsets_and_Modules.pdf

which discusses both async and sync connections.

BR,

-Greg

Hello,

We can't explicitly tell you which one is better for an ANT+ project, as it depends on the application. You should take into account the hardware capabilities of the MCU, and the availability of hardware serial interfaces. I would also take into account your familiarity with different serial interface implementation.

I hope this helps,

Kassandra

Kassandra,

I understand your what your saying.  Let me try and reword what I originally wrote.  I guess I am just trying to understand synchronous vs asynchronous a little better.  I've been reading on both and have read that asynchronous is typically used for interfacing with a PC, or for longer distances.  Valid or not I like the look of asynchronous better.  My application will be on a small PCB and the host MCU and the CC2570 will be close.  

Ultimately I just want to make sure I am not missing something if I go with an asynchronous serial interface.  I don't see how the info I read about interfacing with a PC or transmitting data over a long distance relates to the asynchronous set up on the CC2570 data sheet or the ANT Chipset and Module Guide.  To me it seems the same as a synchronous serial interface as far a function goes, meaning getting data from the host MCU to the ANT module.

Really my question is if I am transmitting data over a short distance, is using asynchronous serial communication a poor choice.  The MCU I am using has a USCI peripheral so it is capable of either choice.

Thanks for the help.

Take care,

Jon

Jon,

For a short distance, both asynchronous and synchronous are valid choices, neither is a poor choice over the other. The Interfacing with ANT General Purpose Chipset document has details on both, and can be found here:

http://www.thisisant.com/pages/developer-zone/ant-protocol-and-usage

Generally, the thing to keep in mind is the power consumption between the different modes. In general, synchronous communication uses less power (However, this isn't always the case). I encourage you to take a look at the power calculator that is available on the ANT website to compare the two modes if power consumption is important to you:

http://www.thisisant.com/technology/feature-highlights

As I said before, we can't tell you which one is a better choice, it is up to you which one  you want to implement.

I hope this answered your questions, please let me know if anymore clarification is required.

Best regards,

Kassandra

That's exactly the answer I was looking for. Thank you. 

Take care,

Jon

Kassandra,

Thanks for pointing me to the Power Estimator.  Synchronous is the clear winner.  It more then doubles the length of my device.

Take care,

Jon