Ebyte nRF24 module comparison (2020)
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so i far from these modules i purchased and tried E01-ML01S, E01-ML01SP2, E01-ML01SP4. i wouldnt use E01-ML01S even if they give it for free unless you need it for 2-3 meters range of communication. E01-ML01SP4 is good but requires and external antenna also had many issues with the antenna like transmits when you touch it and it loses connection when you let it go. this particular problem was completely random in the same setup on the second board you may not ecounter this issue. to solve it you may need to twist and position the antenna in a very particular way and then it works. im tired of these issues so my fav is E01-ML01SP2 works just as good and the antenna is integrated so you can eliminate all the antenna related issues. looking at the E01-ML01DP4 it looks the same as E01-ML01SP2 so it would perform similarly.
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@monte yep, theres a filter cap on my voltage regulator which is picked specifically because of its very low noise performance and the modules have filter caps as well not only 1 but 3. oh also worth mentioning, i designed nrf24 modules with pa lna to compare the performance and used fancy baluns and RF filter components with proper sma antenna and to be honest performance difference was unsignificant for much more work and more costly. balun is .80 , band pass filter is .70 original nrf24 chip is 3 and pa module is 2 crystal, connector other passive components all add up to around 7-8 dollars which gives similar performance to E01-ML01SP2 at only 2 dollars.
edit: as for the issues with E01-ML01SP4 i know its a grounding issue but its very hard to pin point the cause. i pulled my hair out many times :)) i just blame the tiny ipex connector or just the bad antenna.. somewhere along the line grounding was the issue but none of these antenna related issues happened with my own nrf24 design or the E01-ML01SP2 so its definitely either connector or antenna issue. good old solid as a rock SMA connector is the best if it is not available i would go with pcb trace or ceramic antenna.
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@monte yep, theres a filter cap on my voltage regulator which is picked specifically because of its very low noise performance and the modules have filter caps as well not only 1 but 3. oh also worth mentioning, i designed nrf24 modules with pa lna to compare the performance and used fancy baluns and RF filter components with proper sma antenna and to be honest performance difference was unsignificant for much more work and more costly. balun is .80 , band pass filter is .70 original nrf24 chip is 3 and pa module is 2 crystal, connector other passive components all add up to around 7-8 dollars which gives similar performance to E01-ML01SP2 at only 2 dollars.
edit: as for the issues with E01-ML01SP4 i know its a grounding issue but its very hard to pin point the cause. i pulled my hair out many times :)) i just blame the tiny ipex connector or just the bad antenna.. somewhere along the line grounding was the issue but none of these antenna related issues happened with my own nrf24 design or the E01-ML01SP2 so its definitely either connector or antenna issue. good old solid as a rock SMA connector is the best if it is not available i would go with pcb trace or ceramic antenna.
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@orhanyor okay, I just was confused why you've got such poor results. I personally have better luck with i.pex connectors.
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I have ordered a set of E01-ML01S and intend to test them against my gateway.
@orhanyor: I would definitely expect the E01-ML01S to do better than a couple of meters. That is the range of the shittiest noname nrf24 clones (when they work at all).
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A lot of my NRF24 problems were solved when I used a sheet of metal for a groundplane on the +PA+LNA module I use on my gateway.
Will definitely try some Ebyte modules when its time to buy some more.
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I have ordered a set of E01-ML01S and intend to test them against my gateway.
@orhanyor: I would definitely expect the E01-ML01S to do better than a couple of meters. That is the range of the shittiest noname nrf24 clones (when they work at all).
@sola they can do the job depending on your environment. in my experience if theres an obstacle like if your module is in a box if modules are not in line of sight pa lna solves the signal issues. otherwise those without pa are ok too. one fatal mistake is to put some metal or lean the antenna back against a ground plane. oh man that totally kills the signal :) its a newbie mistake but its worth mentioning.
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@sola they can do the job depending on your environment. in my experience if theres an obstacle like if your module is in a box if modules are not in line of sight pa lna solves the signal issues. otherwise those without pa are ok too. one fatal mistake is to put some metal or lean the antenna back against a ground plane. oh man that totally kills the signal :) its a newbie mistake but its worth mentioning.
@orhanyor A piece of aluminium fixed my problem (Well 99% better). The sensors I have report in every 2 minutes and I get an error alert if they do not. Without the sheet in place it is just non stop communication errors. there is a thread I posted all about it.
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thanks for this survey !:
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Hello Sola
You might be interested to know I’ve developed a rather full featured RC system for model helicopters using the ML01DP5. It is proving extremely reliable even at great range. Today I’m testing with the ML01SP4 as it’s smaller - I hope the range is ok. There’s really only one way to find out ! Here’s a recent test …
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Hello Sola
You might be interested to know I’ve developed a rather full featured RC system for model helicopters using the ML01DP5. It is proving extremely reliable even at great range. Today I’m testing with the ML01SP4 as it’s smaller - I hope the range is ok. There’s really only one way to find out ! Here’s a recent test …
@mmessiter Great stuff, congrats for the system.
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I have built 2 nodes with E01-ML01S (the cheapest module) and I have pretty good experience with them so far.
I didn't have to use any capacitors to improve range, they are directly connected to some medium-quality Arduino Nano GND/3.3V.
One of them is a lighting controller node, ~3 meters from the PA/LNA gateway (+ a 30cm wall) on the same level as the gateway.
The other one is a repeter node and is ~10 meters from the gateway (+ a 20cm wall, same level as the gateway). In this case, radio orientation was important to get a good signal.
One of the test modules could communicate with the gateway through 2 walls and a the ceiling (steel-bar reinforced).
All-in-all, I am satisfied with the signal stability of these modules.
It is a bit finicky to solder the wires to the module because the pads are very small.
I always put some solder on the pads first and reheat when I attach the wires.
