User Manual

Physical Properties
RockBLOCK Naked 45.0 x 45.0 x 15.0mm
Mounting Holes Two on PCB
Header Connector Molex 51021
Environmental Properties
Storage Temperature -40 to 85 deg C
Operating Temperature
-4
0 to 85 deg C
Operating Environment < 75% Relative
Humidity
Testing CE
FCC
Iridium Approval
Power
RockBLOCK 9603 5v DC, 100mA minimum
Power Consumption max 450mA (100mA required)
Power & I/O Direct Header or FTDI/USB
Communication
Iridium Modem 9603 short burst transceiver
Iridium Antenna 1621Mhz tuned patch antenna
Product Options
RockBLOCK 9603 - PCB with on-board antenna
For more information, technical product details and PDF
downloads please visit our website at:
http://www.rock7.com
Disclaimers:
The Iridium logo and word, Arduino word, and
Raspberry Pi word are registered trademarks of
their respective owners.
How does the RockBLOCK work?
Iridium Ground Station
Iridium Satellites Used
For Transmission
RockBLOCK
Rock Seven ServersYour e-mail or service
Iridium Ground Station
The RockBLOCK allows you to send and receive short messages from
anywhere on Earth with a clear view of the sky. It works far beyond the
reach of WiFi and GSM networks.
Maybe you want to transmit weather information from mid-ocean? Or
use it to send telemetry data back from an oil well in the middle of the
desert. RockBLOCK 9603 is designed to be integrated into products to
enable two-way communication from anywhere on Earth.
RockBLOCK takes its power via the header connector, or alternatively
via an optional FTDI/USB cable. From a power usage perspective your
host needs to supply a minimum of 100mA @ 5v DC although you
can also run the unit directly from a LiPo/LiIon battery.
At the heart of RockBLOCK is an Iridium 9603 modem. The RockBLOCK
hosts the 9603 and provides it with an antenna, and its power supply
requirements. It exposes the modem’s serial interface via a Molex
connector.
Iridium is the only satellite network that allows transmission of
information from any point on Earth – other networks have no coverage
in the polar regions, and have intermittent or no coverage in other
marine and land areas.
Iridium has 66 satellites in orbit around the Earth, allowing coverage
anywhere on Earth 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No other satellite
network has truly global coverage. Messages sent via Iridium take just
seconds to arrive, via e-mail or HTTP POST directly to your web-service.
RockBLOCK 9603 - PCB version with SMA connector
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