ESP32-DW3210 UWB Evaluation Board w/ Dual Antenna Switch

The board uses an ADRF5019 SPDT RF switch controlled by a physical jumper. To select the antenna path, simply move the jumper to connect the DW3210's RF output to either the onboard chip antenna trace or the path leading to the SMA connector. This allows for quick hardware switching without any firmware changes, ideal for comparing antenna performance in different UWB ranging scenarios.

You can develop firmware for this board using Espressif's official ESP-IDF framework or the Arduino Core for ESP32 via the Arduino IDE or PlatformIO. You will need to integrate a UWB library or driver for the DW3210 transceiver to handle ranging and communication protocols. Example code often involves initializing the UWB radio, configuring ranging parameters, and processing time-of-flight data for positioning calculations.

While specific current draw for the DW3210 during active ranging depends on configuration, the board's ESP32 microcontroller and UWB transceiver combined can draw up to the specified maximum of 240 mA. For battery-powered applications, you should leverage the ESP32's deep sleep modes and only activate the UWB radio periodically to minimize average current consumption and extend operational life.

The DW3210 UWB transceiver is capable of both precise ranging (measuring distance between nodes) and data communication. While often used for Time-of-Flight (ToF) based positioning, its UWB pulses can also be modulated to carry packet data. Your firmware can be designed to alternate between ranging sessions and sending small data packets, enabling networked sensor applications with integrated location awareness.