I have already purchased ~200 MM6108 chips and built the first iteration of my prototypes with a custom FEM.
I have a few questions:
TX power of the chip only:
What is the minimum and maximum TX output power (in dBm) of the MM6108 chip itself (no FEM / no PCB gain), when using the default BCF file bcf_mf08551.bin?
I need to drive my custom FEM at around 0 dBm input, so I want to understand if this level is achievable directly from the chip or if I need to add an external attenuator.
Low power limit:
Is it possible to configure TX power down to 0 dBm or lower via firmware/driver (e.g., via iw), or is there a hardware/firmware-enforced minimum?
Custom BCF:
What is the recommended process/toolchain to create a custom BCF file for a custom FEM (PA/LNA)?
Out of interest, when and from where did you purchase these chips? We haven’t sold MM6108 chips directly to the public in quite some time. Support options are mentioned towards the bottom of this message.
iw will not let you configure lower than 0dBm. There aren’t any other controls from user-space to allow you to go lower. If you do attempt this, please test it carefully - as we don’t focus on the accuracy of low power settings - you may experience some inaccuracy here.
Due to regulatory restrictions we don’t make these tools publicly available. You will need to email support@morsemicro.com and may be required to sign an NDA.
Test tools are available to anyone building a product with one of our, or our partners modules. If you have an account for our Customer Portal, please email support@morsemicro.com with the same email address you used to create that account and request access to those tools
We purchased the hardware from Alfa Network (https://www.alfa.com.tw/), who have been our long-term partner for Wi-Fi PCBA supply and development. The order was placed a few months ago.
I’ve reviewed the MM6108 datasheet. It specifies a minimum TX power of 5.3 dBm at MCS0, but I would appreciate more detailed information across different bandwidths and MCS modes.
Our current target configuration is fixed MCS (10-0-3) and bandwidths in the 1–4 MHz range. I understand MMRC is the recommended approach, but for now we intend to proceed with fixed parameters for controlled testing.
Anyway. I plan to run a series of TX power measurements across all MCS and IW power lewels and will share results here. We have the required test equipment to do this properly.
You mentioned there are no additional controls from user space.
Is there any possibility to adjust TX power behavior from kernel space? I’ve been working with the morse_driver and could potentially explore modifications there.
Also, I noticed that in IBSS mode the driver ignores iw txpower settings and resets TX power to maximum after rescans when no connection is established. This seems like a bug i did hack around in driver to fix this.
We previously reached out to support@morsemicro.com (around 6 months ago when the project started) but did not receive a response. We will try contacting again.
We were also advised by someone on your side to obtain the necessary tools via our distributor. However, Alfa Network is not aware of these tools, so currently we are blocked.
You mentioned access is typically provided for partners using your modules.
In our case, we are not using prebuilt modules but designing hardware around the MM6108 directly. Is there a specific process or requirement to gain access to these tools in this scenario?
