The SimpleLink CC1352P and CC2652P devices are multiprotocol, multi-band, Sub-1 GHz and 2.4 GHz wireless MCUs supporting Wireless M-Bus, IEEE 802.15.4g, IPv6-enabled smart objects (6LoWPAN), Thread, Zigbee®, KNX RF, Wi-SUN®, Bluetooth® 5 Low Energy, and proprietary systems. The devices contain an integrated high-power amplifier (PA) with best-in-class efficiency for long-range applications delivering up to 20 dBm.

The current consumption for 20 dBm output power at 2.4 GHz is more than 80 mA, and not suitable for applications running off of small size batteries such as coin cells. To mitigate this constraint, this application report documents how the PA can be optimized to achieve its highest efficiency at 10 dBm output power, reducing the peak current consumption to only 22 mA at 3.0 V. 10 dBm output power is selected because for several popular protocols, it is the highest allowable power level in Europe.

Two things are required to optimize the PA for 10 dBm operation: a dedicated RF matching network and dedicated radio configuration settings. The former is covered in this document, while the latter is found in the applicable SDKs and SmartRF™ Studio software.